Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers 3)

“But—” His brain and body were so aroused he couldn’t form thoughts or words. Both were broken into pieces, swirling around his dazed brain. “You’re right. We can’t stay here. You’re soaking wet and cold. We’ll go back to your place.”

“No.”

“No?” Nothing made sense to him. “What the hell just happened here?”

“Sex,” she said shakily. “Incredible sex. You’re very good.”

It was a compliment smoothly blended with a rejection.

“No, wait! Just—” He swore and raked his fingers through his hair. “Just wait a minute while I think.” But he couldn’t think. His brain wasn’t working. All he could think of was the contrast between the heat of her mouth and the cool champagne. The way she’d felt when he was buried deep inside her. The need to touch her was so strong he pulled her back to him but she extricated herself gently.

“It’s been a long day. A long few months to be honest. I need to get some sleep. Good night, Sean. Be careful where you step walking home. The ground is wet and you don’t want to ruin those shoes.” With that, she flashed him a smile and ran into the darkness and the falling rain, leaving him dazed and staring and wondering what had hit him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BY THE TIME Élise let herself into Heron Lodge she was soaked and shivering. The rain poured down on the roof and thunder rolled in the distance.

Despite the rain, the party had been a success. The Boathouse would open on time. She should have been elated.

She wasn’t.

It was no good telling herself that what had happened had been inevitable. That it had been building for months. The truth was, she’d lost control.

But it was still just sex, wasn’t it? Still just sex. Not a relationship. Not feelings. She didn’t do that. Would never again allow herself to feel because every emotion she felt was exaggerated, stronger, deeper than other people’s.

She’d done it once before and it had ended in disaster.

She’d lost everything that had mattered to her.

There was no way she would ever risk that happening again.

Sick with the memory, palms sweaty, she pushed her hand through her soaking-wet hair and then heard the door open behind her.

She turned and saw Sean standing in the doorway, black hair sleek from the rain, those blue eyes fixed on her face. His shirt was plastered to his body, still half-undone and revealing hard muscle and a shadow of dark hair. Even with bits of the forest clinging to his trousers and his clothes wet and stuck to his body, he still looked insanely attractive.

Her tummy tightened and panic sank its claws into her flesh. “What do you want?”

“Are you seriously asking me that? You used me and abandoned me alone in the forest with no protection. Do you have no conscience?” His eyes gleamed with humor but that sexy smile simply spelled danger to her and she shook her head.

“Go away, Sean.”

He didn’t budge. “Call me old-fashioned, but when I’ve had a date with a woman I like to see her home safely.”

“You can see I’m safe.” But she didn’t feel safe. She didn’t feel safe at all with those powerful shoulders wedged in her doorway and those blue eyes fixed on her. “You’re letting in the rain.”

His response to that was to close the door with himself on the inside. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“What makes you think something is wrong?”

He raked his fingers through his hair, sending droplets of water flying. “We had sex. You walked away.”

“And women don’t usually walk away from you, is that it?” The look in his eyes told her that she was right and she gave a tired smile. “You don’t want a relationship and neither do I. It shouldn’t matter which one of us walks away.”

“It’s true I don’t have time for relationships. I’ve never made any secret of the fact. Right now work is my priority and I’m not prepared to compromise. Work comes before everything, including coming home to Snow Crystal, which makes me a selfish son-of-a-bitch or a dedicated doctor, depending on which way you look at it. If you’re my grandfather, it’s the first. Most of the women I’ve known would probably agree with him. And now you know just about everything there is to know about me and I know nothing about you.” He swiped his palm over his jaw, removing droplets of water. “Do you want to give me some clues?”

She’d expected him to walk away. She hadn’t expected him to come after her and she certainly hadn’t expected him to still be standing here.

And she hadn’t expected him to ask questions.