Page 24 of Hollywood Undercover
Chapter 10
SEBASTIAN raisedhis eyebrows and smiled at the sight ofher.
Yes. Lexxi Rock is definitely checking meout.
He grinned at the thought, taking long, deliberate strides across the lawn separating their properties to catch up to her. There was no doubt she was enjoying the merchandise, the way she licked her lips as she stared at him. When he got closer, Alexandra turned to him and shrunk back up her frontsteps.
“No, man. It’s cool. I gotthis.”
“I don’t mind at all,” he replied lightly. “I’m used to Max asking for a little help around the house. All those stairs can behell.”
He walked up the steps and across the porch toward the reluctant Alexandra. He was more than willing to assist the girl in disguise, if for no other reason than to spend some time with her, and maybe learn a thing or two. He had been thinking about Alexandra Storme from the moment he realized she had made it back home. In the week or so since she had arrived, she was proving to be elusive. Sebastian had been back and forth to the orthopedist, almost never home at the same time she was at Max’s place. It had to be sheer luck that he was taking out the trash at exactly the right moment for their paths tocross.
She backed into the open door and pointed at the stairs. “Um, are you sure? They’re all the way up on the third floor in my…in my cousin’sroom.”
He nodded, ignoring the fact that ‘Alex’ was sleeping in the girlish bedroom for the duration of ‘his’ stay. She blushed as if she had just realized how unusual that was. Sebastian climbed the stairs behind her, his eyes fixed on the womanly curve of her bottom in the masculine gray slacks. He caught her faint smell of masculine, woodsy cologne. It was out of place on her skin, but fit the persona she was portraying. He could easily imagine her wearing something sweet andfloral.
“How’s Mr. Storme been holding up?” he asked, to makeconversation.
They crested the top step of the second floor and carried on to the staircase that led to the third. Alex looked over her shoulder, a shy, concerned expression on herface
“Not too well right now, but I’m hopeful. They have him on a breathing machine and a steroid drip, but to be honest, nothing is helping this bout ofpneumonia.”
He was stunned, and didn’t know what to say at first. He had no idea Max was thatsick.
“I’m sorry to hear, Alex,” he toldher.
She shrugged casually, leading him over to her bedroom. She had to be going through a lot, with her father so ill. He remembered her at fourteen, a shy teenager sitting under the massive oak tree in the backyard of her house, crying her eyes out the day of her mother’s wake. Sebastian was tempted to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder. He didn’t know her well enough to do that, so he left italone.
“It’s these boxes here,” she said, changing thesubject.
He picked up the tremor in her voice and looked over at her. Alexandra had turned her face away, but not quickly enough to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. Without speaking, she gestured at the containers from the open bedroom door. Sebastian moved past her, respecting her attempts to be strong at a time like this. He wasn’t the type to pry, and she probably wanted herprivacy.
He easily picked up the container with one hand. Placing it back down, he stacked another on top and walked back to the stairwell. Only his knee protested from climbing all those stairs. He ignored it. He could take a little pain forAlexandra.
“Did you say you wanted these down in thebasement?”
“Yes. Thanks.” She cleared her throat and hurried ahead to show him the way. As she went downstairs, she asked “So, you know my uncle pretty well, doyou?”
“More or less,yes.”
“How long have you lived nextdoor?”
“I’ve owned the house next door for about three years,” he answered, not wanting to tell her toomuch.
That was just a littlelie.
He didn’t want to put Alexandra on guard by admitting he had lived there almost all his life, except for the four years he lived in his own apartment before his parents passed. It was clear she didn’t remember him. As to whether that fact was a good or bad thing, Sebastian was on the fence. He, on the other hand, remembered intimate details abouther.
“He’ll be happy to hear you’re thinking about him. People think my dad—umm, my uncle is bit of a recluse, but he’s just really busy and very private.” Alexandra brushed her hair back from her forehead and opened the basement door, switching on the light and directing him through the organized storage area. “You can set them down overthere.”
“Got it.” He put down the box and turned to her, suddenly very aware they were alone and that she was standing awkwardly close to him. Close enough that he saw her long eyelashes glistening with unshedtears.
Damn, she’sgorgeous.
Her eyes looked distant, like she was lost in thought and didn’t notice their proximity. Without thinking, Sebastian reached out and brushed away a tear on her face with his thumb. For a split second, all she did was look up at him. Their eyes locked again, and Alexandra steppedback.
“Whoa!” She threw up her handsdefensively.
