Just Desserts (27 page)

He blinked, his jaw cracking on a yawn. He needed to sleep and check on Daisy. The report from Ivan said they’d visited the Palace today and the Tower. Though he hadn’t needed one from his bodyguard.

Oh no.

Daisy had texted him at every opportunity, usually with a picture attached. His favorite was of The Tower, her standing beside it and holding a sign that read,
Vacancy. Earls Only
.

God love her.

A grin kicked up the corners of his mouth as he made his way down the hall to his room. Perhaps he could find a way to have breakfast with her in the morning.

The soft glow of light from one of his guestroom caught his attention and he strode to the door. Knocking softly, it swung open.

“
Daisy?” he called out, then stepped inside and found her asleep in bed, arms and legs sprawled. Black lashes fanned her cheeks and all her gorgeous hair confined in a fat braid, bright colors weaving in and out.

An odd pang hit him. He’d missed her, he realized. He’d truly missed spending the day with her. Tomorrow evening he would make it up to her, and then spend the rest of her stay making it up to her.

Only he had to get through these negotiations first. He rubbed the back of his neck. There was always something interfering with his best-laid plans. He flicked his gaze to her sleeping form, highlighted by moonlight. Or by someone.

Leaning down, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders, turned off the bedside lamp, and tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “Good night,” he whispered.

Daisy made a small noise, her eyes blinking sleepily. “Sebastian?”

Now was his chance. He could apologize properly. “I’m sorry for being such an arse to you. You didn’t deserve it and I hope you’ll find a way to forgive me,” he murmured.

“
Hmpf. You only want my cupcakes. Off with your head,” she said with a frown on her full lips.

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. “I’ll try again later, my queen of hearts.”

She turned over with a huff, presenting him with the back of her head. Though he wanted to kiss her, he refrained. Instead he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. With a great sigh, he left her room.

***

“
You’re who again?” Daisy asked, unable not to stare at the woman she’d been summoned to meet in the first floor reception room.

Sweeping off her hat, the tall woman with hair the color of coffee beans smiled. “I’m Kate von Lichtenstein, a close friend of the Romanovs, and I’ve come to take you shopping.”

Dear God, she’d been right. Every woman in England had been named Kate.

“
Sebastian sent you to help me pick out a new wardrobe?” Daisy asked. Was she supposed to start dressing like this chick? Not that she would mind, really. Kate’s dress was gorgeous and…Daisy peered more closely at her. Kate looked really familiar.

Unfortunately, Daisy’s mind blanked when she tried to place her face. Mostly because she’d just woken up thirty minutes ago, after a restless night of sleep, and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. She hadn’t seen Sebastian this morning either. Guess he wasn’t ready to apologize to her again when she wasn’t half-asleep, or explain himself.

Earlier, Ivan had informed her that
Mr. Romanov
had come home at midnight, then left again at five. His normal hours. There was nothing normal about working a body to death. And for the first time since they’d arrived, a big part of her had felt sorry for him. Romanov Industries was all he had left of his family.

“
Not precisely.” Kate’s gaze skittered and her smile fell away.

Now this was interesting. “Would Sebastian be happy if I went with you?”

Kate’s shoulders dropped a little. “Not precisely.”

Even more interesting. Maybe Kate could give her some tips about what to wear to dinner tonight. And right now, the last thing she wanted to do was to make Sebastian happy. Although she wasn’t setting out to make him unhappy. Heck, she wasn’t even that mad at him anymore. He’d apologized and this was his life. She was only his fake fiancée.

“
Perhaps this wasn’t such a great idea, after all,” Kate said.

Grabbing Kate’s hand, she gave it a little squeeze. “We’re totally going shopping. Right after I eat breakfast.”

Daisy and Kate made their way down High Street, window shopping, until Kate found the perfect shop and pulled Daisy inside.

“
Champagne, please,” Kate called out to the sales clerk, and then she turned to Daisy “Let me see your ring.”

“
It’s a pink and chocolate diamond,” Daisy said, not really knowing how much she should share about her engagement, as she held it out for Kate’s inspection. “Sebastian said he thought I’d like it, because the diamonds around the middle looked like bits of frosting.”

Kate’s assessing gaze found hers. “Did he now?”

“
Yes.”

“
Lovely.”

Daisy let her hand fall. She adjusted one of her chopsticks and looked around the shop. She blinked, twice. “Kate,” she loudly whispered. “Where are the price tags?”

“
The future Countess of Spenserfield has no need to concern herself with price tags,” Kate informed her. She passed her a glass of champagne and held up her glass. “Cheers.”

Belatedly remembering the black American Express card Sebastian had left for her, Daisy smashed her lips together. Yep, she was fitting right in.

Awesome.

Lifting her glass to Kate, she copied her, and then drank the entire thing.

“
Would you like another?” Kate asked, jade-colored eyes wide.

Daisy hiccupped. “No.”

“
Why do you call him Sebastian instead of his nickname?”

“
You get right to the point, don’t you?” Daisy smiled. “Sebastian must love having you for a friend.”

