Rocky Start (A Rocky Start)

“I thought he seemed pretty nice at dinner.” He had his moments.

“Yes, but we don’t know each other, and he’s acting like he wants to marry me and have a gaggle of babies.”

I lean back and press my head to her shoulder. “Well, you can’t know unless you actually try to get to know him. Besides, all our men must be hit with the same love potion or something. Darcy would probably be knocked up if she wasn’t on birth control. The caveman spell has taken over this town.”

“See…stubbornness. I love that you and Darcy have literally been swept up by strong, handsome men, but I refuse to believe in love at first sight.”

“Then don’t. Go with lust. It sounds good to me. And if he’s anything like the sheriff, kissing him will be so worth it.” Lydia’s swooning over here, and I’m afraid of that. What Sean made me feel was so much more than lust.

“So you’re not planning out how many babies to give the sheriff?” I ask.

“Nope. I want to feel his nightstick, though.” We’re all on birth control, which is one of the smartest things girls our age can do.

“Dirty girl,” I tease, even though I imagine Sean barging through the cabin door and carrying me over his shoulder out of this place and back to his hotel to have his way with me.

“Wait…are you thinking about babies and a happily ever after with Sean?” I feel the heat sweep over my face.

“It passed through my head the second his eyes landed on mine.” I can read what’s going through Lydia’s head right now.

“Damn. Are you afraid that he’ll hurt you?” She reaches out to grab my hand.

I freeze, because that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. She hit the nail on the head. I shake my head and then slap my hands on my hips. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you. What are you going to do with the sheriff?” I ask, scolding my sister. It doesn’t matter about Sean and me anymore. I pushed him away, and he’ll likely never want to see me again.

Lydia giggles. “Well, hopefully I’ll have a dozen orgasms at least before I go back home.”

“I’m leaving in two days,” I inform her.

“Okay. Well, hopefully I can reach those twelve before we leave.”

I go back to my book, but it no longer has any merit so I toss the phone and close my eyes. I’m not going to be able to enjoy my time here. I just want to forget that I ever came and that Sean exists, but somehow I know that will never happen.

Chapter Three

Sean

As soon as I get in my rental, I’m on the phone to Tate, calling his people to get a group of security team members to watch over my woman. It’s going to take twenty-four hours for the first members to arrive, but that’s fine since she’ll be staying inside at Bennett’s cabin where she’ll be safe.

“Georgie, what are your secrets?” I know she wants me, but damn, she’s fighting it so much. “Who the fuck broke your heart?” I hate the bastard that did because she’s clearly afraid to give in to the obvious. She felt the same thing I did—there’s no doubt about it—and yet, she fought it. Threw out accusations that are not even remotely true because that’s her excuse to fight this.

I didn’t get this far in life by giving up so easily. While I was trying to give Georgie some breathing room at dinner, I overheard Darcy let slip that Lydia’s a writer. She shut it down, but I feel like that might be my way into Georgie’s life. No, it’s not ethical, but I want my woman and if nepotism is the key to getting my way, then so be it.

I shoot Bennett a message.

Hey, I heard Lydia writes books. When you get a chance, get me her number. I want to ask her to send me a sample if she’s interested.

Okay, but Darcy says it’s romance.

That’s fine. I can pass it on to one of my colleagues if I need to.

Since I deal with crime thrillers, it’s not up my alley, but I’ll do what I have to in order to get my hands on Georgie.

Heading into the shower, I consider my plans for tomorrow. First thing is to send little feelers out regarding Bennett’s situation. Then, I can get back to working on my relationship with Georgie. What I need from Tate is an extensive background report, so I can learn a lot about my woman and figure out what makes her tick. It’s not always in their reports, but it’s how I get business done with the celebrities and their associates I deal with.

Washing off, I wrap up in a towel and head into the bedroom. The weight of the day and the long travel hits me, so I let sleep take over.