Page 38 of Innocent Salvation

“It’s fine. It’s actually a pretty cool place and you wouldn’t know it was underground with all the light.”

Snow nodded, feeling awkward, the sexual tension high from earlier in the garden and she could sense the ripples of desire coming from him as he looked at her with hunger.

Sebastian stepped forward and her pulse kicked up in her neck, as she stood her ground.

“You have that look in your eyes again.”

Snow’s eyes snapped to him, his eyes dark and predatory, the bulge in his jeans making her breath hitch. He was hard for her, the need she felt for him reflected in his body. “What look?”

“The one that makes me want to spread you on that bed and eat your pussy until you scream my name.”

“I don’t look like that.”

Sebastian angled his head as if he was trying to figure out an exceptionally complex math equation. “Why do you lie to yourself and me? Since I hit puberty, women have thrown themselves at me to the point it’s been a constant irritation, yet you deny us both what we want.”

“And what is it you think I want?”

“My cock in your tight pussy, my hands on your silky soft skin.”

Snow could deny that but they both knew it to be a lie. “I do want that, but I also want respect and love and someone to share my life with, someone who’s on my side no matter what. Who looks at me as if I’m the only person on earth who matters to him, and that man isn’t you.”

Sebastian seemed to pale at her blunt and brutally honest response, and Snow knew she was doing the right thing to stay away from him. A few hours of wild magical sex might sate her lust for this man, but it would mean heartbreak and disappointment when he rejected her, and she’d had too much of that to risk more.

“Look, Sebastian, I won’t say it’s not tempting but we have Fleur to think about and potentially a lifetime of being in each other’s lives. I don’t want that to be awkward because we had sex and blurred the lines.”

Sebastian stepped back, his hands moving to his pockets as he nodded. “You’re right. I apologise.”

Snow laughed. “Honestly, it’s fine. Now, I have a few things to do. Feel free to explore, the fridge in here is fully stocked but if you want anything specific then ask and we’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you.”

Sebastian walked her to the door, and she stopped and turned, wishing things were different and knowing he wasn’t the man for her, even if she wished he was. “As soon as we have a plan or any information, we’ll let you know.”

“I appreciate that.”

Snow hid the grin at his stoic response, the cool man she’d met back in place where he belonged. Guarding the gates of his heart, the way she probably should be.

* * *

“That’s it, Snow. Use your size to your advantage.”

Hurricane was shouting from the floor of the gym as she moved into Bein with a quick move, wrapping her arm around his waist and using her low centre of gravity to throw the huge man over her hip. He landed on the floor of the boxing ring with ease before jumping back to his feet with a grin on his face.

“Oh, it’s on now, Snowflake.”

Snow grinned wide, the endorphins and camaraderie of sparring with her friends taking the edge off her low mood the last few days. She’d taken care to keep some space between her and Sebastian to let the dust settle between them. She hadn’t avoided him as such, but she’d kept their interactions to public places that involved others.

Fleur was in love with the dogs and Valentina had been teaching the bright child a few commands to make them sit and lie down. Fleur now declared she was going to be a vet when she grew up. Sebastian had been working with Watchdog to uncover as much as they could about Lucinda’s birth parents as well as going through the information on the Doyle corruption case. Thankfully, that had been used as the excuse for why he was in hiding and was now working remotely for his family’s safety. A report of the kind he was doing often led to a lot of media speculation, especially when it involved judges, politicians, and the rich and famous.

Bein lunged with a right jab and caught her in the arm before she could dodge quick enough, the jolt waking her up but not hurting—at least too much. The men here didn’t pull their punches in training, the combatants they faced sure as hell wouldn’t, so the women of Shadow had to be twice as good as the men and this allowed them to train for it. While they didn’t pull their punches in training, they certainly didn’t go as hard as they would in the real world.

“What was that, Bein? You a pussy now you’re in love?”

Bein raised his eyebrows as Hurricane continued to shout advice from the side-lines. “Oh, now you’re in trouble, little girl.”

As she’d known he would, Bein came at her hard, his left, right jab combo one of his favourites. Knowing this, she side-stepped and hefted a side kick to the abdomen. Bein let out an oof of air but instead of going down like she expected, he swept his free leg out and took her down to the mat, pinning her with his weight.

This was always a tricky move for her because she had to fight his weight with her slight build. As Bein straddled her hips and she wriggled enough to get one knee between them, her supple body a gift she was always thankful for. Wrapping that leg around the outside of his neck, she used her body to push up and switch out their positions, locking his arm behind him as he faced the floor.