Sean: A Stepbrother Romance (Coded for Love 3)

It was a guest room but there was a box on top of the wardrobe that looked suspiciously like it held a bunch of toys. “Wait, you’re not still with that Declan bloke, are you?”

If looks could kill, he’d be dead. Sean felt the full force of her wrath in one withering glance. She looked betrayed, her eyes full of fury. Her reaction made her looked hotter still though, and he craved her like nothing he’d ever craved before and probably ever would again.

She threw up her hands in a frustrated gesture, still glaring at him. “A bit late to be wondering if you’re stomping on someone else’s territory isn’t it.”

“Hey, I heard you’d gone out with Declan, but I thought that was over. And since you’re living with the twin set and pearls brigade I figured—”

“You ‘figured.’ Bloody hell! So I’m supposed to be a nun now, just because I’m living with Nan and Aunt Gladys?”

Was she saying the father was someone else, not Declan? How many boyfriends had there been? Confused, he scrubbed his hand over his head, wishing he was more awake for this. A possessive sense of jealousy had a grip on him, triggered by the thought of other guys, the unwelcome images of her being involved with anyone but him.

The thought of that dipshit Declan being on the scene was bad enough. Sean had only been able to shelve it because he thought the guy was history. Was Declan still around, doing weekend dad-type visits, spending time with Rowan? In a flash he was on his feet. “How could you have a kid with that loser?”

Betrayal shone in her eyes. “Trust you to think of him. Like I can’t have a life without a man in it. I’m an independent woman, Sean, and the sooner you realize that the better.”

“So…” he ventured, tentatively, feeling mighty confused, “is he still in the picture?”

“For fucks’ sake.” Snapping her bra on, she pulled her top over her head. “No, I dumped him when he started sleeping with someone else while I was giving birth. There, you’re fully up to speed now, happy?”

His gut tightened. What an absolute shit Declan was, to leave her at a time like that, to double time her that way. Why had no one told him any of this? Surely Rory might have given him a hint to prepare him, to stop him wading in blindly like an idiot. “No. I’m not happy.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She gave a wry laugh and pushed her hair behind her ears. She turned toward the door. Glancing back, she pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you pity me, don’t you dare! I’ve had to put up with that kind of nonsense ever since I got pregnant.”

He tried to reason with himself, thinking it through while he quickly hunted down his pants. “Life changes,” he said, trying to be reasonable and say something appropriate, even though he felt far from ready for it. He’d been kept in the dark about the woman he loved. That fact alone annoyed him, never mind the rest.

“We’ve been away from each other. I can accept that you’ve other relationships…” Even as he said it a crazed territorial possessiveness reared inside him. Why hadn’t he come back sooner, when he could have seen that gutless wonder Declan off?

Finding the right thing to say to her was difficult though. She was prickly as hell, and he was unprepared. He sat down on the edge of the bad, thwarted. Rubbing both hands over his head, he rued the passing of time more than he ever had on all his days banged up in prison.

He looked up and saw her reach for the door handle.

“Get out of my life, once and for all,” she declared, loudly, her eyes filled with fury. “I want you to go, you would’ve gone soon anyway.”

That wasn’t true. He stood, striding to the door, trying to bar her exit, desperate to make her understand. “No, we need to talk, so…you’ve got a kid…” He shrugged.

Her eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I’ve got kid, which is clearly an issue for you.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not an issue, I just didn’t know you and Declan had—”

“Get the fuck out of here and leave me alone!” She darted at him, pushing him sideways.

Unprepared for her sudden movement he was stunned. Either she’d gathered some superhuman strength overnight, or she caught him off guard, because she’d managed to shove him away from the exit. She was through the door and gone, leaving him standing there, naked, with his pants hanging from one hand.

The door slammed in his face.

Standing there with a fist full of clothing, wondering what the hell had happened, he stared at the door. A sound from outside made him draw closer. Was Rowan outside, crying?

He went for the handle then heard footsteps thundering up the stairs to the attic room, and thought twice about it. As he did, he heard a door slam shut in the distance.

Maybe she needed time to cool off. Maybe he need time to figure out the right thing to say, because he’d done his best but she’d taken offence to every word that came out of his mouth. Why? Was there even a right thing to say, he wondered.

From downstairs, he caught the sound of someone singing. Nan, most likely.

Nan would know everything.

Yup, go down, not up, to get to the bottom of this. He nodded, pleased he’d thought of it. The elder ladies of the house were probably dying to fill him in on every little detail.

“Better get dressed first,” he reluctantly muttered to himself. Looking down at his hand, he found he’d only managed to grab underwear anyway. Across the hallway, the door to the bathroom stood open. He took his chance and headed for a quick shower.