Scandal (Tainted #1) (7 page)

A cute line formed between her brows. ‘What do you mean “we”?’

She’d like this part. ‘Now I’m officially dating the daughter of an earl, I need to look honourable.’

Alicia burst out laughing. All the seriousness was wiped clean from her expression and the prim woman who drove him nuts disappeared. His heart thrummed as his smile widened.

‘Something funny?’ he asked.

‘You.’ She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to reign in the fits of giggles. ‘I can’t picture you in stuffy, boring clothes or a suit.’

‘I look handsome in a suit,’ he said, feigning a hurt expression. ‘My mum said it makes me look dashing.’

The giggles continued. ‘It’s a mother’s job to lie to her children.’

‘I should make you pay for that.’ Sebastian eyed her lips, curved up into a grin, and a few ideas on how to punish her flashed through his mind. All he’d have to do was lean in, kiss her into a frenzy, then pull away just as she hit desperate.

But heat burned low in his groin at the thought of kissing her and he figured doing that would punish them both.

‘OK, we’ll shop.’ The look in her eyes and flush on her face said she knew exactly how he’d wanted to punish her.

What he didn’t expect was the disappointment he felt at her going along with him to stop him catching her in a lip lock. Though what did he expect after she’d given him rules to follow and the no mouth to mouth action had been at the top?

Instead of commenting, Sebastian took her hand and led her through the crowds. ‘First, let’s get us something for dates.’

Seven shops and twelve carriers later, Alicia had a whole new wardrobe. She hadn’t meant to get so carried away, but for the most part, everything she bought was from the high street. Well, other than the few dresses with designer price tags. Still, she had made a huge dent in her savings account. But hopefully, with the commission from landing Collins, she’d get a massive bonus.

After all she was doing to save his rep, she better.

They were in Jenners’ men’s department now, Sebastian promising they were almost done after he picked up a few shirts. She wondered if she should broach the engagement party with him, in case she couldn’t find a way out of it, but figured she had lots of time to try. Plus, watching him pick up shirts and stand in front of the mirror with a screwed-up expression was kind of fun.

‘Try that one,’ she said, nodding to a shirt on the rail above him.

He shook his head. ‘I’m not
that
desperate to fit the ideal.’

She giggled again. Actually giggled. It’d been so long since she’d felt this carefree. It was a lovely distraction from everything that had happened that day. She’d worry about Daria later. Or maybe never. Her sister was twenty-seven and sounded happy. Why couldn’t Alicia be happy for her too?

‘This, I can work with.’ Sebastian pulled a black shirt off the hanger that looked far too small. Without disappearing upstairs to the privacy of the dressing room, he removed his jacket and then pulled his white polo shirt over his head, exposing his ripped stomach.

‘What are you doing?’ she whispered, turning her back to him as heat flushed into her cheeks. She caught the gaping eyes of the other customers. ‘You’re supposed to be acting low-key.’

‘I’m trying on a shirt,’ he said, his tone suggesting what he was doing constituted reasonable behaviour.

‘People can
see
.’ The whole shop could, and Alicia was sure the sales assistant in the far corner had drool on her chin.

‘So what? They’ve seen it all before if they saw me at Wimbledon last year.’

She whirled on him, ignoring the tanned flesh on display as he buttoned up the shirt. ‘You’re not playing tennis and, in case you hadn’t noticed, people use the changing rooms to try on clothes.’

He rolled his eyes. Actually
rolled his eyes
at her.

‘Relax, you’re too uptight. No one here cares where I try on the shirt.’

‘You should! You should care about what people think, how your actions speak for you. It isn’t just your reputation on the line now, Sebastian.’

‘I know,’ he said, focusing on buttoning the cuffs. ‘But the only one causing a scene here is you. You’re totally overreacting.’

There was absolutely no talking to the man. She gritted her teeth as annoyance burned into something else. Something that made her
want
to raise her voice and really cause a scene. She knew he was going to be hard work, had known from the second he riled her at the pitch, but the new Alicia could handle him. She just had to figure out how.

