Nan nodded at her sister approvingly. “Stay as long as you like, Sean. You’re home now.”
Rowan seethed. She thought they’d be polite. They were welcoming him with open arms now—now she wanted him to be gone as quickly as possible.
Nan stood up. “I’ll get some refreshments. You must be famished.” She headed to the kitchen.
Annoyed at the turn of events, Rowan went after Nan, meaning to put her straight.
Nan stopped in the hallway and put up her hand. “I don’t need any help, thank you very much.” She then barred the kitchen door and sent Rowan back to the sitting room with a wave of her hand. “The food is ready. Gladys and I sorted it while you were upstairs primping for his arrival.”
“I was not primping!”
“…and the teapot is warming.” Nan folded her arms over her chest. “No arguments. You’ve waited long enough for this reunion. He’s here now. Go. Get reacquainted.”
Reunion? “I don’t want to get ‘reacquainted.’ You’re wrong about what’s going down here, Nan.” Rowan stepped closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “I have no intention of any big reunion. It’s too late for that. Besides, you heard him, he’s only passing through. It’s clearly the same old story from Sean. As you said three years ago, he’s a drifter, get over it. Well…I did! Well and truly.”
Nan laughed. “Maybe I was wrong, seeing as he’s come back.”
Rowan’s jaw dropped, but before she had a chance to reply, Nan turned away into the kitchen and closed the door behind her, quietly but firmly, giving her no option. Rowan glared at the door, but left it shut. The ladies had been good to her and Pixie and she respected their rules, even if she didn’t agree with their opinions a lot of the time.
The sound of his Irish brogue reached her though. Reluctantly, she headed back to the sitting room. Probably just as well, because she could hear Gladys laughing and wanted to know why.
“Oh I do understand,” Gladys said amidst laughing, “I was young once, believe it or not.”
They both looked at Rowan, but made no effort to enlighten her.
Fuck ‘em, Rowan silently declared, realizing she’d have to keep eyes on him at all times or this could get out of hand very quickly.
“I must say,” Gladys said, “I nearly didn’t recognize you. You’ve scrubbed up well for your visit.”
“I did my best.” Even while he answered Gladys, his eyes scoured Rowan.
It was hard to ignore such scrutiny.
Nan quickly rejoined them with a tea tray carrying the best cake stand, which was stacked high with sandwiches and cupcakes. The best cake stand was usually only brought out at Christmas. “So, what are your plans?” Nan asked, while unloading the tray. “Now you’ve had time to think things through?”
All eyes were upon him, but Sean just smiled, seemingly conformable under their interrogation. “Yup. Lots of time. Lots of plans.”
Again he eyeballed Rowan.
Annoyance shot up her spine. All she wanted to do was give him a piece of her mind and then boot him out. Apparently she’d have to wait her turn because the ladies were enjoying socializing far too much. Plying him with tasty treats they chatted, enlightening him on local news in between not-so-subtle questioning on his ‘intentions.’ They even made suggestions about trades he could look into.
Surprisingly, he didn’t laugh in their faces. “I gained a few skills while I was doing my time,” he informed them, while chomping through delicate sandwiches by the plateful. “Some of them useful.”
“I bet,” Rowan muttered, thoroughly annoyed. Knowing him, he meant new ways to crack code and land himself back behind bars.
“Basic accountancy, for example, which will help when I set up my own business.”
Jesus, he was serious. And the ladies were impressed, encouraging him. Meanwhile he sat there, charming them, while she felt unaccustomedly awkward. This wasn’t how she thought things would pan out. It was like a proper tea party, and he was playing along. She felt the urge to laugh, manically. It was like some ridiculous scene from a Jane Austen novel with the hero winning over the chaperones. This was not how it was supposed to be at all.
At one point he even started talking about setting up a fencing company. Where the hell had that idea come from? Her imagination immediately flickered to him working, those muscles of his in action, and she had to force the image away. It was doing bad things to her. He looked so gorgeous, all hard and masculine and revved up. Rowan couldn’t keep her eyes off him while he fielded the questions from Nan and Gladys.
