Michelle Conder - Girl Behind the Scandalous Reputation

But she didn’t think that would play so well in this situation, and stupidly—so it now seemed—she had forgotten to prepare the whole busted-for-drugs-at-Heathrow scenario.

How remiss of her!

Now she had to ad lib, using a brain that wanted to drool over him like a beginner art student viewing her first Rodin nude.

Only she was no longer an impressionable girl caught in the throes of her first crush, Lily reminded herself firmly. She was a mature woman in charge of her own life. And wasn’t one of her goals on this trip to meet Tristan as an equal? To look at him, talk to him, and put the juvenile attraction that had plagued her so often in the company of other men to bed? Metaphorically speaking, of course.

‘I was invited to the wedding,’ she said as politely as possible, given that his harsh question had evoked exactly the opposite response.

‘And what an error of judgement that was,’ he sneered, ‘I can’t imagine what my sister was thinking.’

Lily frowned and glanced at the bartender, pouring whisky into two glasses, so that she wouldn’t have to look at Tristan. Perhaps the best thing at this point would be to apologise for inconveniencing him and leave quick-smart.

She watched as Tristan picked up his glass and swallowed down the contents with a slight flick of his wrist; his brows drawing together when she made no attempt to do the same.

‘Drink it. You look like you need it.’

‘What I need is a soft bed,’ she murmured, only realising how he’d taken her innocent comment when his eyebrows arched.

‘If that’s an invitation you can forget it,’ he dismissed.

Invitation!

Lily expelled a rushed breath, and then inhaled just as hastily, wishing she hadn’t as Tristan’s virile and somehow familiar scent wound its way into her sinuses. She felt the shock of it curl through her body and suddenly felt too warm.

Her heart rate picked up, and before she could change the direction of her thoughts she was back at the kiss she had been trying so hard not to think about.

He’d been lean and muscle-packed where she’d pressed against him, impossibly hard, and hot colour stole into her face as she remembered her youthful eagerness in his embrace. Lord, perhaps she had even instigated it! How mortifying…Especially in light of the fact that she couldn’t recall any other man’s kisses quite so readily.

Calling herself every type of fool for indulging in such useless memories, she swiftly removed his jacket and handed it back to him.

Then she sat her tote bag on the stool behind her and pulled out her favourite oversized black knit cardigan. She put it on. Found her black-and-white Yankees baseball cap and pulled that on too. Turning back, she couldn’t see much beyond Tristan’s broad shoulders, but the last thing she wanted was to be stopped on the way out by fans or—heaven forbid—any lurking paparazzi.

She noticed his condescending glance and decided to ignore it.

She was getting more and more agitated by her own memories and his snippy attitude. Logically she knew he had every reason to be put out, but she hadn’t done anything wrong. Would it really hurt him to be civil? After all, it wasn’t as if he had just been interrogated for hours on end over something he hadn’t done!

Lily tried to smile as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. ‘So, anyway, thanks for helping today. I can see that you didn’t really want to, but I appreciate it all the same.’

‘I don’t give a toss what you appreciate,’ 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.’