Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers 3)

He handed her the glass and she took it, horrified to feel a hot ball of tears wedged in her throat.

“Sorry—”

“Are you apologizing for not sharing your cognac or for caring about my grandfather?”

“I’m apologizing for overreacting.” And she was furious with herself for allowing her thoughts to wander into worst-case land. She sipped and felt the liquid burn her throat.

Sean watched her. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for showing up at your door without warning. It didn’t occur to me that you might think I was the bearer of bad news. Women are usually pleased to see me.” He obviously intended it as a joke, but she knew it was probably the truth.

“You have never come to my lodge before and I’ve been worrying and when I couldn’t reach Kayla I thought maybe—” her heart was still pounding “—I saw you there and I was so afraid—”

“If you were that afraid why didn’t you call me?”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“For God’s sake Élise, we’re not strangers. You ripped my clothes off. We had sex. If we can roll naked together, you can pick up the damn phone.”

She felt the betraying color streak across her cheeks. “You ripped my clothes off, too, in case your memory is faulty.”

But she’d started it.

She’d made the first move on that hot summer night with the scent of the forest around them and her blood on fire for him.

“Yeah, that’s right. I did. There was plenty of mutual ripping that night. And my memory is working just fine, thanks.” His smile was slow and sexy, his eyes a vivid intense blue. “How is yours?”

“I can barely remember it now.”

The corners of his mouth flickered. “Because it wasn’t a very memorable night, was it? Look,” he said, as he took

the glass from her, “I’m bad at relationships, I admit it. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend that night didn’t happen. Next time you’re worried about something, pick up the phone.”

“I don’t have your number and I don’t want it.” Their relationship had never been about numbers and phone calls. It had been about hot sex, and it was hot sex she was thinking of now and she knew he was, too.

“I’m not suggesting you call me while I’m operating to tell me you love me, but if you’d had my number you could have called me tonight instead of worrying.”

“Do people do that? Call you while you’re operating?”

“Sometimes.” He leaned against her kitchen counter. “Women usually want more than I can give.”

“I don’t.”

She knew she never would have called him. Calling was the first step on the path to a relationship and she’d never tread that path again, not even a little way. She’d done it before and it had been like walking over broken glass with bare feet. She still bore the scars and it was because of those scars her heart no longer had a say in any of the decisions in her life.

When it came to men, her head was in charge.

Sean held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

“There’s no need.”

“Give it to me or I’ll wrestle it away from you and then things could get ugly.” He kept his hand outstretched and, reluctantly, she dug it out of her pocket.

“This is ridiculous.”

He leaned forward and prised it from her fingers with the determination of a man who knew what he wanted and went for it. “I love the way you roll your r’s. It’s very sexy.” Cool and collected, he accessed her contacts and keyed in his number. “Next time you’re worried about something, call me.”

“Fine. I’ll call you twenty times a day when you’re operating to tell you I love you, and if you don’t answer I’ll leave a message.”

He laughed. “My team will enjoy each and every one of those calls.”