by Rachel Grant
The weight on his chest lifted. Being with Hazel made him feel good, and, like a dumbass, he kept pushing her away.
He rose from his seat, rounded the table, and crossed the room to the dance floor. It was time to claim a dance with his date.
She smiled as he danced up beside her, and bumped him with her hip, letting out a playful laugh. They danced side by side in a group that included Ivy’s family, Erica, and Lee, who was at the edge of the floor where it was less crowded, dancing with his daughter in his arms.
The song ended, and everyone paused to catch their breath. Julian dramatically pressed his hand to his forehead and said, “I’m exthausted!” The word came out with a lisp because he was missing his top front teeth. “Can we have cake now?”
Ivy laughed. “Not now, but probably soon. Let’s get you some water.”
She held out her hand, and he took it, grabbing Matt’s with his other hand. He then leapt up and swung between his parents. “Aunt Hazel said there are two kinds of cake! Chocolate and lemon. Can I have both, Mom?”
It was the first time Sean had heard Julian call Ivy “Mom,” and his heart squeezed. He hoped to hell Matt was the man they all believed him to be, because if Julian was hurt in the fallout, Sean would have to beat the crap out of the Hammer.
The first notes of the next song began, and this one was a slow tune. Lots of guests left the floor, but couples stayed, including Ian and Cressida. Sean turned to Hazel and pulled her into his arms without asking. She was stiff against him for a moment, then looked up at him in confusion as she draped her arms around his neck.
“You’re an impossible man to read, Sean Logan.” The words were said softly, close to his ear. Only he could hear them under the music.
“Tricia pointed out to me what an ass I was during dinner, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you.”
She held his gaze as she swayed against him, then slowly, she gave him the slightest of smiles. “Have I mentioned that I really like Tricia?”
He gave her a soft laugh, then cupped her cheek and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I do too, but I like you more.” His lips brushed her ear, and it wasn’t an accident. He wanted to suck on the lobe and then slide his lips down her neck to her collarbone.
Clavicle, he mentally corrected. Hazel would call it by the proper name. Maybe she’d teach him about bones as he explored her body.
He pulled her closer to him, tucking her in the crook of his arm as he twirled with her. Tricia came into view. She was dancing with the guy Hazel had danced with earlier, and he didn’t feel the slightest stir of jealousy.
He pulled Hazel tighter, spreading his hand across the bare skin at her back, and gave in to an urge and pressed his lips to her neck and breathed in her scent. Again he caught that nutty, almost chocolaty, scent that was so familiar. This time it clicked. Before he’d left the room to give her space to get ready for the wedding, he’d seen a bottle of essential oils beside the big bathtub. He met her gaze and smiled. “Hazelnut?”
She nodded. “It’s my signature scent.” She winked at him. “And my nominal one.”
“I like it.” He leaned forward and whispered, “It makes me want to dip you in chocolate and eat you.”
Her eyes flared with heat. “I think the champagne has gone to your head.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Not even a little bit.” He cupped her cheek, tilting her head back. He brushed his lips lightly over hers, then shifted his arms so she was cradled against him as they swayed to the music.
He wanted to kiss her here, now, but she would assume this was fake, part of their cover story, and he didn’t want her to think he kissed her only for show, so instead, he held her as they swayed to the music and simply enjoyed the feel of her pressed to his body.
19
Sean Logan held her like he wanted her, and Hazel thought she might melt into the dance floor. She’d be nothing but a puddle of chocolate sprinkled with ground hazelnuts. Sultry lyrics enveloped her along with Sean’s arms. This was the place she’d wanted to be for so damn long.
She was lost in a dreamy haze when the last notes faded and Sean cupped her face and lowered his mouth to hers. His kiss was soft, sweet. Intimate and just a bit lingering. He took her hand and led her back to their seats.
Their table was empty as Ian and Cressida remained on the dance floor. Under the table, out of sight of anyone who might be watching, Sean held her hand, his thumb lightly stroking her knuckles in a touch that was only for her benefit.
