Substitute Seduction (Sweet Tea And Scandal Book 1)

by Cat Schield

  The man’s prejudice was so blatant that London found herself momentarily speechless. And as she grappled with a response, it occurred to her that she’d been equally snobbish in the beginning, before she’d gotten to know Harrison. Shame brought heat to her cheeks.

  “Feel like getting out of here?” Tristan’s fingers curved over her hip, lingering for a few seconds as if to test her reaction. When shock kept her from pulling away, he must’ve taken that as encouragement because his palm slid over her backside and he gave her butt a suggestive squeeze. “My house is twenty minutes away.”

  London thought about the flash drive she’d taken to carrying in her purse. What excuse could she give Harrison that would let her slip away with Tristan and get the information off his computer? Her mind spun as she conceived and discarded a dozen justifications for leaving the party with Tristan. None of them made any sense.

  “I—”

  She never got to finish her refusal because Harrison emerged from the crowd and spied her standing with his brother. His brows came together in a frown that was half annoyance and half confusion as he noticed where Tristan’s hand had gone. With an inaudible gasp, London stepped away from Tristan and tried to catch Harrison’s gaze as he approached them, but his attention was firmly fixed on his brother.

  “What are you doing here?” Harrison demanded, his expression and tone unfriendly.

  “I am the head of Crosby Automotive.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “This is a family business,” Tristan pointed out.

  “And you’ve made it pretty clear you want nothing to do with us.” Harrison’s eyes narrowed. “Or at least that’s been your attitude before your profits started to dip. What? Are you hoping to convince Jack to help you out financially?”

  Tristan’s expression darkened. He obviously didn’t appreciate his younger brother pointing out his shortcomings.

  “I don’t need his help or yours,” Tristan said. “And this little shindig of yours is a complete bore. I’ve got better things to do.” With an elaborate sigh, he glanced at London and gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

  Harrison turned stunned eyes her way and London opened her mouth to explain, but her scrambled brain produced no words. Why hadn’t she come straight out and told Tristan she was dating Harrison? Scheming was not her forte.

  “She’s not going anywhere with you,” Harrison said.

  “Why don’t you let the lady decide?”

  “Ah, actually I came here with Harrison,” London said, cringing as she realized it was too little, too late.

  She now understood that balancing her growing affection for Harrison against taking down his brother wasn’t possible. It was either one or the other and the moment for her to choose was now.

  “You two are dating?” Tristan asked, laughter in his voice.

  “Well...” she hedged.

  Harrison suffered none of her hesitation. “Yes.”

  While Tristan laughed at their diverging answers, London stared at Harrison. She found herself short of breath as their gazes clashed. In his sea-glass eyes she saw her future. The beauty of it struck her and suddenly she wanted to cry. She’d ruined everything.

  “Sounds like you two need to sort out what’s going on.” Tristan squeezed London’s arm. “If you get tired of slumming, give me a call.”

  She remained silent, biting the inside of her lip as Harrison’s brother walked away. Words gathered in her throat but a lump prevented them from escaping. On the heels of the realization that she’d let the encounter with Tristan get away from her came the recognition that by falling for Harrison, she’d put her emotions in direct conflict with her promise to help Zoe.

  “I thought we were on the same page,” Harrison said. “If we’re not dating, then what are we doing?”

  “I don’t know.” As much as she wanted to escape his questions, he deserved honesty and openness. “This wasn’t supposed to get complicated.”

  He frowned. “Because I’m not the man you think you want?”

  “What?”

  She was starting to believe he was the only man for her. And she’d made a mess of things.

  His eyes flicked in the direction his brother had departed. “Are you thinking he could make you happy? Because he is incapable of putting anyone’s feelings above his own.”

  “I’m not interested in your brother.” At least not in the way Harrison was insinuating. How could she defuse this argument without committing herself one way or another? “In fact, I was in the process of defending you when he hit on me. You interrupted us before I could react.”

  Harrison assessed her for a long moment and whatever he glimpsed in her expression caused him to relax. “I don’t need you to defend me.”

  “I know.” Yet she could see he appreciated it. She took his hand in both of hers and stepped into his space, waiting until the tension seeped from his body before she finished. “But there was no way I was going to stand by and let him criticize what you do.”

  “It seems to me that you felt the same a couple weeks ago.” He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him.

  “All the more reason for me to have your back. I was ignorant and shortsighted. You’re doing what you love and no one has the right to judge you for it. Not even your brother.”

  “Fine. I forgive you,” he said, cupping her cheek while his lips dropped to hers.

  His kiss was romantic and intoxicating. She threw herself into the embrace, shoving her worries aside for the moment. Later she would delve into the ever-deepening mess she was making of things.

  How long they stood in the middle of the crowded party, lost in each other, London had no idea. But when Harrison eventually set her free, London returned to her body with a jolt.

  What magic drove all thoughts of propriety and decorum from her mind whenever he took her in his arms? She’d never acted like this before and loved every second of it.

