Catch Me: Time After Time Read online

  I try not to laugh as all three of them crowd together with heads pressed close over the screen as I walk towards the doors. I do end up laughing when I hear them start bickering over what combination to match first.

  I head up to my room and pass a maid dusting art that lines the walls and I’m a few steps past her when I choke out a laugh when I realize she’s singing Icona Pop’s, I Love It, under her breath. I’m in such a good mood that I turn back to her and sing the next line back at her.

  “I threw my shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs. I crashed my car into a bridge…” I pause there and point to her with a challenging look. It takes her a beat but a smile forms on her face and she leans towards me.

  “I don’t care, I love it. I don’t care!”

  We end up laughing with each other and it’s a really nice moment, even if she probably doesn’t understand the English words. I don’t even care how badly I’m probably messing up music history especially since I caught the Spanish chef singing Despacito the other day in the kitchen as he kneaded dough, accompanied by some pretty lewd groin thrusts for a man of his girth. Another shared smile and a wave to my new favorite maid and I turn back to head to my room only to find Sebastian once again watching me. I can’t read the expression on his face so I just cock my head to the side and walk towards him.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  He stares at me for a few more moments before he seems to shake himself out of whatever’s on his mind.

  “I was just dropping off the jewelry I think will complement the gown you will be wearing tonight.”

  I clap my hands together in glee. “Oooh, sparklies! Seriously though, thank you for inviting me and for the gown and jewelry to wear with it. I’m really looking forward to going with you tonight. I promise I will try very hard not to embarrass you.” I tell him with a sincere smile.

  He does that weird lost stare thing again and then slowly nods and turns and walks away in the opposite direction down the hall. I frown at his back at how hard the guy is to crack and hope I have a little better success tonight with bridge-building. I step into my room and spot the sheet-covered mound on my bed that I just know is my new gown and head straight to it with my hands held out and my fingers making grabby motions but freeze mid-step when a stern French “NON!” snaps out at me. I set my expression in the most petulant child look I can muster and turn slowly towards Claudette.

  “YOU are SO mean!” I whine at her. I can see the tremble as her lips fight off a smile but she finally caves and throws her hands up with an indulgent smile but still drops one hand to wag a finger at me and then points to the stool in front of her.

  “Ici!”

  I roll my eyes at her but do as I’m told and walk away from the dress I’m dying to see and take a seat on her stool. I look up at her with a wink and wave my hands in front of my face dramatically.

  “You may begin…the transformation of me,” I tell her with a laugh and she shakes her head at my antics and smooths my hair back before turning me on the stool. It’s the last nice moment between us for a while before she yanks the first fistful of hair in her quest to tame it.

  For the next half hour, my head gets pulled in every direction as I let my mind wander to tonight and try not to let the nerves come back. Partway through the scalp torturing Claudette shows me a pair of gorgeous stiletto-type daggers that have ruby-encrusted hilts before anchoring them in the updo she’s creating on top of my head. It gives me a thrill and makes me feel like a badass assassin. I let a montage of scenes play through my mind of me pulling them out during the party and letting them fly across the room to take out the bad guys as Claudette goes to work on my makeup. It’s just a little silly amusement to pass the time as I know Sebastian will handle any possible danger that might present itself. He’s not like Luca and doesn’t worry about how I will react to his monster being on full display. I sigh wistfully. I doubt Sebastian worries or cares about anything I do or think. I’ve been pretty ruthlessly suppressing my feelings and attraction for him and trying to keep them at bay is sometimes exhausting. It’s especially hard when I catch him looking at me with longing or heat in his eyes. In a lot of ways I think the Alpha vamp is just as broken as Luca was, he just holds it all locked in with an iron control made of ice. If I can just find a crack or a way to melt some of that ice we might be able to start being friends at the very least. It doesn’t matter that I want more. That I want his hands on my body and love in his eyes is just plain old greed. I have three amazing men who give me that already. I will happily settle for friendship with Sebastian if it’s all I can have.

  Claudette taps me on my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts to let me know she’s done with the hair and makeup portion and is ready to strap me into the rib-cracking corset. I stand and move to the bed so I can use one of its posts to brace myself but she surprises me by whipping the sheet off of the gown and lifting it up for me to see. My eyes flare wide and my mouth opens in a surprised gasp as I take in the work of sexual art that no seventeenth-century seamstress should be able to create.

  Here I was thinking it would be scandalously indecent, showing a lot of cleavage and a high hemline but what I see before me would be daring even in my timeline.

  The satin is blood red that edges into cherry and has black lace overlaid around the edges. The front and back have deep Vs that will go all the way to my waist with built-in boning to perch my breasts in. It’s essentially a dress made of two panels, front and back that are tied together on either side by crisscrossing black ribbon lacing. It’s a dress that can only be worn over a naked body with no supports as any undergarments would show through the front, back and sides. It’s fucking epic.

