An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret Read online

  He had her now. That was all that mattered.

  He smiled, feeling a sense of lightness pervade him. He almost didn’t recognise what it was. Then he took out his phone and made a call to his assistant, issuing a curt instruction to ‘Go ahead with the plan as soon as possible.’

  ‘What plan?’ Edie asked when he’d terminated the call.

  ‘You’ll see,’ he said enigmatically, before setting about removing her coat so that he could put his hands on her slender curves with nothing in the way.

  * * *

  By the time they reached Sebastio’s Mayfair apartment dusk was falling. Edie struggled to sit up from where she’d fallen asleep, all but draped across Sebastio’s chest. She remembered he’d been kissing her to the point of dizziness before his phone had rung and he’d reluctantly stopped, saying he needed to take the call. He’d sat up straight, clamping her to his side, and his deep sonorous tones speaking in Spanish had lulled her into sleep.

  She realised now with a little jolt how safe she’d felt. Truly safe—as if nothing could harm her. But she knew all too well how much danger there was, and that it wasn’t always something she could be protected from. Not even by a man as seemingly invincible as Sebastio Rivas.

  He got out of the car now and bent down, extending his hand to Edie. ‘Come on.’

  She hesitated for a second, her sense of self-preservation kicking in very belatedly. But then she pictured herself refusing to go with Sebastio. Taking the Tube back home. Going into her small, bare apartment. Curling up and feeling cold...

  His hand was so close. His sheer vitality reached out to her. She wanted him. She couldn’t walk away.

  She put her hand into his and let him lead her up to his penthouse apartment.

  * * *

  Edie had never been in a top-floor apartment before. She’d rarely ever been at the top of any high building—unless she counted a school trip to the London Eye when she was fourteen.

  But as she walked in behind Sebastio, holding her coat over her arm, the breath left her body. It was beyond spectacular. Every wall seemed to be made of glass, giving a 360-degree view of London.

  The furnishings were modern and low-key, with abstract art dotted around the space. The dark grey colour scheme and dark wood furniture was unmistakably masculine.

  She walked over to one of the main windows. The rooftops of Mayfair were spread out on one side, and Buckingham Palace looked close enough to touch. She could see the London Eye, and she was pretty sure they were higher. The Thames snaked through London. St Paul’s dome pierced the sky in the far distance.

  Sebastio stood beside her. She felt more than a little overwhelmed, and tried to say as lightly as she could, ‘You know how to pick your properties.’

  She felt him shrug. ‘It was the best on offer at the time.’

  She dragged her gaze off the view to look at him. ‘You really couldn’t care less, could you?’

  There was a flicker of something so fleeting across his face that she almost missed it. It had looked like pain. ‘No. Surroundings don’t interest me too much.’

  She knew he meant it. He would be as dominant and as at home in a ground-floor duplex. But he would be expected to be in a place like this. Just as people would expect to see his house beautifully dressed for Christmas in Richmond.

  She thought of his sparsely furnished bedroom in the lodge and how it had felt like some sort of punishment. Like when he’d been under cold water in the shower. She felt intuitively that this behaviour was a direct result from the crash, almost as if he’d put his life on hold. Not allowing himself to live.

  Interrupting her thoughts, he asked, ‘Why did you leave before the party?’

  She looked away again. A million and one things flitted through her head, but in the end she could only be brutally honest. ‘Because I wanted to stay too much. Your world is very seductive. But it’s not my world. I thought it would be better to make a clean break. I didn’t think you’d notice.’

  Edie would prefer for him to think his world had been more seductive to her than him.

  He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. ‘Well, I did notice. Very much.’

  Edie thought of the dress and felt a pang of regret. ‘I know this isn’t going to last, Sebastio—’

  He put a finger on her mouth, stopping her. ‘Do you still want me?’

  She fought not to roll her eyes at how obvious that answer must be. She just nodded.

