The Price of Winning: London Calling Book Four (11 page)

Sebastian also seemed to be noticing what she wore. His gaze drifted over her, taking in the all-black, body-skimming ensemble while his palm absently brushed back and forth over her thigh.
 

The small gesture had Madeleine ready to throw herself on him. He was all big, hot, sweaty male, and she felt incredibly feminine and fragile sitting so close.
 

Warmth suffused her body. Idly, Madeleine wondered if it was possible for a human being to combust from such a simple, sexy caress. Feeling uncharacteristically shy, she dropped her chin to avoid looking at him.

And there was that chest again. His skin was darkly tanned and glistened with sweat, no doubt from the ferocity of the fight. He had a dusting of dark hair over his pectorals that tapered down into a line that disappeared into his drawstring pants. A scar cut across his ribs, not unlike the one that traveled his jaw to dip beneath his chin.
 

But that wasn’t all.

Small, circular scars were dotted across his chest and collarbone. Madeleine’s horrified gaze counted at least four of the pinkish, shiny rounds before she was forced to look away.

Sebastian sat up, wincing in pain. She reached for him, but he shrugged her off to stand on his own, swaying slightly before recovering his usual grace. He strode across the gym to loop a towel around his shoulders, effectively shielding himself from any further inspection.

Madeleine couldn’t have risen to her feet if her life depended on it. Nor could she ignore what she’d just seen.

She cleared her throat. “How?”

He froze, his back turned to her. No response.

“Sebastian, who did that to you?” Her voice cracked. “Was it someone who was supposed to care for you? Your parents?”

He whirled to face her. “No. My parents would never harm a living creature, let alone their son.”

She threw up her hands. “Then who?” she pleaded. “Were they punished?”

He walked back, tightly controlled. She had a brief moment of intimidation as he stood there, looming above her. He seemed to sense the same thing, because he reached down and cupped his hands beneath her elbows to raise her up.

She met his eyes squarely. “I can’t act like I didn’t see those. And I can’t have been the first to ask about it.”

“No, you’re not.” He spoke quietly. “But I don’t talk about it. Not ever. Not even with you.”

Madeleine had one second to marvel that he spoke about her like she was something rare and special. A smile broke through the mists of her shock, in spite of the evidence he’d been hurt badly at one time.
 

He didn’t return her smile. “I’ve been talking to Angeline about you.” His voice was brisk, even businesslike. “I don’t like what I’m hearing, frankly.”

“What?” He’d flipped the tables on her, switching the subject so fast she was left confused. She stared blankly.

“I thought bringing you here would help you. But you’re still hiding yourself away, afraid of everything and everyone.”
 

She gaped, speechless at his sudden attack.
 

“I know you just lost your parents, and I’m more sorry for that than I can say.” He walked over to the nearest wall and took a t-shirt down from a peg. He tossed the towel down then quickly slipped on the shirt. “But I can’t let you slip back into your old ways. As I see it, you’re about seven years overdue with getting on with things. That’s going to stop.”

Madeleine’s face and neck felt impossibly hot. “How dare you,” she hissed. “You don’t know me, you’ve barely met me.” He took one step backward. Satisfied, Madeleine let the anger take root. “You think because you’re rich and own this estate that you have some sort of say about me?” She closed the distance between them, no longer thinking of past scars or current injuries. She poked a finger at his chest, staring up at him. “Well, you don’t. I decide where I go and whom I see. I decide who I am.” She paused, chest heaving. “Not you. Not any man who thinks he can control my life.”

Sebastian stood, frozen in place. He seemed slightly paler. “I’m not trying to control you.”

She scoffed. “It sure as hell sounds like it.” She stabbed her finger at him again, unable to stop herself from poking the tiger. “I’ll do what I want.”

He captured her finger, holding it firm against his chest. Madeleine was surprised the fabric of his tee didn’t burn to ash for all the heat between them in that one single spot.

“Don’t make me out to be your enemy, Madeleine. I’m not.” He smiled, grim. “In fact, I only had your best interests in mind when bringing you here.”

Her shoulders immediately crumpled in shame. “I’m sorry. That was a cheap shot.” She blinked at the tears blurring her vision. After their initial misunderstandings, Sebastian had only shown her kindness and compassion. “I know you’re trying to help, but it’s hard for me.” She hitched a breath. It was so difficult for her to share her feelings and fears. For so long she’d cut herself off from nearly everyone except her parents. And she’d stopped confiding her deepest thoughts to them since they had their own burdens to carry.

Maybe it was time to open up.
 

No matter how surprising it was, Sebastian Payne seemed to be the man who made her want more again.

“I want to go out, I do. I’m not actually a shy person, you know. I was an actress, a model.” She forced a watery smile. “But now, when I think about it, I get scared. I’m so frightened, Sebastian.”
 

He embraced her, smoothing a hand down her back in reassurance. There was no heat between them now, only friendship. He cupped his hands around her shoulders, pulling her back so he could look into her eyes.

“The only way to conquer your fear is to face it. And then beat the shit out of it.”
 

He actually winked. Madeleine’s jaw dropped.

“I’m sure you’re a lovely ballerina,” he began. “But to defeat fear, you need real fighting skills. You have to know you can defend yourself if needed.”
 

She frowned, not liking where he was headed.
 

“I’m going to teach you how to fight.”

He was so confident, so self-assured, that Madeleine couldn’t help but accept his will as greater than her own. Her eyes ran over his swollen lip and blackened eye. She swallowed.

He caught the glance and husked out a laugh, mocking her. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it easier on you.”

