His Inexperienced Mistress: Girl Behind the Scandalous Reputation / The End of her Innocence / Ruthless Russian, Lost Innocence. Sara Craven
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he grated. ‘I can’t believe you would have the gall to try something like this, given your history. What were you thinking? That you could go braless and swish that golden mane around and no one would care what you had in your bag?’
Lily’s eyes flew to his. Did he seriously think she was guilty?
‘Of course I wasn’t thinking that!’
‘Well, whatever you were thinking it didn’t work.’
‘How dare you?’ Lily felt angry tears spring into her eyes at the injustice of his comment and blinked them back. ‘I didn’t know that stuff was in my bag, and I’ve already told you these are my travel clothes and I look perfectly respectable.’
His eyebrows arched. ‘That’s debatable. But I suppose I should be thankful you’re not displaying as much skin as you usually do on your billboards.’
Lily didn’t pretend to misunderstand him. Movie billboards were often more provocative than they needed to be, and most of her fellow actresses found it just as frustrating as she did.
Not that Tristan would believe that. It was clear he still thought the worst of her, just as he always had, and the sooner she was on her way the better.
She looked up to suggest exactly that, but was startled when he leaned in close, invading her space.
‘Tell me, little Honey Blossom, have you ever been in a movie that required you to actually keep your clothes on?’
Lily bristled. She hadn’t been called Honey Blossom since she was seven, and she’d been fully clothed in all but her first film. ‘My name is Lily, as you well know, and your comments are not only insulting and incorrect, but completely outrageous.’
He cast her a bored smile and Lily’s blood boiled. Of all the rude, insensitive—
‘Just finish the damned drink, would you? I have work to do.’
Lily felt so tense her toes curled into her boots until they hurt. Enough was enough. Thankful or not, she didn’t have to put up with his offensive remarks.
‘I don’t want your damned drink,’ she returned icily, angling her chin and readjusting her cap. ‘And I don’t need your odious presence in my life for a second longer. Thank you for your assistance with my…unfortunate incident, but don’t bother coming to say hello at the wedding. I assure you I won’t be in the least offended.’
Lily gripped her bag tightly, and would have marched out with her head held high if Tristan hadn’t made a slight move to block her.
She hesitated and looked at him uneasily.
‘Pretty speech,’ he drawled, ‘but your unfortunate incident has landed you in my custody, and I give the orders now—not you.’
Lily’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Your custody?’ She nearly laughed at the thought.
He evidently didn’t like her response, because he leaned in even closer, his voice deadly soft. ‘What? Did you think I would just ignore the conditions of your release and let you waltz out of here by yourself? You don’t know me very well if you did.’
Lily edged back and felt the bar stool behind her thighs, a tremor of unease bumping down her spine. She hadn’t read the release form at all, and had a feeling she was about to regret that.
‘I didn’t read it,’ she admitted, sucking on the soft flesh of her upper lip—a nervous childhood gesture she’d never been able to master.
Tristan frowned down at her, and then must have realised she was serious because he had the gall to laugh. ‘You’re kidding.’
‘I’m glad you find it funny,’ she snapped, staring him down when his grim smile turned into a snarl.
‘Now, funny is probably the last thing I think about this situation—and here’s why. You just signed documents that place you under my protective custody until you’re either released—’ his tone implied that was about as likely as buying property on another planet ‘—or charged with possession of narcotics.’
Lily felt dizzy and leaned heavily on the bar stool at her back. ‘I don’t understand…’ She shook her head.
‘What? You thought the evidence might up and magically disappear? I’m good, Honey, but I’m not that good.’
‘No.’ She waved her hand in front of her and briefly closed her eyes. ‘The custody bit.’
‘It’s a form of house arrest.’
‘I didn’t know.’
‘Now you do. And now I’m ready to leave.’
‘No!’ Her hand hovered between them and her voice quavered. ‘Wait. Please. I…What does that mean, exactly?’
He looked at her as if she was a simpleton. ‘It means that we’re stuck with each other 24/7 for the foreseeable future, that’s what it means.’
Lily blinked. 24/7 with this gorgeous, angry man…? No way. She pressed her fingertips to her aching forehead and ordered herself to think. Surely there was another solution.
‘I can’t stay with you!’ She blurted out before her thoughts were properly in order.
His eyes sparkled into hers, as hard as polished gemstones. ‘Believe me, the thought couldn’t be more abhorrent to you than it is to me.’
‘But you should have told me!’
‘You should have read the paperwork,’ he dismissed.
He was right, and she hated that. Only it was because of him that she hadn’t read it in the first place.
‘You crowded me and told me to hurry.’
‘So now it’s my fault?’ he snapped.
‘I wasn’t blaming you.’ She swiped a hand across her brow. This was terrible. ‘But if you had warned me about what I was signing I wouldn’t have done so!’
He went still, his over-long tawny mane and square jaw giving the impression of a fully grown male lion that had just scented danger.
‘Warned you?’
Too late Lily realised he’d taken her comment as an insult.
‘And what exactly would you have done, hmm? Do tell.’
Lily pressed her lips together at his snide tone and tried not to notice how imposing he was, with his hands on his hips drawing his shoulders even wider. If she’d thought he hated her six years ago it was nothing compared to the contempt he clearly felt for her now.
And she wasn’t so much looking to put the past behind her any more as she was in burying it in a six-foot-deep hole! ‘I—I would have looked for an alternative,’ she stuttered. ‘Brainstormed other options.’
‘Brainstormed other options?’ He snorted and shook his head, as if the very notion was ludicrous. ‘We’re not in a movie rehearsal now, Honey!’
Lily’s heart thudded heavily in her chest. If he called her Honey one more time she might actually hit him. She took a deep, steadying breath and tried to remember that he felt he had a right to be angry, and that maybe, if their situations were reversed, she would feel the same way.
No, she wouldn’t. She’d be too worried for the other person to treat them so—so…indignantly.
‘Listen—’ she began, only to have her words cut off when he pushed off his bar stool and crowded her back against her own.
‘No. You listen,’ he bit out softly. ‘You don’t have a choice here. You’re no longer in charge. I am. And if you don’t like it I’ll give you another option. It’s called a prison cell. You want it—it’s back that way.’ He jerked his chin towards the entrance of the bar, his eyes never leaving