What the hell was going on with him?
…
She was going to kill him. And Shelli. And have some very stern words with Cody.
But first, Sebastian. A slow death. Painful. Somehow involving grasshoppers. If she remembered correctly, he had a grasshopper phobia. Was there a term for that? After she finished with him and disposed of his irritatingly hot, lifeless body, she would Google it.
Google it, and then go have a cup of tea. And then begin on Shelli.
Tapping her foot, she checked her watch for the umpteenth time. Shelli hadn’t answered any of her calls that morning. All Shelli had done since Grace called and left a rather agitated message after finding Cody and Sebastian gone was send Grace a text that was nothing but a mobile phone number.
She’d called the number, scrunching up her face when Sebastian’s deep, smooth voice tickled her ear.
“G’day. You’ve got Sebastian Hart, filmmaker extraordinaire. Leave a message at the beep.”
“We need to talk,” she’d snarled into the phone. “Get back here now.”
Filmmaker extraordinaire? Ha. More like pain-in-the-arse extraordinaire. For a few foolish, misguided moments since he’d stormed back into her life, she’d actually thought he’d changed. Somewhat. But no. He was still the self-absorbed tosser he’d been. The only thing that had changed was the brand of jeans he wore and the brand of watch on his wrist. Oh, and he’d somehow grown into that almost painfully good-looking teenage face. Now, his thirty-two-year-old face was the very definition of gorgeous masculinity, all hawkish nose and square jaw and stubble and defined lips and laughter lines and—
“Oh my God.” She dropped onto the sofa, a cold chill creeping over her scalp. “What the hell are you doing thinking about Seb like that?”
She did not find egomaniacal, narcissistic arrogant bastards sexy, no matter how much money they had. Or how good-look—
“There you go again. Stop it.”
She jumped from the sofa and stomped into the kitchen. Tea. That’s what she needed. A cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. Then she’d get out of the clothes she had on and dress for work. Her afternoon shift started in four hours. Better to be in her work uniform than the skirt and shirt she was wearing.
Then why did you put on your favorite skirt and shirt after your shower, hmm?
Another chill crept over her scalp. Oh God, she’d dressed to impress Sebastian. She’d put on her best clothes, the outfit Shelli called her sexy MILF attire, for Sebastian bloody Hart.
What was wrong with her?
She flicked on her kettle. “Tea.”
Yeah, like tea was going to fix it.
A few minutes later, with a hot cup of peppermint tea in her hand, she made her way to the front door. She’d sit on the top step and sip her tea in the autumn morning sun. Maybe that way she’d be less incline to murder Sebastian when she saw him again.
A soft chuckle fell from her. Who would have thought all these years later, she’d be thinking that again?
“I’d kill for a double-choc fudge cupcake now,” she muttered, opening the door.
A small woman with a steel-gray bob, yellow-framed glasses, wearing a bright-orange sundress and a wide smile stood on her doorstep, hand raised as if she was just about to knock on the door. “Oh, hello. Ms. Wilder?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Judge Yvonne Myers. Mr. Hart may have mentioned me.”
“He did.” Although he’d failed to mention how striking she was. “Can I help you?”
Yvonne’s smile stretched wider. “I know it’s early, but I’m hoping I can come in and have a chat? About Sebastian, your son, and the Big Brother program?”
Grace frowned. Yvonne smiled. Although the expression didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes were intense, almost piercing.
Stepping to the side, Grace offered the judge her own smile. “Come in. Can I get you a cup of tea? Coffee?”
Yvonne beamed and stepped across the threshold. “Thank you. A tea would be lovely. I’m very easy. No milk, no sugar. Very weak.”
Oh, there is nothing weak about you, Judge Myers. Nor easy. Sebastian is in for a rude shock if his fate is in your hands.
A cold finger traced up Grace’s spine at the thought as she led Yvonne into her living room. Despite the absolute hell he’d made her life growing up, did she want to see Sebastian in jail? He wasn’t an inherently evil or malicious bastard, just an arrogant, egomaniacal one. And she still didn’t know what he’d done to get community service. What would someone like Sebastian do?