Nan started talking about government grants he might apply for to start his own business. What the hell were they doing? This was beyond politeness, and Rowan didn’t want them to encourage him to stay around here.
“I’m sure Sean will soon be on his way again,” she stated. “He’ll have bigger fish to fry, being a computer wizard and all that.” She meant to sound sarcastic, but even to her ears it sounded as if she was encouraging him and she could have slapped herself.
“No, that’s not my intention,” he replied, seemingly just to her. “It’s time for a change of direction. New beginnings and all that,” he added, with a slow, suggestive smile. “Keep the best of what there was before…” He paused, as if to emphasize a point, “…and make a new life.”
He was looking at her with such deliberation, he wanted her to listen. Her chest tightened. It would be so easy to believe him, to slide into it again. But she couldn’t risk it. He’d be gone again, just like before. It wasn’t worth risking her heart for it to be broken all over again. But at the pit of her belly desire fluttered, her heartbeat erratic as she tried to break eye contact with him. It was hard. He was watching her so intently, communicating in the old way. Silently.
Thankfully he continued with the conversation, freeing her.
Her gaze dropped. The T-shirt he wore was tightly stretched over his massive shoulders and the look of it made her ache to get closer, to lock her hands over his shoulders while she wrapped her legs around him and...
Sean had stopped speaking.
Her gaze shot up to meet his.
Christ, he knew she’d been looking at him.
It been the same three years ago, when they’d spent ages staring, thinking and knowing what the other one had in mind Then they’d sneak off from the family and go at it like the world was about to end.
He was smiling at her accusingly. He definitely knew what she’d been thinking.
The room grew silent, and she realized the ladies had looked her way too, their attention fully on her. They must have guessed. Had it been obvious she was giving him the once over? “What?”
Nan smiled at her. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you show Sean upstairs?”
The suggestion was so blatant it stunned Rowan. They would have balked at the two of them leaving anywhere together, three years ago. Now they seemed to want it. Her face flamed. What the hell was going on here? She hadn’t anticipated this at all.
“Rowan,” Nan continued, “Gladys and I recorded our favorite soap earlier and we’ll watch that before turning in. You go on ahead and show Sean the spare room.”
“Is that wise?” Gladys interrupted. “Sean is very welcome to stay, but isn’t it irresponsible suggesting these two are left alone together in a bedroom?”
Gladys had been the most disapproving about their intimacy, back in the day. It didn’t surprise Rowan that she was the one on a moral crusade now. Rowan was pleased though. It meant she had one ally she could rely on.
“Whatever do you mean?” Nan asked and she gave her sister a frustrated expression, as if her master plan had been well and truly thwarted. “They’re adults now, Gladys.”
Gladys shrugged.
Sean folded his arms across his chest and nodded at Rowan, his mouth lifting at one corner.
Damn him. He was enjoying this.
Aunt Gladys rose to her feet. “Yes, I suppose they are. If you don’t know how to behave toward each ot
her now, you never will.” She sighed. Rowan was mortified. “You two get off then,” she continued. “We can take care of everything down here.” She gave a nod. “But be sure you behave! No shenanigans!”
Behind Gladys’s back, Nan nodded, winked and smiled.
Rowan cringed inwardly. Nan thought she was being subtle, giving her permission to spend time alone with Sean while they kept an eye on her sleeping child. The only time she needed alone with him was to tell him he’d had a wasted trip.
She rose to her feet and harrumphed, loudly. “Right, I’ll show Sean where the room is,” she declared, “and rest assured that’s all I’ll be doing, showing him the door!”
Chapter Five
Showing him the door? Why the hell did I say that, she wondered, as she stomped off down the hallway. It was now obvious to him what she’d been thinking about. She wanted to be cool and dismissive, not defensive. Well, at least she’d stated her case. Perhaps not the way she’d intended, but the deed was done. Still, it annoyed her because she wanted to appear aloof and she hadn’t managed it.
