An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret

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.