Scandal (Tainted #1) Page 19

  The silence stretched out as he parked and left the car. She didn’t wait for him to open the door for her like he wanted to, but it was raining. They jogged to her building and as soon as the door opened they went inside. The routine of coming back after a long day of hard work and having her there had kept him mellow and on an even keel. Now, with her barely saying a word as they climbed the stairs, he had time to reflect on the conversation.

  When they got in she headed straight for the kitchen. A curse sounded and he followed her. She was holding one end of a corkscrew but the metal had snapped and stuck out tauntingly from the bottle of red he’d bought yesterday.

  Sebastian put his hands on her shoulders to rub the tension away, but she shrugged out of his hold. Solid proof he wasn’t imagining the wedge she’d put between them. He took the bottle from her. ‘You talk, I’ll open this.’

  ‘There’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said.’

  ‘Alicia, just spit it out,’ he said.

  ‘Fine! I don’t know what makes you the expert on good ways to publicise a break-up, so don’t patronise me for being annoyed.’

  The fission of anger coursing through him made opening the bottle easier than it should have been. When the cork popped, he placed the wine down none too gently on the counter.

  With a forced grin, he said, ‘That’s what makes me the expert. I’ll do the opposite of what I did last time. Enjoy your wine.’

  What really niggled was that she knew what happened but threw the press version in his face just because she was mad at him. For trying to give credit where credit was due!

  Still, her words ate at him as he cleared out of the kitchen and left her to it. He thought she’d gotten over his past when she made the decision to start seeing him. Looked like he was wrong, though he shouldn’t be surprised. He wasn’t good with relationships, never would be. This was just more proof that he shouldn’t get any closer to her. What started a fling was moving into dangerous waters.

  For a few minutes, he debated going home and coming by to pick her up tomorrow for their journey to Cumbria, but then vetoed the idea as another yawn escaped. Instead, he lay down on the sofa and shut his eyes.

  Mai wanted to scream and scream until her throat hurt and her voice gave out. But she hadn’t. Not when the editor had told her they wouldn’t be printing the story of Sebastian in the park. Not even when the editor had said they’d traded the pictures – her pictures! – for coverage of a poncy wedding!

  No, she’d kept calm despite the fact her left eye had twitched all through the meeting, right until she reached her front door. When she got inside, she was tempted to let the shriek out, but a groan coming from somewhere in the house caught her attention. It was Jack. Ice laced her veins as she imagined him with someone else. Fucking some dirty skank – after everything they’d been through!

  The pain twisted alongside her anger and turned into rage. It propelled her down the hall to their bedroom and she heard the woman’s scream of ecstasy. Mai shoved the door open so hard it slammed against the wall, crumbling the plaster, but she didn’t care.

  What she saw froze her to the spot. Jack’s hand was a blur on his erection and his laptop was on the pillow next to him. She heard the woman’s scream again and realised exactly what was going on. He was … watching porn. In her house on her bed – a bed she hadn’t been able to get him to touch her in for over a week!

  He glanced at her, a look of bliss and extreme pleasure on his face that she’d never seen before. Just then, he released all over his hands, his shirt, the sheets.

  Her sheets!

  Mai didn’t think. She launched herself at him, crossing the room in what felt like no time at all. The rage, the anger, the jealousy tore through her like a wrecking ball and even the sting on her palm as it connected with his jaw didn’t snap her out of the madness. She hit him again and again until she was thumping at his chest.

  The look of pleasure drained from his expression as his face twisted with something nasty – exactly how she was feeling.

  Mai pulled back her arm, fisted her hand, and shouted, ‘You bastard!’

  His arm shot out quicker than she could move and he backhanded her so hard she fell back and landed in a heap on the floor. Something sticky and warm pooled from her nose, over her lips and chin. She was bleeding. The thought brought her back from her rage and his feet on the floor next to her face shot a dash of fear through her. She covered her face with her hands, wincing as agony broke through the adrenaline.

