Scandal (Tainted #1) (22 page)

He did too. Just thinking about it made his cock harden.

Turning them both, he sat on the edge of the bed, tugged her close. Her breasts were taunting him and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t resist a taste. Alicia threaded her fingers through his hair and held him to her.

He ran his thumb between her legs, groaning when he felt the silky proof of how ready she was. She jerked her hips into him, urging him on, and he didn’t tease her anymore. Sliding two fingers inside was all it took to push his patience to breaking point.

‘Where’s my bag?’ he asked, but didn’t let up on what he was doing.

She was panting so hard she didn’t hear him and he wanted nothing more than to pull her down on him and bury himself as deep as his fingers.

But they needed protection and he didn’t think that was something Alicia kept in her bedside cabinets.

‘Sebastian, I’m … I need …’

He swirled her clit with his thumb, over and over until her nails bit into his shoulders so hard he thought she might draw blood. She convulsed around his digits, but he didn’t stop – even though the need to feel her doing that around his cock made it impossible to think.

She swayed a little and he pulled her against him, bracketing her thighs with his for support. When the tremors stopped raking her body she slumped against his chest, panting against his neck. His throat felt too thick as he watched her face, bright with colour and wearing a satisfied smile.

‘Wow,’ she said.

He had to agree – she was spectacular. ‘That was just the beginning.’

Tonight had been crazy – in more ways than one.

When she found out what he’d done with his day, Alicia’s emotions had been all over the place, and then there was the minor miracle she’d have to pull off to keep what happened out of the press.

But Sebastian’s husky promise made it easy to forget those worries for now.

‘You asked for your bag,’ she said, wondering if she had enough control over her leg muscles to make it to the sitting room.

He grinned. ‘You heard that?’

A fiery flush scored her cheekbones. She’d heard him, but couldn’t actually process the words. Not when he’d been driving her towards an epic orgasm. Alicia untangled herself, but he kept hold of her waist. His grin faded as he looked her over and those dark eyes got so hot she forgot why she’d stood up.

‘We need condoms. I’ve got a packet in my bag.’

Right, the bag. But she didn’t move. Instead, she wondered what it would be like to have him inside her without the flimsy barrier – nothing but skin on skin. An ache formed between her legs, but squeezing her thighs together didn’t help much.

She’d been on the pill since her father found out what had happened – not that she’d ever had unprotected sex with Darrell. Accidents happened no matter how careful she’d been, so she’d kept taking them all these years.

Still, the thought of having Sebastian with nothing between them was tempting. ‘We don’t really need them, do we? I’m covered.’

He met her eyes then and she could see the want in them. That was the only answer she needed. She climbed onto his lap. His hand on her hips stopped her from positioning herself where she wanted to be.

‘We’ll talk about this later,’ he said, though from the way every muscle in his arms tensed she guessed he was holding on by a thread.

That was probably a good idea. Even though there was no risk of pregnancy, there were other things to worry about. She shifted so she was sitting next to him instead. ‘It’s beside the chair in the living room.’

Alicia got treated to him walking away. She’d have melted into her mattress if she wasn’t so revved up with adrenaline. He’d promised to give her what she wanted and she definitely wanted more spanking. Was even getting used to the fact it wasn’t something she’d been brought up to do. Her mother had always stressed the importance of keeping her virtue, but she’d lost that a long time ago.

What was one more vice? Nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Sebastian was back in record time and ready to go. He threw the box down on her bedside cabinet, then he was on her. She lay back, curled her legs around his hips, and pulled him into position. The way he kissed her showed how desperate he was to have her, which only made her need for him grow – but he didn’t thrust inside.

She squirmed, growing more impatient under his tingling kisses. Sebastian lifted her off the bed, then sat back down. This time when she tilted her hips to the right angle, he let her. The power running through her at the control he was offering was foreign, but didn’t feel wrong – quite the opposite. It gave her the confidence she’d never had to take him in, at a pace that teased them both and gave just enough friction where it counted.

