by Starla Kaye
"What time?"
"Seven."
* * *
Aimee met Kandee at the door, her face creased with tension. "I swear it's not my fault. Seriously." She stepped back to let Kandee into the house and glanced toward the living room where Chad sat talking to their other guest, obviously Eric Boswell. "I'm thinking about killing my husband. Or at least making him wish he were dead. No sex for a month...maybe longer."
Quiet music played in the background, something light and jazzy. The sound of kids playing video games drifted from the rec room. And then she heard a deep, familiar voice from the living room as well. Sean! Kandee almost turned around to leave, but stopped herself.
"It's okay. We'll survive this." She slipped off her coat and handed it to Aimee, suddenly even more worried about how she looked. She'd purposely picked out her most conservative outfit, black dress slacks and a red sweater with a rather deeply cut neckline. As she'd studied her reflection in the mirror, she'd decided to add a sleeveless black T-shirt underneath that would hide a good bit of her cleavage. Perfect for meeting a strange man, one she only partly wanted to impress.
Heart racing--in annoyance?eager anticipation?--she took off toward Aimee's bedroom. "I'll be right back."
"But..."
"I need to make a wardrobe adjustment." Sean had accused her of flirting, when it had only been for his benefit. The rat had ogled her, then spanked her for what he considered improper behavior. Of course, it had been for more than just her skimpy costume. And then the dirty rotten rat had told her, in so many words, that while he might find her attractive, he wasn't ever going to go the next step with her. In other words, no sex. She was going to make him suffer for his decision. He could look--hopefully in lust--but he couldn't touch.
A few minutes later she strolled into the room where all of the adults were gathered. The men were laughing about something and drinking beers. Aimee sipped on red wine next to Chad. But when she caught sight of Kandee, she started choking. That's when the men finally noticed her.
Chad did a double-look, one of his eyebrows lifting in curiosity.
Eric gave her a smooth once over and slowly grinned, a definite spark in his brown eyes.
But it was Sean's reaction she'd been most interested in and he didn't let her down. She'd already suspected he was a "breast man" and his gaze zeroed in on the more than fair amount of cleavage revealed. Removing the undershirt had been the right decision. One check for me. She'd show him who would win this little game of war between them.
As he sucked in a deep breath, his jaw grinding in clear irritation, she walked further into the room. It took true feminine skill not to wobble on the pair of five-inch-high cherry red stilettos she'd borrowed from Aimee's closet, as well as the flippy little black skirt that only fell to mid-thigh on her. Fortunately they wore the same sizes, except Kandee was several inches taller than Aimee.
His expression tightened even more as she walked over, ignored him, and stopped in front of the pediatrician. But she felt his glower and loved it. Absolutely loved it. Score another one for me!
"I'm Kandee O'Connor," she said in her most sensually soft voice, one she'd been practicing to use on her first lover. "I take it you're Eric Boswell." She glanced over her shoulder at her friend. She could barely contain her joy at seeing the way Sean looked ready to explode as she returned her gaze to the handsome blond." Aimee has told me so much about you."
He nodded acknowledgment and that spark she'd noted in his eyes turned hotter. "Chad has told me a lot about you, too. A chemist. Impressive." His gaze drifted over her again and made her uncomfortable. "I'd expected...Well, I'm embarrassed to say, a woman more on the conservative side."
Plainer.A little brown mouse. Like the girl she used to be. The idea rubbed her wrong, but she fought to keep her smile and play nice. "I hope I'm not a disappointment."
"Hardly." He seemed to be shutting everyone else in the room out as he focused only on her. He took a step closer and, oddly, she took a small one backward.
She felt the heat of Sean moving behind her right up to her back. She drew in his scent: leather from the jacket he favored, that oh-so-sexy cologne he promoted, even more potent, though, was his own scent. Her stomach fluttered with awareness. She felt hot all over. Ached.
He put his hands on her shoulders and lightly squeezed. In some kind of warning? She started to pull away, but he held her firmly in place.
