According to the detective, the woman didn’t have any qualms about admitting her hatred for the character of Shay McKade but swore up and down that she didn’t write the letters, or vandalize the Mustang. And since there were no fingerprints on the letters, or the car, there was no way to prove if she was telling the truth or lying through her teeth.
“Are you hungry?” Sean asked, reaching for the remote and hitting the mute button.
“Not really.” She stared at the now silent television and saw that his Dodgers were up a run in the ninth inning. She hadn’t even noticed. That’s how distracted she’d been.
“I know you wanted it to be her.” He tossed the remote on the coffee table. It landed with a soft thud on top of a sports magazine.
She turned to look at him. “Amanda gave me another stack of fan mail and I couldn’t bring myself to look at it.” It was sitting on her kitchen table untouched.
“They’re checking it for similar envelopes and handwriting, right?”
“Amanda said there was nothing suspicious in this batch, but I still don’t want to open any of it.” She was feeling sorry for herself and knew it. She was at the mercy of some unknown person and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Come here,” Sean said softly. He put his arm around her and pulled her against him. She snuggled against his chest, grateful she didn’t have to go back to the house she used to love. A house with a state of the art security system that made her feel like a prisoner. She couldn’t even open a window without entering codes on the new keypad. “This won’t last forever,” he said, gently stroking her arm.
“I know,” she said and decided to change the subject. She’d been wallowing in self-pity ever since the detective called. “Kelly will be here in a couple of weeks. She’s traveling with the Blaze when they come down for their series with the Dodgers.” Her mood lightened at the thought of spending time with her sister.
“Is she staying with you?”
“Yes, and I can’t wait. I haven’t seen her since Christmas.” She glanced up at him. “She always gets tickets to the games. Maybe you could join us and meet her.”
“I’d like that.” He looked back at the television and grinned. “Game’s over. Dodgers won.”
“Don’t rub it in.”
“Don’t get mad at me because my team won and yours lost. I can’t help it if your team sucks.”
“Hey.” She sat up and lightly punched his arm. “Take that back,” she demanded. Sean rubbed his arm and grinned, clearly amused. “My team does not suck. They won three in a row before today.”
“And yet they still trail the Dodgers in the standings,” Sean said with a smirk.
“Now you’re just being ugly,” she said and got up from the sofa. “I could go for a beer. Is there some in the fridge?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned. “Are the Dodgers in first place? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear—”
“You’re making me mad,” she interrupted, trying not to laugh. It was hard though. That smile of his was irresistible. “And you don’t want to make me mad.”
His brows rose. “Really? What happens when you get mad?” His lips twitched in amusement. “Should I be scared?”
“It’s not pretty,” she retorted, as she turned and marched into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, grabbed two bottles and closed the door.
Sean sauntered into the kitchen; Kayla handed him a bottle. “Thanks,” he said, twisting off the top and tossing it on the countertop. She did the same and took a sip of her beer. “You’re not really mad, are you?” He leaned against the counter and took a long pull from his bottle.
Meeting his gaze, she narrowed her eyes. “I will be if you keep talking smack about my team.”
He shrugged. “I was just stating a fact, sweetheart. The Dodgers are in first place.”
“Not for long,” she shot back and let her gaze roam over his powerful body. They hadn’t spent any time together since Sunday night but it wasn’t for lack of trying. On Monday, at the body shop, there had been a snafu with her rental car and she’d had to wait two hours. By the time she’d gotten home it was after ten. On Tuesday, she’d had plans with Sandy to attend a concert, and on Wednesday evening she and Lance had had their monthly movie date. On Thursday, they’d made dinner plans but then Sean had to cancel after getting an emergency call from the housekeeper at his father’s house. A pipe had busted and Sean had had to drive out to Pacific Palisades to deal with the plumber. Then he’d had to go back the next afternoon because the plumber wasn’t able to finish the repairs in one day.
“You sound pretty sure about that,” Sean said, setting his bottle on the counter behind him. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that the Dodgers, not the Blaze, win the Western Division.”
“I’ll take that bet.” She held out her hand.
He reached for her hand but instead of shaking it, pulled her toward him. “Let’s kiss on it instead,” he said huskily. His hand slid around her waist, anchoring her against his hard body. The contact was electric, and as his lips met hers she blindly set her bottle on the counter behind him so it wouldn’t slip from her fingers and drop to the floor.
His kiss wasn’t gentle. It was forceful, demanding, and so damn hot she could already feel desire throbbing in her veins. She wasn’t surprised. Ever since the night they’d made love all she’d done was think about how amazing it was, and how much she wanted it to happen again.
“This has been the longest week of my life,” he said as his mouth moved down her throat, his tongue hot and wet. Slipping her hands under his shirt, she touched his bare skin and shivered when his lips found the sensitive spot at the base of her neck. “All I wanted was to see you and it seemed like everything conspired against us,” he murmured against her skin. Cupping her butt, he pulled her even closer. She felt the hard ridge of erection and it sent a shiver of excitement through her.
