Sins of the Father (28 page)

Alicia jabbed her friend
on the arm. “You don’t fool me for a second. All that arrogance is
just cover for your generous nature. I have the gifts to prove
it.”

“
The t-shirt
was great, wasn’t it?” Josh was feeling a little smug.

“
It’s like I
told you when I sent the picture, I give it a solid six
points.”

He looked outraged. “It’s
worth at least a seven.”

“
I have to
warn you, jelly tot, his birthday gift is worth quite a lot more.”
Scot shook his head. “This competition you’ve got going could get
ugly.”

“
I’m way
ahead on that score.” She looked at Josh. “Come on, hand it
over.”

He walked into the other
room to retrieve his package. Alicia couldn’t help goading him when
he came back in. He looked as roguish as a child with a secret too
big to contain.

“
Is this
thing for you or me?”

“
Oh, for
goodness sake, get on with it. I’ve never known such a pair of
prima donnas,” Sarah said, from her place a few seats
down.

Alicia pulled a face that
wasn’t polite in the least, even though her own curiosity got the
better of her. She tore into the paper and pulled out a framed
poster advertising skin care products. Alicia looked fresh-faced
and innocent staring out at them from the glossy colour
photograph.

“
Oh, Josh,
this is...it’s wonderful.” She hooked an arm around his neck.
“It’ll take something pretty special to beat this.”

Brad recognised it as the
commercial that started Alicia’s career. It caused quite a
commotion as the table was cleared and the guests were guided to
the ballroom.

“
Well,” Josh
began. “Our work here is done.” He pulled Alicia to her feet to
give her a firm hug. “I’m glad I could share this with
you.”

“
Me
too.”

As she turned to thank
Scot for what was probably the seventh time, Josh cast a glance in
Brad’s direction. “Make sure you look after her.”

“
We all
will,” Sarah said, taking his hand for a brief squeeze. “Call me
when you land.”

As his men escorted them
out, Brad followed Alicia to where the guests were already packed
on the dance floor. He watched her dance with a variety of partners
and tried not to wish he was the one holding her close. It was a
physical pain, his need to touch her, and it was several hours
before his shift ended – several hours of torture before he could
slip away and busy himself in familiar routine.

It helped to be in a
world where he belonged. He felt in control again. He still had the
ache in his gut whenever he thought of Alicia; it was part and
parcel of being with her. But the distance helped. Research allowed
him to focus on something other than the way Alicia felt in his
arms, so instead of retiring he went over Susanna’s notes on
Helen’s past. They were missing something, of that he was
sure.

He skipped through her
childhood because there was nothing out of the ordinary, certainly
no indication of what she would become. The first real occurrence
was a cameo role in the movie that shot her to fame. Her life
changed dramatically and she didn’t have the skills to deal with
it. After a few bad choices, people soon got bored and she
disappeared for a while. Being Helen, she clawed her way back to
the limelight by marrying Donny Smitts, one of the most successful
cinematographers of his time. They had two children soon after, and
for a time they were a family, at least on the surface. Helen still
partied a little too hard, but people got bored of that
too.

For a moment Brad
wondered what life would have been like for them had they stayed
together. It was likely Alicia and Jack would have gravitated
towards the industry because that much was ingrained. Perhaps they
would even have found happiness. But they were robbed of that when
Donny Smitts died of a heart attack, leaving Jack, aged one, and
Alicia, who was almost three, alone with their mother.

After a string of
unsuccessful affairs, and just as many failed television
appearances, Helen decided to reinvent herself. She discarded her
children as easily as she would an old wardrobe that no longer fit
her image.

Soon after, she started
dating an upcoming actor, Johnny Sommers, a young man almost half
her age. She even found a new audience, one with a short-term
memory.

Brad felt the old anger
bubble to the surface when he read the rest. It made him sick to
his stomach.

Not satisfied with
destroying her children’s lives, she publicly ruined her new lover,
revelling in the drama as an addict might savour the first hit. It
ended when Johnny Sommers totalled their car – some said in a
suicide pact. Helen sustained major burns in the collision, and
required months of care, which is where his father came in. Duncan
Morgan – the surgeon she chose as husband number two.

He didn’t need to read
about that – he’d lived it.

He backed up a few paces
because something else was bothering him about the car accident. It
set alarm bells ringing. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, all he
knew was he couldn’t ignore it. He sent a quick message to Susannah
requesting a follow up and went out to get some air.

***

It was quiet in the house
now. The party was over and so was her birthday. ‘I survived it,’
Alicia thought with a smile. More than that, she’d enjoyed it. The
smile lingered, making her light on her feet as she walked through
to the kitchen. She crossed to the fridge, skimming her fingers
along the clean surfaces and wondering at the magic James wove in
his domain. As she passed the Breakfast Island, an image of Brad
popped unwarranted into her head. She cursed softly at the memory.
She’d made a fool of herself. It helped to remember his response.
She knew he wanted her too. It was just a matter of his
self-control. It was enough to drive her insane.

Brad walked back in the
direction of the house. The darkness hadn’t settled him, neither
had the solitude. The only thing he thought about as he walked the
grounds trying to clear his mind was the one person he was trying
to avoid. He couldn’t view her objectively anymore. It was part of
the job to keep the principle at the forefront of his mind, but his
thoughts of her were not all based on professional concern. That
was the problem.

He crossed through the
conservatory, trying not to make a sound. The rest of the house was
sleeping and he wanted to keep it that way. As he moved into the
kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Alicia was standing by
the counter, as surprised as he, lit only by the moonlight; her
dark hair a contrast to the gold dress she wore. It was loose now,
flowing around her shoulders, with just a hint of the curl he’d
seen earlier. The bruising was more prominent, but that wasn’t what
made her look vulnerable – that was something else entirely. She
looked breath taking, that beautiful face clean of make-up, her
mouth curved in a pout of surprise.

