Undone (The Revealed Series)

by Alice Raine

  Message from Sean P.

  Instinctively, my heart leapt in my chest. As much as I wanted to hear from him, the opposite was also true–I didn’t want to hear from him until things were sorted.

  Perhaps he’d seen my birthday as a reason to break our no-contact rule?

  I stared at the tiny illuminated letters and drew in a sharp breath to try and calm my suddenly hammering pulse. My heart hurt just from looking at his name–how ridiculous was that? The extent to which this man affected me was astounding.

  Sitting up, I drew my knees in and chewed on my lip as I delayed opening the message. Even without any contact, he had constantly been on my mind.

  The last two and a half days since I’d left Vegas had passed in a blur of tears and stress. Cait had tried her best to distract me, but I still felt like a bit of myself had been removed. Not just removed, but torn away from my soul. I missed him so much.

  I was scared, no, terrified, of getting irreparably hurt by Sean’s glamorous lifestyle, which, let’s face it, was poles apart from mine. But I loved him so much I didn’t see how I could do without him.

  Taking a deep breath, I finally clicked the ‘Open Message’ button and read his words without breathing.

  * * *

  From: Sean P

  Allie, I know I said I wouldn't pressure you or contact you, but I thought you would want to know that the press conference is today. Your name will not be mentioned. I miss you. S x

  * * *

  As I skimmed his words a second time, a huge breath flooded from my lips, causing me to make a raspberry sound. Well, it hadn’t been the ‘Happy Birthday’ message I had been expecting, but ‘I miss you’ certainly hit all my pressure points at once.

  The press conference was today? On my birthday? I couldn’t decide if that was brilliant timing or the worst ever. Should I go? Would that be weird? Not to mention stressful, having to see Savannah again.

  Sighing, I dropped my mobile onto the duvet and only just resisted the temptation to call him so I could hear his sexy as sin voice.

  Instead, I chewed on my lip while pondering what to do, then, feeling none the wiser, I got out of bed to have a shower...a cold one.

  After drying off and chucking some shorts and a T-shirt on I headed downstairs. Cait was off work today, so she would be able to advise me on what to do.

  Bless her, I found her in the kitchen preparing a birthday breakfast. A stack of thick pancakes was steaming on the counter and Cait was just putting the finishing touches to some crispy bacon.

  ‘Good morning, happy birthday!’ she exclaimed, pulling me into the most gigantic hug ever. ‘I thought as we were in America, we’d do your breakfast American-style: pancakes with all the trimmings.’

  Pancakes were my favourite breakfast, so that was just fine by me. As well as maple syrup, on the table there was a bowl of chopped strawberries, some sliced banana, chocolate sauce, and a huge pot of coffee. Perfect.

  Cait had obviously put in a huge effort to make this special, but even with her infectious happiness, I was struggling to smile as I sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. I did though, for her sake, and even added an enthusiastic rub of my stomach as I took in the banquet before me. ‘Wow, Cait, this looks amazing, thank you!’

  Turning to me with a narrow-eyed look, Cait placed the bacon down and joined me at the table. ‘Good effort, kiddo, but I know you too well to fall for that fake smile. What’s got you so grumpy on your birthday?’

  Sighing, I explained about the text.

  After mulling it over, Cait nodded slowly and got up. ‘I thought this would be good news, but you don’t look too happy,’ she commented as she flipped two pancakes onto her plate and stacked them high with bacon.

  ‘It is good news, and I am happy, but I’m really nervous,’ I confessed, taking a huge gulp of coffee. ‘I mean, this is like D-Day for our relationship, isn’t it? His director is probably furious that he’s had to do the press conference, which will cause issues for Sean at work...what if he decides that because of all this I’m too high maintenance and not worth the bother?’

  Cait laughed so hard that several chunks of bacon flew out of her mouth. ‘As if! He’s crazy about you! Surely the fact he’s willing to piss off a man as influential and intimidating as Finlay James proves how committed he is?’

