Let Them Talk

Isabel’s eyes flashed with annoyance. She was receiving his message loud and clear. He knew she’d been acting out of character just because of something she had read.

“Maybe the woman is a healthy sexual being who wants to express herself more fully.”

“Or maybe this book,” Sean countered, “like many books, is trying to make women become more aggressive. The message is that acting like a seductress is the only way to be rewarded. That you have to act this way or you will miss out. And that is not true.”

“Or maybe this book, like many books,” Isabel retorted, “reminds women to stop waiting for something to happen. Because men want to group women into two categories—bad girls or good girls. They don’t think a good girl is capable of bad-girl sex.”

The room fell into a tense silence. Isabel’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He knew exactly how she felt as his own blood was pumping hard through his veins. He looked away from her just in time to see Laura and Sydney exchange glances. Sydney cleared her throat, grabbed her wineglass and realized it was empty.

“I told you Sean would be a good addition to the book club,” Laura said.

“Well, it’s getting late,” Sydney said as she slowly stood up. “I should start heading home.”

“Right, yeah,” Laura said as she reluctantly uncurled from the sofa. “We should go.”

“What’s the next book?” Sean asked as Isabel protested the idea of her friends leaving.

“It’s Sydney’s choice,” Laura said and wrinkled her nose. “A cookbook on aphrodisiacs. Going to be around for that one?”

Sean turned and looked at Isabel. “Just try to stop me.”

* * *

ISABEL WAVED GOODBYE to Laura and Sydney before she closed the front door. She laid her forehead against the smooth wood and squeezed her eyes shut. She could tell by Sydney’s big smile and the way Laura had waggled her eyebrows that they knew the truth.

Nothing she said now would convince them otherwise. They had figured out that Sean had been her one-night stand. She hadn’t been able to hide the tension that shimmered between her and Sean. And despite how they’d held back during the book discussion, the undercurrents pulsed with each word they’d said—and didn’t say. It was clear that he was the one who had her shedding her cardigans and testing her boundaries.

She had revealed too much. That wasn’t like her. Isabel rubbed her arms as if she could slough off the idea of being exposed.

Where had she gone wrong? Her plan had been to bore Sean into leaving early. It hadn’t quite worked out that way. He had been engaging and thoughtful. Interested in what everyone had to say. At times she thought he was even having fun.

“No wonder you guys got kicked out of the reading circle,” Sean said as he gathered the empty wineglasses and walked to the kitchen. “Are all your book club discussions like that?”

She turned around. “Sometimes.” Never. They had never made her feel vulnerable. The discussions didn’t usually leave her with a sense of regret and an expectation that her words would come back to haunt her.

Sean stepped out of the kitchen and leaned his shoulder against the wall as she slowly walked toward him. Isabel couldn’t help but notice the way his blue button-down shirt clung to his muscular arms and skimmed down his flat stomach. She had tried to ignore the perfect fit of his faded jeans. She hadn’t seen him dress this casually before and it should have diminished his powerful aura. Instead, it made him more dangerous to her senses.

“Bad-girl sex?” he murmured.

Isabel’s muscles locked and she curled her toes against the carpet. She knew he was teasing her but it was not something she wanted to discuss. It struck too close to a nerve.

“Book club is over,” she announced brightly and gestured to the door. “No need to help clean up. I’m sure you have somewhere else you should be.”

“What exactly is bad-girl sex?” he asked as he crossed his arms. “Let me rephrase the question. What do you think bad-girl sex is?”

She had to divert him from this subject and the best defense was a good offense. She forced herself to meet his eyes. “Would you like a demonstration?”

He arched an eyebrow as his gaze leisurely traveled down the length of her body. “From you?”

She gritted her teeth. He didn’t have to sound so disbelieving. “You already had a taste of it.”

“That wasn’t bad-girl sex,” he said softly.

She felt her skin flush. If he didn’t think their one-night stand had been wild and dirty, then she really wasn’t in his league.