Possessed Read online

  Kevin put down the remote, having stopped on the DIY channel. He glanced at his watch. “I wish those women would finish up their gossiping about you in there. I’ve got to go into work, and I want time to relax before going to bed.”

  Sebastian’s eyes widened, but he wasn’t really surprised. He didn’t think Mrs. Lane approved of him and that she would more than likely be warning her daughter off him. Like he wasn’t already facing an uphill battle where Keva was concerned.

  ****

  Keva rinsed the plates as Lily handed them to her. Passing them to Lecretia, she wondered if their mother ever used the dishwasher they’d purchased her two Christmases ago. While they handled the dishes, Nellie put away the leftovers.

  “Jackson might be getting a promotion,” Lily said, her voice full of pride. “He doesn’t want to say anything about it. He thinks it might jinx the whole thing, but I told him to stop being so superstitious.” Jackson was an accountant at an accounting firm.

  “Maybe he’s just being cautious,” Keva pointed out. “He doesn’t want anyone to be disappointed if he doesn’t get it.”

  Lily scoffed. “He’s a shoo-in. Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  Lily looked around as though she was afraid someone else might have come into the kitchen. “You know that sometimes it’s harder for a black man to get ahead. He’s the most qualified one there, but you never know.” She shrugged.

  Keva’s eyebrows rose. Lily had been making sure Sebastian wasn’t in the kitchen. “I appreciate you not trying to offend Sebastian, and I really hope Jackson gets that promotion. But I wasn’t kidding when I said we were only friends.”

  Lecretia grinned. “But he’s so hot.”

  “He’s a hippie,” Nellie grumbled. “At least he’s clean.”

  Lecretia laughed. Keva sighed. Exasperated, she put her hands on her hips and turned to face her mother. “Mom, he’s not a hippie. He had a job—”

  “Had being the operative word.”

  Lily matched her stance, placing her hands on her hips. “Really, Keva, the man goes from job to job. He’ll never get anywhere that way. If you don’t stay on him, he won’t get a job here and next thing you know, he’ll be living off you. Don’t let that pretty face and that toned body make a fool of you.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help it. The thought of straitlaced Lily even noticing Sebastian in that way was hilarious. “You’re too funny. And you’re worrying for nothing. I know how Sebastian is. I’m surprised he’s still in town—not because he’s a flake or a lazy loser. He just likes to move around a lot.” Personally, she thought that he was running away from his abilities, and as they were part of him, he would never succeed.

  She turned back to the sink and rinsed off several plates while Lily gathered the serving dishes. Lecretia nudged her with her elbow. With a glance over her shoulder, she leaned closer and whispered, “You mean to tell me you haven’t hit that?” Keva’s mouth dropped opened but she didn’t say “no” fast enough. Lecretia’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God, you did!”

  Keva grabbed her arm. “Shh. I-it wasn’t like that,” she said fiercely, careful to keep her tone low. “We’re not…it’s not…” She felt her face getting hot. “Please don’t say anything.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Lily dunked the colander into the soapy water.

  “Nothing,” Keva was quick to say. Silently, she pleaded with Lecretia to agree.

  “Just…recipes for homemade cornbread.”

  Lily shook her head. “Trust me. Keep it simple and use a premade mix.”

  ****

  Keva paused on her doorstep, keys to her town house in hand. She turned to face Sebastian. He’d driven her home. She bit her lip, wondering when she would see him again. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “So, where are you staying while you’re in town?”

  “Actually, I was hoping to stay with you.”

  “W-what?” Good grief, the man was turning her into a stutterer.

  “I want to stay with you.”

  “Why?” She held her hand up before he could even answer. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t. I only have the one bed. I turned the second bedroom into an office.”

  He smiled. “That’s fine.”

