Unravelled (Revealed #2) (41 page)

She was thanking me? God, this woman never failed to surprise me. Grinning at her like the lovesick idiot I was, I reached down and lifted her until Allie understood what I wanted and stood up before hopping up and wrapping her legs around my waist.

Smashing my lips onto hers, I plunged my tongue into her mouth, still able to taste my release on her tongue, and kissed my girl hard, trying to express to her just how much she meant to me. ‘No, my gorgeous girl. It is definitely me that needs to be thanking you.’

Chapter Thirty-three

Allie

This all felt so normal. We’d shared the bed, chilled out round the pool, showered together, had some incredible sex, and declared our love for each other. Having Sean here with me again felt so natural that a contented smile curved my lips as I began to brush out my hair. Glancing across at him, I found Sean watching my every move in fascination. ‘I love your hair. Here, let me.’ Striding behind me, he relieved me of the hairbrush and began to gently brush out my tangles before picking up the hairdryer from the counter. My smile was now a grin as I watched in the mirror as Sean concentrated on the task of methodically drying my hair section by section. The focused look on his face was almost comical. Bless him.

Once the hairdryer was off and Sean was running the brush through my dry hair with ease, I caught his gaze in the mirror. ‘You being here, and us enjoying the day together, it feels like a dream.’ Even with my upbeat words, I couldn’t hold back the heavy sigh that suddenly slipped from my lips as I remembered that this was just one day and that Sean would be going back to his work tomorrow. And more depressingly, back to Savannah.

Hearing my sigh, Sean placed the brush down and gave my shoulder a squeeze. ‘Hey, why so glum all of a sudden?’ Sliding an arm around my waist he turned me and effortlessly lifted me to sit on the vanity unit between the two sinks. Stooping down so he could look deep into my eyes, he raised a hand and cupped my cheek before gently rubbing it with his thumb.

I immediately felt stupid for ruining a great day with my insecurities and petty jealousy. ‘Sorry, I’m fine, it’s just the stuff with Savannah is still on my mind …’ I paused, hating the way that her mere name made jealousy bubble in my stomach. ‘Plus all the secrecy and hardly getting to see you, it’s hard. Really hard.’ I paused before saying what was really on my mind. ‘Sometimes I feel like it would be easier for you if I weren’t here. It’s like we’re in a weird alternate reality that’s pulling us apart and never going to end. You’d be better off if I wasn’t in your life.’

‘No.’ His voice was almost harsh, his eyes flashing with some unreadable pain, but his face immediately softened as he gazed at me, his beautiful blue eyes crinkling with concern at the edges. ‘I want you here, Allie, but beyond that, I need you in my life,’ Sean implored, as he pulled me to the edge of the unit, edged himself between my thighs before resting his head on my shoulder.

I could feel his accelerated breathing on my neck, fast, short pants as if he was struggling to breathe. ‘Don’t say things like that, Allie.’ We were so close that I could smell my shower gel still fresh on his skin and I wanted to keep him locked there forever.

I really wanted to believe him, bury my head in his reassuring warmth, and forget all about Savannah flipping Hilton, but the more I considered our reality, the more I couldn’t. Instead, all I managed was to nod unconvincingly and sit limply on the unit as he leant back and considered me with an ever-growing frown on his face. ‘The craziness will end, I promise. Don’t give up on me.’ Tilting my chin upwards, he hit me with the full blast of his intense blue eyes. ‘Don’t run again, please.’

A sliver of guilt worked its way into my chest as I recalled how easily I’d run from him when the going had got tough. ‘OK. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring a downer on our day.’

Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile and reached up to place a quick peck on his lips. ‘Let’s forget it and have some lunch, I’m starving.’ Trying to look, and sound, reassured, I slid from the counter and went in search of some clothes so Sean could shave in peace. He clearly wasn’t convinced by my act, because I spotted him watching me cautiously in the mirror as I walked around the bedroom. He became quieter from then on, barely speaking a word as we ordered some food from room service, and I repeatedly cursed myself for ruining an otherwise lovely day.

His thoughtful silence lasted through lunch, and the tension between us completely took away the enjoyment from my prawn salad until his head shot up abruptly and he jumped from his stool. ‘I just need to make a quick call.’ He seemed suddenly perkier as he dashed from the room with his mobile and I wondered what on earth had come over him as I picked unenthusiastically at my food.