  ‘If you fucking hit me again, it will be the last thing you do,’ Jack said, a growl in his voice.

  Her mind couldn’t put Jack, the man who took her back in and who’d loved her so much, with one who could say these things to her. One who could hurt her like he had. Self-defence or not, this wasn’t the man she adored.

  ‘Jack. Jack, don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.’ She was shaking now, practically vibrating with fear.

  He didn’t speak, just stepped over her and left the room. A few minutes later she heard the shower come on. She sat up, then took off her cardigan and pressed it to her face to soak up the blood, stunned that he’d left her when she’d been hurt.

  Shocked speechless that he’d been the one to hurt her.

  The pain didn’t ebb, not for a second, and with horror she realised he’d broken her nose. Maybe even her jaw. Someone who loved her couldn’t do that, could they?

  No. Jack wasn’t any better than Sebastian. He might not be cheating on her with another woman but he was getting his sexual kicks from watching them fuck. She picked up his laptop, seeing the site he used to get himself off. The video that starred an ugly, fat brunette who made Mai’s eyes hurt to look at. She was about to throw the thing across the room, but that wouldn’t do.

  She wanted him out. Gone. Then he’d be free to google whatever fat sluts he wanted.

  After a quick clean-up on her face, she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and left her house with one destination in mind – the police station. Jack was going to pay for what he’d done, she’d make sure of it!

  Alicia sipped her coffee and nibbled pieces of fruit she’d chopped for their breakfast, watching Sebastian sprawled across her sofa. His massive frame dwarfed the biggest piece of furniture she had. Again, she wondered if she should have woken him last night.

  She couldn’t believe how quickly he’d drifted off. A glass of wine was all it took to cool her off and for guilt to kick in. She hadn’t meant the dig about his track record with break-ups and felt awful about it. But as she sat alone enjoying the wine he’d bought her, it wasn’t just the comment she felt a pang of remorse over. She’d kept him up for hours most nights, even when he’d been training vigorously for days. It hadn’t been until she draped a quilt over him that she noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the strain lines on his face.

  Mostly because every night he made sure to give her his A-game in bed, even when she’d be happy with Sebastian’s mediocre. It wasn’t fair to him, but every day when he left to go to the gym and she thought about ending what it is they had, her chest hurt and her eyes stung like she was grieving a loss. She knew then she was in too deep, and that had caused her outburst last night. It was herself she was really mad at for starting to care too much, not Sebastian.

  He stirred, rolling onto his side and almost toppling onto the floor. Catching himself on the coffee table, he grunted. She wanted to help, but didn’t know what kind of mood he’d be in or if he was still mad at her.

  Alicia decided to test the waters. ‘Morning. I made breakfast.’

  Blinking the last of the sleep away he sat up, rolled his shoulders, and stretched out his chest and back. Her coffee tasted acrid as guilt laced her throat. She shouldn’t have left him on the sofa. It was barely big enough for her and he looked far from well-rested. This weekend would be perfect for him; he’d be able to recharge his batteries and sleep as long as he liked.

  ‘I’m not hungry. Think I’ll grab a shower and we can
get going.’ Sebastian didn’t spare her a glance as he disappeared into her bedroom, making her feel even worse.

  Referring to his past last night had been a low blow, and it had obviously hurt him. The creaky pipes echoed through her flat as he switched the water on. Well, if he wasn’t willing to talk to her, she had another idea how to make it up to him.

  Luckily, Sebastian never closed the bathroom door, never mind locked it. She glanced at his clothes lying crumpled on her bedroom floor and couldn’t help but smile. Other woman would be irked by that. Sarah was forever moaning about David’s untidiness, but Sebastian’s clothes in her flat meant he was there. Where they were didn’t matter to her.

  He was in the shower, his back facing her. The glass had fogged so much she could barely make out that fantastic backside. It was almost the first thing she’d noticed about him in the boardroom and now she’d seen it in the flesh. Again and again and again.

