Heated Rush - Leslie Kelly [31]
His grin faded, and she immediately regretted reminding him of how they’d met and why they were together. So much for being a normal couple. It had been lovely to pretend for a moment…but it wasn’t true.
Maybe it was good to be reminded of that. She needed to remember that whether or not they had an official “third date”—and everything it entailed—this wasn’t going to go anywhere. How could it? She knew almost nothing about this man. Not where he lived, where he worked. Not where he was headed after this weekend. She only knew how he affected her.
Isn’t that enough? that reckless inner voice whispered. A fling with a gorgeous man was probably just what the sex doctor would order after the Blake fiasco.
It was definitely something to consider.
“Have you been telling your family about a new boyfriend?”
Annie jerked her head back, wondering if he saw the guilt in her eyes. She quickly glanced around the apartment, looking for some telltale sign that she’d been seeing someone recently. Blake had only ever been inside her place a few times, so she had no idea what it could be.
“Because, I imagine they think he’s someone special if you’re bringing him home for a family event like this.”
Of course. He wasn’t overly suspicious, just asking a natural question. “Uh…yeah.”
“Do I have a name?” He sounded resigned. “Please say it’s not somethin’ stupid like Pierce or Todd.”
“Blake,” she whispered.
“Ugh.”
“I haven’t given any details about looks, personality, age or anything,” she quickly added. “They just know—er—believe, that I’ve been seeing someone.”
And thank God for that. Maybe not telling her family anything about Blake—including the fact that he had a son—had been an indication that, deep inside, Annie had known something was wrong with the relationship. That same instinct might have kept her from actually having sex with him.
So perhaps she ought to give her instincts a break. They’d served her well in that much, at least.
“I should have known, given the mumbling you were doing at the auction the other night.”
She’d forgotten about that.
“All right, I suppose we can work with that. But, oh, woman, did you intentionally set yourself up to have your brothers harass you? Why on earth did you pick such a girly-man name?”
She bit her lip, preventing a quick laugh. Oh, would she love to see Blake’s expression if he heard those words coming out of this incredibly hot man’s mouth.
No. Actually, she wouldn’t. She never wanted to see that man again, never wanted to think about him or even remember she’d once let herself believe she was falling for him.
He was the past. Who might be in her future, she couldn’t say. But for her present—for this weekend—there was only Sean.
“Just a lapse in judgment,” she admitted softly, both to him and to herself. “It was a simple mistake, one I need to forget about.”
Starting right now.
5
SEAN HAD BEEN grabbing taxis while in Chicago for this trip. But since he had wanted Annie to get the full “auction date” package, he had hired a limo for the evening. When they walked out of her apartment building and she saw the long, shiny black vehicle standing at the curb, her eyes widened in delight.
“Thank you,” she murmured as he escorted her to the door, where the driver stood waiting. “You went all out for tonight, when you didn’t have to. I’m sure you spent way too much money.”
He could certainly afford it, but didn’t say that. Annie hadn’t asked him about his job, how he lived, what he lived on. He wanted to keep it that way a little while longer. “Who says I didn’t have to? You put out a lot of money at the auction…”
“For this weekend,” she clarified as they got into the car. She slid across the leather seat, making room for him to sit beside her. As he did, her long, slim leg brushed against his, and Sean had to tug his stare away by sheer force of will. He hardly heard her as she continued. “And you’re paying me back in full by helping me out with my family.” She waved a hand, gesturing at the inside of the car. “This…was definitely over and above the