  She had a point. Sean’s director would score a twenty out of ten in the intimidation department. Maybe even a thirty. Even just witnessing a tiny snippet of Finlay’s temper at the studios had been scary, so Sean was risking a lot to make this stand.

  Cait had been nothing but supportive these last few days, but it was obvious she was firmly on Team Sean, and had used every available opportunity to convince me of his dedication...much in the same way I had engineered ways to point out Jack’s positives to her.

  ‘You were doing pretty great together before this came up. There’s no reason it can’t get even better.’ Cait licked the maple syrup from her fork. ‘Eat up, we need to get going,’ she said, with a definite twinkle in her eye, as I gave her a confused look. ‘You just told me the press conference is today. You don’t think I’m going to miss that spectacle, do you?’

  ‘I wasn’t sure I should attend,’ I confessed.

  Cait made a dismissive noise in the back of her throat. ‘Little Miss Smarty Pants Savannah Hilton getting her come-uppance in front of a room full of people? You bet you should be attending!’ And then Cait did something I’d never seen her do before. She cackled. Rather loudly and wickedly.

  Wow. She was really excited about this. As I thought about it, I felt butterflies settle in my own stomach. After this, Sean and I could be together for real. Like an actual couple. In public. That sounded almost too good to be true.

  Biting my lip nervously, I nodded and made up my mind. I’d definitely regret it if I missed out on Savannah being publicly told she wasn’t the woman Sean wanted to be with. ‘Sod it, you’re right. If I go and put a bit of make-up on, do you think you can find out the time of the press conference?’

  Beaming from ear to ear, Cait shooed me off towards my bedroom and nodded. ‘I think one or two of my colleagues are probably in the know about this. You go and get ready, I’ll make some enquires.’

  And just like that I was leaping up the stairs, desperate to see Sean again.

  * * *

  The press conference turned out to be in one of the smaller stages on Sean’s studio complex, and even though I rushed to get ready, we still arrived with just five minutes to spare.

  I’d wanted to speak to Sean beforehand to make sure he was definitely OK with upsetting his director, but getting behind the scenes proved trickier than I’d hoped.

  A big, burly security guard stood between us and the room where Sean was waiting, and when I say big, I mean gargantuan; I’d never seen a man as tall and broad as this one. He was having none of my attempted distractions (which came in the form of some outrageous compliments), and merely shook his head disapprovingly at Cait’s attempt at a bribe, so reluctantly we headed to the public seating area.

  Shortly after we took our seats, a thrum of excitement passed through the air, and then Sean and a sour-faced Savannah made their way out, each flanked by a PR representative.

  Beside me, Cait drew in a gasp and grabbed my forearm. ‘God, Allie, look what you've done to him –he looks awful!’ she whispered. ‘Did he look that bad in Vegas?’

  Remembering how sick Sean had looked when I’d arrived in Vegas, I nodded and allowed my eyes to really soak in his appearance.

  Cait was right; Sean looked miserable, not to mention haggard. Still drop dead gorgeous of course, but more than a little worse for wear. The weeks’ worth of stubble I’d seen in Vegas had now developed, almost resembling a full on beard. I had to say, I didn’t mind it.

  Once the media were seated, Sean wasted no time getting started, and leant forwards to tap the microphone in front of him several times.

  ‘Thank you, everyone, for com
ing. I’d like to start by thanking the fans of LA Blue, who have made the series the hit it is. We all really appreciate your support.’ Niceties out of the way, Sean rolled off his shoulders and inhaled a long, deep breath. ‘The reason for this press conference is to clear up a few facts about mine, and Savannah’s, personal lives,’ Sean paused as a murmur ran through the crowd. ‘There’s been a lot of speculation about our relationship recently, but I’d like it to be clear and on the record that Savannah and I are no longer together.’

  My gaze shifted to Savannah, and I watched as she pouted and allowed her gaze to drift off sideways towards the windows as if bored to death.

  ‘This was an entirely mutual decision and we’re still friends, but that’s all there is to it. We thought our fans deserved to know.’

  Savannah’s sour pout didn’t make it look like the decision had been mutual, but now the news was out, I didn’t waste a second longer looking at her. Instead, I focused my stare upon Sean.