  But she wasn’t there to perv on his bum.

  She opened the cubical door and he turned, taking the spray of the water against his back. Some escaped over his shoulders, falling in rivulets down his chiselled muscles. He was semi-hard and from the last few days waking up next to him, she knew he must be really pissed at her to not have a full erection.

  Before he could speak, she said, ‘I came to apologise.’ Then stepped into the shower, still wearing her sleep shorts and vest.

  The steam clung to her and she was sprayed a little as he stepped back, a frown marring his brow. But he took the bait and his gaze dropped to her chest. The white top had gone completely translucent.

  Sebastian swallowed. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I told you, I’ve come to apologise. I was horrible to you last night and I’m sorry.’

  She dropped to her knees. The hard floor wasn’t the most comfortable place in the world, but she had a lot of making up to do. She grabbed the length of him and felt his pulse quicken.

  Sebastian gasped. ‘Alicia …’

  She took that as invitation and licked him slowly from the root to the tip. Again and again. He slammed a hand into the tiles while he balled the other into a fist.

  Capturing the tip between her lips, she used her tongue to drive a low groan from him, then his hands were in her damp hair, grabbing at the roots but not pulling her closer. The sting made her shiver with her own pleasure, and she sucked him in as far as he could go.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d given him pleasure like this, but it was the first time she’d see it through till the end. The more she worked him with her mouth, tongue, and hands, the more she wanted to finish with him in her mouth, her throat. The spot between her legs pulsed out a protest, but she ignored it.

  ‘Alicia, I’m going to …’

  He released her, giving her the chance to pull away. She grabbed his buttocks. She wasn’t going anywhere. His hips jerked forward with his orgasm and she swallowed everything he gave her. So sweet, with a little bite, and all him. Pure, virile, and delicious.

  Sebastian tugged her to her feet and the twinge in her knees was lost in the heat flaring through her. The feel of the water spraying her oversensitive skin revved her up more. She needed him to … she shook off the thought. This was about him.

  Panting, he pulled her close and held her until his breathing slowed enough to speak. ‘You’re more than forgiven.’

  She grinned at him then kissed his jaw. ‘Hurry up, you’re hogging the shower and we have somewhere to be.’

  ‘I believe you started it, Blondie.’ He tugged her wet vest off. ‘But we can always share. You know, save time.’ Her shorts were next.

  ‘Good point.’ She reached for the shower gel but he beat her to it.

  ‘Turn around.’

  Biting her lip, she did what he asked but looked back over her shoulder. ‘I thought we were in a hurry.’

  ‘Hmm.’ He soaped up his hands then moved them over her back, under her arms, grazing the sides her breasts. ‘I think we have time.’

  He continued to wash her back thoroughly, leaving no inch neglected. As he reached around to wash her breasts, she sighed and relaxed back into him, feeling how almost ready he was again. Wiggling her bottom against him, she tried to speed up the process. He squeezed her nipples and sucked her earlobe.

  The current that ran through her body, scalding hot and delicious, made her moan. When he slipped his fingers into her, she was ready to take him. All of him, and his digits weren’t enough.

  She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the tile, and let the water pelt her back.

  ‘I need you in me. Now.’ Asking was getting easier as the days past and her need for him got stronger.

  As always, he gave her what she asked for, filling her completely. She could feel his rapid heartbeat, or maybe that was hers. When they were together the lines seemed to blur until it was them, not individual people, and that became more addictive than the way he worked her into a frenzy.

  Sebastian cursed. ‘We need a condom.’

  Squeezing her muscles, she tried to keep him inside. ‘It’s OK, I’m on the pill.’

  His hands tightened on her hips. ‘Alicia –’

  ‘I trust you, Sebastian. Please.’ She knew he worried.

  The articles about him giving his ex a disease had to be one of the false ones. He was usually so meticulous about protection, but they’d never had the conversation since.

