She eyed the shortbread, then him. “What is this, your idea of seduction?”
Sebastian smirked. “Please. If I were seducing you, you’d know it.”
Harper raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. Instead, she took a bite of the shortbread and made a small sound of approval. “Okay, that’s annoyingly good.”
“Told you. Alexander might be a monarch, but the man has excellent taste in biscuits.”
Harper leaned back, the wine glass cool against her palm. “I’m going to check the news, see what fresh hell the world’s serving up today.”
“Feel free,” Sebastian stretching his legs out. “Though fair warning, it’s probably all depressing.”
Harper pulled up her usual news aggregator, scrolling through headlines. “Oh look, another politician caught with his hand in the cookie jar… climate change update that’ll make us all want to move to Mars, and—” She paused, smirking. “Celebrity gossip. Always a reliable palate cleanser.”
“Don’t tell me you actually read that drivel,” Sebastian said, though there was amusement in his voice.
“Research,” Harper said primly. “I need to know what passes for journalism these days.” She clicked on an entertainment site. “Besides, sometimes the gossip columns are more honest than the political coverage.”
She scrolled through photos of various celebrities looking either radiant or terrible, depending on the angle and lighting. Sebastian got up and moved closer to peer over her shoulder.He was close enough that she could smell his cologne again.
“Oh, this is rich,” Harper said, pointing to a headline. “‘Beauty Influencer Chloe Porter Spotted Getting Cozy with a Certain Viscount—Could This Be Love?’” Below it was a grainy paparazzi photo of a man who might have been Sebastian if you squinted and had terrible eyesight.
Sebastian burst out laughing, a genuine, delighted sound. “That’s not even me.”
“Wait, so you don’t even know her?” Harper asked a little too pleased.
Sebastian’s sly smile suggested he’d caught that hint of relief. “I know of her. We were at the same charity auction. But according to the tabloids, this week alone I’ve supposedly dated a pop star, a Danish architect, and a pro tennis player.” He leaned back with mock exhaustion. “I’m apparently very busy.”
“Yes, that’s ambitious even for you,” she replied drily.
“What can I say, I’m an overachiever.”
Harper laughed, then turned to look at him. “So, do you always read your own press?”
“Better to know what rumors are going around about me,” he said with a shrug. “Information is power, right? Even when it’s completely fabricated.”
“How much of it is actually true?”
“Maybe ten percent. Twenty on a good day.” His expression grew more serious. “The real scandals never make print. They’re either too boring or too complicated. But let them have a slow week and suddenly I’m either breaking hearts or hiding from society, depending on their mood.”
Harper continued scrolling, shaking her head at increasingly ridiculous headlines. “I guess it must be weird. Being a public figure. Having your life dissected by strangers.”
Sebastian shrugged. “I’m barely a C-list celebrity. For me it’s mostly entertainment.” His expression softened slightly. “Alexander gets the real circus. The man can’t sneeze without them diagnosing a constitutional crisis.”
Sebastian looked over at Harper. “How about you? If they decided to report on Harper Sinclair, what would they say?”
“Anyone reporting on me would die of boredom. ‘Local journalist orders same coffee every day, owns excessive number of cardigans,’ thrilling stuff.” She paused, then added with a wry smile, “Though these days I suppose we’d share a headline: ‘Journalist’s Secret Meetings With Scandalous Viscount’ or something equally ridiculous.”
Her expression grew more thoughtful. “I suppose that’s one advantage of being a nobody most of the time. No one usually cares what you do.”
“You’re not a nobody, Harper.”
Something in his tone made her look up from the screen. The usual amusement was gone, replaced by something quieter, more serious.
She snorted, trying to deflect. “Right. Just your friendly neighborhood journalist, risking her career for the uncomfortable truth no one wants to talk about.”
The words hung there, heavier than she intended. Not bitter, just true. She regretted the crack in her armor, but didn’t take it back.
Sebastian didn’t flinch. “Exactly,” he said. “You’re a pain in the ass. Stubborn. Pushy. But you keep showing up.” He held her gaze. “Even when the people you’re going after could crush you for trying.”