Restless Billionaire (18 page)

 
          
But
it had made Sebastian feel even more strongly about his reasons not to commit.
When he’d seen the child being brutalised on the street, he’d just felt
sympathy for him, but not shock. And it was that sense of being anaesthetised
that scared him.

 
          
He’d
grown up learning to duck from his father’s loose fists. He’d invariably been
protected by one of his brothers and witnessed them getting a dose of physical
violence, but none more so shocking than his beautiful older sister, Annabelle,
the day their father had whipped her mercilessly, leaving her with permanent
scars. He’d been too small to step in and help her and that sense of
ineffectualness had stuck with him, heightening his sense of isolation.
And his sense of fear that perhaps he couldn’t protect his own
child.

 
          
When
they’d bought his suit for the wedding, he’d led Aneesa to a well-known
designer shop on Bond Street, but on the threshold she’d pulled back and he’d
looked down to see her face, puce with embarrassment. He’d frowned. He would
have thought she’d have been running in, eager to indulge. But when she’d
refused to budge she’d finally admitted, ‘I don’t have enough money to pay for
a dress here. Let’s go somewhere else.
Please
.’

 
          
And
gruffly, he’d assured her that he’d intended to pay for her outfit, but still,
she hadn’t budged until he’d promised to let her pay him back.

 
          
She’d
been quick and economical, settling on a knee-length champagne-coloured dress
that had swirled around her like a diaphanous cloud, with a clever empire line
to disguise her swelling belly. And a short gold blazer jacket to go over it.

 
          
When
he’d seen her emerge from the changing room and how much delectable silky
olive-skinned cleavage was revealed in the dress, he’d had to bite back the
urge to insist on a less revealing dress. But she’d looked so shyly pleased
that he hadn’t had the heart to say anything.

 
          
It
was only when they’d been headed back to the apartment that he’d realised how
much he’d genuinely enjoyed the afternoon when he normally abhorred shopping,
and how little he’d been thinking of the upcoming wedding.
Especially
when he’d made a vow not to see his brother Jacob ever again.
But right
now, with Aneesa by his side, the prospect wasn’t half as daunting as he would
have imagined.

 
          
On
the morning of Nathaniel’s wedding, Aneesa woke up and rolled over in the bed.
Lying on her back, looking at the ceiling, she didn’t need to feel the bed
beside her to know that Sebastian hadn’t joined her last night.

 
          
He’d
been out indulging in his punishing exercise regime again, swimming or punching
a
bag,
or running—she didn’t know which. His rising tension
as they’d approached the wedding had had a direct effect on Aneesa, to the
point where his pacing in the living room last night had irritated her so much
that she’d announced that his hair was too long and had made him sit down in
the bathroom so she could give him a haircut.

 
          
He’d
sat as meekly as a child while she’d moved around him, cutting his hair short,
the way it had been when she’d first met him. When she was almost finished, he’d
asked her gruffly, ‘Where did you learn to do this?’

 
          
‘My
mother always cuts my father’s hair. She taught me years ago.’

 
          
Their
eyes had met in the bathroom mirror and she’d said drily but with a pain in her
heart, ‘It’s just a haircut, Sebastian, don’t worry. I’m not binding you to me
for ever with some mystical Indian ceremony.’

 
          
But
the truth was
,
she
had
found it more than a little erotic and all too easy to indulge in a fantasy of
things being different. She’d never known what an intimate thing it was to cut
someone’s hair; perhaps it was because the other person was somewhat
vulnerable. She’d always felt a little like a voyeur when she’d watched her
mother tend to her father like that.

 
          
But
afterwards Sebastian had got up and said an abrupt thanks and had all but run
out, leaving Aneesa standing there holding the scissors, surrounded by hair.
She’d felt like calling after him for a tip.

 
          
What
she didn’t know was that Sebastian had gone straight to his study where he’d
poured himself a generous measure of whisky and downed it in one gulp. His
hands hadn’t been steady, the experience of having his hair cut by her
affecting him more profoundly than he liked to admit.

 
          
Handing
himself over to Aneesa like that—having her caress his head, push it forward,
tilt it back and to the side … running her fingers through his hair to judge
where to cut, massaging his scalp … feeling the tantalising brush of her breast
against his body—it had been all he could do to just sit there and not yank her
round to sit on his lap and sate the fire burning in his loins.

 
          
Since
when was getting a haircut erotic?
And yet at the same time
deliciously soporific?
For the first time in a couple of days, since he’d
decided to go to the wedding, she’d once again managed to distract him and shut
out the clamour in his head … and he hated the feeling of vulnerability that
gave him.
The sense that, on some level, he
needed
her.

 
          
The
elusive lure of losing himself in hard-core exercise had come to his rescue for
the first time in days and he’d escaped to the pool where he’d swum himself to
a point of exhaustion, finally falling asleep on a lounger by the pool as dawn
broke outside.

 
          
Sebastian
had told Aneesa that they would stay at his hotel the night of the wedding, so
she’d prepared a small overnight bag, and when she emerged to the main reception
area of the apartment there were butterflies in her belly to see the back of
the tall, impossibly broad-shouldered figure of Sebastian in a steel-grey
morning suit.