  I strip naked in front of Claudette with no shame at all as I can’t wait to see this glorious creation on my body. I have to hold the front and back against me in place while she tightens the ribbons on both sides and I wonder if this time frame has the equivalent of double-sided body tape because I can just see me breathing a little too hard and my tits popping out for all to see. By the time she’s done tugging, adjusting, and tying things off I’m confident that everything will stay where it’s supposed to as long as I stay upright and make no sudden movements. She leads me over to stand in front of the mirror and I have to swallow hard at what I see.

  My breasts are pulled apart and pushed up as high as they’ll go by the built-in boning leaving almost all of my center chest and waist exposed to just above my belly button. It’s A LOT of fucking skin. I turn slightly to the side and see black ribbon crisscrossing from under my arm to the floor-length hem. The ribbons grip my skin from the top to just under my hip and then the skirt widens from there. Turning further I look over my shoulder and see the wide deep V that drops down to stop just above my ass and my eyes almost bug out at the heart shape the dress has turned my ass into. It won’t matter what direction I turn, a lot of skin will be exposed for all to see. This dress, this fucking dress was made to capture men’s gazes and hold them as prisoners with its blatant sexuality. Its sole purpose is for eye fucking and I can’t wait for my men to see me in it. It also makes me wonder if Sebastian either knew what it would be or had a hand in the design.

  Claudette answers that question when she brings over the jewelry and swings the necklace in front of me so she can secure the clasp and that clasp better fucking be a padlock because where the dress made my pussy damp with how sexy it is, the necklace fucking terrifies me.

  A long double strand of pea-sized diamonds with a ruby every few inches drops down my chest and ends in a teardrop-shaped ruby the size of a robin’s egg. The huge stone sits at the bottom of my breastbone and this dress was clearly built to showcase it. Sebastian definitely had a hand in the design so he’s either serving me up as the ultimate distraction or he wanted to see me looking like this.

  Either way, I’m now wracked with nerves over wearing something so completely priceless and terrified I will somehow end up losing it. Claudette clips on the dan
gling matching earrings that have slightly smaller versions of the teardrop ruby, making my nerves even tighter. My hair is piled high in curls on top of my head with only a few loose tendrils drifting down, meaning there’s no hiding the jewelry or all the skin on display. My eyes lift to my face in the mirror and I admire the dark smoky eye with winged eyeliner she’s created and the blood-red lips perfectly match the color of the dress. I’m feeling a little shaky at the overall effect and my hand clutches Claudette’s as my panicky eyes meet hers in the mirror.

  “I ca-can’t. It’s too much!” I tell her with a tremble in my voice.

  She turns me away from the mirror to face her and takes both my hands in hers pinning me with a determined, fierce look.

  “Non, it is not too much. This ici, er, here. This here is pow-er. Ladies have so little pow-er in this world. This is your wea-pon. You will use it, wield it for control to master them, n’est-ce pas?”

  I slowly nod as I blow out a deep fortifying breath. She’s right, so fucking right! This dress, this look, it will stop men in their tracks. I need to own it and use it to my advantage. I pull our joined hands up and kiss the backs of hers before letting go and squaring my shoulders.

  “Thank you, Claudette. Thank you.”

  She beams a smile at me and shoots me a wink before dropping down to her knees and helping me slide my feet into the matching red shoes with small inch and a half heels. I pat at my hair, run a slightly shaking hand over the necklace, and walk out the door she holds open for me. As I walk down the hall to the stairs all I can think of is one of those fuckers better have my phone on them because I need a damn picture of me in this dress!

  Eden

  When I hit the top of the stairs I pause dramatically and wait until all four of them turn and look up at me. As much as I want to see my guys’ reaction, I can’t tear my gaze from Sebastian. He’s the one who put me in this dress and I want to see if it has the effect on him I think it will. I feel the heat and lust in his stare as I slowly and carefully descend the staircase but when my shoes hit the floor a wall of ice blocks it out and all I get from him is a slight nod as he holds out a red matching cape with black lace overlaid along the edges. Talk about a fucking underwhelming reaction. The bitch inside of me is raging to grab my tits and shove them his way in a taunt while asking if the look was all he wanted. Something about being draped in diamonds and rubies forces me to keep it classy so I turn away from him ignoring the outstretched cape and finally get the reaction my self-confidence needs from Cade, Finn, and Luca. Based on the flames dancing in their eyes and the way Cade and Finn’s hands are fisted at their sides, I would be nailed against a wall as they stripped me bare if I didn’t have a party to attend. My lips curve in a sensual smile and I turn slightly so they can see the ribbons holding the dress on me and murmur, “I’ll let you untie me when I get home.”

  They move in unison towards me like they aren’t going to wait that long but Luca steps in front of them with his own smoldering look. He lifts one of my hands and runs his hot mouth over my knuckles, tugging me closer and taking my breath away with the intensity in his eyes.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  I think he’s talking about the party at first but his next words make his meaning clear.

  “You were meant to complete us, Eden. Tonight, I think you will.”

  I just stare back into his eyes, having no idea how to respond to that and just nod in a dazed way as he brushes his lips lightly over mine and steps back. I’m about to turn back to accept my cape when the Alpha-hole growls at me.

  “Enough, we must be on our way.”

  I shoot him a bitchy look over my shoulder before asking, “Who has my phone? I want pictures!”

