Sagittarius, p.1
Sagittarius, page 1
Sagittarius
Copyright © 2022 Gemma James
Cover design by Gemma James
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Up Next
Dear Reader
Newsletter
Torrent
The Devil’s Kiss
Trashy Foreplay
Swallow Me Whole
With Dreams of Payne
Playlist
About the Author
1
NOVEMBER 22ND
Disbelief shrouds the room in precipitous tension. As the men crowd Sebastian’s beach cottage, the chancellor’s explanation for their unexpected visit sends shock rippling through my system.
Did he say they’re going to rig the auction?
I hold Liam’s gaze, paying no heed to my unkempt morning-after appearance, and part my lips in search of the right questions to ask.
How do they plan to rig the auction?
Wait. How does Liam know about Landon’s mysterious plan?
And when did they start working together?
But instead of demanding answers, I end up gaping at the group of men, their presence rendering me as silent as the dawning of a new autumn day.
“I think you should sit down, my sweet girl.” Liam’s cajoling tone is deceptive, because underneath it, I detect the authority behind his words—words that knock me from my stupor.
“Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do.” The more I think about his overbearing tendencies, the more my hackles rise. “You can’t just waltz in here, unannounced, and drop a bomb like that on me…and then tell me to sit down.”
Ford’s sigh interrupts my brewing standoff with the chancellor. “We’re gonna need caffeine for this conversation.” He heads toward the kitchen. “Where’s the coffee in this place?”
“By the sink, second cupboard on the left.” Sebastian settles his hand on the small of my back, and his warmth seeps through my wrinkled dress, reminding me of how he peeled it off my body last night before giving me what I wanted most in the world.
To belong to him and only him…except this wasn’t how I envisioned we’d spend our last morning together.
“We need a minute,” I say as I grab Sebastian’s hand and drag him into the bedroom. The door shuts, enclosing us in privacy—much needed privacy because my heart is pounding too hard and fast, and my hands are clammy. I’m close to the precipice of a meltdown, pushed to the ledge by too many men for too many months.
Anger flares, boils in my blood, and I want to rail at them for intruding on the precious time I have left with Sebastian. Why did they choose today of all days to upend my world yet again?
“Did you know they were coming?” Folding my arms, I give Sebastian a look brimming with accusation.
“I knew about the meeting, but I didn’t know it would happen today.” He shoots a glare toward the living room. “Always in the goddamn way.”
“I want to hear it from you,” I say. “Whatever they’re about to tell me, I want to hear it from you first.”
“I don’t know much more than you do. Landon kept the details close to his chest.”
“So you’re saying he doesn’t trust you enough to confide in you? I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s not about trust. He’s always been a stubborn ass, and there’s no way he’s spilling the details until he’s ready.”
“And today just happens to be the day he’s ready?”
“Apparently so.” Sebastian combs an agitated hand through his bedroom hair, and I remember all-too-well how those dirty blond locks got so disheveled. My heart constricts at the memory of the unbelievable night we shared.
Our time together is ending too soon.
“At least tell me what little you do know.” I plant my hands on my hips. “Before I go out there and hear how all of you conspired to control my life, I need to hear it from you. Not them.”
“Forget about them,” he growls, setting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me toward the bed. “In this room, there’s just you and me, princess.”
“What are you doing?”
“Not letting anyone or anything ruin my last morning with you.”
“This isn’t the time for—”
“You can either fight me,” he cuts in, shoving me onto the mattress with a smirk, “or you can enjoy me.”
“How about option three?” As he removes my dress for the second time in twelve hours, I nod toward the living room. “At least tell me you’re still going to win the auction.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“How are they going to rig it in your favor?”
“Orgasm first, talk later.” Grinning at the sight of my panty-free form—because I didn’t have time to put on undergarments—he pushes my legs apart and drops to his knees.
“I don’t want an orgasm,” I say, and what a blatant, absurd lie. As he tugs my ass to the edge of the mattress, his hands burn through my resistance.
“No orgasm, huh? That sounds like a goddamn shame.”
His finger trails down my slit, stirring up too much anticipation, and my treacherous whimper gives me away. As he lowers his head between my thighs, I feel a draft of warm air from his tempting mouth, just mere inches from my sex.
“You’re not being fair,” I groan, my body arching toward his face. “This is important.”
“I agree. Touching you is damn important.” Putting action to words, he pushes a finger inside me.
“That’s not what…” I close my eyes, willing my focus back to the point I was trying to make, but his ministrations scatter my thoughts until they’re nothing but incoherent fragments of futility. “I mean…we have stuff to…to talk about.” With a strangled plea, I fist the bedding. “God, I need you.”
