‘That’s good to know,’ Seb said, his voice business-like as Andrew informed him the warehouse was now clear. He frowned at Andrew’s next question. ‘No, I won’t be back in today.’ He glanced at Sam, sitting motionless in a chair. ‘I’ll bring you up to speed as soon as, but let’s just say something has come to light.’
He never went into details over the phone anyway, but certainly had no wish to outline the shocking revelations whilst Sam was in earshot. She was shell-shocked enough as it was, and he couldn’t say he blamed her. ‘Oh, and Andrew, before you go. Do me a favour and pay the Orchid a fleeting visit. Make sure it’s all ticking over nicely… Yes, I will. Okay.’
Sam watched Seb replace the receiver, her eyes staring at him coldly. ‘You don’t need to handhold me because of this,’ she said sharply. ‘Regardless of what’s happened, I’m quite capable of running my club.’
She glanced dismissively at the scrap of paper which had accompanied the baby clothes. ‘Contrary to popular belief, the last couple of weeks have taught me that despite what life throws at you, there isn’t room for sentiment.’
Seb moved to sit next to Sam. Since walking out of her parents’ house and getting back to her own apartment, she hadn’t said a word. Until now. ‘Stop being a martyr. You don’t need to do that on my account.’
She may have surprised him with the unexpected way she’d dealt with what had crashed into both of their lives lately, but she wasn’t made of stone.
Seb found himself experiencing a strange and unnatural concept. He wanted to be there for her. Wanted to help her make sense of it. And he wouldn’t let her deal with this alone, despite what she said.
Sam pulled her eyes away from the piece of paper that her real mother had written in her own hand, like it meant nothing. Fury and bewilderment raged. She wanted to hold onto the only piece of her true identity that she had, but at the same time, she wanted it as far away from her as possible.
She couldn’t give Seb Stoker any reason to say she was weak or incapable. She could feel his power emanating from him. He didn’t need to touch her to be aware of his sheer presence, magnetism and strength. This man scared the living daylights out of her. Not just because of what he did and what he was capable of, but his ability to draw her in. It gave him an advantage which weakened her resolve.
It made her want him. Badly. There was a lot more to him than brutal violence and extortion. A lot more and she wanted to be part of it. But despite how much her body yearned to reach out and touch him, to feel his skin and prove he was real, she couldn’t. It was too dangerous. But she wanted to…
Shaking her head to rid herself of the unwanted thoughts, her lips pursed. ‘I take it by the veiled reference to whichever brother you were just speaking to, they’ve got rid of John Maynard?’
Seb was unable to stop his face from breaking into a smile at the sudden change of subject. ‘There’s no flies on you, are there?’
‘No, there aren’t. Sorry if that disappoints you,’ Sam snapped, knowing she was being aggressive and unreasonable, but she felt aggressive and unreasonable. She wanted to lash out and take the frustration, betrayal and pain raging through her veins out on him. Or someone. Anyone.
‘And for the record, Samantha, you don’t disappoint me. Far from it…’ Seb murmured, his fingers brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
Heating, Sam moved away. He’d done it again. Knocked her off kilter. She pulled her eyes from Seb’s face, his mouth. ‘At least one positive to come from this is there will be no more trouble.’
Seb nodded. ‘If the skanky twat was right about overhearing Len and Jimmy, and I think it was, then yes – it’s over.’
The weight of everything suddenly bore down on Sam. ‘I still can’t believe John betrayed everyone! He’d planned this for years.’ Her gaze drifted far away. ‘He killed his own father and then killed mine… Then he killed Gary and also must have been the one behind that blackmail letter.’
Unable to help it, her bottom lip trembled thinking of her father; the man she’d loved and trusted above all others – the man who wasn’t her father at all. Her eyes drew back to the scrap of paper.
Seb watched Sam fighting the internal battle to stay in control of her emotions. ‘By the way, Samantha suits you better than Violet,’ he said, raising an eyebrow.
Despite herself, Sam found herself smiling. ‘It does, doesn’t it?’
‘You’ll find a way to work this out in your head, I promise,’ Seb said, his eyes running across Sam’s face – so sad, yet so, so beautiful.
Sam sighed resignedly. ‘I’m trying to be rational about it, but…’
‘It’s one hell of a mind fuck!’ Seb finished the sentence. ‘What are you going to do about your mother?’
Sam frowned, remaining silent. As in Gloria or her real one? She’d walked out of Gloria’s home, leaving her sobbing in the chair. She needed time. Time to let all of this sink in before she could speak to her about this again.
‘Don’t be too hard on her. She loves you,’ Seb said softly, his hand moving to Sam’s face again, before stopping himself.
‘I need to know who they are.’ Sam whispered. She hadn’t meant to say it. She’d thought it but had dismissed the idea. Why should she want to know anything about the people who’d happily given her up? Who had sold her? She began to tremble. The truth was, no matter how much she fought against it, she needed to know who they were. ‘My real parents…’
‘I’ll help you,’ Seb found himself saying. He tilted Sam’s head up, seeing her eyes fill with the first unshed tears. ‘I’ll help you find these people and then you can choose what to do about it. I’ll also help you run the Orchid, okay? No strings attached.’
Sam knew the dam was about to burst. The tears were about to fall. Don’t. Don’t cry. ‘Thank you, but I…’
‘Stop fighting me, Sam,’ Seb said. ‘You don’t have to be on your own.’ He pulled Sam into his arms. The dam burst and Sam sobbed against his chest. For once in his life, he felt something other than revenge or absolution. And he didn’t want to let that go. For anyone.
After soaking the front of Seb’s shirt with her tears, Sam was past feeling stupid. Finally allowing herself to cry was cathartic, but more than anything, it had accentuated what she knew she would do. What she should have done before now. Pressing her nose against his chest, she inhaled his scent, giving her the confidence and resolve needed. She wanted this man like no other…
Scraping the back of her hand across her eyes, she pulled herself away and knelt on the sofa. Without giving herself time to analyse what she was about to do, she pressed her lips to his.
As Seb pulled her over him, his hand wrapping in her hair, his mouth greedily searching hers, Sam fumbled to undo his belt, knowing she had just made a decision that would mean a vast difference to her life.