Laughter burst out of her. She wasn't a tiny bit crazy for him. She was over-the-top completely crazy.
"But he's good this way." Sebastian threaded his fingers through the tips of her hair. She loved that he couldn't do anything without touching her at the same time. "He's the handicapped horse that Ben-Hur gave a chance."
See? He was making up a story, like all great artists did. "Ben-Hur's kindness would have meant he was gambling with his life."
"That makes it even better. Kindness trumping both the win and safety." He was close, so close behind her. She wanted to take him to the floor and tear off all his perfect, polished clothes.
"We should leave the horse like this," he insisted softly.
"Even though he's not perfect?" Desire hummed through her voice, but she kept herself in check.
"He's perfect the way he is." He dropped a kiss on her neck, heating her all the way through despite the two fans blowing over them. "I know what you're doing, by the way. You're saying that art isn't about perfection."
"It's about heart." She leaned back, letting him put his arms around her, then turned her face up to his. She wanted him, but just as badly, she wanted the moment he trusted her enough to share all the things he'd been holding back. "Is my plan working?"
He drew her tightly against him, all hard male muscle and heat. "Oh yeah. It's definitely working."
She wriggled, tantalizing them both. But she knew he hadn't gotten her real message. Soon, she promised herself, she'd make sure he understood how amazing he was, exactly the way he was, no perfection necessary. "What message am I sending now?"
"That you're hot and I should strip off every last stitch of your clothes."
She had so much to do, and so much she wanted to help him see about himself. But wherever Sebastian was, something delicious and sexy was bound to ensue. And she could never resist him. "Anyone ever tell you how smart you are?"
He was already busy trailing his fingers to the smock's buttons and undoing them. As for her? Despite making love over and over again last night, she ached for him, so desperate and full of desire that her voice was a little breathless. "What are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have important meetings?"
"I couldn't stay away from you."
His simple, sweet words dissolved what was left of rational thought. The horse's bowed legs could stay bowed for another couple of hours. Sebastian's eyes were molten, his body all hard edges against her as he shoved the smock off her shoulders and let it fall. Then he unhooked the buckles of her overalls and flipped back the straps.
Charlie shimmied. Everything fell to her feet, and she kicked it all aside.
"Holy hell." A pulse beat rapidly at his throat.
She wore nothing but panties, bra, and her steel-toed boots. In the heat of his eyes and the flare of his nostrils like a fine racehorse ready to run, she'd never felt sexier.
He dove on her, her face between his hands as he consumed her mouth, deep, hard, fast. She grabbed his lapels before her knees buckled beneath her. Hauling her up, he pulled her legs around his waist, and whispered, "Hang on, baby."
God, yes, she would hang on. And she would make him see that everything he did was perfect simply because he was the one doing it.
Because, oh my, the things he did to her. She couldn't live without them.
She couldn't live without him.
*
Carrying Charlie to the workbench, Sebastian remembered the day he'd first touched her and all the things he'd been dying to do but hadn't.
"This is crazy," she whispered as he licked the swell of her breasts.
Snap and the flimsy bra fell away. "Completely reckless."
"Any of your employees could walk in."
"They could," he agreed with a wicked grin. "But they won't." It was long past lunchtime and there was no reason for anyone to come down here. Besides, he was too far gone to care if they did.
"How can you be sure?"
Even as she asked the question, she was threading her hands into his hair and arching her breasts closer to his mouth. But he made himself lift his head. "I'll stop if you want me to."
"Don't you dare."
Sweet Lord, she was exquisite. Her hair falling loose from its knot, the face shield leaving dents on her forehead, the adorable lines of concentration between her eyebrows.
"I couldn't get a lick of work done today, Charlie." He emphasized the word lick with a long, slow swipe of his tongue across her nipple. "All I could think about was taking you." He trailed his fingers down to her hips, laid his thumbs along the creases of her thighs, so close but not yet touching. "Loving you."