It was their fault. Nan had wanted to trap them together, and Gladys hadn’t proved to be much of an ally after all. They both had their own unique plans for how this was going to pan out, apparently. Gladys wanted a polite family visit, Nan was matchmaking. It wouldn’t surprise Rowan they’d got their heads together, but Nan clearly had a hidden agenda which was not so hidden. Whatever. She could just see him to the room and walk away, couldn’t she?
What if Sean didn’t let her? The thought turned her on, wildly. Then there was the fact his presence strolling behind her was totally magnetic. His attention was keying in to her, arousing her. But she wanted him, always had. There was no denying it. And he was so bad for her.
She forced herself to stroll upstairs as calmly as possible and pushed open the door to the spare bedroom, which Gladys and Nan had clearly spent a chunk of the afternoon preparing. It looked as if it’d been set up for royalty, despite the fact Rowan had pointed out a six-foot biker fresh out of jail had no need for crochet cushion covers and goose down comforters.
She ushered him in, waving her hand from the safety of the landing. “Your room.”
He smiled, and lifted his eyebrows. “Why don’t you come in and help me get settled?”
There it was, without a moment’s hesitation, the assumption. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “No way.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. I’m not a silly girl anymore, Sean. Besides, you heard Aunt Gladys. No shenanigans.”
Mischief shone in his expression. “It never stopped us before, and your Nan practically suggested you jump into bed with me.”
Frustration bit into her. “Fuck you!”
He gave a low laugh. He was enjoying her predicament. And it was a predicament. Despite her denials, a large part of her wanted to dive right into bed with him. Stay strong, she urged herself. Prove to him how independent you are now. Make him regret assuming anything. Her body ached for him though, as if his very presence had set it on a path of expectation that no amount of reasoning could halt.
“Why deny it, Rowan? I can see you want me as much as I want you.” He put one arm up against the door frame, his massive physique towering over her.
She shook her head. “Damn you, Sean.”
There was a wicked gleam in his eye. “You always did look hellishly sexy when you’re annoyed. I never could resist you, stepsister or not.”
“Arrogant prick.” It was like the past three years hadn’t even happened. They’d spar like this back then, and it always ended the same way. “That was a long time ago, and you expect to come here and have me fall on my back for you when you haven’t even sent me much as text message for three years.”
“Two and a half.”
“Three.”
“You always did love to exaggerate.” He moved closer to her, stroking her upper arm with one large hand. “Be honest,” he whispered his mouth close to her ear, “you missed me.”
His warm breath and his proximity set her pulse racing.
Defiant, she tried to move out of his grasp.
Before she could dart away, he wrapped both hands around her shoulders and walked her back against the wall. Overwhelmed, she grasped and thumped his chest. She hated the way her body responded so keenly to his presence. She could smell him, soap and, beneath it, his scent. So familiar, doing bad things to her. When she met his stare, she meant to warn him off. Stalled, she stared back into his eyes, bright green and filled with suggestion, shadowed by a slash of dark brows that emphasized his rugged bone structure, his strength. Those eyes had haunted her sensual dreams and memories.
He wanted her to feel it, his desire, and his power. And she did.
Breathlessly, she warned him, whispering his name. “Sean, no. Things have changed, more than you know.”
With a husky laugh, he shook his head. “Maybe, but some things never change. You want me every bit as much as I want you.”
She thumped his chest with her fist. All that did was assure her the muscles under his clothing were solid, making her hands itch to check them out. “Stop assuming. You don’t know me any more, Sean Rattigan.”
“You admit I knew you well enough back then though. Knew how to make you happy. How to make you laugh.” His fingers were around the back of the neck, thumb stroking her under her chin. “How to make you come.”
