Inferno by Adriana Noir Read Free Book Online Page B

for cuddle time on the couch.”
    She snapped her fingers in a show of mock exasperation. The gesture almost earned her a swat to the ass, but he caught himself before his palm landed. He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. Everything about their life had been uprooted. Even their play was cut short by the accident. He didn’t like it, or the fact that he was almost afraid to touch her. Deep down, it felt like one wrong word, one wrong breath, and everything they’d built would blow away like a feather on the wind.
     
    ~*~*~*~
     
    A short while later, Taylor sat surrounded by a mound of plush pillows on the chaise lounge while Sebastian worked on polishing off the remainder of his meal beside her. Despite their offer, Rupert had declined to join them for dinner and instead had lumbered toward the front door, claiming he wanted nothing more than a good night’s rest before he resumed his duties. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected a few hard looks from her lover had played a small part in that decision. Unfazed, Sebastian’s pale green eyes sparkled as he stabbed a piece of pineapple onto his fork and held it out in offering. Licking the last bit of stray sauce off her lips, she accepted the tart fruit and sagged back against the pillows with a groan.
    “If I eat another bite, I’m going to burst.”
    His mouth curved into a slow smirk. “We can’t have that.”
    “Because you would miss me too much?” she asked, grinning.
    He donned a deadpan expression and his head tilted in a visible show of thought before he spoke. “No. I was thinking more along the lines of if you explode, I would be stuck cleaning up the mess.”
    She gaped at him, her mouth falling open. He grunted as her elbow pegged his ribs. “Real nice, Sebastian!”
    Unable to hold it in anymore, he burst into genuine laughter.
    Her jaw stretched round a violent yawn and she glanced at the decorative clock gracing the entertainment stand’s built-in shelves. The fact that it wasn’t even nine yet and she was having trouble staying awake made her feel even more weak and pathetic.
    After taking her tray, he rolled to the side and set their platters on the floor beside the chair. A lazy smile curved his mouth as he flipped back over and covered her body with his, careful to keep his weight propped onto his arms. Resting his forehead against hers, he stared into her eyes, the look there intense enough to steal her breath away.
    “You know I was just teasing you,” he claimed. The smile gracing his handsome face faded, and his expression grew serious, almost pained. He issued an audible swallow and, when he spoke, his voice came in a husky rasp. “It would kill me if anything ever happened to you, Taylor. I don’t think I could live with myself.”
    “Seb…” she whispered, her fingers dancing over the elongated stubble still spotting his chin. If he’d showered, he hadn’t shaved, and judging by the dark smudges beneath his eyes, it was doubtful he’d slept much, if at all, in the past few days. A gentle forefinger to her lips silenced her.
    “No,” he said. “You don’t understand, Taylor. Those things I tell you, they aren’t just pretty words to make you smile. You really are everything to me. I don’t know how I would go on without you. I wouldn’t even want to try.”
    She kissed his finger in a silent bid to speak. He swallowed again, the whites of his eyes reddening a little. His jaw tightened and Sebastian lowered his head.
    “You are way too good for me. Too good to me. You’d never say it. You’re too sweet for that, but I blame myself for this,” he said, moving his finger from her lips to trace the small cut above her eye. “For Laychee, for everything. Every time you get hurt, it boils down to somebody wanting to get at me. That’s not fair to you, baby.”
    “Don’t do this,” she whispered. “I’m not dying, Sebastian. I’m a little banged up but I’m okay. We’re okay.”
    “I know but some