  She glared at him. A neighbor pulled up and she decided that taking this conversation inside would be for the best. Unlocking her door, she gestured for him to follow her inside. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but if you expect me to believe—” She broke off with a gasp as he closed in on her space, backing her into a wall. He bracketed her in, slowly flattening his hands onto the plaster. Her gaze shot from his thick wrist to his deep blue eyes. “I don’t understand. What are you doing? We did this earlier.”

  A smile curved his lips. “And you don’t think I could want you again?”

  He was so handsome and sexy. For a moment, she was mesmerized. She blinked to dispel the sexual haze he so effortlessly caused. “No. You never have before. Are you forgetting our history?”

  Running his fingers down her cheek, he shook his head. “No, but you need to. This time is different.”

  She couldn’t hear this. He would only disappoint her. “That’s what you said last time. And then you left me in the morning.” She shoved at his chest. “Let’s not try to make this into more than what it was. Y-you needed…sex. I gave it to you. You can leave.” She shrugged and tried to duck under his arm.

  Sebastian moved closer, pressing his lower body to hers so that she could feel his erection. “I was wrong to make you think that this was only sex. Why do you think I keep turning to you? Don’t you think I could have found another Channel between here and Alaska?”

  “You’ve never displayed any interest in me when you weren’t about to go supernova.”

  “I’ve always wanted you. But I didn’t believe I deserved you. Hell, I still don’t. But I’ve realized that I can’t let you go either. Right or wrong, I need to be with you.”

  She covered her face with her hands. She wanted to believe him, but that would only end in heartbreak. And the word need set her on edge. Did that mean he thought it would be more convenient to stay with her rather than have to seek her out every three months? Pushing him away was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but she did it.

  “You expect me to believe that? As far as I can see, this is classic Bastian. You call me up demanding pussy. I give in to you like a fool. The only difference is that you want a free place to sleep until you’re ready to move on.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You can stay, but you’ve had all the pussy you’re going to get.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sebastian shifted positions and winced as pain shot through his neck. He punched his pillow and moved so that his head was no longer on the armrest of Keva’s sofa. That only caused his feet to dangle off the other end. “This is ridiculous.” They’d slept together before. She had a perfectly good king-size bed with plenty of room for him. Hell, she probably wouldn’t even know he was there.

  Decision made, he rolled to his feet. He was going to get a cramp in his neck if he slept on the couch. Even the floor would have been more comfortable.

  At her bedroom, he paused. He could hear her even breathing. Moonlight brightened the area by the windows. The bed was in shadow. He hesitated to wake her, but he realized that he couldn’t simply barge in and possibly scare her. His track record with her wasn’t the best.

  Walking forward slowly, he felt his way around the bed. He turned on the bedside lamp and dropped to his knees. Keva was curled into a ball on her side with one hand resting under her chin. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Giving her a gentle shake, he whispered her name. Her eyes fluttered open and then closed. “Keva, wake up.”

  A frown marred her smooth brow. Mumbling, she rolled over.

  “Keva, I can’t sleep on your couch. It’s folding me in half like a tortilla.”

  With a moan, she flopped onto her back. She winced at the light and flun
g an arm across her eyes. “Sebastian?”

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat. The sheet had slipped to below her breasts. She wore a black cotton camisole that clung to her chest, outlining her stiff nipples.

  “What time is it? What are you doing in here?”

  “It’s a little after midnight. I can’t sleep.”

  Keva removed her arm to glare at him. “Count sheep. Leave me alone. I have work in the morning.”

  “Your couch is too small.”

  She frowned, her eyes traveling over him. “I suppose you are. What do want me to do? I’ve only got the…” Her eyes widened. “Oh, no! Don’t even think it.”

  “Why not? We’ve shared a bed before. I promise to behave. You have plenty of room in here for me.”

  She made a strangling sound. “Fine, but this is my side.” She curled back up into a ball.

  He grinned and hurried around the bed before she could change her mind. She turned out the light. He sighed as he sank into the mattress. Closing his eyes, he thought he would drift off to sleep right away. It had been a long day.

