Page 6 of Destined
James returned and took their order. As he left, silence settled over them.
Suddenly, Serena felt completely out of her depth, unsure what to do or say next. A most uncomfortable feeling. One she didn’t like at all. Sneaking a look at Sebastian from under her lashes, she felt a jolt as she found him looking at her, his eyes roaming over her. Taking all of her in, or at least what he could see of her.
His eyes returned to her face, and she was unsure how to read his look. As uncomfortable as she was, Serena held her silence, still uncertain what to say. Was she the only one feeling that way? He certainly seemed to be quite at ease.
Sebastian’s eyes, once again, moved over her face intently. Eventually, they came back to hers. Leaning back in his chair, he finally broke the silence.
“I find myself intrigued by you, Serena. You seem all calm competence on the outside, but I sense fire beneath that cool exterior. What exactly would it take to make you burn for me, I wonder?”
Serena felt her jaw drop. That had been the last thing she’d expected him to say. How was she supposed to respond to that? Her brain scrambled to find a suitable, coherent answer to Sebastian’s question, but thankfully she was saved from giving a response when James appeared at their table to refresh their drinks. Breathing out a silent, if heartfelt, sigh of relief, Serena took a sip of her sparkling water.
With a sardonic lift of his lips, he murmured, “Saved by the bell, it seems.”
Serena looked away from his all too knowing gaze but made no rejoinder.
Lunch proceeded without further incident, but that did nothing to relieve the tension that bubbled just beneath the surface. This time, Serena knew she wasn’t the only one feeling it. The question was, what would they do about it?
8
Serena
Lunch over,Serena gathered her things in readiness to return to the office. She was just about to ask Sebastian if he would be taking her back or if it would be more convenient if she called a taxi when he touched a hand to one of hers, halting her movements.
“I find myself unable to say goodbye, Serena. What would it take to make you stay and spend the afternoon with me?”
Serena could make no reply. What was it about this man that kept catching her so off-guard? She’s never met anyone like him, a man so self-assured and comfortable in his own skin. He made her feel positively awkward to be around, except when they were working.
“I ...” Unable to continue, not knowing what she had intended to say in the first place, Serena went silent again.
Smiling a rather predatory smile, he took her hand and led her toward the bank of lifts outside the restaurant doors. As they came to a stop, he turned to her without letting go of her hand.
“Last chance,cara. Do I push the button, or will you be returning to your office?”
Swallowing down a frisson of nerves, Serena reached out an unsteady hand and pushed the call button for the lift closest to her instead of answering him. She gave a small start as the doors slid silently open almost immediately. It had been a really long time since she had been so affected by her nerves, but she was undeniably turned on by this man. Not sure if it was the smartest move, but wanting it all the same, she moved to enter the elevator.
Stepping in ahead of Sebastian, Serena couldn’t suppress a shiver of anticipation this time. Sebastian stepped in, inserting a key that would take them straight up to the penthouse suite. She bit down on her lip. Taking the action in, Sebastian’s eyes darkened with arousal. He stepped in close, lifting a hand to cup the back of her neck. Using the thumb of his other hand to gently pull her lip from between her teeth, he leaned in and traced her full bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.
She felt his hand move from her neck a moment before he ran his hands over her body, acquainting himself with the generous curves he’d been admiring all day. Her nipples hardened into little pebbles, aching for his touch. She was so turned on she burned for him. So wrapped up in what Sebastian was doing to her, Serena started again when the lift door opened and a man stepped forward.
“Mr Marino, sir.”
Stepping away from her and keeping her shielded by his body, Sebastian turned to the man who served as his driver, bodyguard, and valet, giving Serena a moment to pull herself together.
Giving him a chin lift in response to his greeting, Sebastian replied, “Ari, I need you to collect files from the office. I’ll be in for the afternoon.”
Taking his meaning, Ari returned the chin lift and turned to leave. “Yes, sir.”
Once again placing a guiding hand to the small of her back, Sebastian guided Serena through the doors of his suite. She loved that he did that. While Serena moved further into the apartment, Sebastian hung her coat in the hall closet. Closing the closet door, he turned back to her. Holding out a hand to her, he said, “Come.”
Following Sebastian down a small hallway, Serena’s eyes took in the beauty of her surroundings. He certainly had a beautiful home. Maybe one day she’d have an opportunity to wander around looking at all the glorious artwork dotted around his apartment. He led her into a bedroom that was quite striking in its simplicity. She preceded him to stand in the centre of the room, taking her surroundings in as she waited for Sebastian to join her.
Serena heard the snick of the lock as the door closed quietly behind her. She turned to find Sebastian standing with his back braced against the door, eyes trained on her. There was no mistaking the message she read in his heated gaze. Her core tightened and a frisson of anticipation coursed through her body.
He pushed away from the door, and she watched in fascination as he prowled towards her. There was no other way to describe it. His body was pure muscle, sheer elegance, and sleek grace like that of a jungle cat. And the promise of it was something she couldn’t wait to experience. Stopping just short of where she stood, his gaze caught hers.
“Take it off,piccola. Slowly. All of it.”
Serena felt what was a slow burn ratchet up towards an inferno. Reaching for the buttons of her peacock-blue silk blouse, she did as she was told and slowly began to undo the buttons, her eyes never leaving his. When she finally reached the last tiny button, she shrugged out of the garment. Reaching around to the back of her tight pencil skirt, she unzipped that and shimmied out of it ever so slowly. Using the tip of her tongue to moisten her suddenly dry lips, she noticed Sebastian’s eyes heat further as they followed the motion. But what appeared to almost break his seemingly iron control was when he dropped his gaze to take in all that she’d been wearing underneath her business attire. Or more accurately, what she almostwasn’twearing.
