Chapter 149
Lirael
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died as he kissed me with a possession that bordered on punishment, his mouth claiming mine with an aggression that made heat pool low in my belly and my core clench with want I didn't want to acknowledge. This wasn't gentle—this was Sebastian reminding me exactly what I'd agreed to, his tongue invading my mouth with the same ruthless thoroughness he'd soon apply to the rest of my body, and my knees went weak as desire flooded through me.
When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard, and his thumb traced my swollen lower lip before pressing inside, watching with dark satisfaction as my lips parted automatically. "That's your punishment for making me wait," he murmured, withdrawing his thumb and bringing it to his own mouth to taste. "For every second you made me wonder."
Before I could respond, he caught my hand and pressed it low against his abdomen, and I could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt, could feel the hard length of him straining against his pants, thick and ready. "Want more punishment?" he asked, voice dropping dangerously low as he pressed my palm more firmly against his erection. "Want to verify exactly how much I've been wanting you? How hard you make me just by existing?"
Heat flooded my face and wetness pooled between my thighs as I felt him pulse beneath my hand, and I jerked away, shoving at his chest. I didn't wait for him to change his mind—I just yanked open the car door and threw myself into the back seat, my face burning and my body aching with need I refused to name.
---
The household staff was assembled in the main hall when we arrived, curiosity burning in their carefully neutral expressions. Sebastian's arm came around my waist, pulling me against his side with possessive certainty, and I could feel the heat of him through our clothes, could smell the musk of arousal still clinging to him.
"From this day forward," he announced, voice carrying through the hall with absolute authority, "she is the mistress of this estate. Her commands carry the same weight as my own. Anyone who fails to show her proper respect will answer to me personally."
I turned to stare at him in shock. "Sebastian, what are you—"
He cut me off with a kiss to my forehead, gentle but possessive, his hand sliding lower on my waist to rest just above the curve of my ass. "Get used to it, little moon. Soon you'll be the lady of the entire Blackwood clan. Might as well start practicing now."
The head housekeeper's expression flickered with something that might have been concern, but she quickly executed a perfect curtsy. "Welcome home, my lady."
"That's better," Sebastian said with satisfaction, and before I could protest, he'd swept me up into his arms and headed for the stairs, his hand deliberately positioned so his fingers could stroke the underside of my thigh with each step.
"Sebastian!" I yelped, hands grabbing his shoulders for balance. "Put me down! Everyone's watching!"
"So?" He didn't slow down, and I felt his fingers inch higher, brushing dangerously close to where I was already wet and aching. "I'm carrying my girlfriend to our bedroom. What's wrong with that?"
I could hear barely suppressed laughter from below and wanted to disappear. "This is mortifying," I hissed, burying my burning face in his shoulder.
"This is perfect," he corrected, warmth in his voice. "This is me making sure everyone knows exactly who you are to me. Get used to it, Lira. I plan to embarrass you like this at every opportunity."
---
When I emerged from the shower wrapped in a silk robe, my damp hair hanging loose, Sebastian was sitting on the bed, and his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made me acutely aware of how little I was wearing, how the silk clung to my still-damp skin and showed the outline of my nipples hardening under his gaze.
"Come here," he said, voice low and compelling.
"What for?" I stopped just out of reach, crossing my arms over my chest.
He patted the space between his legs. "Let me dry your hair. You'll catch cold."
I hesitated, but eventually moved closer and let him guide me to sit while he reached for the hairdryer. His fingers were gentle as they worked through my hair, but I could feel the heat of his body behind me, could feel the hardness pressing against my lower back that told me drying my hair wasn't the only thing on his mind.
"You have beautiful hair," he murmured, leaning in to inhale, and I felt his other hand slide around to rest on my stomach, thumb stroking just below my breast. "It always smells like moonlight."
"That's just my natural scent," I managed, trying to ignore the way my body was responding to his touch, the way my thighs were pressing together seeking friction. "All lunar elves have it."
The dryer clicked off, and he turned me to face him, hands cupping my face before sliding down to rest on my thighs, fingers toying with the edge of the silk. "No," he said firmly, amber eyes darkening as he spread my legs slightly to step between them. "This is Lira's scent. Yours alone. I'd know it anywhere—the moonlight and something sweeter, especially when you're aroused like you are right now."
---
When I climbed into bed, exhaustion pulling at me, Sebastian's arm immediately came around my waist and pulled me back against his chest, and I could feel every inch of him pressed against me—the solid muscle of his torso, the warmth of his skin, and the unmistakable hardness nestled against my ass that made my breath hitch.
"Just like this," he murmured against my hair, one hand splaying possessively across my stomach. "This is how we sleep from now on."
"Sebastian, this is too close," I protested weakly, though my body was already melting into his, my hips shifting back unconsciously to press more firmly against him.
"Not close enough." His hand traced up my ribs, fingers brushing the underside of my breast through the silk. "This fabric is too slippery. You might get cold. Maybe you should take it off?"
Alarm bells went off and I stiffened, hand catching his wrist. "No! You promised you wouldn't force me!"
"I'm not forcing," he said, but his hand turned in my grip to lace our fingers together, and he brought our joined hands to rest between my breasts, right over my racing heart. "I'm suggesting. But fine. Holding you is enough. For now."
I forced myself to focus on the practical. "You said you needed me close because of the full moon. That my presence helps calm your wolf."
"It does," he confirmed, voice already slowing with approaching sleep, but his hips shifted slightly, grinding against me in a way that made us both inhale sharply. "Having you here—it's the only thing that quiets the chaos. Before you, I hadn't slept through the night in years."
The vulnerability in that made my chest ache. If holding me could give him peace, could I really deny him that? "Fine," I whispered, letting myself fully relax, even as I felt him harden further against me. "But just holding. Nothing more."
"Just holding," he agreed, though his hand had somehow slipped beneath the silk to rest on my bare stomach, skin to skin, and I could feel his smile against my neck. "Thank you, Lira."