Page 53 of Deadly Rival

“I thought we decided on sir?”

I go blank for a moment, then the rule comes back to me. I’d forgotten. And, it seems, so had he, until now. He reaches out and plays with my hair almost absently. “Try that again.”

“What now, sir?” I don’t make the words any more polite, and his smirk returns. He gives his head a little shake. He speaks to me as if he’s talking to himself. “You know, I can’t tell you how strange it is, having you at my feet and knowing I can…”

He slides his fingers down my cheek and over the hollow of my neck. I should flinch back, but his touch is so gentle I almost lean into it. “It would be strange with any girl, but with you…”

He takes a deep breath and drops his hand away. Back to business. “Then, you kiss my hand and recite the following. ‘Thank you, Sebastian, for choosing me as your Ward. I am yours, and yours alone, forevermore.’”

Ridiculous. Like some ancient marriage vow. If everything he’s told me is true, it is, in a way. In the past, a lot of marriages weren’t exactly voluntary. Consent is a modern concept, really.

It feels like a revelation, and I can’t help but share it. “All this would have made sense five hundred years ago. If you’re all scientists, why haven’t you modernized? Why are you still like this?”

He dips his head, brow creased. “I’m so glad you’re comfortable enough on your knees to start a philosophical discussion. I imagined you’d be keen to get this over with.”

He starts to play with my hair again, running his fingers through the silky strands. One advantage of never being allowed to dye it. It’s in beautiful condition.

“I once asked Kendrick—that’s the big boss—the exact same question. Most Brothers aren’t exactly comfortable with the idea of taking a woman captive, you know. We’re not total psychopaths.”

“Really.” I keep my voice flat. Despite the awkward position, I’m glad to talk. “You don’t seem too concerned. Neither does Gabriel, from what I’ve seen.”

He laughs. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw Gabriel before he took Eve. My God. The man was a mess.”

Sebastian slides his fingers through my hair, rubbing my head in a way that is so goddamn soothing I want to close my eyes and relax into it.

“What Kendrick told me made a lot of sense. With what we do and the discoveries we make, we can’t lead normal lives. Relationships, kids, divorce. Even using prostitutes. It’s too messy and would lead to our work getting stolen. Diluted or destroyed. But we’re not monks, and we can’t live like we are.”

He keeps going with the soothing head massage, and his other hand moves to my breast. He rolls my nipple between hisfingers, and it feels too good. It’s hard to make myself concentrate on the conversation.

“So, what? The Wards are just sacrifices to your great deeds?”

I can’t include myself in the group yet. It’s easier to think of Wards as an alien species, which will never include me.

“Yes. You are. At least here, we’re making the world a better place. Outside, you were just helping your father make it worse.”

The remark cuts, and the worst of it is I don’t have a comeback. I’m not stupid enough to believe my family serves anyone but ourselves. More money, more power, more influence. More, more, more.

“And how are you changing the world for the better?”

He pauses his hands for a second. Surprised, maybe, that I didn’t bite back at him? Then he moves the tip of his finger to my lips and traces the outline of them. They’re still sensitive, and the tingle melds with the pleasure from my nipple, heating my clit until I can’t help shifting on my knees. Does he notice? The smug expression returns. Of course he does.

“I’m working on predictive algorithms. I’m practicing with the stock market at the moment—it’s fun and useful—but I plan on using them for much greater things once they’re perfected. Used right, they’ll predict the future. We’ll be able to head off disasters before they happen.

Big words and bold dreams. “And you need a sex slave to achieve that?”

He slips his finger into my mouth. It’s such a shock that I don’t react at first, and the salty taste of his skin lights up my nerves. I have the strangest urge to explore it. I slide my tongue over the tip before I realize what I’m doing and freeze.

Sebastian groans. “God, you’re just dying to suck on it, aren’t you? Do it. Do it right now.”

Christ, where did that gravelly tone come from? Full of command and need. I risk a glance at his crotch, and the hard swell of his erection is impossible to miss. My tongue moves of its own accord, sliding around his finger, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world to take a tentative suck.

My eyes are drawn to his, and his darken as I watch. His breathing grows rough and ragged. His free hand moves to his crotch and rubs through the fabric, and my nipple aches from the loss of sensation.

“You lost the game, Ophelia. You didn’t say the words.”

Shit. I’d forgotten what was riding on this. Why did I let myself get drawn into conversation? My words come out muffled and stupid around his finger. “That’s not fair. I…”

“Shhhhh.” He kisses the top of my head. “It’s okay. You got lucky. I don’t choose your ass. It has to be your mouth.”

---