Sean: A Stepbrother Romance (Coded for Love 3)

“For one night only,” she snapped and jerked free, reaching for the coffee canister. “You said it yourself, you wanted a bed for the night. Well, you got it. No need to alter your plans on my account.”

“When I stepped through that door after all this time, one night was all I could hope for. I also said I loved you and I wanted us to be together.”

Silence.

“Rowan…we got close again—”

“That’s before you knew I have a child,” she interrupted, and looked at him with suspicion, cool and assessing.

“My feelings haven’t changed. I was just surprised.” He shrugged. “Anyone would be surprised! I just need you to give me a second to take it in.”

He wanted to kiss the tension out of her adorable mouth, so he did.

There was an immediate moment of relinquishment, where she seemed to droop in his arms. Then it was gone. She tensed, her fists grabbing at his T-shirt before she pushed him back and jerked away.

She lurched out of his grasp, returned to the work surface and her task of cutting doorsteps. Shoving two pieces of bread in the toaster, she moved along the work surface to a cupboard where she pulled out two mugs. “It’s okay for you. I can’t wait around for you to settle down.”

Whoa. She was set on a track and it was very hard to derail. Reasoning with her hadn’t helped, nor had the kiss. But she’d been about to respond until her hackles had gone way up again, and now she had that knife back in her hand. He had to find a way to get her attention without being stabbed—or at the very least impaled on a verbal barb. He’d do it if it killed him.

Once she’d put the knife down he reached for her free hand and grabbed her, drawing him in against her. “Too busy to give me a second chance, Rowan?”

She attempted to pull away.

He tangled her hair in his grasp. “No, you’re not even getting breakfast, not unless you give me some of your time and promise to hear me out.”

Her eyes closed momentarily. She always did like that—his fingers in her hair, possessively claiming her.

She shook her head. “You haven’t got the first clue what my life is like now.”

“No, I don’t, but I want to know.”

“You say that now but—”

He clasped his hand over her mouth.

Her eyes rounded and her eyes filled with warning.

“Damnit, Rowan, I don’t want to do this, but I need you to hear me out and you’re arguing with me for no reason. Agree to my request and you’ll get that coffee you seem to need so badly.”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

With caution, Sean withdrew his hand.

She gave him a scathing sidelong glance that would have sent most men packing. What had got into her so? Had that bastard Declan made her feel she should be ashamed of being pregnant? If that was the case he’d kill the guy with his bare hands.

“You’re right, it does change things. But not in a bad way.”

That seemed to melt the ice a tad, her expression morphing to wariness. “You’re just saying that to get what you want.”

Taking her hands in his he kissed her knuckles, first one hand then the other.

“I’m saying it because of me. I want to be with you, nothing’s changed. Everything I said since I arrived here, I meant. I promise never to go back on my word.”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

He resisted the urge to kiss her again, to wipe away the tears with his mouth. Instead he dropped down to one knee in front of her, still holding her hands. She looked startled and glanced at the door as if to make sure no one was listening, and then back at him.

“I’m begging here. I messed up, Rowan. I should never have taken off, but I’m back and want to make it up to you, if you’ll just let me.” Again he kissed her knuckles.