Free A Deal with Benefits by Susanna Carr

said her name. It was a plea and a warning. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Couldn’t.
    “Cruz,” she said breathlessly. She blushed as she fought the overwhelming need to touch Sebastian and hold on to him. She took a sharp intake of breath and inhaled his clean, masculine scent. She felt the heat invade her body. She wanted to get closer and burrow her face into his skin.
    “Call me Sebastian,” he reminded her. He spoke softly, but she saw the glint in his eyes. He was the hunter and she was the prey. Ashley went very still, every instinct telling her he was about to pounce.
    Instead, he reached for her hand. She felt a tremor in him as he raised her fingers to his mouth. A sense of power flooded her body. She was an average woman, young and with very little experience, but she could make the great Sebastian Cruz tremble.
    “I want you right now.” Sebastian brushed his mouth against her knuckles and her skin tingled from his touch. “But I know you’re not ready. You need something more private before you lose control. Feel safe before you say exactly what you want.”
    He knew. He knew exactly how she felt. In his bed, she would go wild. It would be just the two of them. No interruption. No confined spaces. But here...in this limousine, on the crowded streets, she would be careful. She would be constantly aware of her surroundings.
    Sebastian cupped her jaw with his hands. She felt surprisingly delicate under his large fingers. “You don’t need to hold back with me.”
    “I’m not,” she lied. She was cautious with everyone. She usually didn’t act unless she knew the outcome. She didn’t speak until she considered the consequences.
    “I’ll take care of you, mi vida, ” he said in a low, clear voice.
    Her heart gave a twist. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he cared more than this moment, more than the thrill of the hunt. That he cared about her. She would like to think he was the kind of man who viewed sex as something more than a sport.
    But that wasn’t a fairy tale she could afford to believe. “Do you tell that to all your women?” She tried to say it lightly, but she couldn’t hide the cynical edge in her voice.
    “I’m telling it to you,” he said as he covered her mouth with his.
    He kissed her and she immediately melted into him. She had dreamed about this moment every night since he had left Inez Key. She didn’t realize how much she had yearned for his touch until now. But it wasn’t enough. She needed more.
    Sebastian’s kiss was slow and tender. That wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to feel the heat and the passion from their first night. Ashley kissed Sebastian with abandon.
    She poured everything she felt into the kiss and it was like touching a lit match to a firecracker. Something inside him broke free and Ashley tasted the wildness in his kiss. It excited her and she deepened the kiss, craving more.
    “If you don’t want this,” he said roughly against her lips, “tell me now. This is your last chance to walk away.”
    Ashley was surprised that Sebastian was giving her an escape. Thanks to their agreement, he no longer had to seduce or romance her. She thought he would grab and take—and some part of her wished he would take the decision away from her. Then she couldn’t blame herself for wanting this or enjoying his touch.
    She wouldn’t completely shatter here, in the back of a limo. No matter what he did, she wouldn’t lose her inhibitions. Not when she felt as if they could get caught any moment.
    Sebastian, however, didn’t seem to be aware of their surroundings. Or he simply didn’t care. This time, she could seduce him while he got lost in the sensations.
    She was in full control and she was almost dizzy with the power. She knew she could ask for anything and he would give it to her. But she wanted something more. Ashley wanted—needed—Sebastian to surrender. She needed to see that he would do anything, give up control, just