  He dropped his finger. ‘I still want you too. Let’s just spend a little more time together and see what happens.’

  Edie’s heart-rate increased. See what happens...

  Then he said, ‘I have plans for this evening...’

  Edie felt a rush of disappointment so acute that she almost didn’t hear him go on.

  ‘You have half an hour to get ready and we’re going out.’

  She looked at him, relief filling her that he’d meant for those plans to include her. ‘Out? But nothing will be open—it’s Christmas Eve.’

  His mouth tipped up slightly. ‘It’s London.’

  She indicated her worn jeans and shapeless top. ‘I didn’t exactly come prepared.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that. I’ll show you your room.’

  Bemused, Edie followed him down a long corridor to where he opened a door to the bedroom. It was elegantly understated, with a huge bed and sleek modern furniture with an art deco twist. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased another breathtaking view.

  ‘My room is through the adjoining door. Obviously we’ll be sharing a bed, Edie... But this is your space.’

  She looked at him and longed to make some kind of smart remark, to dent that arrogance even a little. But of course she was going to share his bed. That was the only reason she was here, wasn’t it?

  He opened another door, artfully hidden in the wall panel, to reveal a dressing room and an en-suite bathroom. She walked in to see clothes hanging from hangers and shelves full of folded clothes.

  She picked up a pair of jeans. Her size exactly. She gasped and looked at Sebastio. ‘These are for me?’

  He nodded and came forward and plucked something from behind her, holding it up. It was the stunning black lace dress. Edie’s breath stopped.

  ‘Wear this tonight. Please.’

  Edie took it from him. She really did feel like Alice in Wonderland now. Slipping down a rabbit hole she might never find her way out of again.

  ‘Okay...’

  He backed out of the room. ‘Half an hour, Edie.’

  * * *

  Half an hour later Sebastio was looking out of the same window Edie had gravitated towards when she’d first walked in, her eyes popping out of her head. He was ashamed to admit it, but it had taken witnessing her reaction to remind him that not everyone felt a piercing stab of guilt when they recognised how lucky they were. Lucky to have these views. Lucky to have this stunning apartment and many more across the world. Lucky to be walking on both his legs.

  Lucky to be alive.

  At that moment he wondered if he’d done the right thing in bringing Edie here. Following the dictates of his ravenous hunger for her. She saw too much. She had seen too much. He could still recall how it had felt to have her arms sliding around him in that shower. The way she’d held on to him so tightly. The emotion that he’d been unable to hold back. The need to eclipse it with something else.

  Passion.

  He’d taken her like a caveman, up against the wall. And she’d let him. Her body had milked his for what had felt like aeons as he’d spent himself to the point of oblivion. An oblivion he’d never experienced before.

  He heard a sound and turned around from the window. Any vague regret about bringing Edie here melted in a wave of heat and lust. She stood in the doorway and she looked like a goddess.

  The dre
ss moulded to her form, and for a second Sebastio thought she was naked underneath because all he could see was flesh. But then he realised it was a slip. Her shoulders were slender and straight. Her short cap of glossy hair highlighted the elegance of her long neck. She was spun from a fantasy Sebastio had never even known he’d had.

  ‘You look...stunning.’

  She walked into the room, endearingly unsure. Once again, fleetingly, Sebastio thought that if she was acting then she should be on the stage. For the first time he hated it that he was so cynical.

  She stopped in front of him. ‘Thank you. It’s a beautiful dress. You shouldn’t have.’

  Sebastio desisted from telling her how much he was looking forward to taking it off later. He just said, ‘My driver is waiting—let’s go.’

  In the car, she asked, ‘Where are we going?’

  Sebastio brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. ‘Wait and see.’

  He was surprised at how much he was enjoying teasing her, how much he was enjoying her reaction to everything. She was like an excited child. Eyes shining. If he wasn’t very careful he might find her naive reactions more addictive than he’d like to admit.