Returning a few minutes later with my cap and sunglasses in his hand and a huge grin on his face, Sean held his spare hand out for me. ‘Come with me, I’ve had an idea of how I can put your mind at ease.’ It was so good to see him smiling again that I didn’t hesitate. As soon as I’d placed my palm in his, Sean gave enough of a tug to send me stumbling into him and I was immediately aware of the tempting warmth and firmness of his chest.

Even with my mood, I immediately found my earlier lust reigniting at the feel of him under my fingertips. It was almost pathetic how easy I was for him. God, I was insatiable at the moment. It was like having sex with Sean again had given me some sort of addiction.

Looking up at him with wide eyes, I licked my lips, almost positive he would be able to read my mind and be just as up for it as me, but to my mild annoyance he looked completely together and calm as he smiled at me.

‘Easy, tiger, let me put your mind at rest about our future together then you can rub my chest as much as you want.’ It couldn't have been possible for me to flush any redder, and I hastily looked away as he chuckled and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

Handing me my cap and glasses Sean donned his own, pulling the cap down low over his eyes and I suddenly realised to my horror why he’d gone to fetch mine – this was his version of a disguise so we could make a rare excursion outside. Except instead of the blond hair and contact lenses he’d used last time, he was settling for a simple cap.

Nerves exploded in my stomach hard and fast as it finally perforated my mind that we were about to venture out in public. Together. With no real disguises. Which considering he was contracted to appear engaged to Savannah and therefore not dating me, almost made it against the law, didn’t it? It was certainly enough to get him sacked, which terrified me. If he ended up losing his job because of me, that would surely be the end of our relationship too, wouldn’t it?

Gulping hard at the reality of what we were about to do, I took the items from his outstretched hand. Sean must have seen my hesitation, or perhaps felt the tremble in my hand, because he stopped and dipped his head to look in my eyes. Either way, he whipped his cap off and wordlessly pulled me into his arms so I was firmly pressed against the impressive chest that had ignited me with lust just a few minutes earlier. This time, however, instead of wanting to rip his shirt off, I was clinging to it for dear life.

‘Hey, hey, it’s all right, my gorgeous girl, we’re just going for a short drive. No need to worry. OK?’

Giving a little shudder, I suddenly felt really stupid. After all, I had been the one to make a fuss about us not being able to go out together. I had been the miserable, moaning girlfriend going on and on about how we couldn’t be a normal couple. And now we were finally about to go out, I was the one freaking out. I was such a mess.

Pulling in a deep breath, I leant away, braced myself on his forearms, and nodded. ‘Sorry, I freaked myself out for a minute there. Are we OK doing this? I mean, are you going to get into trouble?’

Grinning and looking thoroughly amused, Sean shook his head slowly, his blue eyes twinkling. ‘Not if we’re careful. We’re not going far. Stick your hat on and we’ll head off.’

I was about to ask where we were going but I was distracted as he donned his sunglasses and hat and before my eyes, transformed into a totally different person. I’d always scoffed at how no one recognised Clark Kent as Superman when he put his glasses on, but to be honest, with his reflective glasses and cap pulled down low, I think even I would have struggled to recognise Sean at first glance. I was fairly sure he would simply blend in with the other guys walking about on the streets of LA in the sunshine.

Even so, as we walked out of the bungalow, I was practically shaking all over. The phrase ‘must not look nervous’ was running round and around my mind, but of course, that was easier said than done. Swallowing loudly, I glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone was watching – which of course they weren’t, because we just looked like two regular people walking in the hotel. It was only me who felt nervous, but I was so tense it almost felt like I had a neon sign flashing above my head.

Holding Sean’s hand and absorbing his calm strength would have eased some of my nerves, but I figured that probably wasn’t exactly ideal as we were trying to be secretive, so I held off, pushed my shoulders back, and tried my hardest to act casual and nonchalant. In reality, this probably just made me look severely constipated, an impression no doubt strengthened by the tense, slightly wincing expression on my face.

Crossing the car park, I did a double take as I heard Sean whistling a decidedly happy tune under his breath. My eyes flew open at his ease – I was so tense and nervous I must’ve surely looked like I had something rammed up my arse, but Sean was happy as Larry? Marvellous. Stopping beside a dark green Jeep I glanced at it in relief. OK, so that really hadn’t been anywhere near as taxing as I had imagined, and I felt my posture relaxing now we had made it to his car.