“Not to mention everyone at the studio watching our every move,” she whispered. “I felt like a bug under a microscope.”
“Tell me about it.” Lifting his head, he slid his hand up her back to fist his fingers in her hair. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you on the beach.”
“I liked kissing you on the beach. I wouldn’t change a thing about that day—” she met his hot gaze, “—or that night.”
“I really want you right now.” His voice was husky, her body throbbed in response.
“I want you too,” she said, stroking the warm skin of his back. “But there’s only one problem.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“I left the bag of condoms at home.”
A slow, wicked smile curved his lips. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got it covered.”
Chapter Eighteen
Shay: Feel this.
Jared. Wow. Our baby is kicking up a storm.
Shay: Our baby?
Jared: I think of her as mine. Is that okay?
Shay: It’s more than okay.
Kayla let the hot water sluice over her skin and closing her eyes, enjoyed the feel of Sean rubbing the slick bar of soap over her back. His walk-in shower was huge, with showerheads on both sides of the enclosure. They were only using one and that was because he said if she used the other one she would be too far away.
“That feels good,” she murmured as he slid the soap over her shoulder blades, then down to the small of her back and the curve of her buttocks.
“That’s the plan,” he whispered and then pressed his lips to her shoulder and kissed her wet skin. She sighed as he ran the soap down her left arm, and then her right. He pulled her toward him and then circled her with his arms and began to slide the soap over her breasts. Her breath hitched in her throat as a little ball of need burst to life in her lower body. She leaned against him as he continued to leisurely soap her breasts. Each pass of the soap over her taut nipples sent frissons of fire up and down her spine. And when his hand lowered to her stomach, Kayla couldn
’t help but sag against him. Her limbs felt like rubber, and when his hand slipped between her legs and he used the soap to massage her mound she was sure she would collapse to the shower floor if his strong arms weren’t supporting her.
For a solid week she’d thought about being with him again. And as each day passed with something new getting in the way of their being together, her desire had increased exponentially. At the studio, they played it cool. There were no public displays of affection, but the hot look in his eyes as they rehearsed was enough to set her body on fire. And other than a few very hot kisses as they left work each day, he hadn’t touched her the way she was dying for him to.
The way he was touching her now.
When he dropped the soap and slid his finger into her wet heat, she couldn’t stop the soft gasp of pleasure that spilled from her lips. He stroked her slowly, expertly, intensifying her need. She leaned her head back against his shoulder as he tortured her deliciously between her legs while his other hand palmed her breast. Hot water slid over them, steaming up the bathroom like a sauna. It was as if they were in their own private paradise where nothing and no one else existed.
Her desire heightening, Kayla began to move her hips in rhythm with the sensuous strokes of his finger. His penis was hard against her buttocks. She could feel how what he was doing to her turned him on, and it only added to her own pleasure. “Oh, God,” she moaned and bit her lip when his finger found her clit and massaged it gently. Her body quivered in response, and the sweet tension inside curled even tighter.
“Let go, sweetheart,” he whispered hypnotically in her ear. “Come for me. You know you want to.”
Hell yes, she wanted to.
“Tell me what you want,” he commanded.
“I want to come,” she murmured and then moaned again when he gently massaged her sensitive bud. “Oh, God,” she whispered breathlessly. “Oh, my God.” Her body was on fire, and her sex felt heavy and aching for release. She bucked against his hand, seeking it, dying for it. “Make me come,” she commanded in a taut voice that didn’t sound like her at all.
“Be happy to,” he said with satisfaction, and then he circled her clit teasingly until the pent up desire exploded inside her in wave after wave of mind-blowing ecstasy.
Sean’s hand slipped from between her legs and then she felt his hands on her shoulders. As he turned her around, she opened her eyes and met his hot gaze. “I want you,” he said in a raw, hoarse voice. “Right now.”
“Then take me,” she whispered, thrilled at the way his eyes darkened with raw need. Tearing his gaze from hers, he reached for something on the top of the shower stall. She smiled when she saw the foil wrapped condom in his hand. “You planned this?” she asked with a smile as he tore at the wrapper and pulled out the condom.
“All week,” he said as he rolled on the condom and then backed her up against the wet tile. The water had started to cool. That was okay though, her body was hot and it felt good. Sliding his hands to her hips, he cupped her butt and lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered, and as she did he entered her with one smooth stroke. “Oh, yeah,” he murmured huskily. His eyes glittered with desire as he thrust into her and she couldn’t look away.
Reaching out with her hands, she braced them against the tile, trusting he would support her. He did, cupping her buttocks as he continued to slide into her heated center. “Am I hurting you?” he asked as his thrusts became more powerful.
“No,” she whispered. The pressure against her clit each time he slid into her was amazingly erotic and extremely pleasurable. “I think I’m going to come again,” she said in amazement and cried out as she came for the second time.