His fingers dug into the flesh on her rear, but he didn’t rush her. When she took his erection fully into her, one of his hands left her bum, then crashed down hard enough to sting a little. The thrill of it made her jerk, and he studied her with concern creasing his forehead. Alicia smiled to reassure him this was what she wanted, and wriggled on his lap, gasping when he swelled even more inside her.

His jaw tightened and he rested his forehead against hers. She could feel in his tense muscles the effort it was taking to let her go at her own pace, to let her get used to this new position and sensations.

Something suspiciously close to emotion wrapped around her heart and she had to remind herself again that falling in love with men like him only ended in heartache. Instead of going to that dark place, she pushed up on her knees, then sunk back down, earning another slap from him. Every nerve ending felt raw and exposed, so much so that when she changed to grind against him, the tension coiled faster than ever.

He kept slapping her skin, alternating sides, and each time it pushed her closer, nearer the edge until her head got light and her skin felt like a current was pulsing over it, throbbing in erogenous zones she didn’t know existed.

Picking up her pace, she revelled in the way he thrust his hips – like he couldn’t help himself. He pulled her down so every dip dragged the head of his erection over the spot inside that created the tension. The smacks kept coming, harder each time until she was shaking with the orgasm waiting to break free. But she held on a little longer, wanting him to fall over the edge with her.

His breaths came faster and his thighs tensed like rocks. She kept up the pace, knowing he was close, and then let go of the flimsy hold she had on control. The coil snapped, allowing the heady warmth of pleasure to pulse around her whole body. She kept moving, unsteady now she couldn’t feel her legs. He gasped out her name while he jerked his hips into her a few times.

When he sagged back onto the bed, she followed, nestling her head above his collarbone. Sebastian cupped the nape of her neck, holding her in place while their chests rose and fell. The tingling sensation flowing through her was better than having a glass of wine after a hard day in the office. It was better than the buzz she got from pushing herself past her limits at the gym.

She suspected it was a feeling she’d easily get addicted to.

Alicia snapped out of the afterglow and jumped off him too quickly. Scrambling around for a something to cover herself with couldn’t have been her sexiest moment, but she had to get away. If she let him see her now, who knew what he’d see in her eyes? The emotions she’d felt before were back and no doubt written over her face.

Finding a pair of flannel pyjamas, she left for the bathroom and got changed. She avoided the mirror, which wasn’t easy when she brushed her teeth, but she managed it. Then after splashing her face with cold water and towelling off, she was almost sure she had it under control so headed back to the bedroom.

The lights were out, which meant he must have got up. Glad he couldn’t see her, she crossed the room to the bed. His breathing was slow, steady. If he was asleep it meant she could claw back some much-needed distance. Slipping into the edge of the bed, she pulled what covers were left over her.

Sebastian tugged her into the centre of the bed and held her against his chest. His warmth seeped through her skin and melted the protest on the tip of her tongue. No matter how scary these feelings were, lying with him like this was bliss and though she knew she shouldn’t, she relaxed into him.

‘G’dnight, Blondie,’ he said.

‘Goodnight, Sebastian.’

Alicia woke up alone. The sheets were cool behind her and something like panic gripped her throat. It was still dark in her room, but her curtains were thick. Surely he hadn’t left her in the middle of the night?

But when she checked her alarm, it was nine. If yesterday was anything to go by he’d have left hours ago. Without saying goodbye?

Her eyes stung and she squeezed them shut. ‘Stop it right now.’

This was getting too much. Just remembering how easily Darrell had walked away when she needed him wasn’t enough to keep her heart safe from Sebastian. Then again, Sebastian wasn’t promising her more than a few weeks, months at most. She had him in her life until his reputation was squeaky clean – though after last night she doubted it would be for a while.

Which reminded her. She had calls to make and favours to beg.

Throwing the quilt back exposed her to the chilly air, but it didn’t stop her getting out of bed and darting to the living room. Her heart launched into her throat when she saw he’d taken his holdall. Still, there wasn’t time to dwell on that. She snatched her mobile off the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen.