Taking a little longer to look at it, I nodded my head in appreciation. It was one of the old-style Wranglers, with an exposed frame and a leather cover that had seen better days instead of a roof. I loved it, but I was a sucker for old-school Jeeps. I always had been, ever since watching an episode of
The A-Team
as a kid where Hannibal had driven one through a wall of fire. Hopefully our journey today would be a little less stressful than that though.

Climbing up into the cabin, I pulled the door closed and looked around. There were no luxuries or soft touches, it was all exposed dials, switches, and metal surfaces. It was nowhere near as flashy as I thought Sean’s car would have been, especially considering how much money he must have made, but knowing Sean had a bit of a rough and ready side and liked to get out and explore the great outdoors, I supposed it suited him perfectly.

Once we were buckled up, Sean flashed me a grin and what looked like a wink from behind his Aviator sunglasses, and then started the car. We drove through the streets of Downtown LA, passing areas which were becoming increasingly familiar. I was even able to point out my favourite pizza restaurant and a few of the bars I had been to with Cait. The longer we drove, the less tense I became, but no matter how many times Sean leant over and gave my knee a reassuring squeeze, I still couldn’t fully relax.

How strange was this? Cruising along with the sun blazing. We must have looked like a couple with not a worry in the world, whereas in reality, my stomach was doing cartwheels. Where were we going? He still hadn’t told me, and with every mile travelled I felt slightly sicker from anxiety.

I was far from an expert on the city, but I soon recognised that we were heading away from Downtown Hollywood and the hostel, and in the direction we’d gone when visiting Venice Beach.

As it was, we didn’t quite make it to the beach this time. Instead, Sean pulled off the main highway at what I remember Cait calling the Cheviot Hills. In a matter of seconds, the main road was forgotten, to be replaced by tree-lined avenues, broad roads, and gorgeous sprawling houses and I was practically hanging out of my window and drooling in appreciation. Cait had said it was posh, and blimey, had she been right. I’d never seen such opulent properties or well-manicured gardens in my life. The lawns looked like they had been trimmed with fingernail scissors. Perhaps they had; maybe that was what sack loads of cash could buy you over here.

As we pulled alongside a large park, Sean drew the car up to the side of the road, pulled off his glasses, and turned to look at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. ‘We're nearly there, Allie. You might want to slip your hat down a little lower unless you fancy being in all the papers tomorrow.’

What? More than slightly confused, not to mention suddenly terrified, I did as Sean asked and yanked my hat down as low as it could go, folding one of my ears over in the process. Frowning at him, I felt my patience wearing thin. ‘Where exactly are we going?’ I asked as he pulled the car back onto the road.

‘My house,’ Sean said. ‘You can meet my fiancée.’ He finished, exaggerating ‘fiancée’ so it was dripping thick with sarcasm. ‘That way you can talk to her and see first-hand that there’s nothing between us except work links.’ No matter how lightly he seemed to be taking this, I was fast falling into panic stations.

‘What?’ I yelped, my voice full of panic as I felt little icy slivers of fear running through my veins. He was taking me to his house? Oh my God, my stomach felt like it had dropped out of my body, rolled from the Jeep, and fallen hard on the roadside.

Dressed in faded jeans, a scruffy T-shirt, and wearing no makeup at all, I was completely not ready to be introduced to sleek, sexy Savannah as Sean’s romantic interest. I opened my mouth to protest but all I could manage to utter were a few garbled noises.

Then, before I could reconnect my mouth and say anything, Sean was pulling the car up to the entrance of a gated housing lot, where we instantly caught the attention of a couple of journalists sitting on the grass verge. Before I could even register what was happening, flashbulbs began to pop around the car and to my embarrassment I screamed like a small child.

‘Oh, my God!’ I exclaimed, slithering down in my seat so far that I was practically taking residence in the foot well. ‘I am totally not ready for this, Sean!’ I shrieked, clinging to my hat and trying my best to cover my face. Thank God the canvas roof was up so they couldn’t get a good look inside, but that didn’t stop them getting close to the windows and snapping several pictures. Shit, all I could think about was what would happen to us if he lost his job because of this.