  By contrast, her relationship with Linc had always been so proper. She’d certainly never thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him with utter abandon in a public place. She’d always been hyperaware of how things looked and who might be watching. With Harrison, even though he was also a celebrity, she never considered appearances before showing affection with him.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured when he ended the kiss.

  “For what?”

  So many things. “The way I feel when I’m with you is thrilling and scary all at once and way more intense than anything I’ve known before.”

  He kissed her forehead. “For me it’s the exact opposite. Being with you calms me down. When we’re together, it feels right.”

  Tears burned London’s eyes. The man was just too perfect and she didn’t deserve the happiness he brought her. Dabbing at the corner of her eye in what she hoped was a surreptitious manner, London took his hand in hers and exhaled heartily.

  “You always say the right thing,” she told him, wishing he’d demonstrate some of his brother’s villainy. It would make using him to her advantage easier to swallow.

  “Ready to go find our table?”

  “Lead the way.”

  * * *

  “This is quite a place,” London remarked, taking in the state-of-the-art barn, paddocks, polo field and sprawling home with views that overlooked the horse pastures all belonging to Harrison’s brother.

  She’d started scoping out the house as soon as it had come into view, needing to find a way in so she could use the USB drive in her purse. The task terrified her. What if she was caught? Or the drive didn’t work? Or the information they needed wasn’t on his computer. So much could go wrong.

  As Everly promised, Harrison had invited her to the charity polo event hosted at Tristan’s property outside Charleston. She’d attended functions like this often wi
th Linc. He’d loved giving back to the community. In fact, this particular charity was a pet project of his.

  No doubt she could look forward to running into her ex. Would he be surprised that she was here with Harrison? Given what she’d heard about his relationship with his housekeeper, would he even care?

  “I can’t imagine how much it costs to maintain all this,” she continued, anxiety making her remarks clumsy. “And he has a house in the historic district, as well? Crosby Automotive must be doing really well.”

  Harrison gave her an odd look.

  Was she being too obvious in her interest again? “It’s quite a bit of real estate,” she added nervously.

  “I guess. I’ve never really thought about it.”

  “And all these horses, it must cost a fortune to maintain them.”

  “Look, you really suck at beating around the bush,” Harrison said, his tone slightly aggrieved. “Is there something you want to ask?”

  “I’m being nosy, but I heard that his ex-wife ended up with next to nothing in the divorce settlement because Tristan wasn’t doing all that well financially.”

  Harrison shrugged. “That might be what she’s telling people. But what she got in the divorce might have more to do with something that triggered certain clauses in her prenuptial agreement.”

  “Oh.”

  London already knew what Harrison was referring to. Zoe had been accused of infidelity, a charge Tristan trumped up. There had been photos and hotel room charges. She’d disputed the accusation and proved her innocence, but the fight had racked up legal fees, eating up her small settlement. Meanwhile Tristan had cheated on her to his heart’s content with no repercussions.

  “You don’t believe that?” Harrison asked, his ability to read her proving troublesome once again.

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  All too aware she’d really put her foot in it, London cast around for a distraction and spied Everly in the crowd. Every encounter with the woman had driven London’s anxiety higher and she tensed. Beside her, ever sensitive to her reactions, Harrison sent his palm skating up her spine in a soothing caress.

  “Something wrong?” he asked, regarding her with concern in his sea-glass eyes.

  What excuse could she give him? London’s brain scrambled for anything that sounded reasonable but came up empty. At her lack of response, his gaze swept the crowd. Not far from Everly, Linc and his sister were strolling side by side through the crowd. He looked happy. Moving on had obviously been good for him.

  In contrast, London’s nerves were twisted into knots and her stomach felt as if she were on a small boat tossed by stormy seas. In the month since she and Harrison had first gone to dinner, the pain of her broken engagement had faded to a distant memory. She had Harrison to thank for that. Since that night at her condo, they’d been together almost every night. Sometimes at her place. Sometimes at his. Occasionally she wondered at her lack of interest in going out to dinner or in joining Maribelle and Beau for drinks. Having Harrison all to herself was addictive and she’d noticed herself almost constantly basking in the warm glow of contentment that he was in her life.

  “Ah,” Harrison said, bringing her back to the present. He’d noticed Linc and assumed that was why she was acting so strange. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Sure. Fine.” London shook her head. “It’s all good.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Although he sounded concerned, his expression had gone flat. He’d obviously misinterpreted the reason for her dismay. London imagined how she’d feel if Harrison had an ex-fiancée and she was attending the same party. Not that Harrison could ever be described as insecure.

  “Of course.” London gave the declaration an extra punch to reassure him all was well. “It’s water under the bridge.”

  “Is that why you’re so tense?”

  Damn the man for being so perceptive. London noticed her shoulders had started climbing toward her ears and made an effort to relax them. Usually only her mother had such a strong effect on her, but London had to admit Everly Briggs scared her.