"Aimee, didn't you say dinner was ready?" he asked casually.
She could see annoyance creasing Eric's face as he stared at Sean's hands on her shoulders. While she'd stood there all but trembling and purring beneath Sean's grasp, he'd evened the score...maybe passed her. Her stupid body wanted him. But she wasn't going to give in to desire, to lust. She was an intelligent woman. She could turn her attentions anywhere she wanted, particularly away from the likes of the man who had been in her dreams for far too long and rejected her.
As Aimee glanced worriedly at her, Kandee ducked down and out of Sean's hold. She stepped easily toward Eric. "I'm so glad you came tonight." She slipped her hand into the crook of his left arm and began leading him toward the dining room. "So you practice in Colorado Springs?"
* * *
Sean chewed and chewed on the piece of steak. He couldn't seem to swallow the bite. Actually, he'd eaten very little and Aimee was a great cook. But his appetite was gone. Evidently so were his table manners, at least his ability to carry on any kind of conversation. Chad had tried over and over to get him to talk and finally given up on him. All he could do was sit here and watch Kandee practically simpering over every word out of the doctor's mouth. You'd think he had come up with some miracle cure for something!
Distracting him, Aimee looked across the table and gave him what he considered a pitying smile. "I hear from Chad that your team still wants you back next year. Something about you going to a different physical therapist."
He didn't want to talk about any of that, but he noticed how Kandee suddenly stiffened. She glanced in his direction, appeared worried. But she didn't say anything and Eric...the bastard...tried to get her attention again.
Disgusted at losing her focus once more, he managed to swallow the meat at last. Then surprising himself, he said, "I'm not really considering it. But my coach and the team owner don't want to give up on me. If they don't call me daily, then my sports manager or my public relations advisor does." He forked a green bean. "I'm beginning to feel harassed. Starting to think about giving in."
"Buddy, you were one of the best quarterbacks in the game. I'm sure it's hard to let you go." Chad gave him a puzzled look. Sean knew Chad was aware that he rarely talked about anything to do with football to anyone but him.
Right in the middle of Eric rambling on about something, Kandee shifted her gaze to Sean. Her pretty brow pinched in concern. "Don't be stupid! You can't give in to them. Your knee..." She stopped talking, her face flaming. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Sean knew he probably should feel irritated that she'd spoken up about his personal business. Yet, oddly, her worry warmed him. Most people--with the exception of Chad and his old friends here in Cantonville--thought he was being a pansy ass about the problems with his knee. They thought he should do whatever it took to get back to playing football. Danielle, his PR rep, sure wanted him back playing again. He was going to lose some big endorsements, she'd warned him only yesterday. As if he cared. He had more than enough money to live on the rest of his life, and he had the majority ownership of the ranch, too.
"I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do." But he had. He wasn't going through anymore physical therapy. He wouldn't be stepping onto another football field. Suddenly he was depressed. The sight of food made him nauseous, being with others all nicely settled in their lives making him feel awkward. It was time for him to leave. Hell, he shouldn't have come here to begin with.
He scooted his chair back and looked apologetically from Aimee to Chad. "I need to leave. Sorry."
Chad's brow furrowed. "You okay?"
Sean tried not to see the disappointment on Kandee's face. After how he'd treated her, she should only feel relief at him leaving. He forced his attention away from her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some space. I still get a bit moody when I talk about my football career. I'm not fit company. So I'll leave now before it really kicks in."
Standing, he smiled down at Aimee. "Thanks for having me here. Even though I'm sure you weren't overjoyed at learning Chad had asked me to come."
She immediately blushed. "Of course you're always welcome here."
He laughed and felt a little better, especially now that he wouldn't have to sit across the table from Kandee. He didn't think he could handle much more of the way Eric was coming on to her, or the way she wasn't shutting him down. It made him sick to think that maybe this charming slime ball would be the one to finally take her virginity. At the depressing thought, all humor left him. He wanted to hit something...someone...a particular doctor.
He walked away before he made a real ass of himself. "Don't bother getting up, Chad, Aimee. I can see myself out."
