Lockout by Maya Cross Page B

had to admit, lazy Tuesday morning Sebastian was quickly becoming my favourite. As fantastic as the sex was, it was nice just sitting around and chatting with him too. Away from prying eyes he seemed more relaxed; the professional superman persona was stashed away in the wardrobe alongside his racks of designer suits. Here he was just Sebastian, a man who wore old clothes and cooked scrambled eggs and delivered sweet words over coffee. What's more, he seemed at ease doing those things with me.
    In spite of what Thomas had said and the initial discussions between Sebastian and I, it was hard not to feel like things were changing. Our last two nights together had been anything but casual, and it seemed impossible he didn't feel it too. The word 'forever' lingered in my mind. I didn't know how to take that comment. Was there more to it than simple comfort? Part of me wanted to think so.
    After breakfast, we found our way back to the bedroom. He told me to leave his shirt on while he fucked me, pinning my arms behind my back and whispering dirty things about how hot I looked in his clothes. There were no cuffs or paddles or lengths of rope, just the unbreakable strength of his hands and the exquisite pressure of his cock. It was more than enough.
    Afterwards, we lay snuggled in bed, flushed and glowing and blissfully satisfied. I desperately didn't want the morning to end, although I knew I couldn't delay much longer.
    "Has anyone ever told you you tend to go above and beyond the call of duty?" I asked, dozing against his chest.
    He began stroking my shoulder. "In what way?"
    "Well, I tasked you with cheering me up, but apparently you weren't satisfied with that. Right now, I've left cheerful way behind. Seriously, you can't even see that shit anymore. I'd say I'm well into blissful territory. You deserve a commendation, sir."
    His hand froze. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
    "Next time, I'm totally going to call in sick and see how far we can push this."
    There was a pause. "Next time?"
    "Next time we do this. I'll tell you; a girl could get used to sleepovers and homemade breakfasts."
    The silence that followed should probably have set alarm bells ringing in my head, but I was too content to really notice. All I could think about was how for the first time, it felt like things were really coming together for us.
    How wrong I was.

CHAPTER TEN
     
    It turned out that I needn't have worried about being relegated to the bench again. The Wrights case had hit the front page once more after a new batch of victims came forward, so we were ramping up our efforts. For now, it was all hands on deck.
    It was fascinating, and a little horrifying, to be a part of. A perfect illustration of the power mega companies can bring to bear when profits are under threat. I was no stranger to the greed of big business, but there was a callousness about their approach that made even me balk. They were like a truck, calmly driving along, ignoring every traffic signal. Most people managed to dive out of their way, but those that didn't weren't even worth a second glance. They were just squashed underneath like bugs. In spite of the pain and hassle a proper trial would involve, part of me hoped they refused to settle. The more I read, the more I wanted Little Bell to crush them in the court room.
    Nothing came of the situation with Jennifer, so I figured she'd just been messing with me for her own enjoyment. I felt a little stupid for overreacting. It wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
    I should have been happy that I was finally working on my dream project, but I couldn't really enjoy it. Something had changed with Sebastian. There was no doubt in my mind anymore that my feelings for him had grown, but ever since our morning together, his seemed to have moved in the opposite direction.
    It wasn't that he was ignoring me. He still messaged every day or two, but they were short and monosyllabic and lacked any of the warmth I'd come to