“Then let me give you what you need.” In the next instant, his tongue is on me, gliding through my wetness and offering sweet torture, each lick an electric shock that zaps me low in the stomach. My core tightens, pulsing to the rhythm of his expert mouth.
I sink my hands into his thick hair. “Sebastian.”
“Louder.”
“Huh?”
“My name. I want them to hear you shout it.” He sends me higher with his fingers, his confident strokes calculated to get the reaction he wants. “I want him to hear every fucking syllable, Novalee.”
Sebastian’s blue eyes give off a possessive vibe in the moments before he presses his tongue against my clit, applying exquisite pressure with the sole intention of sending me into a mad spiral.
And spiral, I do.
Nothing exists except the heat of his lips and tongue on me, the scruff of his five o’clock shadow against my inner thighs, the pressure of his fingers plunging into me again and again. I shake apart on the mattress, his name launching from deep within my soul, and that cry fills every crevice of the cottage.
Just like he wanted.
Seconds later, as my head floats in the realm of satiation, he moves me to the middle of the bed and straddles my chest, cock aimed at my lips. I’m not sure when he removed his pants, but he’s confident in his naked glory, impatient to get into my mouth. The demanding thrust of his hips begs for entrance, and I part my lips and allow him to slide in.
“Now this is how we start the day around here,” he says with a long groan. His weight traps me, those powerful thighs holding me down at the shoulders, his feet pinning my wrists to the mattress. Cradling my head in both hands, he controls the angle and depth.
“Jesus,” he rasps as pale morning light pours through the sheer curtains, illuminating every faucet of his awestruck expression. “Taking your mouth like this feels so damn good.” The motion of his hips slows to a crawl—as if he wants to savor every second.
His gaze is metallic, shining like the sea under an overcast sky as he keeps those hypnotizing eyes on me the whole time. Something earth-shattering passes between us, something so intense that his chest heaves from it. The unnamed emotion stings my eyes, making my heart overflow.
“No one’s ever loved me like you do,” he says with a shudder. “And no one will ever need you as much as I do.” His words are a choked confession laced with insecurity, reminding me of Liam’s presence in the next room. Reminding me how the threat of competition never fails to provoke the possessive lion preying under the surface. I want to tell him my heart belongs to him and only him, but all I can do is whimper around his massive girth.
His pace increases, growing erratic and desperate. “Fuck, I’m so crazy in love with you.” The declaration sends a tear down my face, and that’s when his control slips.
“Oh, goddamn,” he groans, pushing deep and jerking to a stop. Be tween clenched teeth, he moans my name, voice raw as his climax floods my mouth.
I’ve never heard him come so vocally before, in unbridled surrender, as if it pains him to give in to his own pleasure. The moment is rife with vulnerability, heavy with the threat of jealousy, because the audience in the next room infuses the type of desperation that only heightens the pull between us.
Still struggling for breath, he flops to his back beside me and hauls me on top of him, tucking me against his warm chest.
I lick the addictive taste of him from my lips. “That was…”
“Insane? Incredible?” His brows furrow. “A damn tease because I can’t get inside you the way I want.” His cock twitches under my leg, and he groans. “After we marry, you’re going to be busy for a very long time.”
“You promise?”
“Oh yeah.”
I run my fingers along his rough jawline. “By the way…I’m crazy in love with you, too.”
He rolls over until he has me pinned underneath him, one hand cradling the back of my head as our mouths collide. The kiss is deep and endless.
A union of tongues.
The merging of souls.
An intoxicating fusion of love and lust.
Wishing I could hold on to him forever and never leave this bed, I grip his shoulders and curl a leg around him. Desire sparks anew, making me achy between the legs all over again.
The Brotherhood can wait—my curiosity about secret plans can wait—because nothing is more important than being in Sebastian’s arms. Letting out a needy moan for more, I slide my hands down his back.
And freeze underneath him with a gasp.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, inching away until his eyes settle on me. Brows creasing in concern, he searches my face. “Are you okay?”
“Are you?” Fighting tears, I run my fingers over the raised flesh on his back, suddenly haunted by his stubborn bravery in the face of Pax’s whip. “He left scars on you…because of me.”
“And I’d tell him to do it again in a heartbeat.” Reaching for my hand, he laces our fingers and brings our joined hands to his chest.
“Sebastian.” My voice cracks. “You said you’d been whipped before, but it was never like that, was it?”
“I’ll never regret taking those strikes, and I’ll never be ashamed of the scars that resulted from them, because you’re safe.”
“Do they hurt?”
“No, baby. They’re only flesh-deep. The painful kind are the ones you can’t see.” He squeezes my hand. “Which is why I can’t handle you getting hurt. That would put me in agony.”