He'd grabbed his jacket from the halltree near the front door and stepped out onto the porch when he sensed Kandee behind him. He froze, inhaling her scent, longing to turn around and hug her to him. Something he absolutely could not do. Without facing her, he said in warning, "You shouldn't be here."
She didn't say anything for a second, but she walked around in front of him. God, she was so damn pretty. He wanted to rip that sweater off of her, free those breasts so he could taste them.
"Go back inside," he growled, fisting his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for her.
Foolish woman didn't move. "I'm not giving up on you."
"What the hell does that mean?" He held his breath, fearing what she was going to say. Wanting to hear it at the same time.
She thrust her chin up and shivered at the cold breeze moving around them. "You figure it out." Then she walked by him and back into the house, shutting the door on him.
"Well, hell!" That wasn't the answer he'd wanted. Now he'd spend the rest of the damn night trying to guess what she'd meant.
Chapter Four
The doorbell rang over and over. Its overly loud sound pierced the quiet of the house, demanded attention.
Kandee jerked awake. Heart pounding, she weakly raised one eyelid and glanced at the digital clock nearby. 2:30 in the morning. You're kidding me! She decided to ignore it and tugged a pillow over her head. Probably some smart ass teens. They'd go away if she didn't respond.
If anything, the ringing became more persistent. Whoever was down there wasn't giving up. If it was her parents or someone she knew in town having an emergency, they would be calling her, not coming by the house in the middle of the night. She couldn't imagine who it could be, but they were on her Really Bad List. Clearly, she wasn't going to get a chance to go back to sleep until she dealt with the intruder to her privacy. And she'd been having some really nice dreams. Stupid intruder!
Resigned and silently cursing the person, she crawled out of bed, snagged a robe from the closet, and stormed down the flight of stairs. Good thing she kept nightlights on along the hallway and the staircase. As it was, she tripped halfway down and barely managed to latch onto the railing to keep from rolling down the stairs. Which didn't improve her mood.
Not totally stupid, she peered through one of the side window panels beside the massive door. Sean! Her heart raced as she looked a second time. What was he doing here? Hadn't they parted on semi-bad terms almost a week ago on Aimee's doorstep? Hadn't he been angry with her?
She unlocked the door and pulled it open. "What are you doing here? It's two-thirty. Are you crazy?"
He stood under the porch light and scowled. "It's your fault."
"Seriously?" She gaped at him, and then followed his line of vision. She hadn't tied the robe closed. It did little to cover the short blue babydoll nightie. Annoyed, she tugged it tighter around her and fiddled with the tie. "Stop that!"
"What?" He couldn't seem to look away and his gaze appeared to be heating more by the second.
"Looking at me like you want to strip me bare. Stop it! Now!" Still, she kind of liked the way he was looking at her. No man had ever looked at her with such obvious desire. But then she'd never let any other man see her like this.
He stepped forward, his nostrils flaring. "Because I do...want to strip you bare."
She sucked in a shuddery breath at his admission. Oh, wow! She wanted to yank off his leather jacket, tug off his shirt, his jeans... "This isn't a good idea," she said quietly. The strength of her desire to undress him surprised her.
He walked by her into the entry as she stepped backward. He closed the door and re-locked it, holding her gaze all the while. "The absolute worst idea."
"So..." What was she doing? She didn't really want to talk him into leaving. But now that she possibly faced what she'd been wanting since she saw him in the diner, she was nervous. Maybe she was really all talk and no action.
No! You can be action.
A frown creased his forehead, but he looked otherwise determined. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the halltree. Then he moved right in front of her, boots-to-bare toes. "Two things are going to happen."
She gulped, inhaling his scent, feeling warmth building all through her. "Two things?" She wanted to touch the beard stubble on his face, run a finger gently over the thin white scar along his left cheek.
He reached for the belt she'd loosely tied and undid it, letting her robe fall open once more. He drew in a breath that stretched his broad chest. "I'm going to do what you wanted, for one thing."
