Page 68 of Ruin
She steps closers and I reach forward to cup her cheek briefly before dropping my hand back to my side.
“I’m going to go and do a workout. And I am out of town tomorrow,” I say, taking a step back. “Good night, Lily.”
She frowns - most likely confused about why I need to work out for a second time today.
Knowing that it makes me a coward, I step around her and head downstairs.
The decision to head to Sydney was a knee-jerk reaction to what just happened. A need to put as much space as possible between the two of us before I throw caution to the wind and bury myself deep inside her.
To burrow myself beneath her skin, just like she’s done for me.
31
LIES DON’T WORK ON ME
SEBASTIAN
Peter collectsme from the airport, raising an eyebrow when I tell him we’re making a detour before heading to Rose Hill.
“Sinclair’s Offices? Senator Sinclair?” he asks when I give him the address.
“One and the same,” I reply, scrubbing a hand over my face.
I’m fucking exhausted. If I thought I wasn’t sleeping well in the weeks after Lily’s arrival, this week has been a thousand times worse. Every time I’ve seen her, it’s been a constant internal war between my emotions, with one half wanting to run far away and the other desperate to bury myself inside her.
Suffice to say, sleep has been elusive.
Needing to deal with something I can control, I’d decided that this trip to Sydney was going to be more than a simple business trip.
Pulling up out the front, Peter turns to look at me. “Want me to wait, or come back in a bit?”
I shake my head. “This shouldn’t be a long visit.”
“Okay, I’ll go find a car park somewhere along the street. Message me when you’re ready.”
I nod and step out onto the curb. He pulls back into the stream of traffic along the busy street, and I glance up at the large sign above the door, declaring this the offices of Senator Joseph Sinclair.
He’s come up a long way since I last saw him. He was a local councillor back then, but he’d always had loftier goals.
I wonder how Lily’s father had felt once Joseph was no longer the one in charge of development in the electorate. I have to admit, I’d had a bit of a chuckle when the news broke that Joseph had stepped away to run for senate, imagining Dylan St. Clair’s utter disgust. That was the only thing about the whole situation that made me smile, though.
Letting myself inside, I nod towards the young woman on reception.
“Sebastian DeLuca, here for my 11am appointment with Joseph,” I tell her.
She looks at her computer, then back at me, frowning. “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to have anything noted for Joseph at 11am.”
“We only made the appointment yesterday.”
I know how to play these games, and show no signs that I’m bluffing through my arse.
She bites her lip, glancing between me and her screen a few times, then nods. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”
I nod. “Please do.” Taking a seat on the leather couch in the waiting area, I keep my eyes trained on her as she lifts the receiver on the phone beside her.
She smiles at me, her eyes lowering as her cheeks turn pink.
I’m not stupid. I’m very aware of the affect I have on people, and this is one of those times that I have no problem using it to my advantage.
