She Who Dares Read Free Page A

deposit, and…’
    Sebastian held up his hand to silence the man. ‘I’ll pay for the three months upfront. In cash.’
    Within ten minutes, the rental agent was gone and he had the keys in his hand. Funny what happened when there was cold, hard cash on the table. Shrugging out of his jacket, Sebastian tossed it on to the marshmallow sofa and set about exploring the rest of the house. As promised, there was more pink, more leather, and more tacky. Lots more tacky. Naked gold mermaids frolicked in the bathrooms, the master suite had the obligatory mirror over the bed, and there were love hearts everywhere.
    He’d been off the circuit for a month, and it was time to do something about it. His attempts to persuade his boss, Fernando, to give him a drive had so far proved unsuccessful. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Fernando had hired Morgan as the team’s psychologist, and she was refusing to budge and say he was fit to drive.
    Sebastian cursed, but the thought of his bossy little sister made him grin, as always. He wondered what she’d make of the pink palace he’d just rented for himself, what Freudian spin she’d put on it. Probably say it was a desperate attempt to return to the womb or something equally stupid.
    No, he had no desire to return to his childhood, thank you very much. But he did want to get back in the driver’s seat, and as Fernando had proven as immoveable as Mount Everest, he’d decided to try a different tack.
    One look at their poster boy working at a backwater garage in a tiny village in Cornwall, living in a pink porno palace, and the team sponsors would freak out. It was not an image which sold aftershave, or watches, or designer suits. No way would Fernando risk having the sponsors pull the plug.
    Sebastian found his way to the kitchen, which was shockingly normal, apart from the huge wall mural of two tiny dogs with huge alien eyes and big pointy ears. He filled a glass with ice cold water from the tap, downed it in one.
    Although he had every intention of working the situation to his advantage, Ella’s phone call had come out of the blue and he couldn’t help wondering if she was in trouble. Her absence from the garage only compounded that feeling. And why had she left that scatty woman in charge? He couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere, but he was damned if could place her. Those big dark eyes and buttermilk skin were oddly familiar.
    They’d also had a striking effect on his libido.
    He hadn’t come to Lostwithiel with a woman on his to do list. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for one. Okay, so their first interaction hadn’t been smooth. Between the tinfoil helmet, that big cape thing she’d been wearing, and the flash of strong, toned legs, he’d found himself a little distracted. He remembered the way she’d smelled when she’d leaned in to take the keys. Subtle and natural, with a hint of the metallic top note that he associated with hot metal and oil. Sebastian shook his head. He’d probably been imagining it. Only fantasy women smelled like a V8 engine.
    With a bit of luck, Ella would be at the garage when he went back at two and he’d be able to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. She was the exact opposite to her mysterious acquaintance, he thought. The light to the dark.
    And then it hit him like a bolt of lightning.
    He knew those eyes. And those legs. She’d come stumbling into the bar at the motor show where he’d first met Ella, hugging an alloy wheel to her chest. Ella’s sister.
    Nic. Who, according to what Ella had said, was a very talented mechanic.
    She’d lied when she’d said they hadn’t met.
    Now why on earth would she do that? Checking his watch, Sebastian considered his options. Hang around the porno palace or go back into the village and find out the answer to that question?
    It was a no brainer.
    He wouldn’t come back. Definitely not. Straightening the last spanner in the tray, Nic gently pushed it