Heated Rush - Leslie Kelly [20]
“Now, forget about trying to talk yourself out of it,” he said, averting his eyes and lifting his beer.
Seeing the way the dark liquid sloshed a bit on the top, Annie realized he was not entirely under control. He was just better at hiding his reactions.
“You haven’t got the we-don’t-fit excuse,” he added after he’d sipped. “And there’s no need to feel foolish or embarrassed because you want to do something to make your life a little easier for a while by getting your family off your back…especially since they have no business being on it. So stop giving yourself a hard time.”
“It would make it easier,” she admitted, though her mind was still on their kiss and those sultry words.
She leaned toward him again, making up for some of the space he’d taken by leaning back. With her forearms an inch from his, she was close enough to feel the warmth of his skin, yet not so close that she couldn’t keep her head focused on what she had to do, rather than on how badly she wanted to stroke that skin.
Well, almost.
But since he’d messed with her by saying those outrageously sexy things, then kissing her—and stopping—the man deserved at least a little payback. It wasn’t much…but hopefully Sean felt her body’s energy wafting toward his, mating and mingling over the table, though he didn’t acknowledge it.
“So how close was I?”
She had no idea about him, but Annie had been pretty damn close. To diving on him from across the table.
He chuckled softly, self-confident and self-satisfied. The man was cocky. No doubt about it. “I meant, my description of the weekend?”
“You just about hit the nail on the head,” she admitted. “But it’s not a family reunion, it’s a party for my parents’ thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.”
“Long time.”
“They’re very happy, and they’re great parents. Just old-fashioned, and overprotective.” Curious, she asked, “Yours?”
His humorless laugh told her she’d set foot out of bounds. But he did provide a vague answer, even though it only made her more curious about his background. “They didn’t make it thirty-five months, much less years.”
When he fell silent, indicating he was finished talking about his family, Annie filled him in a bit more on hers. “Well, when I said overprotective, that might not have captured it. My folks have been predicting my violation, destruction or murder from the minute I moved here.”
“Big, bad city, hmm?”
“You got it. They’d like to think I’m miserable and lonely so they can throw every available man in my direction, hoping that one of them will stick and I’ll come home for good.”
“I’ll stick,” he promised with a wicked smile.
Yeah, I bet you would.
That body energy did a little tap dance on the inch of tabletop between their forearms. But Annie somehow managed to continue long enough to quickly fill him in on the rest of the details for their upcoming weekend.
Except the Blake details. She’d sooner toss away another five thousand dollars than let this man know what a stupid, romantic fool she’d been. Especially since Blake had not once, in the several weeks they’d dated, made her feel an ounce of what she was feeling right now, simply because of a kiss and the sound of this man’s sultry, lilting voice whispering fantasy and desire.
“I think we can pull it off,” he said when she’d finished. “We’ll be able to convince your family to stop throwing men at you…just as long as we stick close together.”
Licking her lips, Annie gazed into his eyes, saw the heat there, and knew he’d phrased it that way intentionally.
Damn, the man knew what he was doing to her. Putting thoughts of sticky nights and sweaty bodies and wild, hot encounters under the stars into her head. Letting her wonder—maybe letting both of them wonder—if their “act” might not be more convincing if they truly got to know one another…physically…before their trip.
“Well, then,” he said, not pushing the issue, proving, again, that he was a gentleman—or merely