  * * *

  Edie still didn’t know where to look, even though they’d been there a couple of hours, lingering over dinner—tiny portions of food that looked more like art installations but which tasted sinfully rich and delicious.

  The restaurant was luxurious and discreet. Tastefully lit and decorated for the festive season without being overpowering. Booths and artfully placed tables shielded guests from sight while not obscuring the eye-watering views. She and Sebastio shared one such booth, and as a waiter topped up their glasses of champagne he asked if they’d like any coffee.

  Edie shook her head, not wanting to dilute the delicious feeling of slight disembodiment. It was like a dream she didn’t want to wake up from. All she could see was London, laid out like a glittering shimmering carpet of Christmas lights. Magical.

  And Sebastio.

  She wasn’t sure which view was more breathtaking, if she was honest. She could feel his eyes on her and it was heady and intoxicating. Like the way he’d made her feel when she’d seen his eyes widen on her earlier.

  She felt beautiful under his gaze. When for so long she’d felt as if her body was somehow defective. It had been in arrested development for so long. She still didn’t have regular periods...

  ‘What’s that mark...just under your collarbone?’

  Immediately Edie went cold. Sebastio was looking at the scar from her port, where she’d received her chemo treatment. She raised her hand towards it instinctively. She’d not even noticed that it was visible because the neck of the dress was so low.

  She swallowed. ‘It’s just a scar from an old injury.’

  She took a sip of champagne, desperately wanting to change the subject.

  Without really thinking, she asked, ‘You must miss rugby a lot, if it was such a huge part of your life?’

  She held her breath, immediately regretting asking him about that. But to her surprise his expression softened.

  ‘I do miss it. More than anyone can understand...except maybe another retired player.’

  Intrigued now, Edie asked, ‘How did you get into it? It doesn’t sound like a natural progression for someone due to inherit a banking business.’

  He looked at her and said wryly, ‘It wasn’t. Far from it. But one summer I was sent to a camp outside Buenos Aires—after some transgression that had annoyed my father—and they had a rugby team. I played and realised I had a talent for it. I got hooked. The fact that it irritated the hell out of both my parents when I wanted to keep it up only made me more determined to do it. Then going to school in Europe helped to keep up my interest, as it’s such a huge game there.’

  ‘My father is a massive fan,’ Edie said, feeling ridiculously shy. ‘I think he was even at that match when you played in Edinburgh four years ago.’

  ‘But you weren’t?’

  Edie shook her head, avoiding his eye. Somehow, they’d circled back to the place she’d tried to steer him away from. ‘I had other things on my mind...’

  He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. ‘Ready to go?’

  Edie nodded, relieved that he was letting that one go. She’d been ready since he’d looked at her earlier. Her skin felt stretched tight over her bones. Awareness sizzled along her veins. Little fires danced wherever his eyes rested. Chasing away memories she didn’t want to think about.

  * * *

  When they returned to the apartment Sebastio stopped in the doorway after opening the door. He pulled her around in front of him and put his hands over her eyes.

  She brought her hands up over his. ‘Sebastio... What...?’

  But he was walking her into the apartment and she couldn’t see a thing, so she just went with it. She felt tension come into his form when they stopped. She couldn’t hear a sound.

  ‘Sebastio...?’

  He slowly drew his hands away and Edie’s eyes took a second to adjust. When they did, and she took in the scene, she gasped. There was a massive Christmas tree in the corner, dressed with ornate ornaments and small candles that looked uncannily real but which she knew were ingenious LED lights.

  Boxes of differing sizes were placed at the bottom of the tree, wrapped in silver and pink paper. And there were other decorations dotted around the sleek space, very tasteful and in keeping with the surroundings. There was an enticing smell of spices. Soft jazz was playing... Christmas classics.

  She was stunned and not a little overwhelmed. Sebastio had done this for her? She was afraid to look at him in case he saw the emotion she was feeling.

  ‘Do you like it?’ He sounded uncharacterisically unsure.