The cake was cut and served, followed by more dancing and then the toasts. Sean and Trina teamed up and took turns reading a speech they’d cowritten. It was funny and touching, and Ian, Cressida, Trina, and Sean all had tears in their eyes at the end.
After that, they danced to the live music until neighborhood ordinance required quiet and the band packed up their equipment. The flower girl was asleep in her mother’s arms, and the ring bearer valiantly fought to stay on his feet by the time Ian and Cressida climbed into their firewood-filled SUV to take off for their honeymoon. The vehicle was pelted with birdseed as they drove away.
Guests not staying at the inn piled into cars to head to the larger chain motel a mile down the road. A few guests had snagged the remaining rooms at the inn, including Raptor operatives Josh, Tricia, and boyishly sweet Chase.
Chase had played a role in whatever happened in Alaska to Isabel, but Hazel remained in the dark as to what it was. She knew Isabel was fond of the young man, but she worried about him too.
After seeing the bride and groom off, they entered the inn again to find the remaining Raptor operatives and their partners gathered in the front sitting room. Sean held her hand as he entered the room. Keith held up a beer in offering.
“Nah,” Sean said. “Not staying. Just saying good night. Today was a blast, but I’m beat.” He bent down and kissed Trina’s cheek. “You did an amazing job making this weekend special for all of us. Thank you for your help with best man duties.”
Trina beamed. “Thank you, Sean. You were great too.”
Hazel said her good-nights as well, and, with her hand firmly in Sean’s, she followed him from the room and up the stairs. She didn’t know what to expect tonight, given all the hand-holding that hadn’t been for show. But no matter what, Hazel would not make a move on Sean.
Been there. Done that. Had the rejections to prove it. If this was going to happen, it was up to him.
Sean fished his key card out of a pocket and unlocked the door. He whisked her inside, closed the door, and pressed her against it. “That dress is too damn sexy. All night long, I’ve been imagining yanking up the skirt and burying myself deep inside you.”
Oh my. “Are you sure you haven’t had too much to drink?” She had to ask again, because that was the most un-Sean-like thing he’d ever said.
He shook his head, piercing her with a hot gaze. “Oh, Hazelnut, if you only knew how many fantasies I’ve had about you over the years.” He smiled slowly. “Have you ever had fantasies about me?”
“Hazelnut” was the sort of nickname that could be an insult, but coming from Sean in that sexy voice, as she remembered what he’d said earlier about dipping her in chocolate, it turned her knees weak. She wanted him to call her that again and again and again.
“Not even one?” he asked as he nibbled on her neck.
It took her a moment to remember his original question. Her brain had pretty much exploded when he mentioned fantasies about her. Ahh, yes. He wanted to know her fantasies. “Maybe.” She ran a hand over his shoulders and down his chest. He’d removed his jacket and bow tie hours ago, but he still wore the smooth white shirt. She wanted it off so she could see the muscles she’d gotten to ogle in Grand Cayman, when he’d accompanied them to the beach, dressed in swim trunks and an open Aloha shirt, like any tourist.
“How do your fantasies start?” he asked. “Mine always start with me threading my fingers through your hair.” As he spoke, he cradled her head in one
palm while his other hand slid into her hair, which she wore up in a braided bun. He plucked out a hairpin and then another, and the braids and loose strands fell, giving him something to slide his fingers through.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his nails on her scalp. She let out a soft purr and said, “My fantasies usually start with a kiss.” Her voice was husky to her own ears. “Pinned to the wall, like now, your mouth on mine, showing me how you plan to possess me.”
“I think we’ve been having the same fantasy.”
And then his mouth was on hers. His tongue slid inside without hesitation as he kissed her deep and hot. Carnal. Intense. It was the kind of kiss that could make her forget how to stand. Or breathe.