“Kayla,” Sean’s eyes burned into hers as pleasure shook her body. “You are so damn beautiful.” He let out a hoarse moan and then pulled her closer. He sought her mouth with his as he ground into her. She felt his muscular body shudder and then heard his soft groan of pleasure as his orgasm overtook him. Slipping her arms around his neck, she held him tightly, overwhelmed with emotion. Against her chest she could feel the pounding of his heart and a feeling of peace settled over her. A beat later, he pulled his lips from hers. Their eyes met intimately. “That is—hands down—the best shower I’ve ever had in my life,” he said with a sexy grin.
* * *
“It worked, you know.”
“What worked?” Sean asked. Lying next to him on his bed, Kayla was tucked in his arms. She snuggled closer, trailing her fingertips lazily over his chest. Her touch was a feather light caress, yet he was achingly aware of her with every pore of his body—her nearness, the scent of her body, the heat of her skin.
“Your plan to distract me.”
“Plan? I know of no such plan.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
He glanced down to find her gazing up at him. “The only plan I had tonight was to get you naked.” He grinned. “And it worked.”
“What worked is that I feel safe with you. And for a little while I forgot about…” she broke off, biting her lip, “…about whoever’s doing this to me.”
The haunted look in her eyes slayed him. At the studio she was pretty good at hiding her feelings, but behind her smile and easygoing manner there was a wariness that hadn’t been there before. It pissed him off that some sick bastard had turned her life upside down.
He wanted to keep her safe. Hell, if he thought she’d agree to it he’d ask her to move in with him so he could make sure the nut job stalking her couldn’t get to her.
Move in with you? Where did that come from?
Her hand stilled on his chest. “Sean? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly.
“You zoned out there for a second.” Amusement danced in her eyes. “What were you thinking about?”
Sliding his hand down the curve of her hip, he pulled her closer. She felt like hot silk in his arms. His pulse leapt when her eyes darkened with unspoken desire. “I was thinking of another way to distract you.”
“Hmm… I think we’re on the same wavelength,” she whispered huskily. Her hand inched down to his stomach, and then even lower. He sucked in a breath when she wrapped her fingers around his cock. Her lips curved in a suggestive smile that hinted at all sorts of erotic things. “In fact, I can read your mind.”
“Really? What am I thinking?” He lowered his gaze to the lusciousness of her full lips. “Tell me.”
“I’d rather show you.”
And moments later, when she was using her lips and her tongue to drive him out of his mind with pleasure, he had only one coherent thought…she really could read his mind.
* * *
Two weeks later, Kayla was thrilled to see her sister pull her rental car into the driveway. Rushing from the kitchen window to the front entry, she punched in the security code to deactivate the alarm and opened the door. As Kelly climbed out of the car, Kayla cut across the lawn to greet her.
“Hey, Sis.” Kelly’s smile was wide as they embraced by the side of the car.
“It’s so good to see you,” Kayla said, pulling back and surveying her sister. Within seconds, her fear that Kelly might have relapsed were put to rest. Her sister looked healthy and happy. “How was your flight?”
A slight frown crossed Kelly’s face. “Tense. The guys are keyed up about the series with the Dodgers,” she said, closing the car door. Kayla followed her to the back of the car. “No one wants to say it, but we’ve got a lot riding on these games.” Kelly popped open the trunk.
“Let me get that,” Kayla said, reaching in to pull out her sister’s suitcase. “If the Blaze sweep the series they’ll be in first place.” Kelly closed the trunk and together they walked toward the house.
“Exactly. Not to mention the fact that our rivalry with the Dodgers is one of the most contentious in the league,” Kelly said as they walked into the house. Kayla set the suitcase on the entryway floor and after closing and locking the door, punch
ed in the alarm code. If Kelly had noticed the alarm pad was new she didn’t say anything.
“Management specifically requested someone from media relations be down here for all four games,” she continued. “I just hope the guys keep their cool. The last thing I need is one of them going off half-cocked like Matt Scanlon does on a regular basis.” Kelly shook her head in disgust. “The jerk got booted again two days ago in San Diego.”
“I saw that,” Kayla said as she and Kelly moved into the kitchen. She’d watched the game with Sean and seen firsthand the frustration on his face as Matt argued with the umpire about a play at the plate and then launched into a heated tirade that finally got him ejected.
“Let’s not talk about baseball.” Kelly’s frown disappeared and a sly smile lit her face. “I want to know what’s going on with you.” Her sister’s eyes twinkled devilishly. “How’s Sean?”
“How about some iced tea?” Kayla asked, not sure if she was ready for the third degree about Sean.
“Don’t change the subject. You don’t have to give me a blow by blow.” Kelly’s gaze softened. “I just want to know if you’re happy.”
“I am,” she admitted. “I didn’t know it could be like this.”
“That’s because you were with that asshole, Greg.” Kelly’s dark brows drew together. “The guy blew a gasket if another man looked twice at you, but thought it was a-okay for him to screw anything with a pulse.”
“I almost didn’t give Sean a chance because of him.”
Kelly’s expression brightened. “So was it those killer green eyes or the rockin’ bod that changed your mind?”
“Both,” Kayla said with a smile and let out a soft sigh.
“Uh-oh.” Kelly grinned. “Someone’s got it bad.”
Love in the Afternoon Page 22