“Take a seat.” She waved a hand toward her living room. “It was weak and no sugar, yes?”
Yvonne nodded, scanning the area around her with a level scrutiny. “Yes. I apologize again for disturbing you so early. I was hoping to meet Cody before he went to school.”
Flicking on the kettle—already half full of water, thanks in part to Sebastian’s earlier attempts to convince her he was wonderful—Grace leaned her butt against the kitchen counter and watched Yvonne settle onto the right side of the sofa. “Cody had a school excursion today. Sebastian dropped him at school this morning at six thirty.”
“Sebastian? Here?”
Oh crap. Crap.
Yvonne studied her.
“Sebastian and I know each other.” Why were her cheeks suddenly so warm? “We were next-door neighbors growing up.”
Yvonne lifted an eyebrow.
Grace’s stomach tightened. Was it a bad thing they knew each other before now? Would that make things worse for Sebastian?
“I mean, he was just as surprised as I was yesterday when he came around to introduce himself.”
More silent scrutiny. The eyebrow stayed still.
“And he was very surprised to find out I have a Cody, a son, I mean. I haven’t seen him in years, so it’s not like he and I cooked this up so his community service wouldn’t be so…” She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. “Oh God, I should shut up.”
Soft, warm laughter lifted her head.
Yvonne smiled, eyes twinkling. “That was fun to watch.”
Grace let out a shaky sigh. “You are very intimidating to talk to, do you know that?”
Yvonne shrugged. “I’ve been told as much. And I know you and Hart were old neighbors. Michelle Holt, the Big Brother consultant I spoke with about Hart’s placement, did mention it.”
“What was the eyebrow all about then?”
Yvonne laughed. “I was surprised by your enthusiasm to defend him. He’s a rather frustrating individual.”
At the sound of water boiling, Grace turned back to the kettle. Yeah, she’d definitely leaped to Sebastian’s defense there.
“I’m also surprised,” Yvonne went on behind her, “by the fact Hart arrived here so early this morning to help out with your son. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who puts anyone above himself.”
“Oh, he was already—”
Grace snapped her mouth shut. Heat flooded her cheeks.
“Already?”
“Already working hard to prove himself on the straight and narrow.” Pouring the judge a cup of tea, she sent a silent curse Sebastian’s way. Bloody hell, she’d told him she wasn’t going to lie for him, and within a few minutes of being in the judge’s company, she was doing exactly that. Damn it.
Damn him.
“Ms. Wilder?”
“Yes?” Did the judge buy her innocent glance-over-the-shoulder act?
Yvonne smiled at her and straightened to her feet. “I’m sorry to be a nuisance, but may I use your bathroom?”
Mouth dry, Grace pointed at the hallway to the left of the living room. “Sure. Second door on your right. I haven’t been in there since last night, so who knows what kind of mess Cody has left. I apologize if it’s a bombsite.”
Yvonne shook her head. “You don’t have to. I have a six-year-old niece I babysit from time to time. I understand all about the aftermath of a child in a room with running water.”
&nb
sp; God, what was the state of the bathroom like? Talk about not making a very good first impression with Judge Myers. Sebastian was going to owe her and owe her big after this. Maybe she would take him up on his offer of dinner tonight. Make him take her somewhere really expensive. Although with the amount of money he had, it would be better to make him take her and Cody somewhere like McDonald’s. What were the odds he’d set foot in a Macca’s since he hit it big?
An image of Sebastian in the local McDonald’s play gym filled her head, his tall, rangy frame folded up awkwardly in the tubular slide as gravity dragged him down it, his too-handsome-for-his-own-good face etched with exasperation as a bunch of squealing, burger-wielding kids climbed all about him…
Letting out a soft chuckle, she picked up the two cups of tea and crossed to the living room. She would love to see the Sebastian Hart in a situation like that. It would bring him down a peg or two.
Someone knocked on her front door.
She frowned, placed the tea on the coffee table, and headed for the door. “Guess I didn’t get the memo about today being early morning visitor day.”