‘So,’ he said, holding his arms out for inspection. ‘What do you think?’

With an orange cap from one of his sponsors, the too-tight shirt that clung to every delicious inch of his torso, and a pair of well-worn jeans, there was only one word she could use to describe him.

‘You look ridiculous.’ But still sexy, dammit.

His grin was swift and dragged out hers. He winked. ‘Perfect.’

He started unbuttoning the shirt but she dove forward and grabbed his wrists. She could smell his expensive cologne mixed with the unique hint of him that had made her body react at the gym. The effect was no different now, but she pushed on past the haze her mind was suddenly clouded in.

‘
Please
use the dressing room, Sebastian. I’ve told my father you’ve turned over a new leaf, and he’s already mad that I’m dating you. Pictures in the papers tomorrow of you trying on shirts in the storefront will make this a hundred times worse.’

His hands wound around her wrists until her pulse hammered out a mamba. ‘He’s mad at you for dating me?’

Alicia bit her lip and focused on the collar of his open shirt. ‘Mad’ was the understatement of the century, but it wasn’t as bad as before. Back then, he’d made her do something so terrible that some nights she woke up in tears. He’d never shown any compassion either, insisting it was for her own good and one day she’d thank him for it. She was still waiting for that day.

The worst part wasn’t even that he’d grounded her afterwards for three months until she learned what being respectable meant. She’d been happy to hide away from the world while her heart had time to heal. Her hands trembled against the awful memories and the pain threatened to break her in two all over again.

Sebastian let go of her wrist and tilted her chin.

‘Is he always so uptight?’

She forced a small smile.

‘You could say that.’ Ruthless, brutal, and fiercely protective – of himself – were better ways to describe him.

‘Then I’ll try to not make this worse for you.’

Sebastian grabbed his polo and headed for the staircase, leaving her blinking at his retreating back. She’d never expected him to be understanding or care about anyone else except himself. Could some of what she’d found be made up, exaggerated? Or
was
he the man Mai claimed he was? Alicia wasn’t sure, but the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to find out the truth behind the stories.

‘What are you doing here?’ she squeaked as she opened her front door.

Sebastian looked like a different man. His hair was still wild, but the suit he wore made him even more delicious-looking. His mother hadn’t been lying at all.

She hid behind the door, far too aware of her blue sleep shorts and white vest. Oh, not to mention her braless state. Her face burned at the glimpse she’d given him.

‘Taking my girlfriend to dinner,’ he said, like that was obvious. ‘Didn’t you mention dinner earlier?’

‘I’m not dressed.’ It was the only thing that popped into her head. Did she suggest dinner? She’d been too distracted by her humiliation in the gym to remember the specifics of their conversation.

‘Well, you’d better hurry. I made reservations.’

‘I need to work on the press release.’ He looked too good in his form-hugging suit. And she’d already spent way too much time with him for one day.

Sebastian crossed the threshold. ‘That can wait. Come on. You’ve got new clothes to show off.’

‘But –’

He closed the door, exposing her undress to him. His dark gaze dipped down, taking in her bare legs and scorching a flush over her skin. Shut into her small flat with him was stifling, and knocked up the temperature to uncomfortable.

‘Quick, before I change my mind and break the first rule already.’

The threat had her bolting through to her bedroom, heart racing and breath coming too fast. She slammed the door closed, raced to the wardrobe, and pulled out the first dress she could get her hands on. Stripping and dressing in record time, she fumbled through boxes in the bottom of her dresser and grabbed a pair of shoes. At the mirror she snatched her lip gloss, smeared a little on, and then freed her hair from the twist.

Ruffled, rumpled, and plain would have to do. She needed to get him out of there fast, because after their afternoon together she’d spent way too much time googling him and his ex, wondering what accusations were true. The more she read the more she couldn’t match to the man she’d spent the day with. Not to mention the hold he had on her libido.

A libido that should have known better than to want him after what had happened the last time she gave into reckless attraction.

She pushed the mistake and the three months of hell that followed out of her mind. Probably for the hundredth time since she met him.