And froze. Sebastian had tidied up. The dishes she’d left to air dry the night before were gone, and there was a pot of coffee brewing in the machine. He’d even cleaned the burner on the cooker and taken the bin out. Was this his way of saying ‘thanks for a great night but I’ve had enough’?

Again, not something she wanted to dwell on – there was too much to fix already. She poured a mug of steamy coffee then scrolled through her phone until she found the number she wanted.

Daria sounded groggy when she answered, ‘Hi, sis.’

Alicia was about to ask her question, but it would be rude to blurt it out and Daria didn’t know the full story. ‘How are wedding plans going?’

Her sister sighed. ‘Father vetoed the dresses I designed. He wants some French designer who was clearly born in the sixteen hundreds to do them.’

That made her smile. ‘Old-fashioned?’

‘An understatement. Be prepared for a shapeless, cleavageless monstrosity. Mother did try to change his mind, but he obviously doesn’t want his daughters to look like women on the day.’

If they were anything like their mother’s wedding dress, they were all going to look like throwbacks from the Victorian era. She knew how much that would hurt Daria, but since it was their father paying for everything, she couldn’t really argue. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘I’m tempted not to invite him and wear what I want.’ She sighed again. ‘It’s a nice thought but I’m not that brave.’

Alicia laughed. ‘You’re braver than me. I wouldn’t have asked in the first place.’

Hadn’t that been her problem all her life? She’d kept her mouth shut, not stood up for what she wanted, and had to suffer the consequences. She envied Daria and Sylvia. They spoke up when they felt passionate about something even if it meant rejection.

‘You’ve always been the wimp.’ Daria chuckled. ‘So what can I do for you, little sister? Or did you wake me up to find out about the wedding of the century?’

Now for the hard part. Alicia took a sip of coffee, wishing it wasn’t too early for wine. How was she going to explain? Tell the truth first, or just come out with it? She didn’t want to lie to her family, but who knew what would leak if she told the truth? Daria wouldn’t drop her in it though she might mention it to Blair and …

‘Getting old here, Alicia,’ Daria said.

‘I need a favour.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Have you picked a magazine to cover the wedding yet?’

There was a long pause, then, ‘No, I don’t really want one there. I was hoping to leave it so late that no one will be available, but Mother’s putting pressure on me to choose.’

Guilt froze the request in her throat. Of course her sister would want a quiet, intimate wedding. Wouldn’t
she
when the time came? She couldn’t ask, she should be helping Daria get her way.

But how else was she going to stop those pictures from coming out? If they did, she wouldn’t be allowed at the wedding. She probably wouldn’t be allowed to speak with her sisters.

Her hand fisted around the mug until the heat got too much. ‘Do you want me to speak with Mother?’

‘No, it’s no use. Father wants coverage and you know what he’s like. What were you going to ask?’

Alicia bit her lip.

‘Come on, Alicia. You can ask me anything.’

She took a deep breath then said, ‘Can you give the contract to
Taylor Made
?’

There was another long pause, no doubt while Daria thought through the request. ‘Do you think they’ll pull the story Sebastian’s ex is running if they do?’

‘It’s too late for that,’ she said. ‘But … I want to make sure they don’t print anything else.’

‘Licia, the press print what they want, you know that. What makes you think somewhere else won’t take Mai on?’

Her sister’s voice was soft, just like it had been that night when she got back from the hospital. Alicia knew then that her sister believed the stories as much as anyone else – though why she’d encouraged the fake relationship was a mystery. Still, she pushed those thoughts aside and thought of a way to explain that wouldn’t give away her secret.

‘There’s more. Mai fixed him up yesterday.
Taylor Made
have a contract with her that means she can’t talk to anyone else while the feature’s running. He’s really trying to be better and is training all the time. Another scandal isn’t something he needs right now. He’s already lost his biggest sponsor.’

‘Tell me something. Are you working for him?’ she asked.

Alicia hesitated. Had Daria figured it out? She didn’t want to lie, so skirted around the truth a little. ‘How can I not help him? I’m a publicist and he needs a PR clean up.’