She dragged his head up to take his mouth. Kissing her was heaven. With long, drugged swigs of her, he immersed himself in her taste and her scent as she pulled him tight, her legs trapping him against her center.
She went back on her hands, her breasts rising and falling with gasps of breath. "I want you just like this. In your suit. All your clothes on. And me in nothing at all."
"Except the steel-toes."
"Sure," she agreed with a naughty little smile, "we can keep the boots."
He didn't mean to tear everything she owned, but she flipped all his switches. He couldn't think and before he knew it, there were only shreds of satin in his fist...and the silky-smooth feel of her skin, her thighs urging him on. He'd wanted to taste her, savor her, make this last forever.
But he couldn't wait.
She quickly undid his belt buckle and they unzipped together, he holding the zipper straight, she pulling the tab. A handful of beats later, he'd slid on protection, then he took her hips in his hands.
With one hard move, he thrust into her, so fast and deep she gasped his name. Sebastian.
For a few precious moments, he tried to slow it all down, to watch her, memorize her, savor her muscles tightening around him. Her color deepened, and heat rose off her flesh. She bit her lip, and her lids closed, fluttered, opened again, her eyes dazed with pleasure.
He moved, stroking that perfect spot inside her, then added the caress of his finger over her arousal. Then he lost himself completely in the clench of her slick heat around him. There was no holding back. He took her harder. Faster. Deeper. His lips found her mouth, and he swallowed her cries as she swallowed his. And they went up in flames together.
*
Charlie wasn't sure how they ended up on the floor, with her straddling Sebastian. It was a good thing he didn't seem to care that his suit pants were getting dirty. Because she couldn't move. She was boneless and sated, wanting nothing more than to stay in his arms, keeping him buried deep inside her.
"Mmmm." She breathed against his neck. "I'm glad you came back early today."
He ran his heated gaze over her naked body. "No more than I am."
As hard as it was to leave him, she pushed off, using his shoulders for leverage, then held out her hand to him. "I still have so much to do."
He wrapped his fingers around hers and rolled to his feet, holding her close a moment, his hands all over her naked curves, his lips against her hair. "You're just too tempting to resist." He smiled down at her devilishly. "But I have to, don't I?"
"Yes, you do." Though a part of her prayed he wouldn't. All she had to do was say the word... But she didn't. They would have tonight, but the bowlegged stallion needed her now.
Sebastian left her to use the bathroom at the back of the workshop while Charlie scrambled into her clothes. The lingerie was toast, but she didn't mind. She loved how wild he got, tearing off the satin. It was so sexy, so erotic...
"I have a brilliant idea." She hadn't heard him come up behind her, but now he trailed his free hand down her waist to the curve of her hip. "You should always work naked."
She laughed. "Tempting." Especially if he came home early to do that to her again. "But I play with torches all day, remember?"
"In my bedroom, then," he murmured as he turned her in his arms to brush his lips over hers. "Naked. Just for me." Then he k
issed all the sense from her brain, until she couldn't think of a single reason why she shouldn't comply. "I'll leave you alone soon," he said, but he didn't let her go, his hands resting at her hips, a tingling reminder. "But I wanted to talk with you about a couple of things."
"Ah," she teased, "so you did have ulterior motives for coming to see me today. It wasn't just to bring me beer and love me senseless."
"You are always my first motive. Everything else places a distant second."
He always knew the perfect words to melt her, but she leaned back against the workbench. The couple of things he wanted to talk about were already making her wary, even before she heard what they were. It would be easier to listen if she wasn't pressed tightly against him. Then again, just gazing at his beautiful face was distracting. "Hit me with those other motives."
"I'm glad you and your mother let me help with the move into Magnolia Gardens. It's clearly a much better place than Shady Lane." He paused, as if he needed to let that sink in first. "But I thought we could probably spruce up the furniture in your mom's room. Cushy chairs. A bigger TV. A bookshelf. And something that's not plastic for the balcony."
