Craving His Forbidden Innocent. Louise Fuller

wear, it was more a stumbling dash than a full-on sprint, and already her lungs were begging for mercy.

       Oh, thank goodness.

      This was the street. Slowing down to an unsteady walk, she caught sight of her reflection in a shop window and breathed out shakily.

      It was her own fault she’d had to rush.

      Not because she’d been dithering over what to wear. Clothes weren’t really her thing and she only owned two dresses—one of which she hated because it was so tied up with love and dreams and heartache. Her other dress, a navy and white polka dot one, had looked sweet when she’d tried it on at home, but then she’d seen the state of her waist-length blonde hair and, panicking, walked straight into the nearest hair salon for a last-minute and eye-wateringly expensive blow-dry.

      But it had been worth it, she thought, her skin tingling with excitement and happiness. Today was the first time she’d seen her best friend in nearly two years and she wanted to celebrate.

      Stepping inside the restaurant, she glanced down at her legs, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Jeans and a T-shirt, preferably several sizes too large, was her usual outfit of choice, but Tenedor was a super-exclusive Argentinian eatery, popular with celebrities for its discreet staff and the tinted windows that made life hard for the paparazzi. It was definitely not the kind of venue you turned up to wearing faded denim.

      Her breathing lurched. Should she even be here? It was a long time since she’d moved in these circles—two horrible, hopeless years since Charlie and Raymond had been sent to prison and her life had changed for ever.

      But she was being stupid. Nobody was going to connect her with that haunted-looking girl outside the courtroom.

      Above the diminishing drumroll of her heart she gave her name to the unsmiling maître d’ and followed him through the restaurant, her excitement at seeing Alicia overriding her panic at being so conspicuous.

      She still couldn’t believe that it was two years since she’d last seen her friend. After Charlie and Raymond’s arrest they had spoken on the phone—a short, unhappy conversation, with her apologising over and over for what had happened and Alicia tearfully repeating that it changed nothing between them.

      Since then they had talked and texted, but after moving to New York Alicia had been busy working for her family’s charitable foundation, and then she had met and fallen in love with Philip Hennessy, heir to a restaurant empire, and that had obviously taken up most of her time.

      Now she and Philip were engaged, and according to the save the date card she’d received the wedding was going to be in May—less than three months away.

      In other words, Alicia was effortlessly hitting all the milestones of adulthood.

      Mimi’s chest tightened. Whereas she was working as a barista in a coffee shop at Borough Market, her youthful ambitions to become a film director having stalled before they got started.

      And as for her love-life…

      It wasn’t even a case of the less said the better—there was literally nothing to say. Her one bungled foray into the world of sexual relationships had left her with her virginity intact and her confidence so battered that she’d decided to put that part of her life on hold indefinitely.

      She sighed. Early spring made being single seem so much harder. London’s parks seemed to be full of pairs of ducks and deer all cosying up together, and it didn’t help that the scent of spring flowers reminded her of Alicia’s birthday party.

      And Alicia’s birthday party reminded her of Bautista.

      Her breath caught in her throat.

      Bautista Caine.

      Her best friend’s older brother—her first crush. The man who had broken her heart and then walked away without so much as a backward glance.

      Bautista…with his curving, lazy smile and steady dark gaze.

      She hadn’t been alone in fantasising about him. Practically every girl in their school, and probably some of their mothers too, had drooled over him whenever he’d turned up to collect his sister, and it only took the briefest of glances at him to understand why.

      He was smart, successful, and so charming that birds didn’t just fly off the trees, they dropped like overripe fruit. Not that he was interested in schoolgirls or their mums. His girlfriends were all long-limbed, pouty-lipped models. Hardly surprising, then, that he’d found it so humiliatingly easy to turn down a night with his sister’s gauche friend.

      Her stomach tightened—only this time not with excitement.

      It had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to think about Bautista and the night they hadn’t spent together. But ever since Alicia had announced her engagement it had been getting harder and harder to hold back the memories and ignore the fact that at some point she was going to have to see him again or forfeit her friend’s wedding. Because Alicia worshipped and adored her brother, and he adored her right back.

      Unfortunately his feelings for Mimi were somewhat cooler—if complete indifference even had a temperature.

      She shivered. It had been one of the few positives about Alicia’s absence: not having to face the man who had kissed her and then an hour later looked straight through her as if she didn’t exist.

      And that had been before he’d found out about Charlie and Raymond’s appalling abuse of trust.

      She felt her stomach contract. Before that night at Fairbourne he’d treated her with measured politeness, but judging by his concerted efforts to keep Alicia on a different continent for the past two years—her friend had let slip that it had been his idea for her to move to New York—he clearly thought she was not to be trusted.

      But maybe by the time they did come face to face she might actually have met someone who would compare to Bautista Caine and not be found wanting. Her heart skipped. Maybe she might be able to tell him truthfully that he wasn’t all that—

      ‘Mimi!’

      It was Alicia, in a beautiful yellow dress, a smile splitting her face, her brown eyes shining with happiness and affection, and suddenly they were hugging and laughing and both talking at once.

      ‘Oh, it’s so good to see you.’ Alicia took a step back and gazed at her with undisguised happiness. ‘I thought you might be too busy to fit me in.’

      ‘Doing what?’

      ‘I don’t know—you might have been hanging out at some indie film festival.’

      Mimi laughed. ‘Well, duh, that’s next month.’

      Giggling, Alicia gave her another crushing hug. ‘I’ve missed you so much. I know we talk on the phone and stuff, but it’s not the same as having you here.’

      Mimi felt her ribs tighten. ‘I’ve missed you too.’

      Alicia smiled. ‘You look amazing.’

      ‘You mean I’m wearing a dress.’

      ‘No, I mean you look amazing,’ Alicia said firmly. ‘Doesn’t she?’ She turned to the tall, fair-haired man standing behind her. ‘Philip, this is my best friend—the very talented, soon-to-be-discovered filmmaker, Mimi Miller. Mimi, this is Philip. The love of my life and a perfect saint.’

      Mimi squeezed her friend’s hand. This was what she loved most about Alicia—the way she spoke from the heart. Anyone else would be hiding their feelings, trying to play it cool, making a joke, but Alicia had always been unashamedly open and honest.

      Philip stepped forward. ‘Hi, Mimi.’ He kissed her lightly on both cheeks. ‘Alicia talks about you so much I feel like I already know you.’

      ‘And it didn’t put you off coming to lunch?’ She smiled at her friend. ‘You’re right—he is a saint.’

      ‘Hardly!’