Page 9 of The Spice Play

But I was so close. So, so dangerously close, and I didn’tcarethat I barely knew him or that Morris said I was fucking shit in bed. My inhibitions were at rock bottom, and I wanted Sebastian to join me there.

“Please…”

“You keep talking, and I’ll put your mouth to good use. Do you understand?” he growled. His teeth sunk into my lower lip, tugging at it as his eyelids fluttered open, his gaze piercing and unwavering. It took every bit of concentration I had to nod. “Good. Now come around my fingers like a good fucking girl or so help me, Nelly, I will paint your ass bright red with my palm.”

The mental image of him bending me over his knees was enough to send me into orbit.

Every part of me broke at once, every muscle seizing and releasing, every breath a gasp — and I fell apart beneath him, twitching and convulsing and barely able to hold the vibrator against me as he thrust his fingers into me over, and over, and over, dragging me through every punishing wave of my orgasm. He drank in the sight of me, watching like a hawk as my chest rose and fell sporadically and my expressions contorted, probably memorizing it all.

But then it ended.

Hisslick fingers retreated and covered mine, pressing the button on the top that shut the toy off just like he had when he’d picked it up for me. He gave me more space as I slowly returned to Earth, his body retreating just enough that it seemed final, but not too far that I felt alone. But it was the way he looked as though he was reconsidering everything, with his averted gaze and his parted lips and the way he mumbled, “I should probably go.”

“You…you just got here,” I heaved, pushing myself upright and invadinghisspace this time.

“Mmm. You shouldn’t have strangers in your apartment, though, Penelope,” he chuckled half-heartedly, his gaze flicking back to mine. “Didn’t your parents teach you better than that?”

“You’re not a stranger. You’re Sebastian.”

His head tilted to the side. “And you’re Nelly.”

I swallowed through the disappointment as he took a step back, fully removing himself from my vicinity.Is he seriously just going to leave after that? Maybe Morris was right.“At least let me give you my number. I mean, come on. I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

His brows knitted in confusion as he pulled his phone from his pocket with his clean hand. “I don’t know how any girl could have been bad at that in particular, but no, of course you weren’t. I just need to get home,” he said, the words calm and normal but spoken like they were avoiding stepping on eggshells. “What’s your number?”

I rattled off my phone number as he typed it into his phone, but that feeling of inadequacy was back, whether he was covering up his disappointment or not. It stung, but the full ache of it didn’t hit quite as hard in the comedown from what was arguably one of the best orgasms I’d had in my life. Regardless, though, I still found myself trying to covermy breasts and stomach, the sudden shift leaving me self-conscious.

“I’m Nelly Moreno,” I said. “For your, uh, contact information.”

He gave me a soft smile as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Sebastian Anthony. Thank you for this. Genuinely. But I have to go.”

Chapter 4

Sebastian

“You’re late.”

I hadn’t even gotten the door shut behind me before Dani’s nagging hit my ears. “Sorry, Sis,” I called, just loud enough that it would travel through the foyer to the living room but hopefully quiet enough not to reach the second floor where my sonshouldhave been sleeping. It was nearing one in the morning, and although Dani was pretty laid back about timing, I’d told her I’d be home two hours ago at the latest.

In my defense, I’d gotten considerably distracted with Nelly.

“Don’t you have to be at the rink in, like, seven hours?” She appeared around the doorframe between the foyer and living room, her light green sundress abandoned in favor of pink silk pajamas. Her long, wavy black hair was tied up messily in a bun, and not a speck of makeup covered her pale skin. Guess she was staying over tonight.

“Eight, if I want to be there early,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. Despite being my younger sister, she still liked to boss me around as if she’d had any hand in raising me. Itwas as if shehadn’tbeen born two years after me but instead a whole fifteen years before.

She could complain all she wanted, but tonight was my night to blow off steam and recenter. It had been a shame that no one else from the team had wanted to join me, but I couldn’t blame them — I was rusty, off my game, and an all-around irritation to be near as of late. Coach had hoped that if I took a night to myself and forgot about the rest of the world, it would give me the boost I needed to focus. But somehow, after what had happened tonight, the world only felt more turned on its axis.

“Matty go down okay?” I asked, breezing past her and beelining for the kitchen.

“Yeah. Read him a story that he hated, so he made me make one up instead.” She trailed behind me, her nose wrinkling as she stepped around me to block the fridge. “I suck at thinking of that stuff on the spot. No idea how you do it. I told him about some trolls that live under the Jackson Street bridge and paint graffiti when people throw pebbles at them.”

A hoarse little chuckle rumbled at the base of my throat. “I guess that’s one way to answer his nonstop questions about graffiti.” I tried to reach toward the handle of the fridge in the hopes that her body wouldmove, but of course, Dani stayed in place and shoved my hand out of the way. “Can you not stand in front of the fridge? I’m hungry.”

Her arms crossed in front of her chest, and her bright blue eyes narrowed. She’d gotten hers from Mom — bright and summery and as blue as the Gulf Coast’s waters. Mine had come from Dad and were dull and dirt-like at best. “At one in the morning?”

“I ate dinner at seven. I’m allowed a snack, Dani.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she stared medown, her weight shifting from foot to foot. “How’s the search for the new nanny going?”

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