Nichols looked panicked, as if he wanted to run, so Sebastian grabbed him by the collar. “Talk,” he said. “Or I’m calling the cops and they can deal with the cocaine on the table behind me,” he said into the other man’s ear.
“The bitch wasn’t worth it,” Nichols muttered. “She wasn’t even that good of a lay. Fine. We split the profit,” he spat.
“Did you split the blow, too?” Sebastian asked in disgust before releasing the man.
Nichols fixed his shirt, smoothing his hands down his chest and straightening the collar. “She promised me more business after this contract. Then she disappeared. Now I find out the bitch is dead. Fucking waste of time.”
Before Sebastian could take a swing at him, Ashley wrapped herself around him, locking his arms in place. “We got our answers. Now we’re going home,” she said, meeting his gaze in an obvious attempt to calm him down.
He nodded and let her lead him out of the club, knowing there would have been nothing good that could come of him taking a swing at the bastard. Mandy had made her decisions and ruined her marriage. Unfortunately he was the one who had to break the truth to his brother.
* * *
ASHLEY LET THEM into the suite and shut the door behind them. Sebastian hadn’t said a word since they left the club, and she gave him the space he needed, obviously understanding he was processing all they’d learned.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked, walking into the dimly lit joint area.
He shook his head. “No. Thanks.” He strode over to the window and looked out into the dark night.
“Sebastian, you need to talk to me.”
He spun around to face her. “What the hell am I going to tell my brother?” He said the first thing that was on his mind. “That on top of being an addict, on top of her being responsible for stealing from the company, his wife cheated on him?” He heard the rawness in his voice, and it matched the pain in his chest.
Ashley placed a hand on his chest. “I’ll be beside you if you want. So you don’t have to tell him alone.”
Although he didn’t know who needed to be present when he spoke to his brother just yet, her offer to be there meant everything. “Thank you. I’m just still trying to come to terms with it all.”
She nodded in understanding. “Let’s break it down. What will you do about the business? How will you get the parts fixed?”
He drew a deep breath. Business. This he could focus on easily. “We’ll have to confirm the issue with the engineers, then funnel money from Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. Ethan will deal with the accountants and figure out how much we need for new parts and get it done. At least we’ve now narrowed down what the issue is.”
“But you have to tell Ethan about how the company got into this position to begin with. About Mandy.”
“Right.” Which brought him back to the part he didn’t know how to deal with or fix. He couldn’t make this better for his brother and that killed him. “I’ll call Parker in the morning. He’ll talk to Sierra. I know that we need to do it in person, that’s for sure.”
She took his hand and led him to the sofa. He lowered himself onto a cushion, and she joined him, curling a leg beneath her. The short dress pulled way up her thigh, revealing a hint of her barely there panties, and he swallowed a groan. Not even a serious conversation could distract him from wanting her.
She met his gaze. “It won’t be easy but you can handle it,” she said, her mind still on their conversation. “And Ethan’s strong. He’ll be okay … eventually,” she said, as if she were certain.
And she probably was, because she knew his brother so well. “I need to ask you something,” he said.
She tipped her head to the side. “Go ahead.”
“Tell me about you and Ethan.” Not because he was jealous, per se, but because … yeah. He was jealous. Of the time Ethan had had with her over the years when Sebastian had had his head up his ass.
He wanted to understand their bond.
She sighed. “It’s just going to make you feel bad and that’s not what I want.”
“You already told me he made sure your birthdays weren’t forgotten and you mentioned Christmas.” He’d gotten over that punch in the gut. He knew they had a sibling-like relationship, and he could handle that.
She nodded. “Okay, well, Ethan couldn’t always come to London. He had your family to be with, too. But he sent gifts on the holidays. He tried not to miss a birthday in person.” She looked up at him through fringed lashes. “And he came to my graduations. Not even my mother did that. And though my education was on your father’s dime, I know that was because she worked it into the divorce agreement, that he paid for me so she wouldn’t have to give me a thought.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“No. We’re past those kinds of feelings and regrets.”
“We are,” he agreed. “I just wanted to understand who Ethan is to you.”
“Well, we talked on the phone in between visits and I got to know him really well,” she said. “Mandy, too, for a while. But he was and is like a brother to me.”
“So you knew about Mandy’s problems. He confided in you.” He swallowed the hurt of the knowledge that Ethan hadn’t thought he could trust Sebastian that way.
“Yes, I knew. And I knew how, when she returned from San Francisco, she was distant. They did have their issues.”
“I didn’t know. Ethan didn’t confide in me that way.” He met her understanding expression. “I regret the way I acted all those years. The careless running around with women, thinking I knew all there was to know about my family and the business, all arrogant and self-assured, when I knew nothing at all.”
She grasped his hand and held on tight, giving him strength. “Your brother loves you. Ethan always understood that we all grow up at different times. He’s going to be proud of what you did out here. He’ll see how you’ve changed, just as I do.”