  He retreated anyway. She turned, about to offer more reassurances. Instead, her lips were caught by his. Her feet left the floor as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, welcoming him in. Pressing her back against the tiles, he kissed her manically, like he was beyond desperate for her, as the movement of his hips drover her closer to release.

  Another swivel was all it took to send her over the edge. Pleasure pulsed through her as she clung to his trembling arms, drawing out the last of his orgasm. He didn’t set her down and kept kissing her, slowly, like he was thanking her, and she kissed him back with the same gratitude.

  Finally, he set her down and stared straight into her eyes. ‘Thank you for trusting me.’

  His expression was serious, his eyes holding an intensity and wonder she’d never seen and her heart lurched. She did trust him, hated that he’d had to go through this public grilling. Loved that he came out the other end and was still Sebastian, still with her.

  ‘You’re a good man, Sebastian. How could I not?’

  Chapter Eighteen

  The drive to her family home was a long one, but Alicia gave him the scoop on what he should expect. If he hadn’t known her before, the prim and proper version, then he’d have accused her of exaggerating.

  He expected a grilling, maybe some rules. But the routine of breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner seemed over the top – especially when she told him all would be served in different dining rooms and he was expected to dress up each night. He doubted her father would approve of the jogging bottoms he’d brought with him to chill out in.

  But what niggled at him more was what happened in the shower. Not the sex or the prelude, that was always amazing. In fact, it got even better every time. Though when she told him he was a good man, that’s when it had hit him like a kick to the chest. He cared about her far too much. Leaving her next month was going to be the hardest thing he’d have to do.

  Despite the fact he knew she cared, that she believed him, Alicia wasn’t his mother. She was focused on her career, had admitted that to him when they’d decided to get involved. Asking her to give that up for a life of travelling, a life he’d hated growing up, wouldn’t be fair.

  Leaving her in London while he was gone would be worse. He trusted her enough to know he wouldn’t come home to find a guy in her bed, but at the same time the worry would always be at the back of his mind. Plus, he had a lot of traveling to do, coupled with training as intense and exhausting as last week if he wanted to be at the top of his game. He couldn’t expect her to stick around when for weeks at a time he’d be as l
ively as a zombie.

  ‘It’s the next left.’

  She pointed to a dirt road in front of them, snapping his focus back to the present. Besides, this was stuff he could worry about when the time came. No point in stressing himself out now.

  ‘Simpson Manor,’ he read the sign aloud as they drove in.

  ‘It gets worse from here.’

  As he pulled into the courtyard in front of the biggest house he’d ever seen, he conceded Alicia was right. He’d thought she’d been kidding about the wings and that maybe the tennis court had been an over-exaggeration, but there was no fence to mark off a garden in the surrounding countryside. Which only pissed him off. How could someone with this obvious wealth let their daughter stay in a tiny London flat with dodgy plumbing? Or was that Alicia’s choice?

  There were several sports cars and a Bentley parked to the right, so he pulled into a space. Messing up the earl’s pristine courtyard with his two-year-old Porsche Cayman wouldn’t be a wise move considering he got the feeling the guy already didn’t like him.

  After collecting the bags, he walked side by side with her. The entrance was huge, and Alicia pushed the door all the way open. An older woman with the same bone structure as Alicia stood in the foyer next to a man who looked like the eighteenth century had thrown up on him. He guessed they were her parents.

  ‘Mother, Father, this is Sebastian.’ Alicia’s voice was prim again, with a snooty edge he’d never heard her use.

  He waited, expecting the two to embrace their daughter. Maybe shake his hand. They didn’t move an inch, just studied him with blank expressions. He felt like a smear of dirt on their pristine floor.

  ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr and Mrs Simpson.’ He’d do polite, but no way was he pretending to be a snob in front of these emotionless drones. Now he had a bit more of an insight as to why Alicia had been fighting against her attraction. She’d been brought up with parents as warm as a snowstorm.