The topic threw Charlie off--this wasn't what she'd expected at all--but it was clear from the expression on Sebastian's face that he'd wanted to discuss it for some time. She fought back her instinctively defensive response, but ultimately couldn't stop herself. "They recommend that residents bring stuff from home they're comfortable with. But I didn't have room at my place to store everything from the house she shared with my father."
"We'll get her something new, then." He stroked the bare skin of her arm. It should have soothed her, but the subject was pushing her buttons.
Still, she tried not to read any criticism into what he was saying, especially when she'd also thought about sprucing up her mother's new bedroom a bit. "Mom would like that, I'm sure. Some pretty sheets and towels, in addition to the bedspread I was going to pick up for her. So it feels homey." She was totally ready to switch focus to something that would make her less edgy--which she knew was her deal, not his. "What's the other thing you wanted to talk about?"
"Actually," he said, easing into her so he could rest his hands on her waist, "I wondered what you thought of the food at Magnolia Gardens."
She could feel the frown between her brows and resisted the urge to scrub it away. "They had a great salad bar. Some stuff is probably better than others. I read that they have a brunch on Sundays with prime rib or turkey, baked ham or rack of lamb. I think it's good." She waited a beat, letting his hands on her ease her tension. Except that they didn't, and she couldn't help adding, "Didn't you?"
She was working very hard to keep her voice light, but she heard the strain threaded through the question, Didn't you? Because what she'd really meant was, Don't you trust me to take care of my mom?
He seemed to battle with himself for a long moment, his fingers flexing against her, before he nodded. "You're right. The food was fine, the gardens were great, and the doctors and the care seem good too." He stroked her arm, once, twice, maybe trying to soothe them both this time. "The last thing is good news. Remember the couple at the gala with the house out in Woodside? She had the koi pond."
"Vaguely."
That was a lie. All she remembered about the gala was the way he'd shoved her up against the elevator wall, ravaged her mouth, then stripped her out of her dress in the penthouse. He'd taken her to heights she'd never dreamed possible.
At the same time, she was more than happy to leave behind the topic of her mom's new nursing home. Sure, they might be able to find something better than Magnolia Gardens, but it would also cost even more than the shocking monthly amount she was currently paying. And though Sebastian could easily cover it, Charlie simply wasn't ready to let him take over. Even if he had a miraculous capacity to overwhelm her resistance to whatever he wanted, she wasn't going to bend on that one.
"The couple would like something with an Asian flair to sit by the pond. I said I'd set your creative juices loose on the idea."
"A commission?" Charlie ran her fingertips over his jaw, loving the faint hint of five o'clock shadow bristling against her skin. She'd doubted anyone would call after the hotel gala, but in a matter of days, Sebastian had made things happen.
"Yeah." He reached around her and grabbed one of the beers, popping the top for her. Then he raised his, tapping the bottle rims. "Here's to getting all the commissions you'll ever need."
Need? What had happened to inspiration? She thrust the thought aside because she truly did need all this for her mother. And Sebastian was so excited for her.
"They sent me a photo of the pond." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll show you later. And there's a party we should attend tomorrow night. We'll make great contacts for you."
Charlie sipped the brew. And it was surprisingly delicious. But another party? These galas could turn into work. And without an ounce of the fun part, like digging through junk shops and combing old worksites for the buried treasure left behind. Besides, she'd rather be working on the stallions. Or better yet, spending tomorrow night alone with Sebastian, making love in the workshop, in the hot tub, and in his bed. She wound her arms around his neck, the cool bottle dangling from her fingers, and pressed sinuously against him in anticipation of all that lovely, sweet sex.
"Charlie." Her name was raw with need as it fell from his tongue. His wickedly talented tongue. "You want the commission?"
"Yes. I want it." At least if the party was tomorrow night, she'd have time to find another dress. Considering his social circle, God forbid she should wear the same outfit twice. As for the koi pond, she'd happily think about a design for it later. "But right now?" She licked his earlobe, loving the growl deep in his throat. "I just want you."