It was a good job the wall was behind her, because Rowan was so turned on by his actions, she was practically melting down the surface. How did that happen? How did the mere touch of his fingers stroking her take away the strength and independence she was so proud of, the qualities she clung to on pain of death.
“Do you know how hard it’s been for me, thinking about you…remembering?”
He was remembering. His eyes grew shadowed, as if distant thoughts plagued him. For a moment she thought she was sadness there. Had he really missed her? Or was this him playing his hand, his attempt at seducing her?
Don’t let your guard down, she reminded herself. She’d instinctively known it’d be hard to resist him if he wanted her. But this was her chance to prove she’d grown up too. “We were just a couple of emo kids kicking back against authority.” She emphasized the emo thing on purpose because he’d hated it. The would-be hacker boy-biker balked at it.
Right now it didn’t appear to stimulate anything but amusement. “What we had back then was nothing,” she added quickly, “nothing but a teenage fling. Doesn’t mean you can come in here three years later and expect me to drop my panties for you.”
“I’m not expecting you to do anything you don’t want to do.” Sincerity shone in his expression. “But I always could tell when you were up for it.” A slow insinuating smile crept over him. “Something about your eyes, sweetheart.”
His Irish brogue tapped deep into her psyche, and he was holding her so she couldn’t look away, forcing her to look back into his eyes while he confronted her.
“Besides,” he continued, “you wouldn’t deny a man fresh out of prison the chance to hold a woman in his arms.” His eyes darkened, his expression deadly serious. “The woman he thought about for a whole year behind bars…the only thing that kept him alive.”
Her breath caught in her throat. In the pit of her belly desire plumed.
Intrigued, she stared at his face. It was so much more brutal and rugged than she remembered. What had happened to him? Would she ever know? Curiosity swamped her, and that made it hard to break free from the moment.
Did he mean what he said? The only way to find out would be to hear him out, discuss things properly, but that wasn’t an option. Her emotions were all over the place and he was far too full-on to have a rational conversation. “We’re not kids any more, Sean. You can’t make comments like that and expect me to fall under your spell. You used to think you could say anything to get between my legs, but we’re all grown up now.”
He nodded. “So t
ell me you don’t want me.”
I don’t want you. Why couldn’t she simply say it out loud? Her body was at odds with her brain. His arrival had unleashed her sexuality, as if his very presence in her life turned her into something she couldn’t easily control or push aside.
“I’m not easy anymore,” she blurted, and then bit her lip, realizing what she’d said.
“You never were.” The sudden twinkle in his eyes indicated he was laughing at her comments.
As well he might, she admitted to herself reluctantly. What in gods name made her declare she wasn’t easy any more?
“There’s that look in your eyes again, Rowan. You aren’t convincing me you don’t want to try this bed out with me.” He nodded his head past the empty door into the room that had been so lovingly prepared for him.
Meanwhile, he brushed his knuckles against the soft skin of her breastbone, just beneath her collarbone, a touch that electrified her—both gentle and brutal as it was. It was a reminder of what they’d been like. Pent up desire had made them so hot for each other they’d fuck with aggression, burning off the lust fuelled by the forbidden nature of the relationship. Stepbrother and stepsister, exploring each other intimately, while their parents thought they were simply hanging out and playing by the rules.
It had been good. The best. No one had ever lived up to Sean.
Now the barriers were different, but they were just as difficult to bypass. Time and circumstance, secrets and heartbreak. Pixie’s image was in her mind too. She wasn’t far away. Chaos enveloped her, her thoughts unraveling. Even as his fingers cruised the surface of her skin, she grew damper between her thighs, her body anticipating him. She couldn’t bring herself to demand he stop touching her though, because deep down she didn’t want to.
“You walked out of here without so much as a goodbye,” she muttered under her breath, determined he feel some of what she’d felt.
“It was the wrong thing to do, I know that now. I apologize and, if you let me, I’ll show you how sorry I am.”
Sean: A Stepbrother Romance (Coded for Love Book 3) Page 3