She nodded, pushing her ass against him. “Always, Sebastian.”
“Then we need to find some lube.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
A week to the day of Penny’s break in Sebastian went to bed in the early hours of the morning. He’d stayed up late to catch up on work, check his emails, but most of all he stayed up to think. Thinking had won out over work and he’d got hardly anything done. Every time he went to open a document or check an email her face had intruded on his thoughts, prodding him. To what he did not know.
Uncle Gosta had left several messages wondering what on earth was happening. Missing Lady Williams’ party had been bad enough but apparently he’d missed a family get together too. Sebastian hadn’t even remembered it and he felt bad about that.
Gosta had been his staunchest supporter and ally since the moment he’d moved to London. The man ran several of his departments and though he was in his late fifties he had the energy of a man half his age. Mellina had also called more than once, but he’d ignored her voicemails. Truth be told, he could barely envisage her now. Her red hair, her reed-like figure, it was no match in any way to the curves of his thief.
Penny consumed his thoughts and he needed to understand why, needed to work out why after just a week he felt like he was drowning in her. Fucking drowning.
Only when he walked into the bedroom to find Penny curled up asleep on ‘her’ side of the bed it felt as though he hadn’t answered a single question. He sat down next to her carefully and just looked. In sleep her face lost the hard look he often saw on it. Why hadn’t he realized that before now, he wondered. But yes looking closer he picked up on it immediately.
Day to day she was playful, humorous, sexy. In sleep she just looked vulnerable. She slept with one hand under her chin, the other curled across her body in an oddly protective gesture. He’d taken to spooning her from behind. She’d frowned about that, but he’d done it anyway. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted her in his arms constantly, continually. To fuck her and lick her and also to…he gulped…to hold her. Somehow the sex was getting confused with other things.
Perhaps it was because of her secrets? Though she’d shown him the breaches in his security and talked to him about inane things, she was tight lipped about the property he’d bought for her and her sisters. The property that was going in the name of Penny Matthews. She’d had no choice but to tell him for the deeds, and though he felt bad about doing so, he’d already instructed Max to do a full investigation on both the name and the address she’d taken him to.
Eventually he would get answers. He didn’t doubt it, only he wanted them now and preferably from her sweet lips. He wanted to know everything now. Maybe then the grip she seemed to have on him would ease slightly? Maybe then he could start working out what the hell it all meant?
He thought of her explanation for her criminal training, about the other men and wanted to growl a denial. The idea of another man possessing her did not sit right with him. Those pale curves, the spark in those emerald eyes should be for him only and yet they weren’t, or at least they wouldn’t be. This was just a fling.
Why was that beginning to irk him? He reached out and ran a finger along the curve of her jaw. She tensed slightly. He saw it happen but he spoke, soothing her. “Shh now, Penny. It’s just me.”
Her brow scrunched and she wiggled a little but her eyes remained closed. He picked up a lock of her hair, intrigued by how dark it was against her pale skin. She was so beautiful, but he knew it wasn’t just that which drove the attraction. Yes the looks were what had made his desire explode initially but the more time he spent with her the more other things started to occur to him.
She was smart.
She was filthy.
She was a worthy adversary.
What the fuck did it all mean?
He stroked along her jaw again and watched a slight smile curve her lips. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the covers and he couldn’t help himself. He stood up, stripped, and slid into bed next to her. It took only a moment to pull her into his arms and though she muttered something or other he held her firm.
She felt so soft next to him. Her skin was flushed and it warmed his.
“Sebastian….”
He looked down but she slept still. “Right here,” he whispered, his accent thickening despite himself.
“Sebastian…”
His name was soft on her lips. It felt right somehow and somewhere within him he felt something stir. His thief and maybe, could it be possible…his woman, too?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thirteen days. How could so much change so quickly in just thirteen days? As Penny pulled on her jeans she eyed Sebastian’s bedroom and frowned. At exactly this time all those days ago she’d been stepping into her bodysuit ready for the biggest heist of her life. It had all gone so wrong and yet so right.