Risking It All: London Calling Book Three (31 page)

Sebastian did know. “So you wouldn’t mind if I catch a ride with you in the elevator?”

Madeleine’s mother held up a finger. “One second, do you mind?” She pulled her husband a couple of feet away and whispered in his ear. By now the concierge had noticed them grouped in the building foyer. He stepped out, his friendly smile dying as soon as he saw Sebastian.
 

The situation called for quick decisiveness. And a silent wish for luck. “Mr. and Mrs. Price, shall we?” He reached out, ushering them toward the lobby entrance. The concierge hesitated a split-second, and Sebastian feared he was doomed for disappointment.
 

“Yes, let’s go, honey.” She took her husband’s arm, navigating him through the lobby. “I’m sure Madeleine will be happy to see Sebastian.”

The concierge visibly relaxed and led the way to the bank of elevators. Clearly, her parents were excused from all the security measures Sebastian went through a few months before. As the lift climbed to her penthouse floor, Sebastian exhaled the long breath he’d been holding. He’d avoided the first pitfalls. Now he just needed to get through her front door.

Unlike last time.
 

He didn’t know quite when he’d become so determined to see her. But she’d haunted him before Dominic insisted on this trip. Truth be told, Sebastian stopped himself more than once from trying to contact her in the past months. Ultimately, he would always convince himself that leaving her alone was best, even though she invaded his thoughts far too frequently. For some reason she’d taken a firm hold on his mind. Maybe this visit would allow him to shake her free.

With a subdued ding, the lift doors opened. Sebastian allowed Madeleine’s parents to exit then tentatively followed, keeping well back. He had no desire to be seen yet, and he wasn’t sure if they used the video monitor.
 

“Sorry, I’m a bit slow yet.” Her father spoke, indicating his legs. “I had recent surgery, and I’m still rehabbing.”

Sympathy twisted Sebastian’s gut. He knew the bones of Madeleine’s story. A stalker had terrorized and eventually attacked her. Her father was shot and nearly killed. He wasn’t clear on anything else except for the fact she’d dropped her career and retreated from any sort of public life for the past seven years. Obviously, they had all suffered in different ways.

Sebastian nodded, lost for any appropriate words. Her father’s lips tilted slightly before he nodded too. “You’ll do.”

Before Sebastian could question his words, the door buzzed. Over everyone’s heads he glimpsed Madeleine. She was dressed for company, wearing slim pants that stopped above her ankles. A fitted, sleeveless top hugged her breasts and ballet flats adorned her feet. She was like a modern-day, titian Audrey Hepburn.
 

Sebastian nearly buckled as desire slammed into him.

Before he could cut and run, Madeleine’s mother crowded forward, kissing her daughter’s cheek. Words were hurriedly exchanged, but Sebastian missed them all, astounded and shell-shocked with the force of his continued response to Madeleine Price.

Until the end, when he distinctly heard her mother say, “So instead, we’ll leave you with Sebastian, honey. I’m sure you two have loads to catch up on.”
 

Without waiting for agreement, her mother was back at the elevators with her husband at her side. Clearly, Madeleine’s father could move fast when the situation warranted. The doors dinged, and her parents were gone before he could breathe a word of protest.
 

His eyes swiveled to Madeleine’s. They were bright green and nearly glowing with outrage. She moved, and Sebastian only just managed to get his foot inside when the door was unceremoniously slammed against it.
 

Grimacing, he looked down to see his shoe smashed against the jamb. His entire foot was throbbing, and Madeleine still pushed against the door, using heroic force considering her size. At this rate, she’d break a toe, at least.
 

“Enough!’ Sebastian’s voice boomed in the small entryway. He was gratified to feel the pressure lessen against his abused limb. He pressed his palm flat against the door, pushing enough to wedge it open a little further. He leaned in.

“Let go of this damn door, Madeleine.”
 

In reply, she renewed her efforts.
 

He was about to give up when she abruptly released the door. It swung open, banging back against the interior wall. She raced to the mounted security monitor and slammed her hand against a large, black button. A red light on the camera above the door came alive, and the lens rotated to their location with a quick, jerky movement.
 

Motion sensors. Sebastian took all this in, but not before Madeleine could step closer to the unit. She opened her mouth, and Sebastian knew she was about to scream the building down.

He did the only thing possible. Wrapping her into his arms, he lowered his head for a devastating, movie-caliber kiss in order to shut her the hell up.

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A N
OTE
F
ROM
K
AT

Thank you for reading Dominic and Natalie’s story in
Risking It All
, Book Three in my
London Calling
series. Theirs was a story about real love, second chances, and the power of forgiveness.
 

The next book will take us to Sebastian and Madeleine, two scarred people trying to find their way back into the light. Can these damaged souls find solace in each other? Will they be brave enough to turn away from their self-imposed loneliness to find love and redemption? Find out in the
The Price of Winning
, Book Four of
London Calling
.
 

Make sure you don’t miss new releases and free books by joining my readers’ group! Sign up at
http://www.katfaitour.com
and join the fun.
 

And finally, if you loved
Risking It All
, it would do me a great service if you would leave a short review on Amazon. Your assistance in recommending this book spreads the word to new readers and helps others find my series.

Thank you!
 

Kat Faitour
 

http://www.katfaitour.com

A
BOUT
K
AT
F
AITOUR

I write about modern, sexy characters in fabulous settings. No matter what, romance is always guaranteed in my emotionally punchy, smart, and passionate stories.

My lifelong love affair with books began at the age of three when my brother taught me to read. It was an ambitious undertaking, since he was only five. He always made sure I kept up with what he was reading, which meant I missed out on books by Dr. Seuss in favor of those by J.R.R. Tolkien and Anne McCaffrey.

Unfortunately for my brother (and fortunately for me), I was introduced to romance as a young teen and nothing has been the same since. While I still read his fantasy and fiction picks, my passion always brings me back to romances with compelling emotional stories.

Alas, my brother believes me to be a libertine, abandoning the realms of higher genre fiction to wallow in sexy stories about beautiful people in gorgeous places.

I suppose he’s right. But I remind him all the best stories are adventures. And what better adventure than two people finding each other, learning to love, and spending their lives together?