He lifted her, sliding up the skirt of her dress to free her legs. She wrapped her thighs around his hips. His arm under her ass and the door at her back supported her as his thick erection pressed her center. He rocked his hips, teasing her, driving her insane with arousal.
“Yes, this is definitely one of my fantasies,” she said into his mouth.
“In your fantasies, do I fuck you against the door, or do we make it to the bed?”
She loved that he used the word fuck, because that was how this felt. Wild. Carnal. Dirty. Just like her fantasies. “Depends.”
Right now, the hot-and-wild-against-the-door fantasy topped her list. But slow-and-sensual-on-the-bed was another favorite.
“Hazelnut. Witch Hazel. Beautiful, mesmerizing Hazel.” His tongue dipped into her mouth between each phrase. “You drive me so fucking wild. Always have.”
“Then why haven’t we been here before now?” she asked.
“You’re my boss’s cousin,” he said matter-of-factly.
She supposed she understood, but at the same time, they didn’t live in an era where male relatives had a say in their female relatives’ love lives, and having known Alec since the day she was born, she knew without a doubt that her cousin could separate business from family. “Keith’s been your boss for the last three years,” she said.
“Not today.” He again thrust his hips, causing her mind to momentarily blank. He kissed her again, cutting off any response she might’ve made if she could think.
He raised his head and met her gaze. “Taking you against the door is a waste of a very good bed.” He slipped an arm behind her back and carried her to the big four-poster. He set her down in the center and smiled. “Especially when I want to explore all of you.”
Her dress had hiked up to her hips, exposing her tiny red thong. He cupped a bare butt cheek and squeezed as he held her gaze. “Have I ever told you how fucking hot you are in those glasses?”
She laughed. “Um…no?” She wasn’t about to point out he’d never called her hot at all.
“What the hell is wrong with me? Those glasses are so damn sexy. Say one of your technical bone words.”
“Technical bone word? Like when I was describing the skeletons?”
“Yeah.” He leaned down. “Wait!” He slipped a hand beneath her neck and unhooked the single fastener that closed her dress’s collar and held up the bodice. He pulled the front down, exposing her breasts. The backless dress had required her to go braless. “Oh fuck. So beautiful. Now say something technical.”
She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt as she said the first words that came to mind. “Nasal, maxilla, lacrimal, ethmoid, sphenoid.”
“What are those?”
“The bones of the eye socket from medial to proximal.”
“I didn’t know there were so many eye bones.”
“Did you know that the jaw is the only joint in the body that’s a hinge and a sliding joint?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Come closer,” she said, “and I’ll demonstrate.” She stroked his erection through his slacks, letting him know with her hand exactly what she meant.
He took her wrists in each of his hands and pinned them to the bed above her head. “In due time,” he said, then kissed her. This kiss was slow but deep, and she melted into the mattress. His body above hers, his hands trapping her as he kissed her hot and urgent. This definitely matched one of her many fantasies of Sean Logan.
He released her wrists and supported his weight by planting his fists on either side of her head. His mouth withdrew from hers slowly, and he pushed up, extending his elbows until he was upright and straddling her. His mouth was wet from her lips, and his eyes burned with desire. “Before this goes any further, I need to tell you something.”
Shit. What STDs were deal breakers? Most could be prevented with condoms if they were careful. But oral sex would be out unless they had a nonspermicidal condom and dental dams. She mentally braced herself. “Okay.”
“As soon as I can, I’m going back to the Middle East. I don’t want to lead you on, and this can’t go anywhere, relationshipwise.”
That was…not what she was braced to hear. And from the ache it triggered in her chest, she realized an STD reveal wouldn’t upset her like this did. At least if he’d been warning her about a sexually transmitted disease, she’d know it was because he cared about her health.
But no. He didn’t care about her. He just wanted to get laid.
She scooted back on the bed, shifting up on her elbows. Her dress rolled as she moved. She was practically naked and didn’t care. “So you’re…dumping me before we even have sex?”
“No.” He shook his head in confusion. “I just… I wanted to be clear about my plans.”