Kate seemed to flinch when Daisy had said love, but she wasn’t really sure. “Bastian loves many things, but none of them include me.” She grabbed a dress off the rack and held it up to Daisy. “This would be perfect for your first dinner out together.”

“
You think I should wear this tonight?” Daisy wasn’t sure. The dress was a little old fashioned, the pattern heavy and not at all her style. The most it had going for it was that it looked elegant, but she didn’t want to embarrass Sebastian or herself.

“
Bastian
would love it on you.”

“
Are you sure? I don’t want to wear the wrong thing, but this dress is—”

Kate made a noise of dismissal. “Trust me.” Smiling, she took a sip of champagne. “Now, tell me all about how the two of you met.”

Daisy panicked. She and Sebastian hadn’t really been over this. Why hadn’t they been over this? “We met Christmas before last, when he came to town to see Rose Holland.”

Kate’s brows shot up. “The two of you started dating, then?” she asked sharply.

“
No.”

“
But you said—”

“
You asked how we met, not when we started dating,” Daisy pointed out.

Kate blinked, her cheeks coloring little. “So I did.”

“
We ah…the next time I saw him, he…We fell in love, just like that.” Daisy snapped her fingers. “Next thing I know, he’s proposing and I said yes.”

“
Sebastian Romanov spontaneously proposed to you?”

“
Yes,” she said, trying to sound convincing. Lying had never been something she’d been good at doing. “It was very romantic.”

“
Romantic?” Kate’s jade-colored eyes narrowed. “Are you quite sure we’re talking about the same man?”

“
Y-yes,” Daisy said, starting for the counter with the dress. Ivan waited near the register, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“
Countess?” His gaze swept the area before settling on Daisy.

“
After I pay for this, I’ll be ready to go back home,” she said, walking faster. A light pressure on her arm made her pause.

“
I’m sorry, Daisy. I’m being rather horrid to you, all in the name of protecting my friend,” Kate said. “Please don’t go. Let’s spend the rest of the day getting to know one another, and perhaps in the future, the two of us could be good friends as well.”

In the not-so-distant future, Daisy and Sebastian would no longer be engaged. Would Kate want to be her good friend after that? She didn’t want to be rude, but she was pretty sure that one of two things would happen as the day wore on:

One: She would snap at Kate, because she was grumpy and tired, and not in the mood for twenty questions.

Two: She would discover that Kate was in love with Sebastian, which he obviously didn’t return, since he hadn’t asked Kate to be his fiancée. Or worse, he didn’t know Kate loved him. Then she’d feel lower than low for lying about everything.

“
Look, I’m not in the best mood right now. I’m tired and grumpy. How about you come to dinner with us, instead?” Daisy gave the woman a gentle smile. “I’ll text you when I find out the place and time.”

Kate considered her offer for a moment. “You’re going to G.R.’s—Sebastian personally knows the man. Text me the time when you get a chance.” Leaning in, Kate bussed Daisy cheek. “So very nice to meet you.”

Sebastian knew G.R., too? Wasn’t this a small world.

A wave of dread washed over Daisy. Something wasn’t right. Sebastian needed to explain how he knew Jules’s last name.

She could ask Kate, but she was afraid of the answers she’d get. Instead, she waved good-bye and watched Kate leave the store.

By tonight, after dinner—she could give him that long—, Sebastian had better be ready to tell her everything.

Fishing her phone out of her purse, she wavered on contacting Jules, then…

I miss you.

***

Sebastian’s other phone buzzed and he picked it up, reading the text Daisy had sent to Jules. Closing his eyes, he leaned back his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

She missed him.

Even after the email Jules had sent her, even after the night she’d shared with him, Daisy still wanted Jules. How in the hell could he compete with an online version of himself?

She thought him to be stiff, formal, arrogant, and unyielding. He was those things, but those few adjectives weren’t the entire sum of his parts. There was so much more to his personality he was dying to show her, but fear held him back. The fear she’d discover he was a fraud and would think he’d been playing with her emotions all along.

He guessed it was time to pay the piper, and tell her the truth. She deserved the truth. She deserved the best of everything, even if the best didn’t include him anymore.

Texting his driver, he made his way to the parking garage underneath the building, slipped inside his car and nearly fell into the backseat, after Boris closed the door behind him. He was exhausted, mentally and physically.

Tonight he would wine and dine Daisy, introduce her to his best mate, his friends, and G.R. Later when she was happy, rested, and hopefully comfortable, he would tell her the truth.

Decision made, he headed home, heart heavy.

Yet as he strode inside, anticipation flowed through him. The earth tilted on its axis, his palms grew damp, and his breathing became erratic. Daisy glided down the stairs in a lovely coat that hid her dress from him, but not her shapely legs. Her hair was styled in an elegant up-do.

Yet, she felt nothing for him. Only Jules.

She smiled, her pretty eyes crinkling at the corners, and he stopped thinking about her feelings for Jules. Hell, he stopped thinking at all.

“
Hi,” she said, coming to a stop a couple of feet in front of him. “You look nice.”