  “I haven’t seen him since our engagement ended,” London said. “It just takes a little getting used to.” Pleasure suffused her at the concern in Harrison’s eyes. As accustomed as she was to being strong all the time, it was a welcome change to lean on someone else. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

  And then, because actions spoke louder than words, she grabbed a handful of Harrison’s bright blue blazer. Throwing propriety to the wind, she tugged him to her. Her high heels put her lips within kissing distance of his and Harrison obliged her by dipping his head. The kiss electrified her, sensation racing through her body with familiar and joyful results. She grew light-headed almost immediately and was glad for the strong arm he wrapped around her waist.

  Thanks to him the kiss didn’t spin out of control. If left up to her, London would have tugged him into a private corner and let her fingers find their way beneath his crisp white dress shirt. As it was, they were both breathing a little unsteadily when he lifted his head.

  “Damn,” he murmured in wonder. “You do surprise me sometimes.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Absolutely.” He dropped a light kiss on her nose and relaxed his arm, letting her draw a deep breath. “Let’s go claim some seats.”

  They found a spot near the center of the field and sat. Harrison hadn’t relinquished her hand and London found herself having a difficult time concentrating on the match as he toyed with her fingers. It made her thoughts return to the morning and revisit how his caresses had danced over her skin until she’d begged him for release.

  Her musings were interrupted by another glimpse of Everly. To London’s dismay, the woman caught her eye and frowned at her. After she’d made her displeasure known, Everly glanced significantly in Linc’s direction. London’s ex-fiancé was chatting with several of his friends, but his attention was obviously not on the conversation. He was watching a slender brunette set up the picnic baskets for lunch.

  London recognized Claire Robbins, Linc’s housekeeper. All the gossip and speculation circulating about those two coalesced into reality and London felt...nothing. No regret. No jealousy. No shame. It was as if she’d gotten over Linc. Or she’d realized there wasn’t anything to get over and that he’d been right to end their engagement.

  Smiling, she glanced Harrison’s way, but saw that his attention was on the polo match. As much as she wanted to share her epiphany with him, she kept silent. Everly’s presence at the event reminded London that she had an ulterior motive for being here today.

  The need to get into Tristan’s house and plug the USB drive into his computer preoccupied London through the second match of the day and into the lunch break. The picnic-basket lunches for two that had been created by Claire were a delightful surprise to London. She had no idea how Linc’s housekeeper had come to cater such a function or that she’d had any culinary leanings. The food was fantastic. There’d been a sandwich sampler made with beef, ham and salmon. The basket also contained an artisanal meat-and-cheese tray with a fabulous kale salad, fresh fruit, a bottle of Txakoli, and homemade aguas frescas made from melons, strawberry and mango.

  London did little more than sample everything, but the sheer volume of food left her feeling thoroughly stuffed and a bit sleepy.

  “That was amazing,” she murmured, settling back in her chair with a groan.

  “There’s still dessert.” Harrison gestured toward the food tent and the tables filled with trays of triple-layer chocolate cake, mini cheesecakes, tiny tortes, mousse and chocolate-covered strawberries.

  “I couldn’t possibly,” London said, deciding this might be the opening she’d been looking for. “You go ahead. I’m going to take a quick walk and find a ladies’ room.”

  With all the people milling around, it was surpris
ingly easy to gain entrance into Tristan’s home. She was almost disappointed that the doors weren’t locked because then she’d have a perfect excuse to turn around. What if someone caught her sneaking in? London lifted her chin and settled her nerves with a calming breath. The best thing to do would be to get it over with as quickly as possible.

  It took her less than five minutes to locate Tristan’s study. Heart pounding, London moved into the room and eased the door shut behind her. If she was caught in here, she had no explanation for sitting at his desk and perusing his laptop computer. This was madness. Was any of this worth the damage to her relationship with Harrison?

  The question shocked London to her toes and made her chest ache. She craved more time with Harrison. More hours of conversation. More minutes holding his hand. More mornings sharing breakfast with him. More nights making love. More weeks to let their intimate connection grow and flourish. More years to build a life with him.

  All of it was a foolish fantasy. There was no future with Harrison. The fact that she was standing in his brother’s study on the verge of stealing the contents of Tristan’s computer established where she’d placed her loyalty.

  Fighting a sudden rush of helplessness, London pressed her back against the wall, letting her gaze roam the space. It was a typical masculine study with two of the walls lined in dark paneling, the others sporting hunting scenes and bookshelves. Heavy hunter green drapes framed the single window. An expensive Oriental rug stretched from her toes to a large, ornately carved wooden desk.

  Move.

  The longer she stayed in place, questioning her judgment, the more likely she was to get caught. Barely discernible above the thundering of her heart came the cheers from the crowd watching the polo match outside. She didn’t have a lot of time. If she was gone too long, Harrison would start to wonder what was keeping her.

  Tiptoeing across the rug to Tristan’s desk seemed a bit ridiculous, but since London was breaking into the man’s computer, she might as well act like a thief. Her hands shook as she rounded the enormous mahogany desk and approached his computer. She opened the laptop and the screen came to life. Unsurprisingly, the desktop displayed an image of Tristan on one of his polo ponies, looking suave and ruggedly masculine as he stared down the photographer.