stopped the kiss. She felt scorched. Boneless. Ashley remembered feeling like this. Sebastian knew exactly how to touch her. She wanted more and yet she wanted it to stop. She needed to take control but at the same time she wanted to throw caution to the wind and see where she landed.
“Anything else?” she asked hoarsely.
His hand grazed her breast and he drew lazy circles around her hard nipple with his fingertip. “I expect total obedience from my women.”
She flinched. She wasn’t sure which part of his rule bothered her. The fact that she was lumped into a group known as “his women”? Or the obedience part? She wasn’t going to let this man—or any man—master her. She wasn’t a plaything. “Following the rules has never been my strength,” she said.
“You’ll learn. All you need is the right motivation.” Sebastian smiled as he trailed his fingertips down her rib cage. His touch was as light as a feather and yet her skin tingled with awareness.
“I can’t promise you obedience,” she said between pants. “In fact, I won’t.”
Her words made him smile. “I can make you promise anything.”
She wanted to give a bitter laugh. Slap his hand away. Tell him he was only fooling himself. But deep down she knew Sebastian could have that power, and she didn’t want to test it. “You are very sure of yourself.”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he splayed his hand between her thighs. Sebastian’s eyes held an unholy gleam when he realized she wore nothing underneath her dress. He murmured his approval in Spanish as he began to stroke the folds of her sex.
Ashley immediately clamped her legs together but it was too late. Sebastian wasn’t going to let that deter him. He gave a husky laugh of triumph as she responded. She looked away as the liquid heat flooded her body.
“Look at me,” he said roughly.
Ashley shook her head. She couldn’t look in his eyes and show him how she felt. How he made her feel. From his expert touch, it was obvious that he already knew. The humiliation burned and yet she bucked against his hand.
She wouldn’t look at him. And yet she couldn’t tell him to stop. She didn’t want to push him away. She felt the white heat whipping through her, catching fire. Her fear was that he would stop unless she followed his command.
Sebastian growled. “Look at me,” he repeated.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head again. A guttural moan escaped from deep in her chest as Sebastian dipped his finger into her clenching core. Ashley felt his hot gaze. She knew he saw everything. He knew what she wanted. What if he held back? Oh, God...what if he didn’t stop until she revealed her deepest need and darkest fantasy?
“Ashley.” His voice was raw and urgent.
She was compelled to open her eyes. Ashley met his intense gaze just as the climax rippled through her. Her mouth sagged open and her muscles locked as she chased the pleasure. Sebastian saw everything and she couldn’t hide. How was he going to use this to his advantage?
He slowly, almost reluctantly, withdrew from her. Ashley ached from the loss and she sagged against the wall. Her body trembled. She wanted to hold on to him, but she wouldn’t dare.
“Total obedience,” he reminded her quietly.
His words were like a slap. Was this a display of his dominance? Did he want to prove that he could make her do whatever he wished?
Ashley pushed away from him and smoothed her dress with clumsy hands. She would not submit to his will. “No, Cruz,” she said as she fought to stand straight on wobbly legs. “That will never happen.”
“Haven’t you learned by now, Ashley?” he asked as the challenge glinted in his eyes. “I always get what I want.”
CHAPTER FOUR
A S A SHLEY STOOD in the VIP section of Sebastian’s dance club, she couldn’t help but feel as if she had fallen into the looking glass. The flashing lights were hypnotic and the dancers moved to the music as if they were in a trance. She had
Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child