He’d needed this conversation with her, to understand his brother, but also, he realized now, to understand more about himself.
She had insight even he hadn’t had.
But he knew now that he and his siblings would get beyond the past, he promised himself. Because he was more self-aware now. And he’d make a concerted effort to be a more present part of his brothers’ and sister’s lives.
“You see the good in me?” he asked, because they really did have their history, and now? They had great sex but he felt so much more.
“I do.” She crawled onto his lap, hiking her dress up on either side of her thighs and taking her place on top of him. “The more I’ve gotten to know you, the more I do see the good in you, Sebastian Knight.” Bracing her hands on either side of his face, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.
He groaned and slid his tongue into her mouth, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he kissed her back.
This was everything he desired in life, everything he needed. And as she shimmied out of her underwear and helped him undress, all he could think about was getting inside her, where he belonged.
She threaded her fingers into his and rose above him. “Condom,” she said, pausing and torturing them both.
“Pants pocket,” he said through clenched teeth.
A few seconds later, he was good to go.
Her hands on his shoulders, she slid down onto his shaft. He felt every inch of his cock enclosed in her wet heat. She clenched tight around him, and he let out a rumbling groan of pleasure.
Her soft moan followed as she began to rock her hips, pivoting back and forth with her pelvis, her pubic bone and clit rubbing against him over and over again.
In all his years of cynicism when it came to women, he’d never have imagined he’d have found the answer to life deep inside one he’d known all along.
Because he loved her. A bone-deep, all-consuming love, he realized, as she came apart above him, taking him along for the ride. And as he came back to himself, her body still tight around hi
s, he wondered how the hell he could manage to keep her.
Chapter Ten
EARLY THE NEXT morning, Sebastian met with Greg Munson, who had spent the night with his team, and they all agreed, it was a Sparrow Electronics purchase of a small component that had thrown off the locks and caused the problem. They hadn’t caught it themselves because the prototypes had worked fine and the problem at Keystone had been intermittent.
The replacement and new install would cost a small fortune, but it was their only option. Sebastian called Parker, they pulled Ethan into a conference call, and without getting into the hows and whys, explained what the issue was and what they needed to fix it. Ethan agreed they had no choice but to fund a new purchase of the components from a reputable company and get a team in to reinstall at Keystone. They also agreed to hire someone to oversee the San Francisco office full time instead of sending someone out, as they’d done with Mandy.
Putting off Ethan’s questions hadn’t been easy, but Parker had agreed the conversation about Mandy had to happen in person. They were first and foremost a family, and this would be handled in an intimate manner, not over the phone like it was just another business mishap.
Sebastian’s next call was to Stephan Romano, who, after reassurance that they’d discovered the problem and a promise to have the locks up and working in a reasonable amount of time, agreed to keep the contract in place.
Sebastian could finally breathe easy, knowing he’d accomplished his primary goal on this trip. He’d kept the Keystone contract secure. Later that morning, he called a meeting of the heads of all departments together and admitted that although things at Knight Time Technology had gotten off track, the days of lack of oversight were over. Or rather, Mandy’s oversight, but nobody said as much out loud.
He knew he was leaving their San Francisco office in better shape than he’d found it, and he was pleased with that.
They took a late flight back to New York. Sebastian was preoccupied with what they would be facing when they returned.
Ethan’s pain.
Ashley’s eventual leaving.
And he wasn’t sure how to handle either.
* * *
ASHLEY WAS RELIEVED they arrived back in New York too late for her to talk to Ethan. She didn’t want to be the one to break news to him that was best coming from family. No matter how close they were, he needed to hear about Mandy from his brothers.
She’d spent the quietness of the flight thinking about her relationship with Sebastian, wondering how she’d let herself get into a situation where she was going to be hurt when she left him behind. What in the world had she been thinking?
The truth was, for the time she’d been in California, she hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d been feeling. Operating on sexual desire and emotional need. From the time she’d met him, Sebastian had understood her. Filled a need no one else ever had. And now, as adults, they’d come together like two pieces of a puzzle that had taken a long time to fit.
But now they were back in the real world and she had to think forward. Think smart.
Sebastian walked her to her door, pulling her luggage in one hand, his in the other. She let them in and he deposited her bag inside her room before meeting up with her again in the living room.
“Any chance you’ll come up after you unpack?” He treated her to his sexiest, most charming smile.
The one that made her weak in the knees and soaked her panties. But it wasn’t just sex she wanted from him, it was the emotional security he provided her, the knowledge that they made a good team, were a strong pair, that had her shaking her head and saying no to his question.
Though she and Sebastian had been sharing a suite in California, the fact was, they lived in separate apartments in New York. No matter what she felt for him, London, her job, and her life awaited her. The sooner they got used to being apart the better.
“I’m tired,” she said. “I didn’t rest much on the flight, and we have to be up early tomorrow to meet with Ethan.”
His grin turned into a frown. “Why do I get the feeling you’re pulling away?”
