Page 24 of Taming the Beast (Fairy Tales of New York)

It was only once his heart rate and his breathing had gone back to something approaching normal that Seb could gather the strength to lift himself off Mercy.

How could he ever have thought this wasn’t a good idea? he thought, stumbling slightly as he turned away from her to deal with the condom and then reach for his trousers. He must have been mad. It was the best idea in the world. Forget wondering whether sex between them was going to be as good as before. It had been way better. Better than any other sex he’d had, come to think of it, although frankly, since her, since that night, nothing had come anywhere near close.

Fastening his button and doing up his zipper Seb watched Mercy lever herself up and held out a hand to help her off his desk, but she brushed it away, eased herself off and began hunting around for her own clothes.

How was he ever going to be able to work here again? he wondered, staring at the space she’d just vacated. Would there ever come a time when he wouldn’t remember this? Her? It didn’t seem likely. Not after that. She’d been so damn hot. He’d slid his fingers into her and found her so ready for him he’d nearly come on the spot.

But he’d made himself wait. Taken her to the very edge of reas

on before he’d allowed himself the pleasure he’d so badly wanted. And he’d been right. It had been fine. He might have wanted to bury himself inside her the minute she’d lain back like that, and then pound away until he’d slaked his lust – and he could have done that, Mercy wouldn’t have complained – but he hadn’t. He’d stayed in control. He’d been one hundred percent in the driving seat and that was where he’d remain. All he had to do was dictate terms.

“So. Just sex, huh?” he said, picking up his shirt, taking one look at it and tossing it in the bin.

Mercy, flushed, dishevelled, beautiful and now, disappointingly, dressed, nodded. “Well, that was the idea. Although there’s nothing ‘just’ about it, really, is there?”

“No, there isn’t.” Seb headed to the cupboard for a fresh shirt and pulled it on. “So here’s what I suggest,” he said, looking at her as he did up the buttons. “No dates. No gazing over candles, holding hands or long meaningful conversations.” He didn’t want any of that, particularly the last. Mercy already knew way too much about him and he had little interest in knowing anything more about her. And he didn’t date. What was the point?

Mercy slung her bag over her shoulder, and gave him a level look back. “Agreed,” she said with a nod. “Why waste our time?”

“Are you likely to ever want that?” Because she did seem the romantic type, despite the ‘just sex’ proposal.

“Not right now and certainly not from you.”

No. Right. Excellent. The faint horror in her voice was a good thing. A very good thing.

“Are you?” she asked.

Seb stifled a shudder. He hadn’t so far, thank God, largely because he took great pains to avoid it. He saw no reason why that would change. “Absolutely not.”

“Good.”

“And no psychoanalyzing me, Mercedes.”

“I’ll try to keep it to a minimum.” She paused. Frowned. Bit her lip that ten minutes ago he’d been feasting on. “What about Zelda?”

Seb snapped back. “She doesn’t need to know.”

“I’m not keeping another secret from her, Seb. And that’s a deal breaker, I’m afraid.”

He took in the jut of her chin and the flash of her eyes and was once more struck by both her loyalty to her friends and the strength of her principles. Not something he was inclined to try and suppress, even if he had thought he’d succeed. “Fair enough,” he said. “But do you need to shout it from the rooftops?”

Her chin lowered a fraction. “I guess not.”

“I suggest we keep it to weekends,” he said, because there was his work, her classes and, more pressingly right now, his need to be back in charge after that minor concession regarding his sister.

“For how long?”

“Until one of us or both of us wants to stop.”

“Works for me.”

“Then it looks like we have a deal,” he said, his blood heating already in anticipation of the day after tomorrow.

“It looks like we do,” said Mercy with a blinding smile that made him suddenly want to reconsider the whole ‘weekend only’ thing.

He held out his hand to shake on it, but she ignored it and instead reached up and gave him a kiss that left him reeling.

“And now, Seb,” she said, stepping back, her eyes dark and shining, “seeing as how it’s not a weekend, and I have classes tomorrow, now you can call me that cab.”

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