 
          
He’d
been talking to Nathaniel on the phone and had agreed to be his groomsman.
Apparently Nathaniel hadn’t wanted a best man, and they were eschewing the
traditional pomp and speeches for an informal late lunch after the ceremony.
Sebastian turned around slowly now, increasing the butterflies in Aneesa’s
belly, and then she wondered if she was feeling the baby move for the first
time?

 
          
But
when his eyes hungrily took her in she forgot everything under his intense
gaze. He’d seen the dress in the shop already, surely he liked it? She suddenly
felt very insecure.

 
          
‘Is
it OK? It’s not too short?’ She pulled ineffectually at the dress and jacket.

 
          
‘No,’
Sebastian said curtly. ‘It’s fine.’

 
          
It
was more than fine; she was quite simply the most beautiful thing he’d ever
seen.
A vision in gold and soft champagne.
Her skin
was glowing. Her long black hair was down and she’d teased it into sleek
movie-star waves. And her feet were encased in vertiginous gold sandals that
drew the eye to her slender but stupendously shapely legs.

 
          
He
frowned. ‘Can you walk in those?’

 
          
She
stuck one leg out and he had to bite back a groan. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said
breezily. ‘One thing the movies and being a beauty queen has taught me is how
to stand around for hours in high heels.’

 
          
He
held out a hand. ‘We’d better get going—’ he smiled grimly ‘—wouldn’t want to be
late, now, would we?’

 
          
She
came forward with a determined glint in her eye and took his hand, making his
chest lurch. ‘No, we wouldn’t.’

 
          
The
marriage ceremony was taking place in the small Unitarian church just beside
the Grand Wolfe Hotel, which was huge and impressive—exuding a classic
timelessness that Aneesa could recognise was Sebastian’s trademark signature
style.

 
          
Aneesa
stood on her own for much of the service as Sebastian stood alongside his
brother. She recognised famous Hollywood actor Nathaniel, of course; his hair
was dark like Sebastian’s but longer. When he’d turned to greet Sebastian the
two men had just looked at each other for a long intense moment before hugging
fiercely. And with awful predictability emotional tears had pricked Aneesa’s
eyes.

 
          
Nathaniel’s
bride, Katie, was stunning in a beautiful long ivory gown with antique diamante
details just below her bust and at the shoulders of the straps of the dress,
showing off her slender willowy frame. A mass of brown curls was drawn up and
away from her face, highlighting a long neck and the most amazing green eyes
Aneesa had ever seen.

 
          
Aneesa
had spotted who she assumed to be Sebastian’s other brothers ahead of her by a
few pews. They all cut tall intimidating figures. One she guessed had to be
Jacob, as he looked the most austere. She’d caught a glimpse of his dark eyes
when he’d turned to watch the bride walk down the aisle, and they’d been
intense.

 
          
In
the flurry of activity once the ceremony was over, Aneesa was surprised when
Sebastian reached for her hand and pulled her from the pew so that she could
walk with him up the aisle. She felt the fierceness of his grip and squeezed
his hand silently, telling him that she understood, touched by his obvious
desire to have her by his side. Once again that dangerous tendril of hope
unfurled inside her and she had to dampen it down.

 
          
There
were paparazzi everywhere outside, like a baying mob, being held back by a
cordon of security men. But Sebastian had them whisked inside the hotel in minutes,
and after checking with his manager that everything was running smoothly, they
made their way to the main reception room.

 
          
Sebastian
first introduced Aneesa to his sister, Annabelle, who Aneesa realised had been
the photographer in the church and outside. She was beautiful—tall and slim,
dressed with impeccably smart taste, with long wavy blond hair and grey eyes
which swirled with emotion. Instinctively Aneesa guessed Annabelle wouldn’t
want people to see that and felt a small bond form between them, and was
touched when Annabelle congratulated them on the pregnancy.

 
          
And
then in no particular order she was introduced to the happy couple, who only
had eyes for each other, and two other brothers, Lucas and Rafael, who’d been
polite and inquisitive. Lucas’s girlfriend, Grace, had been there also, tall
with blond hair. Rafael, however, had shown that sparky Wolfe trait she was
coming to know so well when Sebastian had asked after his wife, Leila. Rafael’s
black eyes had flashed warningly as he’d issued a curtly succinct, ‘She couldn’t
make it.’

 
          
An
enigmatic look had passed between Sebastian and Lucas.

 
          
Through
it all Sebastian had his arm clamped around Aneesa’s waist and her face was
starting to hurt from smiling so much. And then she felt him tense rigidly. She
followed his gaze to see a man approach them, the man she’d guessed was Jacob
in the church. Tall with thick black hair, dark eyes like Rafael.
And a grimly determined look on his face.
Aneesa could feel
Sebastian’s urge to turn and walk away and she silently willed him to stay. He
did.

 
          
But
as the two tall men squared up to each other the lengthening silence became
unbearable. Aneesa might have been invisible for all the attention either man
gave her, and then abruptly Sebastian issued a tortured sounding, ‘I can’t do
this.’ And letting Aneesa go, he strode away and out of the reception room.

 
          
Jacob’s
black eyes followed his brother and Aneesa could see the sorrow in them. She
tentatively touched his sleeve and he looked down at her, finally focusing on
her. Apologising, he introduced himself. ‘I knew it wouldn’t be easy for
Sebastian after all this time, but I’d hoped …’

 
          
Aneesa
felt awkward. ‘I don’t know exactly what happened between you but I’m sure it’ll
work out.’