After slipping on the heels, she gave her hair a final ruffle then opened the door. He was in the lounge, sitting against her leather sofa with the first draft of the press release in his hands. It was weird seeing him in her personal space, looking relaxed and as if he belonged there.

But he didn’t belong there. Not ever.

‘Ready,’ she said to distract herself.

His attention flitted to her and his eyes became rich and melting. He took her in, all of her, and Alicia couldn’t remember the last time a date had looked at her without the usual polite reserve. There was nothing polite about the way Collins’ gaze lingered on her breasts, her waist, even her legs.

He laughed, snapping her out of the fantasy that he found her attractive.

‘What?’ Were her nipples out again? She folded her arms just in case.

‘Alicia, you look stunning, but I don’t think you’ll want to wear those shoes.’

He crossed the room as she looked down to see what he meant. There, plain as day on her feet, was a pair of black court shoes she hadn’t worn in forever. If it wasn’t for the great big scuff and talking soles she could have got away with them.

‘Need a hand?’ he asked.

She swallowed back the embarrassment. ‘I’m useless when it comes to this stuff.’ She pulled at her dress. ‘My sisters would have a heart attack if they saw the inside of my wardrobe before today.’

‘Come on.’ He took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

The suffocating feeling got worse, especially when he glanced pointedly at the bed with a wicked grin. So what if it was pink? The sheets were the only thing in her life she was brave enough to douse in colour. The hues in her bedroom were the only thing she got to pick in the manor too – though she guessed that was because her father never went into her room there.

‘Where are your shoes?’ he asked.

Alicia nodded at the foot of her wardrobe and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Sebastian got on his knees and rummaged through the footwear that probably had more place in a pensioners closet.

‘I want to look respectable,’ she said, defending her choices even though he hadn’t attacked them. ‘I just can’t figure out how to do that and keep things … elegant.’

He looked back at her. ‘Your family are that uptight?’

‘Among other things. My father is very strict and demands respect. He thinks we should be just like him.’

Of course she wasn’t, she was the disappointing child – or at least, the ‘other’ disappointing one. She doubted Jonathan would have been shunned if he’d made their father proud. If it hadn’t been for her mother fighting for her, she’d have been thrown out long ago and banned from having contact with the rest of them.

Exactly like Jonathan.

She’d wanted to leave once, after the ‘incident’, but she loved her sisters and mother too much. The only option she’d had was to stay, try to win back her father’s approval, and count down the days until she could leave Cumbria for university.

But having to live up to her father’s expectations had never stopped. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to.

‘That sounds rough,’ he said, and she saw the understanding in his eyes.

Before she could ask what happened that he could understand having a control freak parent, Sebastian reached blindly into the cupboard. He pulled out shoe box after shoe box, in all shapes and sizes, but he only glanced at the contents then set them aside.

‘Most kids would’ve rebelled,’ he observed.

‘I’m not the rebelling type.’ Not now she knew the consequences.

The pain it caused her: Jonathan’s exile. It seemed better to be the kind of daughter a father would be proud of than a woman who lived her life without caring about the latest scandal or the Simpson reputation.

A flash of light blue caught her eye as Sebastian pulled another box out of her closet. Her palms got damp, her heart paused for a beat then took off double time, and scolding blood boiled up her neck.

She dived for the box but he was faster, pulling it out of her reach. She slammed into his chest, grabbing his shoulders for support, but he’d already clocked what she was desperately trying to hide. This had to be the most embarrassing moment in the history of the world.

Sylvia was going to pay.

‘Now this is more like it.’

She grabbed for it again but he moved it further out of reach, shaking the blue vibrator’s box at her like a kid who’d just found the secret cookie stash.

She groaned. ‘It’s a gag gift from my sister, it’s only –’

‘An eight-inch deluxe with five stimulating features,’ he read from the box out loud.

Alicia covered her burning face in her palms. ‘It’s not like I wanted it!’

She heard something clattering on the floor, then he tugged her hands away. She didn’t want to look at him, but would the new, improved Alicia cower and hide like this? Determined not to show him how affected she was, she met his gaze.