  I can practically hear his teeth grind from here but too fucking bad, he should have at least told me I looked nice. I make him wait while Finn runs to get it and then a little bit longer as they all take turns snapping pictures of me and them together. Luca finally takes the phone from Cade and waves towards Sebastian.

  “Let’s have one last one with you and your escort.”

  I make a face but move his way, admiring the all-black outfit he wears with a red cravat that matches my dress at his throat. He’s so tall and broad that I feel dainty standing beside him. I pose with a tight smile on my face but Luca frowns and waves me closer causing Sebastian to growl and slip an arm around my waist and yank me towards him.

  The unexpected move has me unbalanced so I’m forced to turn into him and brace a hand on his chest while looking up at him in surprise. His head is tilted down at me and the heated desire is back in his eyes as his fingers slide over my bare skin between the ribbons on my side. My breath catches in my throat being this close to him but the spell is broken when Luca calls out.

  “Done! You should get going as it will take you a few hours to get there.”

  His arm drops away from me and he bends to snatch the cape from Finn who had picked it up from the floor where Sebastian dropped it. He holds it out for me and drapes it over my shoulders and then grasps me by my elbow to pull me from the house. I get one last look over my shoulder at my three men before he lifts me into the enclosed carriage and calls for the driver to be on our way.

  I sit on the cushioned bench across from Sebastian and pull my cape closed, no longer wanting his eyes on my skin. The fucker runs so hot and cold it gives me whiplash trying to keep up. We spend the first hour avoiding even looking at each other and I’m at the point where I’m ready to tell the driver to turn this carriage around when I force myself to take a deep breath and stop being so immature.

  It’s not like this is something new. He’s been like this from the start and I don’t know why I thought an over-the-top sexy dress would change it now. I need to find a way to break through his walls and build some kind of relationship or my men will be the ones to suffer. I square my shoulders and paste a pleasant smile on my lips.

  “Is there anything I should be on the lookout for while we’re there?” I ask to try and break the ice.

  He raises an eyebrow in the most condescending look and the small smirk of amusement has me digging my nails into my palms.

  “There is nothing for you to worry about except being charming and decorative. This night is only a chance for me to see if I can sense others of my kind nearby. It would be best if you spoke as little as possible to any of the other guests,” He tells me in a dismissive tone.

  My smile tightens, my eyes narrow and I give him a jerky nod. “Right, just a brainless piece of ass on your arm. Got it.”

  He sighs out a breath that’s seeped in annoyance. “Eden, the other guests there will be the worst representation of the nobility. They are cruel, selfish, and self-serving with only one thing on their minds tonight, their own pleasure. A piece of ass, as you say, will be all they see when they look at you. It’s imperative that you school your reactions to anything you see tonight no matter how lewd it is. If they see any weakness from you it will only make them want you more. Next to perverse pleasure, they love nothing more than to corrupt the innocent.”

  I grit my teeth to stop from snapping at him. He can be so insufferable. Instead, I force a measured tone out.

  “One, I’m far from innocent and can handle anything I see tonight. And two, if you have so little faith in me then why did you even invite me to come?”

  He leans back on his bench and scans me but I’m completely covered by my cape so he blows out a breath.

  “I invited you because having you on my arm will be distracting, allowing me a greater latitude to observe the other guests and also because I do have faith that you can handle the setting. I am just cautioning you to show no shock at what you may see. From what you have told us about your era, sex seems to be more open in society compared to this time. Your…relationship…with Cade, Finn, and Luca and the ease you seem to navigate it tells me that your sensibilities won’t be offended.”

  I brush a wispy curl away from my face and decide he’s given
me the perfect opening to discuss the dynamic that has shifted between us all.

  “Does it bother you? Does all three of them being with me bother you?”

  He scoffs. “Why would it bother me? I haven’t seen my brothers this happy, well, ever. You fill a need that they have been missing. As for you being with three men at once, that’s your business.”

  “Yes, it is. I can tell you they’ve filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t think could ever be fixed. I’ve never been with more than one man before and it’s certainly not common in my time, no matter how open and accepting sex is for my generation.” I look down breaking the eye contact. “Before I came here, my life…my life wasn’t very happy.” I huff out a sad laugh. “That’s an understatement. There was no happiness in my life at all, for many years. All the people I loved are dead and for a long time…I wished I was too.” I tell him, ending in a whisper. I close my eyes and shake those memories off before looking back up at him. “What I’ve found here, experienced here, with the others has changed everything for me. I finally feel like the woman I’m supposed to be. Their love has given me everything I ever dreamed of and so much more. But, I can’t help but feel like my relationship with the others has…intruded on the bond you have with them. Sebastian, you all have been a family for so long and I’m terrified that I might be causing a wedge between you and them and that’s not something I would ever want to be responsible for.” I tell him as sincerely as I can hoping he can see the truth of that in my eyes.

  I wait, hoping for something from him I can’t even name and see the shift of emotions in his eyes and expression that has my heart speeding up in hope but it is quickly dashed when the familiar ice frosts over once again and cold amusement sets his lips in a smirk.