Unravelled (Revealed #2)

by Alice Raine

  I doubt anyone else would have guessed it unless they had been carefully examining the man, but beneath a disguise of cap, sunglasses, scruffy trainers, combat shorts, and a crinkled T-shirt was Sean. For a second or two I thought that my emotions might have conjured him up in my cruel imagination, but seconds later, he leaned in close to speak to me and my nose was filled with his delicious scent. He was real, and he was here. Breathing in again, my eyes rolled shut – he might appear scruffy, dirty, and unshaven, but he smelt divine.

  A small groan left my lips. Oh, God. I loved him so much it hurt. My chest literally felt as if it was collapsing in on itself and I had to focus really hard not to drop the remaining shopping bags clutched in my shaking hands.

  ‘Please give me five minutes to speak to you, Allie, then if you want me to leave I will,’ he murmured against my ear, so softly that his warm breath sent a tingle rushing across my skin.

  I began to tremble even harder, my fingers clenching around the handles of the carrier bags and my breath coming more quickly as I struggled to maintain my composure. Various scenarios ran through my head – I could run away and hide somewhere, but however tempting, it would be ridiculously immature. I could make a scene, draw attention to who he was, and then sneak off when a crowd gathered, but that would be unfair and I didn’t think I could go through with it either. Throwing my arms around his neck and never letting go was a fairly tempting option, but no matter how much I might want to, I couldn’t just forget the Savannah situation.

  Seeing my continuing hesitation, Sean leaned in again to press his case. ‘Please, Allie. I know this is all a huge mess, but there are some things I need to explain to you, it’s really important. I just need five minutes, I promise.’ He was pleading now, and I so desperately wanted him to have a solution that I gave one jerky nod and headed inside without another word.

  Walking into the kitchen in a daze I handed the bags to Cait, who grabbed my arm and then flashed a concerned looked over my shoulder. ‘Who’s that?’ she hissed, the worry evident in her tone.

  ‘Sean,’ I murmured, my voice sounding dry and thick from my shock. Blinking rapidly, Cait gave him another look and then turned her attention back to me. ‘Blimey, he looks different dressed like that.’

  I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there numbly and nodded until she gave me a shove in the ribs. ‘Well, go on then, go and talk to him,’ she encouraged, making shooing motions with her hands.

  Leaving Cait with a hopeful gleam in her eye I turned back to Sean and tried to find us a quiet place to talk. We could go to my old dorm room, but on second thoughts, perhaps the library would be a better choice – there were no beds to accidentally fall on in there if Sean chose to try and charm me into believing him, because when it came to Sean’s seduction skills, I was seriously lacking in self-control.

  As I led the way to the library, a growing sense of unease settled in my stomach. Had I made a mistake? I didn’t want to be anybody’s ‘other woman’, so perhaps I should have made him leave? Was it too late to do that? It was all so much to take in that my head was whirling by the time I pushed open the library door, but I consoled myself with the thought that it was just five minutes, then he would be gone and I could fall apart in private.

  Once I was inside the quiet reading room I instantly became aware of the dimensions of the space and the closeness of Sean's presence. The spacious, airy room suddenly began to feel very claustrophobic, as if the chemistry between Sean and me was somehow eating away at the available oxygen and making the air around us thick and cloying.

  My skin began to prickle, all of the tiny hairs on my body suddenly standing to attention. He was right behind me, I knew it. In fact, he was so close that I could smell him – that gorgeous spicy, almost mildly smoky scent that was uniquely Sean.

  As expected, when I turned on the spot he was right there, although given his habit of getting well within my personal space, I suppose I should be used to just how close he always stood. Sucking in a nervous breath, I felt a tingle run through my body at his nearness, and my fingers actually began vibrating with the urge to reach out and touch him.

  Nerves flooded my system as I fidgeted on the spot. I felt unpredictable, like my body would act without the permission of my brain, so I quickly took a step away to avoid doing something stupid like throwing myself at him, and glanced around instead. We were the only people in the library so I was looking for a safe place to sit – safe away from Sean, that was – because I begrudgingly admitted to myself that even with my good intentions of remaining practical about all of this, the pull between us was too magnetic for me to trust myself.