“So basically, all that stuff you were saying about how much you want me…you meant you want me now. This minute. But have no interest in tomorrow.”
“Well, we’re stuck together for as long as you need a bodyguard, so I was sort of thinking we could have tomorrow and even the next few weeks. But after that, I’m leaving, and I don’t do long-distance.”
Nice. Sean wanted to get laid, and he’d decided that after rejecting her multiple times, he might as well take her for a spin. After all, as long as he was stuck guarding her, she was the only vagina available to him.
She was so not game.
She scooted back farther, pulling up the top of her dress to cover her breasts. “So you want a fuck buddy until it’s no longer convenient for you. And then you want to be able to walk away because I don’t mean anything to you.”
“What? No! I care about you! That’s why I’m telling you this now.”
“Right. There’s just one problem. We’ve known each other too long to be no-strings fuck buddies. I’m not saying I expected this was the beginning of a relationship, but I at least thought it had a chance of evolving into one. But if you’re shutting that door before we’ve given it a try, what’s the point? Five feet from here is a drawer full of devices that can give me an orgasm without making sure I know they need to be free to try other pussy across the ocean at the first opportunity.”
“That’s not what I said, Hazel.”
“Really? Then what did you mean?”
He opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
“Yeah. I thought so.” She climbed off the bed and straightened her dress over her hips. “Congratulations. You’re just another asshole who got drunk and horny at a wedding.”
His jaw tightened. “I had one glass of champagne today.”
“Well then, sober Sean is even worse than drunk Sean. At least drunk Sean had the courage to admit he’d gotten carried away last night. What’s your excuse tonight? Tricia didn’t want you?”
“No! Dammit, I want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
“You have a bizarre way of showing it, rejecting me at every opportunity. And if you wanted me, you wouldn’t throw out caveats to push me away, right before you’re about to have me. I’m sorry, Sean, but I liked you too much to accept your terms.”
“Liked?”
She shrugged. “Good news, maybe you’ve cured me of my infatuation. And bonus, I can guarantee I won’t throw myself at you and make you feel awkward again.” She turned to
the closet to grab a coat and sneakers. She needed to walk. Outside. Her head might explode if she didn’t get outside fast.
“Hazel—”
She slipped on her jacket.
“You can’t leave. I’m your bodyguard. Twenty-four seven.”
“You really should have thought of that before you told me how much I don’t mean to you, but that you want to fuck me anyway.”
“I never said—”
“Listen, I’m trying to hold my shit together and not start crying. I’m about ten seconds from losing it. I. Need. Air.” Her voice wavered.
He grabbed the room key and his tux jacket from where he’d dropped them on the floor and began buttoning up his shirt. “You’re not allowed to be more than ten feet away from me.”
Oh, sweet hell. As if crying over his rejection wasn’t painful enough, he would have front-row seats to her humiliating breakdown.
None of this would be happening if she’d just sucked it up and stayed in Croatia.
20
Sean followed Hazel at a short distance. He wished he could give her more space, but he was a dipshit and an ass and hadn’t foreseen this scenario. Why hadn’t he realized how his words would sound to her? Or worse, that it wasn’t so much the way they sounded as what they’d actually meant?
He’d wanted to have his Hazelnut cake and eat her too, and then walk away without any messy emotions. But as she’d said, their friendship had passed any friends-with-benefits possibilities months, maybe even years ago.
Hell, wasn’t that why he’d rejected her in Grand Cayman, because they couldn’t have sex and expect things to go back to the way they’d been before? Because he hadn’t wanted Rav to fire his ass for breaking his cousin’s heart?
And now here he was, following her down the stairs as she raced toward the exit so she could have space from him to cry with a veneer of privacy.
He was a complete asshole.
She took a sharp turn at the bottom of the stairs so she wouldn’t pass by the salon where the Raptor operatives were gathered. He could hear Keith’s laughter and was glad for her discretion.