  Keva’s scent surrounded him. She wasn’t touching him. It must have been the sheets. He felt like he was cocooned in her fragrance. As usual, it made him as hard as a steel rod. To distract himself, he tried doing math in his head. And not simple addition or multiplication. He needed algebra. Hell, perhaps calculus.

  Keva turned the light on with a heavy sigh. “I can’t sleep. Get out.”

  “What? I’m not doing anything.”

  “I only agreed to let you stay so that you would shut up. If I don’t go back to sleep right away, then I can’t get back to sleep. I didn’t want to waste time arguing. But it didn’t work. It’s going to be an hour before I fall asleep. So you can leave.”

  He rolled onto his side to face her. “Shit, way to renege.”

  “Sleep on the floor. I’ve got extra blankets.”

  He arched his brows. She still thought he was leaving. “And how long do you expect me to sleep on the floor? It’s a temporary solution. It won’t work over the long haul.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.”

  “Keva, if I were going to leave, I’d be gone already. Why can’t you accept that I’m sticking around?”

  “You’re the one who told me not to become attached. And as if that we’re enough, you showed me through your actions.”

  He nodded. She wasn’t going to believe anything he told her. He would have to prove to her that he was serious through his actions again. It would take time, but he would convince her. “Okay, well, I was an ass when I said that to you.”

  “I’m not understanding this sudden change of heart.”

  “It may seem sudden, but it’s not. I’ve wanted you before I met you. I just felt like I was using you.”

  “And now you’re okay with using me?”

  “No.” He flopped onto his back and ran a hand through his hair. “How do I explain this?”

  She yawned. “When you figure it out, let me know. In the meanwhile, you can find extra blankets in the hall closet.”

  “Keva, come on. The bed is big enough for the two of us.”

  Grumbling, she turned the light out, and the bed bounced a bit as she made herself comfortable. She didn’t say more and soon he heard her even breathing. For a long while, he lay there thinking of how to convince her that he was here to stay. Almost before he landed in Alaska, he’d known that he’d made a huge mistake. Mike was right. The only one who was putting limitations on his happiness was himself. He wanted Keva and she wanted him. There was no reason why they couldn’t be together. He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t.

  ****

  Sebastian was very warm. And hard. Harder than he’d been last night before he finally drifted off to a fitful sleep. Opening his eyes, he soon discovered the source of his discomfort. Keva had draped herself over him, her face buried in his neck. Her soft curves were molded to his. Their shirts had ridden up and the skin of her belly was hot against his. Her taut nipples poked at his chest.

  He wondered how long they’d been positioned like this. Keva shifted her hips in a circle over his pulsing erection and his eyes almost crossed. She moaned in her sleep and did it again. “Shit,” he muttered and grabbed her ass to stop her. He struggled to remain still beneath her. Much more of that and he’d mess his briefs. Another roll of her hips had him groaning. “Keva, God, please, you’re gonna make me come.”

  “Sebastian?” She said his name as though she were surprised to find him there. Pulling back, she stared down into his face with dazed eyes. “What…?” Awareness lit her features. She gasped and scrambled to get off him, kneeing him in the belly in her haste. “I-I’m going to take a shower. I have to get ready for work.”

  Sebastian gripped his throbbing cock. It took all his self-restraint to not follow her into the shower. He would back her into the tiles, touch her and taste every inch of her, concentrating on her sweet nipples. He’d slide his tongue into her slick pussy. Groaning, he rolled out of bed. He was torturing himself.

  Taking deep breaths, he willed himself to relax. When he gained control of his hormones, he fixed the bed. Keva exited the bathroom in only a towel. He went hard again in an instant. His gaze flew over her glistening caramel skin. “Is this revenge?”

  “What?” She clutched the towel to her chest.

  “You tell me that sex isn’t on the table. How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself with you looking like a wet dream?”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh.” She bit her lip. “Sorry. I…” She blinked. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here this morning. My clothes are in the closet. Would you mind excusing me while I get dressed?”