  She whispered, ‘I love it... But I thought this was my job.’

  He came in front of her, shaking his head. ‘Your job with me is officially completed. I hired the company who worked under you at the house.’ His mouth quirked. ‘Paid them a small fortune to do this in as short a space of time as possible.’

  Edie’s chest swelled. ‘You didn’t have to go to all this trouble and expense.’

  ‘I’ve asked you to be my guest for Christmas and I know you love it...’

  Edie blinked rapidly and felt panicked, because tears were forming. She muttered something about needing the bathroom and escaped for a moment, locking the door behind her. She let the tears well and fall, pressing a hand to her mouth to stem any sound. Ridiculous to be so moved, but it was such a thoughtful gesture—and not the kind of thing she would have expected of a man like Sebastio at all. Especially when he hated Christmas so much.

  When she felt composed again, and had splashed cold water on her face, she went back out and Sebastio was standing at the window.

  He offered her a crystal glass when she came alongside him. ‘Whisky?’

  Edie nodded and hoped he wasn’t suggesting she have some because he could see she’d been crying. She accepted the glass, taking a swift restorative sip before handing it back to him. It felt ridiculously intimate to share his whisky.

  She kicked off her shoes, lowering her height a few precious inches. She said, ‘For a man who doesn’t like Christmas you fake it very well.’

  He took a sip of the drink and looked at her. It was only now that she realised he’d taken off his jacket and undone his bow-tie and top button.

  ‘I didn’t always hate Christmas.’

  She turned to face him. Intrigued. ‘Really?’

  He nodded, handing her the glass again. She held it.

  ‘I used to spend Christmas with my maternal grandmother—here in London, actually. My mother is half-English. My parents would leave me with her while they went on their annual Caribbean break.’

  Edie listened as he told her about those few years wh
en he’d experienced relative normality. He mentioned his grandmother’s dog, a one-eyed rescue spaniel called Charlie.

  He grimaced. ‘When my grandmother died my parents refused to let me bring Charlie to Argentina. They had him put down.’

  The thought of a young, un-cynical Sebastio, loving Christmas and his grandmother and a one-eyed dog, was too much for Edie to contain.

  Her voice was husky. ‘Your grandmother sounds like a lovely woman...and your parents were horrid to do that to her dog.’

  ‘Believe me,’ he said bitterly, ‘that was the least of their sins.’

  She had a very stark realisation then of how isolated he must have been. And how lucky she’d been to have had her modest but loving upbringing.

  She handed him back the glass and he downed the drink. He put the glass down and faced Edie, an intent gleam in his eyes, turning them molten silver.

  ‘I’m not really interested in talking right now.’

  Feeling a sense of boldness creep over her under his explicit gaze, she said, ‘What are you interested in?’

  He tugged her towards him and turned her around, placing his big hands on her waist. She felt his breath and then his mouth on the bare skin at the back of her neck and then her shoulders as he drifted a trail of incendiary kisses along her skin.

  Air touched her hot skin as he slowly drew the zip of her dress down. She knew she should care—she was standing right in front of a window—but it felt illicit and wonderful. She could see her reflection in the glass as the dress loosened and fell to her waist, revealing her strapless bra.

  Sebastio pushed her dress down over her hips so that it fell to the floor. Edie knew she should care about that too, but she let it lie there at her feet. Sebastio came so close behind her she could feel his arousal through his clothes. He wound a hand around her front, spreading it possessively over her belly. Then he moved it up until he was cupping one lace-covered breast.

  The tip tightened painfully against the lace and he pinched it gently, making her gasp. Then he whispered in her ear, ‘I’m interested in making you fall apart, Edie.’

  She was quivering like a taut bow. He undid her bra and peeled it away. She was naked now, except for her panties, and he made her watch their reflections in the window as he played her body like an instrument, until she was arching her back and his hand was deep between her legs, stroking her to a shattering orgasm.