Sebastian/Aristide (Bayou Heat) Read online

  Lowering his head, Sebastian sucked the tip of her nipple in his mouth, using his teeth to tease her as his finger slid in and out of her slick channel. She whimpered softly, her hand stroking him with greater urgency.

  He could sense that she was close.

  Her spicy heat filled the room, intoxicating his senses.

  Her breath locked in her throat, her back arching. Then, with a soft cry, she shuddered in completion, her last, insistent tug of his erection causing him to cry out as his climax slammed through him and the world shattered in pleasure.

  Wrapping her in his arms, Sebastian had to smile.

  Reny was wrong.

  This had to be fate.

  Nothing less than divine intervention could have brought this exquisite, mysterious female into his arms.

  CHAPTER 4

  Pleasure scalded through Reny, making her knees weak as she clung to the man who’d just given her the most shattering climax of her life.

  Good. God.

  That was…

  Her fuzzy mind struggled to form the words that would capture the spasms of pleasure that continued to clench her body.

  It didn’t make sense.

  Sebastian was barely more than a stranger. Hell, they hadn’t even had full intercourse.

  She wanted to blame the blinding enjoyment on the weird-ass mating heat.

  Any man would do while she was being forced into sex by a chemical-induced frenzy.

  Problem was…she knew that wasn’t true.

  Yes, she’d been driven by a hunger she’d never felt before. At least, not that she could remember. And her logical mind would never have allowed her to get up close and personal with a man she’d just met if it wasn’t for the lust that had thundered through her body.

  But, there was no way that she’d have given in to her desire if she hadn’t been attracted to Sebastian on a deep, primal level. And she certainly wouldn’t still be aching to push him onto the nearby bed and impale herself on the hard length of his cock.

  Almost as if able to read her thoughts, Sebastian lowered his head to nuzzle his face against her cheek in a very feline gesture.

  She shivered. How could such a simple caress be so amazingly erotic?

  “Better?” he murmured against her ear.

  She gave a small nod, still trying to catch her breath. “It’s not as…” She hesitated, allowing herself to consider the faint buzz of arousal that continued to race through her. It was there…waiting…but it was no longer a clawing, almost painful desire. As if Sebastian’s touch had reassured the strange hunger that her needs were going to be met. How crazy was that? “Persistent,” she at last muttered.

  His lips touched her temple before following her hairline to trace the shell of her ear. “Good.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, discovering the exotic musk of his skin was as enticing as his hard, chiseled body and the soft caress of his fingers as they trailed up and down her back.

  “Good?”

  “When I take you, we’ll both know that it’s because you want to.”

  She pulled back to meet his eyes that still glowed with blatant lust. “You’re so certain I want you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Arrogant.”

  He flashed a smile filled with sinful promise as he released her to shrug out of his shirt. Reny nearly choked as she caught her first full glimpse of Sebastian’s bare chest.

  He was delectable.

  Her fingers itched to explore the broad expanse of bronzed skin, lingering on the six-pack before lowering to the cock that was rising and thickening at her appreciative glance.

  Or maybe she’d use her tongue, she abruptly decided, giving up any pretense that she wasn’t eager to finish what they’d started.

  It wasn’t like he didn’t sense her reaction to his striptease.

  Just as she could feel the pulse of his mounting desire beating against her.

  Heat prickled over her skin, her mouth going dry as he kicked off the Italian leather shoes and shoved down the black slacks.

  Oh, man. He looked like he’d been sculpted by an artist.

  The urge to touch him was too much to resist. Reaching out, she was caught off guard when Sebastian shackled her wrist in a strong grip.

  “No,” he growled, the cat so close to the surface that Reny would swear she could sense it.

  She lifted her brows in surprise. “You don’t like my touch?”

  “Too much,” he confessed with blunt honesty, tugging her against his naked body. Reny swallowed a startled gasp at the skin to skin contact. It felt like she was being branded. Claimed in a way she didn’t fully grasp. Sebastian gave a low growl of approval, his smile smug. “The last time I let you to take control, allowing you to take what you needed from me. It’s my turn.”

  His dominance was like a physical push against her. It should have annoyed the hell out of her.

  Reny was far too independent to put up with a man who treated her as anything less than an equal.

  So why was the feel of his raw, predatory strength sending tiny tremors of anticipation through her body?

  Annoyed by her traitorous response, she narrowed her gaze.

  “I like to be in control.”

  His hands skimmed up her back to tangle his fingers in her hair, tilting her head back so he could have full access to the vulnerable length of her neck.

  “Yeah, I noticed.” His lips traced a path of havoc along her jaw, before nibbling down the curve of her throat. “But you’re going to like my way better.”

  Like?

  She was freaking loving it.

  “Oh, really?” she forced herself to mutter, even though she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  He chuckled, swiping a rough tongue over the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder.

  “Sugar, I’m going to make you scream.”

  “You can try.”

  “Ah, a challenge,” he whispered, as his hands slid over her shoulders and toward her aching breasts. “I can be very persuasive when I’m motivated.”