  After scouring the room for a suitable spot I settled on an armchair, and wobbled my way to it. At least he wouldn't be able to sit directly next to me, which would avoid the risk of any direct body contact.

  My eyes blinked rapidly at memories of just how good body contact with Sean had felt. Especially when there were no layers of clothing to separate us. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to forcibly remove images of Sean’s naked body from my mind and focus on the situation at hand. It wasn’t easy.

  Unfortunately, always one step ahead, Sean outsmarted me, and instead of picking another chair a safe distance away, he assessed me for a second and then dragged the coffee table forward, perching himself on the edge so he was just in front of me. I frowned, annoyed at his close positioning, but then became totally distracted as he pulled off his cap and sunglasses and dazzled me with his handsomeness.

  A high-pitched whimper formed in my throat and wouldn’t clear as I gawked at his beauty – his dark hair and deep blue eyes hadn’t lost any of their appeal in our few days apart, that was for sure, although he did look more weary than usual, and the stubble gracing his jawline only added to the overall appeal. Suddenly talking was the last thing on my mind as I felt our chemistry begin to bubble and sizzle in the gap between us. The stupid whimpering sound was replaced by a lower, lustier noise, almost verging on a growl and my eyes widened in horror at my runaway throat.

  Gaining some small semblance of control, I swallowed hard several times, and finally managed to stop the ridiculous noises escaping. Unfortunately, they clearly hadn’t been missed by Sean, because after flattening his hat hair he smiled impishly at me as if loving the way I had reacted to him.

  ‘Hi, my gorgeous girl … God, I’ve missed you,’ he murmured, but I merely crossed my arms, not trusting myself to say anything just yet. We sat in silence for a few seconds, the tension between us building and ratcheting until I actually felt annoyed by the fact that I was getting aroused just from being in his mere presence. Raising my eyebrows, I shook my head in exasperation before letting out a sigh from between my teeth. Several more seconds passed and he made no effort to speak. Instead, Sean just sat in silence with his eyes trained on me while I tried to avoid eye contact with his devastating blues by looking around the room at the various shelves and cupboards. As the seconds continued to tick by, we seemed to silently converse via some intense eye contact, which would have been enough to knock me off my feet if I hadn’t been sitting down.

  My breathing was erratic, wheezing from my lungs, and after I looked at him again – sitting there impassively, looking unfairly handsome – I sighed heavily and averted my gaze again. After several more moments had passed, I could take no more. My pulse was raging so intensely that it was ringing in my ears, so I finally locked my eyes with his again.

  ‘Come on, Sean,’ I snapped, frustration mixing with sexual tension and making me erupt. ‘I’ve got the gist of what’s going on, and quite frankly seeing as I’m not prepared to share you, I can’t see what else we have to discuss. So what is it you're so desperate to tell me?’ Sean’s lips twisted into an ironic half smile, which got my back up even more, so I tucked my head down with a frown and crossed my arms like a petulant teenager.

  From the corner of my eye I could see Sean tilting his head as he contemplated me, but suddenly, and to my complete surpr
ise, he leant forward, his eyes searching mine as he slid a hand to the side of my neck and tangled his fingers in my hair.

  Giving a tug, he encouraged me forward to where his lips descended upon mine fiercely, eliciting a yelp of shock from my throat. The response from my body was instantaneous; I accepted his desperate, almost violent kiss, as my anger evaporated and my lips parted with a low, desperate groan. My fingers came up to grip his T-shirt in bunched fists as my tongue eagerly joined with his.

  I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  My skin burned from his touch, senses alight as I seemed to burst to life after days of barely just existing. Sean’s mouth was warm and demanding, and even though my body was screaming at me to stop and ask him the questions I needed to, I registered just how earth-shatteringly good his kiss felt and melted into it like putty in his hands.