Again. It was so much easier to love Sebastian--with her hands, her mouth, her body, and her heart--than to deal with her emotions about her mom's infirmities or Magnolia Gardens, or even the commissions.
She pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him until she couldn't think about anything else, until he grabbed both bottles and set them on the bench. Then he lifted her, and everything started all over again.
This was the only place she wanted to be--in Sebastian's arms, thinking about nothing but him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Charlie stood in front of the mirror in the ladies' room of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, repairing the lipstick Sebastian had just deliciously kissed off her mouth. It was a lovely old building with classic Roman Doric columns--columns behind which they'd escaped for the luscious kisses that made everything worth it.
Since that day in her workshop two weeks ago, all the parties Sebastian had taken her to seemed to blend together. Tonight's benefit was for... Well, she couldn't remember. They were on the tail end of a dozen galas, benefits, and events where Sebastian was hell-bent on making her name as well-known as his.
She left the chattering crowd of women, returning to the grand entrance hall. Voices echoed in the high, vaulted ceiling, and tonight's crowd seemed almost impenetrable. She felt invisible in the crush, and honestly, it wasn't a bad thing. Charlie found herself craving quiet, empty moments more and more.
Just as Sebastian had predicted, the commissions were rolling in. So many, in fact, that she'd had to use the scheduler on her iPad. What's more, she was being written about--not as Sebastian Montgomery's new bit of arm candy, but as an artist. After the Regent Hotel opening, her work had been roundly praised. Even, shockingly, called genius. Soon after, Sebastian had convinced a group of reporters to come to her place in Los Altos, and then one newspaper had ended up doing a Sunday spread on Will Franconi's rock garden teeming with her Zantis. After learning he was a fan of The Outer Limits as well, she'd sent him a crate full. The commissions were mostly for garden works, smaller pieces than the elephant, rams, and lion. But an eccentric old guy from Palm Springs was fascinated with the T-Rex and was considering it for his desert ranch.
&nb
sp; Sebastian was opening all the doors he'd promised. The possibility of a huge art career was deep in her bones now, not to mention a much bigger bank balance that brought her giant steps closer to making sure her mother could stay in the comfort of Magnolia Gardens.
He'd done so much for her. So how could she tell him she was tired right down to the roots of her hair?
What's more, she wanted, needed, craved the time to finish the chariot race. It turned her fingers to fire as she worked. The sculpture was her shining vision, and she could visualize the sun pouring through the glass ceiling, her stallions glowing like mythical creatures in flight.
Yet there was always another piece to slip in here or there, projects she hated to admit that she completed on autopilot as quickly as she could. Her only goal was to return to the stallions and their broken chariot. She hadn't even found a moment to start Noah's dinosaur.
Charlie sank down on a bench in an alcove out of direct traffic. She wasn't hiding. Okay, maybe she was. Just for a little while, until Sebastian found her and it was time to start schmoozing again. But her legs--and her soul, if she was being totally honest with herself--felt like they might give out if she didn't take a moment's respite.
She'd always assumed turning her art into a career would be a good thing. But she'd finally learned the downside to success--working on commission meant you weren't always doing what you were inspired to do, just what you had to do.
Which only made inspiration harder to find.
Take last week, when she'd visited a prospective client--God, now they were clients! The woman wanted a cherub or something equally mediocre for her garden. And Charlie had felt absolutely nothing. She couldn't have summoned a vision if the lady had offered a million dollars. But, with big Magnolia Gardens bills to pay, she'd signed up to make a cherub. Somehow she had to find a way to feel like an artist again rather than a worker on an assembly line.
She thought about slipping off her high heels to rub her feet, but, despite being sidelined, she was sure someone would see her. Closing her eyes for a few precious moments, she willed every thought to drain away. Breathe in, breathe out. Maybe it was the clearing of her mind that suddenly let in the voice. Or maybe it was Sebastian's name that made her prick up her ears.