“Yeah.” Seb grinned, pleased that she’d relaxed enough to joke. He took her hand. “Look, I know this arrangement might take some getting used to, but I think it’ll work out just fine.”
Cassie held onto his fingers with both hands, not meeting his gaze. “What’ll happen if people find out you’re paying me?”
Seb frowned. “The only way they’re gonna know is if you tell them.”
“And you don’t think our slimy friend will snoop around and find out?”
“How?” Unease stirred in Seb’s belly. “If we stay professional, he won’t have anything on us and he’ll soon lose interest. Unless, of course, you have some skeletons in the closet that—”
“Well, you see …” She released his hand to fidget with the buttons of her top, her eyes darting to the hotel’s entrance. “There really is something you should know about me.”
Unease morphed to full-on panic. “What’s the problem, Cassie?”
“That’s just it. I’m not Cassie. There was a mistake.”
Blood rushed to his head.
“I’m not the woman you’re looking for.”
Chapter 5
“Areyoufuckingkiddingme?”
Helen hadn’t thought for one minute that Sebastian would take the news well, but this? He looked so shocked. So wounded.
“You were wearing her badge,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Only so I could eat but—”
“And you didn’t think to correct me?”
“I couldn’t. Not straightaway. Then you mentioned a job and … and … I’m so desperate for money. I could lose my home and—”
“Where’s Cassie?”
“All I know is that she didn’t show up.”
Gripping her shoulders, Sebastian pulled her against him. Helen splayed her fingers across his solid chest. To anyone else it would look like he was about to kiss her, but only she could see the storm in his eyes.
“Are you a guest here?” he asked.
Helen shook her head.
He squeezed her closer. “Who are you?”
“Nobody. Really, I’m a nobody.”
“Your table’s ready, Mr. Clarke.”
The waiter’s words startled them both. Sebastian’s grip relaxed—which was bloody lucky for him. Her primed knee had been seconds away from striking his groin.
How dare he hold her like that? She was doing him a favor telling him the truth but now wished she’d stuck to her original plan of running away, for the fat lot of good being honest had done. Hadn’t she already promised to keep his secret safe?
Sebastian flashed one of his plastic smiles to the waiter. “We’ve changed our mind about the table.” But then anger dissipated as quickly as it had come, replaced with … withvulnerability?Anxiety?
Puzzled, Helen let Sebastian lead her out of the restaurant, not wanting to cause a scene by resisting.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She’d obviously caused him a lot of stress. “I won’t tell anyone about this. Trust me.”