  After a few dizzying seconds, his hands began to wander down across my body, his thumb brushing across one of my nipples, making me arch into his touch and let out a hot, lusty moan into his open mouth. Clawing at the back of his neck, I suddenly realised that I was out of my seat and practically straddling his lap as he sat on the coffee table. This was quickly spiralling well out of control. The physical bond between us was so incredibly powerful and I knew for sure that if I didn’t stop this right now we’d be having sex on the table in a matter of minutes. Or perhaps seconds.

  As tempting as that seemed, I grudgingly ripped my mouth from his as I tried to force my common sense to re-engage and stop this while I still could. Images of my dreams of Savannah having sex with Sean instantly popped into my mind, sickening me to my stomach and dousing my arousal as effectively as if a bucket of ice water had just been thrown over me. Just like that, I felt the strength to push away from him and I launched myself backwards into the armchair to put some distance between us.

  Licking my swollen lips, I could still taste him. I wanted more. So much more. Squeezing my eyes shut, I drew in several ragged breaths as I avoided the urge to restart our kiss by gripping the armrests until my fingernails hurt. I might have shut out my vision, but I could still hear Sean panting, his reaction to our kiss seemingly as powerful as mine.

  After I’d allowed myself several seconds to calm, I opened my eyes, only to be met with such an intense stare that I gasped. Love, desire, pain, determination, and so many more emotions were all swirling in his blue depths as he continued to look at me, his eyes flitting around my face as if committing it to memory.

  Resting back into the armchair, I put as much space between us as I could without physically moving my chair. Trying to clear the lingering sensations of his kiss from my mind and body, I dropped my eyes to break our gaze – but what a mistake that was, because they settled on the jutting tent of material at Sean’s groin. Oh God. He was aroused, and clearly not attempting to hide it. Swallowing so loudly that he must have heard it, I flicked my eyes away, knowing that my cheeks were flushing bright red with embarrassment and desire, as my own arousal flared up and engulfed me until I had to shift my legs to ease the pressure between them.

  ‘You said you needed to talk, Sean, but it doesn’t seem you have much to say.’ I ran my hands over my face in exasperation. ‘I’m not cut out for this much drama in my life. I think you should probably leave.’ The words were thick and mumbled as I stared down at my visibly trembling fingers. Blimey, I would definitely have to keep my wits about me from now on because if Sean chose to kiss me like that again I truly wasn't sure I’d have the willpower to pull away a second time. Morals I might have, but I was only human, after all.

  Meeting his gaze, I saw his flushed face and sighed heavily. ‘That’s got to have been five minutes Sean and you’ve barely said a word.’ And still he remained silent, causing my frustration and agitation to reach its peak.

  His eyes were fixed on me expectantly, so I let out a deflated sigh and waved my hands before letting my tongue get the better of me and blab out my feelings. ‘What do you want me to say?’ I gushed, my irritation making me speak without thinking through my words first. ‘Is the connection between us incredible and earthmoving?’ I paused with another wild arm sweep. ‘Of course it is.’ I screwed my eyes shut to avoid his gaze and tilted my head down. ‘Do I love you?’ I paused again briefly and a small dry sob croaked up my throat. ‘Yes, I do. But you already knew that.’ Finally, I opened my eyes and looked at him defiantly. ‘But that doesn't mean I'm prepared to share you, and even if this engagement is fake, like you claim, I won’t hide like some cheap tart. I deserve more than that, Sean, and from what you’ve said that is our only choice. Well, I’m afraid it’s not an option for me.’

  Watching his handsome face, I saw Sean’s eyes light up at my admissions as he leant forward keenly and licked his lips. ‘That’s all I needed to hear, Allie. You were trying to run away from us without giving me a proper chance to explain. I just wanted you to admit that what we have together is special, because it is. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before,’ he said in a low whisper. Practically the first words he had uttered since entering the library and they were knockouts. Typical.

  Passionate confessions from Sean didn’t mean anything if we couldn’t actually be together, did they? Letting out a long, slow breath I let my head fall back on the cushion and stared at the ceiling in despair. This was hopeless. We were going round in endless circles and making the wounds in my heart deeper and harder to heal.