It’s probably Sebastian, swooping back in with some lame and infuriating explanation for why he took Cody this morning.
“Good morning, Grace.” Justin stood smiling on her doorstep. In his hands were two mugs. “I made coffee. Hazelnut mocha latte to be precise. Can I come in?”
She blinked. “Err…”
He didn’t wait. Smile stretching wider, he strode into her home.
Cologne? Was he wearing cologne? Since when did Justin wear cologne?
“The second he saw me in your kitchen,” Sebastian’s words from earlier whispered through her head. “He was puffing up, ready to beat his chest and claim you.”
She blinked again, remembering Seb’s proposal to make Justin so jealous he would throw himself at Grace. Was this seriously happening?
Closing her eyes, she rubbed at her face. No, she wasn’t cut out for this kind of insanity. She wasn’t.
“I see you’ve already eaten,” Justin’s voice wafted back to her from the kitchen. “I was going to suggest I take you out for breakfast.” He stopped looking at the plates of toast as she walked into the room and turned his gaze on her. “You look pretty.”
“Thank you.” Surreal. Too surreal. Cologne and compliments. She wasn’t prepared for this.
“Whose car did I see leaving your driveway early this morning? The black Range Rover?”
Heart thumping, she crossed to the coffee table and picked up one of the cups of tea. “Sebastian’s.”
Justin drew in a deep breath as he stood straighter. Taller. “I see.”
Oh God, his chest swelled. His chest actually swelled.
“What does I see mean?”
He shook his head, his attention flicking around the room. Searching for evidence of Sebastian being in the house?
Go get a pair of Gary’s old boxers and pretend to find them in the sofa. See what he does when he thinks Sebastian is leaving his underwear behind.
Heat flooded her cheeks, and she took a sip of tea. God, what was wrong with her? He was a friend, not someone to antagonize, even if she was confused about what was going on.
“Did Cody get off on his excursion okay?” Justin placed the two coffee mugs on the kitchen counter. Right next to the two clean mugs he’d delivered hot chocolate in last night.
“Yes.” She tried not to fidget. What would Judge Myers make of the situation? Come to think of it, what did Judge Myers think of her? The whole reason Sebastian was back in her life was because she couldn’t be everything her son needed. What would the judge do if she saw just how dismal she was at being a mother? Take Cody away?
She stamped her foot. “Oh for God’s sake, stop it.”
Justin frowned at her. “Stop what?”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head. “Sorry, Justin. I’m…having a crazy morning. Still trying to catch up from last night.”
A stiffness fell over Justin’s body, and his Adam’s apple jerked up and down. “What happened last night?”
“My double shift.” Why am I explaining all this?
“Hart should have let you sleep in, instead of waking you so early.”
“He didn’t wake me. He got up and got Cody…”
Justin’s Adam’s apple was going crazy. “He got up?”
Oh God, she’d done it again. The first time a man had stayed over since Gary had died and she was just blurting it out left, right, and center. Even though nothing had happened.
What is wrong with you?
“Got up from where?”
Typical. When you wanted the ground to open up and swallow you, the damn thing stayed solid and unmoving.
“Thank you for the coffee, Justin.” Regardless of what Sebastian thought, she had no desire to be anything to Justin apart from a friend and neighbor. He could be a male figure in Cody’s life, but as far as she was concerned they were—
“Honey,” a new male voice floated through the house. A familiar voice. “Sorry that took me so long.”
She turned. Just as Sebastian strode through the house, directly up to her.
“The traffic was crazy,” he went on, smoothing his hands up and down her arms, a small grin twitching his lips. “By the way, you left the front door unlocked. But it’s locked now, so we won’t get interrupted.”
She opened her mouth. Words would come out. They had to. That’s what words did. Right? Words like I’m not playing the make-my-neighbor-jealous game.
In the kitchen, Justin cleared his throat.
Sebastian turned his head—only his head—toward where Justin stood. “Oh, g’day Fitz…Fitzsummers…sorry, what was your name again?”
