“Fuck!” He grabbed a handful of my hair with his other hand and yanked until I thought he’d tear it out.
I still fought, refusing to give in.
“Stop it, you fucking bitch.” He ground his cock into my thigh. “You’re getting all of this whether you’re conscious or not. Doesn’t matter to me. Keep this up, and it’s lights out.”
I couldn’t give up. Grabbing a handful of his hair, I pulled as hard as I could. He groaned and increased the pressure on my throat until black seeped into my vision. My lungs burned, and I couldn’t focus on anything except my next breath. My hands dropped to the bed and Link smiled.
“That’s it.” He let go of my hair and reached between us. The jingle of his belt buckle barely made it over the ringing in my ears.
My vision faded, Link’s cruel face hazing out. A crash. Something breaking. And then I could breathe again. I rolled over and coughed, sucking in huge gulps of air as living fire raced down my throat and into my lungs. My vision popped back, my hearing too.
Fleshy thunks and deep yells filtered through. I sputtered and felt my throat. Curling into a defensive ball on the bed, I sucked in air until my fog cleared. I sat up and intended to bolt for the door, but the way was blocked.
Sebastian straddled Link and was punching him again and again. Link’s face was bloodied, his eyes closed.
“Sebastian!” I ran up behind him and grabbed his arm. “You’ll kill him!”
“Yes.” He didn’t swing again once I put my hands on him. “I will. Stand back so I can finish the job.”
“No.”
He turned to look at me, one of his eyes red and puffy. “You want him to live?”
No. I stared down at Link, at the real man behind the mask. A monster. “I don’t want you to go to prison. If you kill him, they might take you away. To an institution or worse.”
He glanced to my throat, and his gaze darkened. “I don’t care. He deserves to die.”
“I care.” I pulled on his arm. “Please.” I wanted Link dead and gone, but I couldn’t let Sebastian do it. He’d saved me.
He reached up and caressed my cheek. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” I let him go.
He stood and crushed me in an embrace that soothed my hurt and fear. Scooping me into his arms, he stepped over Link and carried me to the living room.
“Wait.” I pointed to the floor. “Set me down.”
He quirked a brow but put me on my feet. I reared back and kicked Link in the ribs. He grunted and curled onto his side.
“Okay.” I reached for Sebastian.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” He smirked and took me in his arms again.
“A few times, but feel free to tell me again.”
“I love you more than anything else in this world.” He sat on the couch and cradled me in his arms. “Where does it hurt?”
“Just my throat.”
He tensed again. “Are you certain I can’t kill him?”
“Yes.” I ran my hand down his chest. Even with Link in the hallway, I knew I was safe in Sebastian’s arms.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”
I pulled back and stared into his eyes. “How did you know?”
He cleared his throat. “I, ah, well. Remember when I had the surveillance removed from your house?”
“Oh my god, you bugged Veronica’s place, too?” I shook my head.
“I was going to have it all undone, but Timothy hadn’t been able to handle it yet. So, as it happened, it was still here.” His eye had started to swell closed. “I wanted to check and make sure you got here safe, that was all. I wasn’t going to eavesdrop any further than that. But then I saw him lying in wait for you. I came as fast as I could.”
“You need ice for that.” I tried to climb out of his lap, but he held me in place.
“All I need is you.” He turned my chin so he could inspect my neck. “You’re going to bruise.”
“I can barely feel it.” I lay my head on his shoulder. “You’re here. That’s all I need.”
He hugged me tight. “Do you have any idea how beautiful that sounded?”
Link groaned in the hallway.
Sebastian set me next to him on the couch. “Give me a second.”
“Don’t—”
“I won’t kill him.” He strode to the hallway. More groans, and then a sliding noise. Sebastian dragged Link by the collar of his jacket, opened the front door, and shoved him out into the hallway.
“Needless to say, you’re fired. If I ever see your face again, I’ll kill you with my bare hands and bury you in the woods on my estate. Your body will never be found. And it will never be traced to me.”