  She made a choked sound as his thumbs brushed over her straining nipples. Why had she never noticed how sensitive they were? Probably because she’d never been touched by Sebastian.

  Just having him near was enough to make her entire body sizzle with eagerness.

  The reluctant acknowledgement had barely formed when it was buried beneath an avalanche of pleasure as his mouth skated over the curve of her breast. Reaching his destination, his lips closed over the tip so his tongue could tease her with merciless skill.

  “Not fair,” she muttered, her fingers shoving into the tawny silk of his hair.

  He turned his head to torment her other breast.

  “I never play fair,” he warned her, lifting his head to meet her heated gaze. “I play to win.”

  With a motion too swift for Reny to anticipate, Sebastian swept her off her feet and tossed her into the center of the bed, her arms and legs splayed wide.

  “Hey.”

  “We’re doing things my way this time, remember?” he demanded, covering her with the welcome weight of his body.

  She lifted her hands, intending to hold him off so she could tell him exactly what she thought of his arrogance. Only her hands were no longer connected to her brain. Rather than pushing against the hard planes of his chest, her fingers were lingering on a small tattoo of a crouching puma that was barely noticeable against the bronzed skin of his chest.

  “I never agreed,” she said, her voice a husky rasp.

  Lowering his head, Sebastian nibbled at the corner of her mouth. “Do you need me to convince you?”

  A harsh shudder shook her body. Oh, yeah. She was ready and willing to be convinced.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that this was a brief moment of madness, first brought on by the strange sexual compulsion and now by her purely feminine desire.

  And perhaps the need to forget the world for just a little while.

  Beyond the c
losed door was her duty to finish the job that had brought her to New Orleans. And impressing her bosses to ensure her promotion.

  And, oh yeah, somehow processing the suspicion that she wasn’t entirely human.

  Sometimes a woman needed a few hours of fantasy to make her reality more bearable.

  And Sebastian was the perfect fantasy.

  As if sensing her capitulation, Sebastian growled low in his throat, his hands moving with a possessive confidence over her naked body.

  “Spice and musk,” he muttered, his tongue outlining her lips. “I need a taste.”

  Reny gave a small squeak as one roaming hand slid between her thighs to stroke through her wet pussy.

  “Do you bite?” she asked, breathless.

  “Absolutely.” He held her gaze as he dipped his finger into her thickening cream. “But only if you beg nicely.”

  Reny dug her heels into the black silk sheets as she arched her hips upward.

  “As if…” She forgot how to speak as his finger began sliding in and out of her. “Oh.”

  His lips brushed over her cheek, then down the line of her jaw. “Let yourself go, Agent Reny Smith.” He pressed a kiss to the pulse racing at the base of her throat. “Just.” His mouth trailed down her collarbone. “Let.” He covered the aching tip of her breast. “Go.”

  Oh, hell. Maybe he was going to make her scream. Her entire body was going up in flames.

  Fisting her fingers in his thick hair, she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips.

  “Stop giving me orders and do this thing.”

  Pulling back, he regarded her with a lift of his brows. “Do this thing?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Hmm.” His smile was mysterious. “I wonder if your cat is as demanding as you are.”

  She deliberately rubbed herself against the granite-hard length of his erection, not ready to consider what sort of animal lurked inside her. “Does it matter?”

  The yellow in his eyes glowed until they appeared incandescent in the dim light.

  Bracing himself on his elbow, he altered his position until the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance. “You are going to be all kinds of trouble, sugar.”

  She sucked in a breath of anticipation, her pussy parting in welcome as he surged deep inside her with a slow, relentless thrust.

  Moving her hands, Reny clutched at Sebastian’s shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. Holy crap. He was huge. Deliciously, heart-stoppingly huge. She groaned. There wasn’t pain. Despite Sebastian’s considerable size, her body eagerly accommodated his entry. But there was a sensual sense of fullness, and a startling intimacy that she hadn’t been expecting.

  In this moment she felt utterly bonded to Sebastian. Bonded in a way that seemed far more poignant than two bodies simply having sex.

  It was…

  No. She slammed a mental door on the dangerous thoughts. She couldn’t afford for this to be more than a meaningless, transitory coupling.

  “Reny,” he whispered close to her ear. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she muttered, burying her face in the curve of his neck. “Don’t stop.”

  “Christ, I couldn’t stop if you put a gun to my head,” he muttered, withdrawing from her body before pushing back in with a growing urgency. “I’ve never felt anything more perfect.”

  He was right.

  It was perfect.

  The heat and weight of his body as he pressed her deep into the mattress. The intoxicating musk that filled her senses. The beauty of his bronzed face, tight with the strain of tempering his hunger.

  But before she could agree, he was once again pulling out and thrusting forward with a rhythm that stole her breath. Yes. Oh, yes. This was what her body had longed for in the depths of the night. This was what she needed.

  Savoring the savage pleasure of his possession, Reny raked her nails down his back, delighted by the growl that reverberated in his chest. She dug her nails deeper, rewarded as he angled her head so he could sink his teeth into the vulnerable flesh of her neck.