  ‘This isn't getting us anywhere, Sean. I don’t see how expressing our feelings for each other will help if we can’t actually have a relationship. If we were talking about another month, then I could do it, but what do you want me to do? Wait around for six months while you live with that woman, put your hands all over her in public and pretend to be engaged to her?’ The very thought made me feel sick to my stomach.

  Under different circumstances where Savannah wasn’t involved, I could wait for Sean. Of course I could. If it were merely a job pulling us apart, I would find the separation difficult, but I could visit him and would deal with it, but the jealousy boiling inside me would eat me alive if I tried to do that in this situation. He would be going home to her every night, and from the images I’d seen in the press I had a suspicion that Savannah wanted Sean. He said they’d dated briefly, and from the way she was always clinging to him I firmly believed she was hoping to get him back.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not strong enough for that,’ I said, shaking my head and hating that it was my jealousy driving us apart in the end. Standing up, I wrapped my arms around myself defensively. ‘I hate this.’ Closing my eyes, I felt my throat thickening as tears began to threaten. ‘I think you should go.’ Pulling open the door I stood back, desperately hoping that he would give in and leave me alone – or perhaps pull me into his arms and convince me to change my mind. My thoughts were so muddled that I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to happen any more. I waited for Sean to leave, drawing my lips into a tight line, partly to stop myself saying anything I might regret, and partly in an attempt to hold back the tears that were now steadily building.

  As I felt a stinging sensation hit the backs of my eyes, I knew I had just seconds to get him out of here before my tears would fall, and I suspected there would be no stopping them once I let the first few escape. I bit into my lip in an attempt to hold them back, feeling so utterly wretched and pathetic that I was seriously tempted to run from the room.

  No. I was no coward. He had hurt me, that much was obvious, but I would survive and I would do it with courage and pride.

  Standing up slowly, Sean walked towards the door, but instead of leaving he paused next to me, his tall frame seeming to emanate some kind of magical force that made me want to step toward him. Holding my ground, I steeled myself for one last glance at him and then caught his eye with as much of a defiant look as I could.

  A heavy sigh escaped my chest – here in front of me was the man I loved, the first man I’d ever loved, and I couldn’t quite believe th
at I was making him leave. But I was, because I would never allow myself to be someone’s other woman. Against all my desperate attempts, a droopy, pathetic tear escaped from one of my eyes and I watched Sean’s features practically melt as he took in my woefully sad expression.

  Sean’s eyes crinkled into a frown as he reached up to gently wipe away the solitary tear with the pad of his thumb, my head tilting automatically into his touch as my eyes briefly flickered shut before opening again so I could watch him for one final time. He opened his mouth to speak, but I turned my face away, shook my head, and looked at the floor, still resolute in my decision that he should leave.

  ‘Oh, Allie, please don't cry,’ he whispered. ‘We’re going to get through this. I’m going to sort it out, I’ve already started the process. I just need you to be patient with me for a short while. Can you do that? Can you give me, I don’t know, four weeks?’

  What did he mean he had already started the process of sorting it out? Blinking back hot tears, I dared to risk a glance up at his handsome face as a seed of hope tingled in my stomach. Four weeks? That sounded far more doable than six months, but I still needed some facts to be clarified because I had some serious issues where Savannah Hilton was concerned.

  ‘Our relationship is too important to give up on, Allie,’ he said, cupping my face gently. ‘At least I think it is.’ It wasn’t said as an accusation, but the tinge of panic in Sean’s voice was enough to tell me just how desperate he was for us to work through these issues, and caused my heart to spiral with hope.

  ‘And look at this. I need you to know I wasn’t lying about the phone calls yesterday,’ Sean murmured, holing out his phone to me. Taking it, I glanced at the screen and saw he had opened up his list of recent calls. Scrolling through yesterday’s list I saw at least forty to ‘Allie Mobile’, except the last one, from this morning which was listed as ‘Allie USA’. He’d been telling the truth about dialling the wrong number. He really had been calling me endlessly.