He kisses me again, his grip a vise around my fingers—as if he’s determined not to let me slip through his own. This man is my lion, my protector, the very gravity that keeps me grounded.
No amount of sexual pleasure at the hands of other men can come between us. What we have is too powerful, too binding, too addicting. Blessed oblivion tempts us, threatening to drag us under.
“I already want you again.” He leaves a fiery trail of open-mouthed kisses down the column of my neck.
We might never leave this bed.
Never stop kissing.
An insistent knock of a fist startles us back to reality.
“Are you guys about done with your minute?” Ford’s snarky tone filters through the closed door. “Because the chancellor is about to move the party in there.”
Sebastian shoots a glare toward our would-be intruder. “Don’t even think about coming into this room!”
“I doubt the bed is big enough for all of us, anyway.” Ford chuckles. “I’ll hold Castle off as long as I can. Don’t have too much fun in there.”
Sebastian exhales a resigned breath, the interruption having already shattered the moment. “You wanted answers, didn’t you?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I think you had the right idea. Orgasm now, talk later.”
“Sorry, princess, but they won’t wait much longer.” Ignoring my groan of objection, he leaves the bed to search for our discarded clothing. After tugging on his pants, he tosses yesterday’s dress to me. “You ready for this?” he asks, jutting his chin toward the bedroom door and the men who wait beyond it.
“No.” Scowling, I pull the dress over my head. “But I guess I don’t have a choice.”
Sebastian takes my hand, a silent apology straining his gorgeous face, and we step into the hall.
2
Through the gigantic windows facing the sea, the gray morning mocks me, as turbulent as my mood. The less sadistic half of the Brotherhood are sprawled on the overstuffed sofas, and a small part of me had hoped they’d already left.
But no. That would be too easy, considering they had the nerve to crash our weekend in the first place. To add insult to injury, Ford had the audacity to interrupt the absolute perfection going on in the bedroom.
Because Sebastian and naked in the same sentence equals heaven.
But the six men in the living room aren’t about to disappear. For the most part, they appear collected, except for Liam. He’s the only one on his feet, pacing the length of the room, though he comes to a halt when he spots Sebastian and me.
“Good of you to join us, finally,” he says, the pained longing on his face flaying me to the bone.
Before I can respond, Ford clears his throat. “This morning definitely requires more coffee. Want a cup, baby girl?”
“Please.”
As Ford disappears into the kitchen with his empty mug, Sebastian ushers me to a vacant seat. He lowers into it, pulling me onto his lap, and laces our fingers. I’m grateful for that grounding tether, the strength in his gentle grip that keeps my heartbeat from racing out of control.
Ford returns a minute later and hands me a steaming cup just the way I like it. I smile my thanks at him, appreciative of his thoughtfulness as he reclaims his seat in front of the rain-battered windows. He takes a sip from his mug and lets out an exaggerated sigh of contentment.
“You may now begin.” Ford waves at my brother, his hand a sweeping flourish in the air. “Your move, Astor. Enlighten us with the details of this plan.”
Landon is the picture of confidence, his jade eyes taking in the room before stalling on me. “As the chancellor already told you, we’ve agreed to rig the auction so you, my queen, can marry the man of your own choosing.”
“Okay,” I say, tightening my grip on Sebastian. “It’s obvious who my choice is.”
Landon nods. “I think the two of you make a great match. You’re important to my wife, which makes you important to me, so I’m happy that you’re happy.”
His meaning is only known to him, Liam, Sebastian and me, because everyone else is unaware of our familial connection, and for that, I’m relieved. The more people who know, the greater the chance my uncle will learn the truth and demand his rightful throne. I shudder to think of such evil taking full reign of my homeland—a place my father did everything in his power to protect before he died.
“Exactly how are we going to pull off such a rigging?” Vance asks.
“By ensuring Sebastian has the means to outbid everyone.”
“How do you plan to get around Heath? None of us can touch his wealth.”
A diabolical smile spreads across Landon’s face. “We use the leverage we have on him.”
“You’re talking about Loren, aren’t you?” As soon as the words leap off my tongue, I want to bite them back. I wasn’t supposed to say a word about what I saw in Mr. Bordeaux’s private quarters—a painful tongue clamp and abject humiliation got that message across months ago. “I mean…shit.” With a wince, I set my untouched mug on the table, too keyed up to drink caffeine. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“Heath’s sexual orientation is common knowledge among the current Brotherhood.” Landon shrugs. “I don’t enjoy the thought of outing him to his bigoted father, but I’m prepared to do it if necessary. Heath knows this.” He pauses long enough to take in the room and everyone in it. “Which is why he’s already transferred a large sum of money to me. Between that and what each of us contributes, we can guarantee the outcome of the auction.”