She could hardly think straight. What had she wanted? Her eyes widened. "Take my..." She swallowed hard. "Take my virginity?" Really? Yes! Yes! Yes!
His hand lifted and he smoothed a callused thumb over her lips, making her tremble. "Make love to you for your first time," he corrected. He eased back. "And I'm going to burn your butt. Your choice about which happens first."
Spank her? Her buttocks clenched and unclenched at the memory of how he'd spanked her three weeks ago. It hadn't been horrible, but not what she'd wanted. "You've got a lot of nerve," she protested, but even she heard the lack of true anger in her tone.
He nodded. "Damn right I do. I couldn't have gone out on the football field for ten solid years if I didn't." He began toeing off his boots, one hand braced against the wall so he wouldn't lose his balance. "Truth, facing all those hulking men was a whole lot easier than deciding to come here."
"You don't have to do this." But she definitely wanted him to. Make love to her, that is. "Eric seemed pretty interested in me." Not that she was actually interested in him, except for maybe someone to casually go out with while he was here in town.
A vein pulsed in the side of Sean's neck. His eyes narrowed. "No way in hell he is going to be your first lover."
Jealous? She couldn't see any other reason that he would have hauled himself here in the middle of the night. She didn't know whether to be happy or irritated. She decided to go with happy. And she decided to play with him a bit since he'd been so stubborn up until now.
"Maybe a man like Eric Boswell appeals to me. Maybe..."
"I'm thinking about spanking you first, then taking you." He reached for her arm.
She stepped out of his reach. "Think again." She tilted up her chin, drawing in a breath that thrust out her breasts. His gaze shifted immediately to them. Her entire body quivered at the intensity of his look.
"Where's your bedroom?" he asked huskily, pulling his Western-cut shirt free, unsnapping it.
Entranced by his actions, by the lightly muscled chest revealed, she struggled with words. "Up...upstairs."
"Lead the way." He turned her toward the staircase, patted her bottom to get her moving. As she frowned back at him, he chuckled. "Don't worry, sweetheart, spanking time is later. Right now I've got something completely different in mi
nd."
* * *
Sean had done a lot of crazy things in his thirty-two years of life, but this beat them all. He watched the sweet sway of Kandee's ass as she climbed the stairs in front of him. What had he been thinking? Coming here in the middle of the night, planning to do to her what she'd been teasing him about for weeks now. This could be the biggest damn mistake of his life. She should have slammed the door in his face. She should have at least kicked him out when he'd told her what he wanted to do. Why the hell hadn't she?
"Are you really sure about this?" She stopped at the head of the stairs and glanced anxiously at him.
He eased next to her, nudging her back so they wouldn't accidentally fall back down the stairs. "Not sure at all, but I'm going to do it."
She gave him a weak smile and her eyes mirrored happiness. Suddenly he wondered if he could do this right. He couldn't remember ever being with a virgin. He liked his women "hot," playful in bed. But sweet and innocent? What if he ruined her first time? Soured her on sex? Talk about pressure!
As if she read his thoughts, she gently touched his arm. "It'll be all right." Then she walked down the hallway, toward a room at the end, one with soft light edging into the semi-darkness. "At least there isn't a hymen to break." She added quietly, obviously embarrassed, "Tampons, you understand."
He felt his face heat. That wasn't a subject men liked to discuss with women, anything to do with their menstrual periods. Not that he was naive about it, but still... At least, like she'd said, he wouldn't have to worry about breaking her hymen. Small relief, that. He'd still need to be careful, gentle, take his time.
By the time he managed to follow her into the bedroom, he'd gained a little control over his doubts. He was an experienced lover. He knew his way around every inch of a woman's body. He'd make this good for her.
She stood fussing with the hem of that short nightie, worrying her lower lip, looking so damn adorable. Sexily adorable. Her long, silky blond hair draped her slender shoulders, teased the tops of her full breasts. An innocent angel, a temptress. She studied him with such longing, such obvious hope. Suddenly he feared being able to live up to what she might have fantasized about.