She stiffened her spine, unconsciously rising to the challenge. “I’m not worried.” She smiled sweetly. “If I recall correctly, I’m the one who dropped
you
to the floor once already.”

That wiped the self-satisfied smirk off his face. Victorious, she sauntered across the room and placed her hands on the barre to begin her exercises. She watched in the mirror as Sebastian walked to the door to leave.

“Madeleine?” He tossed the word at her back.

“Yes, Sebastian?” Her tone was all sugared sarcasm. She was enjoying this.
 

“Pack your bags. We leave tomorrow.”

Gasping, she swung her leg back to the floor from where she’d placed it on the barre. He was already gone, though, and she was left wondering what to do. Part of her loved the cushion of living on Jersey, isolated from the world she’d left behind.

But Madeleine also knew there was a bigger part that wanted to follow Sebastian Payne wherever he led.

***

Angeline headed to the gymnasium, a room she rarely frequented on the estate. It made no sense to her why people dressed up and closed themselves indoors to get some exercise, especially when the sun was shining.

She brushed past Sebastian’s sparring partner in the corridor. He was wearing an unholy grin, so Angeline knew he must have won their fight.

“How bad is he going to be?” she asked, tongue-in-cheek. It had taken some time for her to adjust to the intensity of their fights and the accompanying blood that came along with them. All things considered, she was relieved no one had ever been admitted to the hospital.

“Oh, I think he’ll be fine. He was already on the mend when I left him.” The other man chuckled then continued toward the exit.
 

With a light push the door to the gym opened noiselessly. About twenty feet away Sebastian was lying on the floor, facing upward as Madeleine hovered over him. Her brow was creased and she was touching his face.

Angeline caught her breath. They were beautiful together, the dark and dangerous fighter lying prone beside the delicate ballerina. The contrasts were keen, but the similarities were in the way they looked at each other.

High windows allowed the sun to stream across them in brilliant swaths of light. She couldn’t hear anything of what was being said, but their body language was exquisitely clear.

Soon, they would be lovers.
 

She backed toward the door, happy to give them privacy. She’d become attached to Madeleine in the weeks since her arrival. The younger woman was wounded and vulnerable, though. Would Sebastian hurt her?

Angeline was certain he wouldn’t intentionally harm a single hair on Madeleine’s head. But there was darkness inside him, and that worried Angeline. She recognized the emotion as someone who knew it for what it was.

Rage.

As was with her, Sebastian’s fury was born while he was young and optimistic. And like her, Sebastian kept his temper tightly harnessed and controlled. But Angeline knew the cost.

Eventually, fury always found its way out.
 

Angeline feared for Sebastian. She’d seen the changes. How his intensity and thirst for justice had ratcheted up lately. If something didn’t change, she was very much afraid he’d slip into dangerous waters.

Intensity could turn to obsession—justice to vengeance.

She was almost out the door when she cast one look back at the couple inside the gym. Sebastian was standing, his big bulk dwarfing the petite woman sitting at his feet. Madeleine was looking down, pleating her skirt. She couldn’t possibly see the expression on Sebastian’s face.

But Angeline could.

Desire and tenderness. There was something else too—something more than affection.
 

She doubted Sebastian and Madeleine realized what was happening yet.
 

It was so rare, really.
 

Theirs would be an all-consuming love. The kind that only came around once in a thousand lifetimes.
 

Exactly the kind she’d had with John Sinclair.

CHAPTER FIVE

M
ADELEINE
STABBED
A
pineapple chunk with her fork, glaring at the man seated opposite. Of course, Sebastian remained blithely unconcerned with her as he carefully spooned a soft-boiled egg out of its cup while reading the financial news on his tablet. She’d been observing him for weeks since her arrival at his London estate. He was very methodical.

A bite of egg, maybe two, before he set down his silver to dab his mouth with a linen napkin.

A sip of coffee.

As warranted, a swipe of one lean finger to bring another page of news.

And so on.

She may as well be invisible.

He was driving her out of her mind. She’d opened up to him that day in the gym. She’d confessed how frightened she was, and he’d supported and soothed her. Then he’d announced she was leaving with him, and he would teach her to fight.

She’d been positive they shared something more that day. A connection.
 

Her feelings for him had persisted during her move into Payne Manor. Some days they hovered between gratitude for his friendship and frustration with the distance his courtesy created. More and more often, she couldn’t seem to shake her craving for another taste of him.

In the beginning she’d thought he felt the same. After her arrival they’d talked and laughed together, frequently spending time in the library where he taught her card games like poker and baccarat. Sexual attraction simmered beneath every exchange, a slow burn she’d been sure would spread to a fire.
 

Then, two weeks or so ago, he stopped meeting her for dinner and came home too late for games or conversation. If it weren’t for their shared breakfasts, she wouldn’t know he was home at all. Even those times were fast becoming silent affairs.
 

She pushed her plate to the side, no longer hungry. Almost immediately, an older, uniformed woman with silver hair neatly tucked in a bun, appeared at her elbow to remove it.

“Thank you, Sylvia.” The woman nodded then soundlessly left the conservatory.

“I’ve told you, call me Bas.” Sebastian murmured. His head was down, all his attention locked on the device laying at his right hand.

Madeleine normally would have laughed at a situation this ridiculous. Instead, she renewed her efforts at glaring. Maybe she could develop a latent superpower and singe his eyebrows a little.

Alas, nothing.
 

She huffed. “I wasn’t talking to
you
.” She could have thumped him. These days, he was an insufferable ass, pompous and autocratic during the times they spent together.