  It was irritating that Sean couldn’t confess how he’d been practically blackmailed into going along with the engagement farce, but I was starting to understand how Hollywood worked, and coming clean just wasn’t an option.

  Now that Sean had finished his speech, the front four rows became a mass of frantically waving hands and whirling cameras as each journalist tried to get the best shot and attract Sean’s attention so they could fire questions at him.

  ‘Sean, are either of you in serious relationships with anybody else right now?’ I was on the edge of my seat, and mildly tempted to stand up and yell ‘He’s mine! All mine!’

  A flicker of something flashed in Sean's eyes...desperation? But before he could answer, Savannah leant into her microphone with a pucker of her fat lips.

  ‘He is,’ she drawled, flashing Sean a taunting look as if punishing him for making her go through the press conference. To give him credit, Sean barely even reacted to her behaviour, merely sitting back and keeping his gaze away from her.

  All eyes rotated to Sean like some bizarre tennis match as an expectant silence fell over the crowd.

  ‘Is it true, Sean? Is it the blonde we’ve seen you with recently?’ called a journalist, breaking the silence and shouting his questions in a rapid fire.

  ‘Yes, I am seeing someone...’ Sean confirmed, but then hesitated, looking uncertain, and my stomach all but dropped from my body.

  Was he having second thoughts about me?

  About us?

  ‘Well, I hope I am, anyway,’ he muttered, before taking a sip of his water. Thank goodness. His words soothed my terror and I licked my lips, wishing I could swig on his drink to wet my parched mouth.

  This was so bizarre, I was quietly sitting in an audience listening to a conversation about myself.

  Sean’s answer clearly had the press curious, but once again Savannah waved them off dismissively.

  ‘Oh, Sean, stop being such a drama queen,’ she purred, giving a roll of her eyes. ‘They've had a little bit of a falling out. His girlfriend isn't in the acting business and she's having a hard time adjusting to his celebrity lifestyle.’ Savannah abruptly stopped when Sean shot her a look. God, talk about nerve-wracking.

  I was so tense that my fists were clenched in my lap and I hardly dared to blink for fear of missing something. Cait had been right, though; I was glad we’d come along.

  ‘Can we assume that you're hoping you can work things out with your girl, Sean?’ pushed a particularly inquisitive journalist from the back row and I felt my heart accelerate until it was almost bursting from my ribs.

  The look Sean threw at the crowd was one of frustration, his brows drawn together and lips in a tight line. ‘Yes. If she still wants me.’

  ‘Anyway, don't you want to know about me? I’ve just started dating someone too...’ Savannah announced, which caused the attention to immediately move to her as the press sensed another storyline waiting to be written.

  All attention was on Savannah now as she primped her hair and fluttered her eyelashes, well and truly enjoying the spotlight. I rolled my eyes at her desperation for attention, but couldn’t drag my eyes away from Sean for more than a few seconds. I felt my heart leap as I noticed how he discretely took his phone out of his shirt pocket and checked the screen, before letting out a sigh and placing it on the table in front of him.

  Had he been hoping for a reply from me?

  I was suddenly overwhelmed with the inappropriate urge to text him just to see his reaction. It was hardly the time or place, but before I knew it I was dragging my phone out of my bag and opening up my messenger app.

  Would he get in trouble if his phone beeped? Surely he’d have it on silent? Besides, the focus was well and truly on Savannah now and she was off and running with her story and its ridiculous details.

  I quickly composed a message and pressed send before I could change my mind, all the while secretly praying that his phone wasn’t about to beep loudly.

  * * *

  To: Sean P

  For goodness sake, smile. You look miserable–it doesn't suit you. x

  * * *

  My eyes were focused on Sean so intently that I hardly blinked, and a second or so later I saw the screen on his mobile glow pale blue as my message arrived. Phew – it had been on silent. Looking slightly puzzled, Sean discreetly checked that everyone was still focused on Savannah before casually moving his phone towards himself and reading the text.