  He did bite.

  His hips rocked faster, his hands tilting her upward to meet his deep, steady thrusts.

  “Sebastian…please,” she implored, her body coiled so tightly she felt as if she might shatter.

  “I told you to let go.” Dipping his head downward, he teased her aching nipple with his lips, pumping with a brutal pace as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  Reny’s breath rasped in the silent air, her focus locked onto the point where Sebastian’s body slammed in and out of her.

  She was so close. So divinely close.

  And then…pow.

  It happened.

  With one last surge he tumbled her over the edge, galvanizing her into an orgasm that exploded with blissful force. Her scream of pleasure reverberated through the room, her body shuddering with bliss as he continued to pump into her until he stiffened with his own release, his back arching beneath the force of his climax.

  Wrenching open her eyes, she regarded him in horror.

  Dammit. He’d made her scream.

  Meeting her gaze, he allowed a smug smile to curve his lips. “Gotcha.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Sebastian purred, basking in the heat of Reny’s body entwined with his own.

  Mmm. He was satisfied on a level that went way beyond a good orgasm.

  Sated lust was a good thing.

  Hell, it was a great thing.

  But this sense of…bone-deep rightness…it made him feel as if he’d just won the fucking lottery.

  He was in trouble.

  The kind of trouble that led a male Pantera into mating for life.

  But he didn’t care.

  Fate had given him this female and there was no way in hell he was letting her go.

  Nuzzling his lips against her temple, Sebastian trailed his fingers over her toned abs, relishing the spicy scent that fully captured this complicated woman.

  Sassy, strong, unpredictable.

  “That was—” His words were cut short when Reny pressed her fingers to his lips.

  “No.”

  He arched a brow. “No?”

  “I don’t want to dissect what happened between us.”

  Propping himself on his elbow, he carefully studied her wary expression.

  Her dark hair was spread across the pillows, hidden streaks of red shimmering like fire in the muted overhead light. Her face was still flushed from their combustible passion. And her slender body was perfectly formed to curve against him.

  Her beauty was like an incandescent flame that drew him like a moth.

  But it was the stubborn set of her jaw that captured his attention.

  Reny Smith might have given her body with a generosity that had stolen his heart, but it was obvious her mind refused to accept the inevitable bond that was forming between them.

  He smiled wryly. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed with her stubborn resistance, or excited by the thought of continuing the chase.

  It would make her eventual surrender all the sweeter.

  Leaning down, he nipped the tip of her nose. “Are you always so romantic with your lovers?”

  “I’m practical,” she said in defensive tones. “I’ve had to be.”

  “Why?”

  “When you have your past stolen from you by amnesia you swiftly discover the world isn’t a place for fairy tales.”

  Amnesia…hell, that would explain so much.

  “You were in an accident?”

  “There was some sort of trauma.” Old sorrow darkened her moss green eyes. “I was found hidden in the back of a semi-truck. I had wounds on my wrists and ankles that proved I’d been bound for several days, if not weeks. Maybe even longer. The doctors speculated that I’d been held by a psychopath and my mind had blocked out the memories of my torture.”

  Sebastian barely dared to breathe as fury exploded through him. This sweet, fragile woman had been abused by a madman?


  It was no wonder she’d been forced to build walls in her mind. Not only to deal with the horror of her captivity, but to contain the cat inside her that had never been allowed to fully bond with her.

  Christ, she had to be one of the strongest people he’d ever met to not only survive, but to have built a new life for herself.

  His fingers gently stroked her cheek, the need to ease her pain a physical necessity.

  “How did you join the FBI?”

  She turned in to his light caress, unconsciously seeking the comfort of his touch. “The cops who found me took me under their wing when it became obvious I wasn’t going to be able to find my family.” A tremor raced through her body. No doubt she’d tormented herself over the years with the image of how her parents must have been frantic in their search for their missing daughter. “They encouraged me to apply to Quantico.”

  Sebastian frowned. How was it possible that he hadn’t heard of a missing Pantera female?

  Her parents would have come to the Wildlands for assistance in searching for her

  Unless they were dead.

  Which meant the bastard holding her might not have been a random psycho.

  “Did they find the man responsible for holding you?” he murmured.

  She shook her head. “They searched, but they couldn’t even be entirely certain that’s what happened to me.”

  “Perhaps they were looking in the wrong place.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He absently smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. “The Pantera have enemies.”

  Her lips parted, but before she could interrogate him, there was a series of beeps from across the room.

  “That’s the office,” she muttered, wriggling out of his arms to hop out of bed.

  Sebastian gave a low growl of protest, but he couldn’t deny an appreciation of watching her naked ass as she moved to pick up her jacket and pull out the ringing phone.

  It was a very fine ass, he acknowledged, wishing he’d done more exploring of the lush temptation.

  Next time…

  His indulgent fantasies of the various ways he intended to savor Reny were interrupted as he watched her expression become grim as she listened to the caller.