“
Hi...I was
just.” She turned away from him and began rummaging through a
cupboard. “I was thirsty and came down for a drink.”

He wanted to touch her so
badly that he stuffed him hands in his pockets. “I couldn’t sleep
either. I thought a walk around the grounds would help.”

“
And did it?”
she turned again with a glass in her hand.

“
Not
really.”

She gave a half nod, too
tired to play the game. If he hadn’t looked so tired, with his hair
all mussed from the restless path of his fingers, she might have
been angry. He looked so big and so male stood in the shadows that
her mouth went dry.

To give herself time to
cover the nerves, she poured orange into a glass and returned the
carton to the fridge.

“
Well,
goodnight.” She couldn’t look at him, it hurt too much.

She’d made it to the door
before he called her back. “Alicia, wait.” He was going to tell her
she’d forgotten her drink, but when she turned to face him the last
of his control snapped.

She saw it all, the
frustration, the acceptance, the sheer need in his eyes – as though
a curtain had been lifted. She wasn’t entirely sure if the stifled
groan came from her throat or his, but she didn’t care because he
was moving towards her – closing the gap.

He pulled her into his
arms and crushed his mouth to hers; hard and hungry for all he’d
been denying himself. It was an effort to be gentle and not give in
to the primal need to take, but God how he wanted her.

Alicia felt dizzy from
the power in just one kiss. It crackled over her body like a
physical force. She couldn’t get enough, the feel of him, the
taste. The way his body trembled under her hands spoke of
everything he’d been holding back. The next groan she knew was his,
and she echoed the sound with a cry of triumph as she gripped
handfuls of his hair and pulled him closer.

He was drowning in her,
all sense of reason starting to slip from his mind until he
realised with shock that he was perilously close to taking her
right there in the kitchen. She gave a startled sound of surprise
when he scooped her off her feet and stood feasting on her mouth,
but made no objection when he moved towards the hall and out to the
stairs.

Alicia was riding on a
wave of passion that threatened to consume them both. She had never
experienced anything like it before, the hungry need that made her
want to claw at him.

The trail of kisses down
his neck set his skin on fire. When she nipped him gently with her
teeth, he almost missed a step. It tore a surprised laugh from deep
in his throat. The sound vibrated along her nerve endings, making
her impatient to taste more of him.

Brad felt the urgency and
quickened his step. It was as if she weighed nothing at all, the
way he moved through the house like his life depended on
it.

In the safety of her room
he caught her mouth with his again, reluctant for a moment to let
her go.

His body was still
shaking with the effort of holding himself together. The longing
was so strong she could practically taste it. But when he set her
down he was so gentle she felt a swell of emotion to rival that of
her passion.

Watching him, she
unzipped the dress and stepped out of it. The heat flared in her
again when she saw his eyes darken.

“
I’ve dreamt
of this so many times,” he murmured, looking back at her. “But it
doesn’t even come close…you’re exquisite.”

She went to him, pulling
his mouth back to hers as she struggled to remove his shirt and
jacket. Her hands fumbled with the buttons, but he didn’t help her.
When at last she drew the fabric away from his skin, she gasped in
pleasure.

His chest was a series of
hard contours that tensed when she stared at him. “You’re
beautiful,” she whispered, reaching out to touch.

Brad had been called many
things, but beautiful wasn’t one of them. Coming from her, seeing
her pleasure, he felt something loosen inside him. He pulled her
into his arms again, mirroring the sound she made when their bodies
touched. In a few strides, he was at the bed and laying her down
gently. She pulled him down towards her, trembling when he caught
her lower lip between his teeth.

Brad wanted to savour
every moment, commit every line of her to memory, but something was
coming apart inside him, an animal instinct that she met with equal
intensity. They grappled around the bed, their hands seeking skin,
tearing at each other’s clothes in their haste to remove any
barriers between them.

Alicia felt blindly for
her bedside drawer, almost crying out in relief when her fingers
found the handle. Brad leant on an elbow, running a hand down her
arm in a soothing motion until their fingers locked and she found
what she was looking for.

He looked at her, his
eyes darkened by desire, his emotions reeling from it. “You’re
breathtaking,” he whispered, a calmness settling over him
now.

She wrapped her arms
around his neck and pulled him back, missing the feel of his lips
on hers. Brad appeased her for a moment or two before he began a
journey along her jaw, towards the hollow of her neck where he felt
the steady beat of her pulse. She was swamped by the sudden change
in him. Her skin came to life everywhere he touched. Where his
hands demanded, his lips took. The sensations battered her body in
one glorious wave after another.

The urgency came again,
but he sent her spiralling in another direction as he continued
down her body.

The aching ball of need
twisted in him, it was painful now. He wanted to be inside her, to
hear her call his name. He felt the tension in her body, felt her
rising under his hand. The first orgasm shook her violently; he
watched the pleasure wash over her face, heard his name on her
lips, and fell in love all over again.

Alicia clung to him,
riding the aftershocks. Her hands were anxious to touch, her heart
beating a painful rhythm. She felt him shudder and grew dizzy from
the power of it.

“
Now, Brad,
please, now.”

In one fluid motion, he
rolled on the protection. She parted for him, her eyes almost
black, and the plea in them shattered his last shred of control. He
plunged into her, swallowing the cry on her lips. Their bodies fit
like they were made for that reason; their rhythm was instinctive.
The need was so strong now that it demanded something from them.
Alicia struggled to get her breath. Their mouths sought one
another, crying out in unison as he drove her to the edge and held
her there, savouring the moment until they dove together –
shattering as one.