Girl Behind the Scandalous Reputation

‘Now, don’t be like that,’ Jordana admonished her. ‘I know how hard you’ve worked the past couple of years and it’s time you cut loose a little bit. Look around, Lil.’ She waved her glass towards the row of white tabletops. ‘Have some fun, like your peers.’

Lily gave her friend what she hoped was a good-natured grimace. Jordana was sounding more and more like her old therapist, and that was just plain scary. ‘Jordana, you’re starting to scare me, and—much as I hate to agree with Tristan—I think you’re so loved-up at the minute you’re blinkered. I’m very happy as I am. I don’t want a relationship. I like being single.’

‘I’m just loading the gun, Lil, you don’t have to fire the bullets,’ Jordana returned innocently. ‘Now, how about a pot of tea to finish off?’

‘We really should be going,’ Tristan said. ‘Lily’s tired.’

Lily looked at him, surprised he’d noticed. She was tired, but she’d do anything to prolong the time before being alone with him.

‘No, I’m not.’ She smiled brightly. ‘And I never finish a meal without a cup of peppermint tea.’

‘I’ll have one too,’ Jordana said.

Tristan and Oliver both raised their hands to signal the waiter at the same time, and Lily couldn’t help laughing. Clearly Jordana had found herself an alpha male top dog to stand up to her overbearing brother.

The waiter took their order and Lily excused herself to use the bathroom.

Tristan frowned at her as she stood up, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. ‘Be a dear and mind my handbag, would you?’ she said to him, tilting the smaller satchel she had brought along in place of her tote precariously towards him and enjoying the way his eyes flared at her provocative move.

Serve him right for asking her such a personal question before, and trapping her hand against his thigh.

‘Lily! Hi.’

Lily looked up into the mirror above the handbasin into the gorgeous face of a previous co-star she had shot a film with two years ago.

‘I thought it was you. Summer Berkley—we worked together on Honeymooner.’

‘Yes, I remember.’ Lily wiped her hands.

Summer was a quintessential LA actress, with the tan, the boobs, no hips whatsoever and the hair just so. But she had a good heart, and a genuine talent which would eventually take her further than all the rest combined.

They swapped stories for a few minutes, and when Lily couldn’t stall in the bathroom any more without drawing attention to the fact that she was doing so, she reluctantly preceded Summer into the dimly lit corridor—and almost straight into Tristan, leaning indolently against the opposite wall, arms folded, legs crossed at the ankles.

‘Oh, hello,’ Summer breathed behind her, and Lily mentally rolled her eyes. ‘Are you waiting for us?’

‘In a manner of speaking.’ Tristan smiled at the redheaded Summer with bemused interest.

Lily decided there was no way she was standing around to watch Tristan hit on another woman, but when she moved to sidestep him he deliberately snagged his hand around her waist to waylay her.

Lily stiffened, and couldn’t miss Summer’s disappointed pout before she strutted suggestively past Tristan, who looked designer casual with the top buttons of his shirt undone and a five o’clock shadow darkening his chiselled jaw.

‘I’m sorry, Lord Garrett. Did I take more than my allotted thirty seconds?’ Lily murmured, stepping away from his touch.

Tristan let her go and held up his mobile phone. ‘I had to take a call. But, yes, as a matter of fact, you did. And deliberately, I have no doubt.’

‘Now, why would I do that?’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’ His smile didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Because you like bugging me?’

‘Hardly,’ Lily denied, looking down her nose at him. ‘Do you mind?’ She looked pointedly towards the restaurant’s dining room.

‘Why don’t you want me to know who your current lover is?’ he asked.

Lily stared at the stubble on his chin and wondered absurdly if it was hard or soft. ‘If I ignore you will you go away?’ she queried hopefully.

‘Nope.’

She sighed. ‘How about because it’s none of your business, then?’