  “Of course. Would you like me to fix you breakfast?”

  She glanced at the clock. “No, thank you. I’ll grab something on the way.”

  Sebastian went downstairs to the kitchen. He ate a bowl of cereal. He had no trouble locating her dishes. His ability to find objects was perhaps the off trait his parents had noticed about him. He never lost anything. Other children misplaced their toys and couldn’t find them. Never Sebastian. It wasn’t that he was neat or organized. No, he’d been as messy as any other five-year-old. But he could always find anything he wanted. It was as though the object called out its location to him.

  Glancing around Keva’s kitchen, he washed his bowl and dried it. Keva had a few boxes in the corner that were taped and labeled kitchen. The click of her heels sounded on the stairs. She wore a deep brown blouse and a beige skirt.

  “When you leave, will you please lock up?”

  He crossed to her and tilted her head back. Her lips were glossy so he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you when you get home. Have a good day.”

  Frowning slightly, she whispered, “Thank you.”

  ****

  Keva parked her car beside Sebastian’s truck. She’d fully expected him to be gone when she got home from work. Throughout the day, she’d been tempted to call to check on him. Grabbing her purse, she got out of the car. She locked her doors behind her.

  As though he’d been waiting for her, Sebastian greeted her at the door with a huge grin. Her heart did a funny little flip. He was incredibly handsome. His hair was loose about his shoulders and for a moment she puzzled over why that bothered her. “I fixed dinner,” he said, distracting her. “Hope you’re in the mood for steak.”

  Dropping her purse onto the couch, she followed him into the kitchen. It smelled wonderful. If she was hungry before, she was starving now. “Let me go freshen up and I’ll be right back.” She kicked off her shoes at the base of the stairs and ran up. She stripped out of the uncomfortable skirt and blouse. Ordinarily, she would have tossed them onto the edge of her bed and hung them later, but she knew Sebastian would insist on sharing the bed with her.

  Her face grew hot as she recalled waking up dry humping him this morning. She’d been so mortified she could barely meet his gaze. He’d been so hard; she hadn’t wanted
to stop.

  Fanning her face, she scanned her walk-in for something casual to wear. She pulled out a purple ECU Pirates T-shirt and black jeans. It was growing chilly so she found a pair of fuzzy pink socks and put those on also.

  When she joined Sebastian in the kitchen, he was placing silverware and napkins by their plates. “You don’t have wine,” he commented without looking up. “Do you want water or juice?”

  “Juice sounds good.” She watched him move around in her kitchen as though he were right at home. Then she noticed that her boxes were gone. “What happened to my blender? And my muffin pans?” She struggled to recall what else may have been in the missing boxes.

  “I finished unpacking for you, though we’ll have to pack it back up when I buy us a house.”

  Keva practically dropped in her chair. She was certain that her jaw hit her chest in shock. “A house?”

  “This place is nice, but I’d like to have my own office as well. I also unpacked the boxes you had in your office.” He tilted his head to the side. “Your mom seems like the old-fashioned type. Maybe we should get married.” He nodded. “Yes. It would be less trouble that way.”

  Her eyes widened. “Holy hell! You’ve got a screw loose. And I thought it was bad when you wanted to be called Bastian!” She buried her face in her hands. And that’s when it clicked. His hair. He was wearing it loose, but whenever he came back to himself, he’d always quickly bound it into a ponytail. “You’re not…Bastian, are you?”

  He laughed. “Keva, I see we really need to talk.”

  “Answer me.”

  Rolling his eyes, he took his seat across from her. “It’s like I told you before, I don’t have split personalities. I’m always aware of what’s going on around me and of what I’m doing. But when my energy builds up to the point where I can’t ignore it, I’m unable to manage it and I have little impulse control. It doesn’t mean I will do anything I don’t want to do. I won’t rob a bank or commit murder, but I take what I want. And I’ve always wanted you.”