She rubbed her hands over her arms and turned away, not wanting to face him. It was one thing to pull back, another to look him in the eye while doing it. Not when all she really wanted to do was throw herself into his arms. But she lived in reality. So here they were.
“Hey.” He grasped her and turned her around. “I have a question for you.”
“Okay…” she said warily.
“Why are you still here?”
“What?” She hadn’t anticipated that question.
“Why are you still here, in New York? You said you came for Ethan, but when he sent you away, you came with me. And now we’ve wrapped things up. We’re talking to Ethan in the morning. Is your flight home booked?” As he spoke, his hands on her forearms felt like a brand, a reminder that she belonged here, with him.
And she couldn’t let that sway her. Although she’d put work out of her mind, she had checked in with her bosses while she was away, assured them she was returning. She’d bought herself another week, that was it. They understood her leave of absence but wanted her back as soon as possible.
“I’ll take your silence to be a no,” Sebastian said, releasing her arms. “Which brings me back to why? Do you still want to be here? Or are you avoiding Mr. Perfectly Nice?”
She didn’t want to talk about any of this. She still had a week left, and in that time, Ethan would need her once he found out about Mandy’s cheating. Or was that just an excuse? Because she wasn’t ready to leave Sebastian, her conscience asked her.
She glared at him. “Why are you pushing me so hard just because I said I was tired?” she asked, more annoyed with herself but taking it out on him.
“Because of what we shared in California. Because of what we feel for each other, even if you’re not ready to admit it. And because I want to know.”
Without warning, he pulled her in and pressed his lips to hers. She let him in immediately, her body responding to his without thought or concern. It was only her mind that was driving her crazy. Her tongue glided against his, everything inside her flowering open for him. She curled her fingers into the material of his shirt, beginning to pull his tee shirt out of the waistband of his jeans.
And then suddenly she was standing alone. He’d pushed her away and met her gaze. “I want you to admit that you came here for Ethan but you’re still here now for me.”
“It doesn’t matter why,” she said, her lips still tingling from the force of his kiss. “I’m not here for good and we both know that. I’m leaving in a week,” she whispered. “And it’s better that we start to separate from each other now.” Before she got even more attached to him than she already was.
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself in order to sleep at night, go right ahead. I’m not going to deny there’s something strong between us,” he said, his voice softening. “I refuse to ruin a good time between us with an argument. If you want to sleep, sleep.”
Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers and walked out the door, leaving her with more to think about than she was ready to deal with at the moment.
* * *
SEBASTIAN LET HIMSELF into his apartment and slammed the door behind him, the scene with Ashley tormenting him, making him wonder and second-guess himself. He hadn’t said I love you because Ashley hadn’t been ready to hear it. Instead the words still ran around in his head, begging to come out. But he knew mere sentiment wouldn’t change her mind about returning to London. He didn’t know what would.
He barely slept that night and dragged himself into the office the next morning, coming in early to talk to Parker and Sierra, to make sure they were all on the same page. Ashley was there, as well, once again dressed for the office in New York, wearing a fitted lavender dress and off-white heels, her hair pulled back in a bun.
Her walls were firmly in place.
He had every intention of burning them the fuck down.
One week. That was all the time he had to win the girl. The girl who’d used the entirety of the flight from San Francisco to pull away from him and last night to patch any holes in her defenses.
Well, look out, he thought. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight. But right now he had important family business to take care of, and his brother and sister had walked into the room.
After he hugged both of his siblings, they talked about what Sebastian had already told Parker of the situation with Mandy.
“I think you should be the one to tell him, Sebastian.” Parker studied him, his gaze intense. “You went to California and got the news firsthand. He’ll respect the fact that you came to him directly.”
Sebastian’s stomach twisted at the thought, but at the same time, he acknowledged that his brother was handing him the reins. Trusting him with something huge to the family.
Sierra nodded in agreement with Parker. “But we’ll all be there to help him pick up the pieces.”
“Ashley?” he asked, looking to her for confirmation and agreement with his siblings. After all, she knew Ethan as well, if not better, than they did.
“I agree. He should hear it from someone he trusts, and in this case, the best person is you.” Her eyes met his, her gaze softening as she spoke.
She understood why he was asking her, knew he wanted her support in this. And despite their conflict at the moment, she was there for him, the way he’d known she would be.
A few minutes later, the family had gathered in Ethan’s office. Big brother sat behind his desk, wearing a dark gray suit and tie, his expression serious. He was still mourning, Sebastian thought. Mourning the wife he thought he knew, and Sebastian was about to blow his world apart.
“Welcome back,” he said, glancing at Ashley, then Sebastian. “I understand you had a productive trip.” He sounded pleased with them.
Sebastian nodded. “Now that we know what’s not working and why, new components will be ordered today. Romano’s calmer. He’s giving us breathing time. But you need to know what happened and why. How we ended up in this position in the first place.”
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