  A confused frown settled on his brow, but as the realisation hit that I was in the audience, his head shot up and his eyes began to scan the rows.

  Things then seemed to happen in slow motion; I held my breath as his eyes passed over the room, row by row, until he saw me and our eyes met, and I saw hope blaze in his big blues. He raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘What are you doing here?’

  The connection of our gaze was so strong that the hairs on my arms stood up to attention and my heart was banging out such a fast rhythm in my chest I was starting to feel dizzy with expectation.

  Deciding to throw myself fully into the moment, I gave a teasing shrug and a tiny smile as if to give a ‘Just thought I’d drop in’ response.

  His face noticeably perked up, but Sean didn’t text back. I suppose it would have looked pretty unprofessional, but he did risk a small smile–just as I had instructed in my text – and I instantly felt my heart melt.

  God, I loved this man.

  Teasing was all very well, but I was terrible at playing it cool so as soon as he smiled I felt a blush run to my cheeks and I couldn't stop myself from breaking out into a grin. Sean's response was immediate; his dejected body language morphed into his usual confidence as he sat up straight in his seat and allowed a self-assured, determined look to overtake his handsome features.

  Ooohh...Sean Phillips looking at me with focus and a tiny bit of dominance. Yummy. I’d always found confident men attractive, but when Sean looked like this, I practically melted.

  Before I could stop myself, my fingers were flying over my phone screen again as I frantically typed out another message.

  Cait leant over to read along, her eyebrows rising in a mix of amusement and worry as she realised I was typing to the man of the hour in the middle of his own press conference.

  * * *

  To: Sean P

  Don't stare, you'll give me away.

  P.S. You look very sexy now you're smiling. x

  * * *

  Sean read the text eagerly and I could have sworn I saw him blush a fraction, before another smile cracked at the corner of his mouth. He looked at me before making a deliberate effort to spread his gaze around the audience, pausing occasionally at various parts of the room.

  As I sat gazing at him with my heart almost bursting with love, I couldn’t help but think back to his desperate words on the day we’d decided to take a break. ‘You have to believe me when I say that I am unconditionally one hundred per cent yours, Allie.’ Even though it was ridiculous to keep firing messages at him, I had a desperate u
rge to tell him we were OK, and found my fingers composing one final message. I needed to make this a good one. I pondered for a couple of seconds before finally sending:

  * * *

  To: Sean P

  That's better, much less obvious, thank you. x

  P.S. Of course I still want to be with you, you silly sod.

  P.P.S. I am 100% yours.

  * * *

  After reading the message, Sean surprised me by laughing out loud.

  Oops. I may have gone a bit far with that, but hopefully he wouldn't get into trouble. He looked like a complete lunatic, sitting back in his chair and guffawing before grinning from ear to ear, and I had to wonder what everyone else in the room was making of his behaviour.

  My stomach did a flip of happiness and I found myself biting down on my lip as an excited murmur ran through the crowd of journalists. Their attention careened away from Savannah and back to Sean, much to Savannah’s obvious annoyance, and a journalist wearing a jacket emblazoned with the logo of LA Glamour stood up.

  ‘Care to tell us why you’re suddenly looking so perky, Sean?’

  Sean gave a self-satisfied smile but remained silent, his eyes glittering with an arrogance that instantly turned me on.

  ‘Can we assume from your grin that it was your mystery lady...and that things are back on track?’

  Sean’s eyes flitted across the room before imperceptibly resting on me to seek my go-ahead to say more. Considering he looked so cocksure it was amusing that he wanted my blessing. I gave a nod and Sean’s attention returned to the journalist.

  ‘Yes, Rick, it was. Things are certainly looking more positive. I'm sure you'll understand I don't wish to say anything more at this point,’ Sean announced with a happy smile.

  ‘No name for us?’ pushed Rick, who seemed to be a seasoned pro at this type of thing, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise. Now that we were free to be a couple, I suddenly felt really nervous about people finding out about me, which was stupid, because an up-front, honest relationship was what I’d wanted from the start. Still, I couldn’t deny that there was an underlying quiver of nervousness in my belly.