Glare locked on Sebastian, Justin also opened his mouth.
“Y’know what?” Sebastian waved a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t matter. There’s something I’ve got to do.”
“What’s that?” Goddamn it, why did Sebastian’s hands feel so warm on her arms? So…so…nice?
His gaze locked on hers, and then—before she could ask him what the hell he was doing—he smoothed his hands up her arms, cupped her face in his palms, and lowered his head to hers. “This.”
He drew closer to her and, with a quick, surreptitious wink, brushed a soft kiss over her lips.
Chapter Four
The second his lips touched Grace’s, a jolt sank straight to his groin—hot and tight—via his chest and somewhere much deeper. Somewhere a simple kiss had never affected him before.
Somewhere…primal.
Her soft gasp played with his senses. Her soft skin did the same. The warmth of her lips, of her body, the subtle scent of her…a scent he hadn’t realized he remembered until now.
Why had his mind cataloged it? And why was his body reacting to it now?
He needed to know why, after all these years, his mind had remembered the way she smelled.
And kissing her will do that?
The kiss was for generically good-looking Justin’s sake. To fire up the other man’s jealousy, so Cody could have a father figure, and Grace could have someone to help her out, make her breakfast, to kiss her in the morning…
Like I’m kissing her now?
No. Not like that. A morning kiss should be…more. Like…
Jesus, I’m kissing Grace Ford.
Shit. Shit, what was he doing?
He jerked away, heart thumping in his throat. Balling his fists at his side, he stared down into her face.
“I…”
“Forgot we had company?” she finished, her voice steady. Hell, this close, her eyes were so green. And so unreadable.
Company. Shit. That’s right. Generically good-looking Justin. That’s why he’d kissed her in the first place. To make Justin jealous.
Chest tight, he let out a chuckle and turned to where Justin stood in the kitchen watching them.
Justin studied them. Studied him. Sized him up.
A heavy pressure
pulsed through Sebastian, and he grinned. “Sorry, mate. I did forget you were here.”
“Oh hello, Mr. Hart,” a strange and yet familiar female voice said from somewhere behind him. “You are just the man I was looking for. Have you been here long?”
Sebastian bit back a groan. The tension in his body thumped faster. Judge Myers was here? Turning away from Justin, he bestowed a loose smile on the judge. “Yvonne. What are you doing here?”
What exactly did you see? The kiss?
A hot rush of sensation flowed through him, and he fought the urge to tug at the groin of his jeans. It was tighter down there than it should be.
“I came by to chat with Grace this morning.” Yvonne made her way back to the living room, settled on the sofa, and picked up one of the cups from the coffee table. “It’s fortuitous you also happen to be here.”
The sound of movement behind Sebastian made him grit his teeth. Justin was still there, taking it all in.
What did he do?
Fuck it.
“Definitely fortuitous. I just dropped Cody at school—he’s going on a trip to the zoo. His class is doing an art unit based on Where the Wild Things Are. I suggested I help him make a stop-motion movie.” He smiled. “He liked that idea because he’s a huge fan of Aardman films.”
“Who?” Grace asked.
“Aardman. British film company. Responsible for Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run and… It doesn’t matter.” He really needed to sit down with her and watch some DVDs. Maybe tonight after dinner. Wallace and Gromit was a classic. “Anyway, I just called back in to let Grace know Cody was okay, and now I’ve got to get to work. Things I need to take care of at the office. My PA has been trying to get a hold of me since last night.”
And from the steady stream of texts he’d been getting, from her and his publicist, it all had to do with the reviews coming in for Samantha and Dave.
“You have to leave?”
He swung to face Justin, now leaning his elbows on the kitchen counter and watching him with a scrutiny that made Sebastian want to punch the guy in his generically good-looking face.
“I’ll be back.” He showed Justin his best stay-the-hell-away-from-my-girl smile. Nothing would rile up a potential suitor more than a smile like that. “I’m taking Grace out for dinner.” He turned back to Judge Myers. “And Cody.”
The Irredeemable Billionaire (Muse series) Page 6
