"It"s going to be a long week, if you don"t go after her and apologize," Hank said, coming up to lean on the railing next to him.
"Why should I be the one apologizing?" Sean grumbled, even though he knew the answer as well as Hank did.
Hank grinned. "Maybe because she"s right. You set impossibly high standards for everyone else when it comes to family, but you don"t exactly apply the same rules to yourself. How many times have you even seen Ryan since you were best man at his wedding?"
"We"re both busy," Sean said defensively.
"The man owns a pub," Hank retorted. "You know where to find him any night of the week."
Sean had no argument for that. "Deanna just took me by surprise. I had no idea that she was on the outs with her family. I a.s.sumed she didn"t have any, since she"d never mentioned them."
"You don"t mention yours, but they"re out there," Hank reminded him.
Sean scowled at him. "You are so d.a.m.ned annoying when you find a c.h.i.n.k in my armor."
Hank grinned. "We live to serve. Go after her. I don"t think I can stand an entire week of you two dancing around each other. Besides, it"ll ruin the romantic vibes."
Sean glanced pointedly toward the door. "Speaking of romantic vibes, where is Ruby?"
"Hiding in her room," Hank said. "Upstairs. She refused to take the one next door to mine on the first floor. She left it for you."
"Sorry."
"Me, too. The thought of looking up into your ugly mug if I call out in the middle of the night is not exactly the scenario I envisioned when we came out here." His expression brightened. "But I"m confident I can get her to change her mind eventually. I"m impossible to resist when I really put my mind to it."
Sean studied him curiously. "Is this just about s.e.x? Is that all you were hoping for this week?"
Hank shrugged, looking more at a loss than Sean had ever seen him. "h.e.l.l if I know. That woman has more excuses for keeping me at arm"s length than any female I ever met."
Sean chuckled at the confirmation that Ruby wasn"t sleeping with Hank. "She still has your undivided attention, though, doesn"t she? In my book, that makes her the smartest woman you"ve ever dated."
Hank didn"t seem impressed by his a.n.a.lysis.
"What about you and Deanna? Anything going on?"
Sean wasn"t particularly happy at having the tables turned on him. "No," he said succinctly. "Mutual decision."
"Yeah, right," Hank said skeptically. "If it"s mutual, it"s only because you"re scared. Are you finally in over your head?"
Sean thought about the feelings that welled up in him every time Deanna walked into a room. Some were familiar-attraction, heat, l.u.s.t. And some were emotions that usually sent him racing in the opposite direction-vulnerability, protectiveness, a longing for the kind of future he"d never allowed himself to imagine before.
"Getting there," Sean admitted aloud for the first time. He sighed heavily. "Guess I"d better go find her and apologize."
"If you want to do it right, you can always send Kevin back up here. Ruby will be glad of the chaperon."
Sean laughed. "Poor kid. He has no idea the heavy burden he"s carrying on his shoulders this week."
"Probably best to keep it that way," Hank said. "Or you"ll have something else you"ll need to apologize to Deanna for."
"I think there"s enough crow on my plate for now," Sean said, then headed off to get his first taste of it.
He found Deanna walking along the beach, shoulders slumped, hands tucked in the pockets of her light windbreaker. Kevin was running head of her, ducking in and out of waves as they splashed against the sh.o.r.e. The look on his face was one of pure joy. Whatever else came out of this week, Sean was glad he"d been a part of giving the boy this happy memory. As a kid, he"d always managed to get sick on the day everyone in school was supposed to talk about their summer vacation. He"d hated that he never had anything to talk about while everyone else shared stories about their weeks at camp or trips to the beach, to ball games or amus.e.m.e.nt parks.
Kevin looked up, spotted Sean and gave a shout, then began racing toward him. Sean saw Deanna"s shoulders stiffen perceptibly, but she stopped and turned to wait for Sean. Even if she wasn"t quite literally coming back to meet him halfway, it was something. He had to give her credit for not backing down from the encounter.
"I"m sorry," Sean mouthed silently as he scooped Kevin high in the air and perched the boy on his shoulders.
Deanna"s serious expression didn"t acknowledge the apology, but some of the tension seemed to drain out of her.
"How"s the water?" he asked.
"Cold," she said, just as Kevin shouted, "It"s great! Can we go swimming?"
Sean looked to Deanna.
"I"m not going in there," she said with a shiver.
Sean laughed. "Then I guess it"s just you and me, buddy. You wearing your suit?"
"No," Kevin said, clearly disappointed.
"Run on up to the house and change, then," Sean said. "Your mom and I will wait right here."
A flicker of dismay crossed Deanna"s face, but she didn"t argue.
After Kevin had gone, Sean repeated his apology, trying to explain his att.i.tude toward his own family, an att.i.tude he admittedly tried never to examine too closely.
"I know your heart"s in the right place, that you"re thinking about Kevin," Deanna conceded when he finished. "But when it comes to my folks, you don"t know what you"re talking about."
"I know."
"Then you"ll drop it?"
"If it will wipe that frown off your face, yes."
A smile trembled at the corners of her mouth.
Sean reached over and touched a finger to her lips. "Much better." Then he leaned down and kissed her, just a quick, gentle kiss to remind himself of the taste and feel of her mouth beneath his.
Huge mistake. He wanted so much more, but Kevin was screaming his name and tearing across the sand, dragging a towel behind him. Sean"s only consolation was the unmistakable shadow of regret in Deanna"s eyes, too.
"I don"t see why anyone would want to dig for clams," Kevin grumbled. "It"s hard work, and they"re yucky."
"Not when they"re in a big bowl of New England clam chowder," Sean a.s.sured him.
Deanna grinned at the pair of them. The clam digging had been Sean"s brilliant idea. She was stretched out on a blanket nearby listening to the two of them grumble. The sun was warm against her skin. After only a couple of days, Kevin"s hair was turning lighter and his skin was developing a faint tan, except for his nose which had gotten sunburned the first day out. He looked healthy and happy as he knelt on the sand beside Sean, digging haphazardly with his small shovel.
The setting was idyllic, even if being around Sean 24/7 was beginning to take a toll on her nerves. It had been difficult enough to resist him in the city, where she only had to contend with the sight of him in tight T-shirts and snug jeans. Out here, even on the chilliest mornings, he was usually wearing shorts and a T-shirt. More often than not he wore only his bathing suit, exposing more taut, bare skin than she"d been exposed to in years. The temptation to rest her hand against his bronzed chest, to trace the hard muscles in his arms or the six-pack of sculpted muscles on his abdomen was nearly irresistible.
If Sean was having similar difficulty keeping his hands to himself, she wasn"t aware of it. He seemed perfectly content jogging along the edge of the water with Kevin running along beside him or engaging in a cutthroat game of cards with Kevin and Deanna in the evening while Hank and Ruby disappeared into town.
This was what marriage to a man like Sean would be like, Deanna realized with a sudden burst of awareness. Slow, quiet days together as a family, accompanied by the edgy thrill of antic.i.p.ation. Of course, if they were married, there would be an end to the sensual torment. They could spend the entire night making wild, pa.s.sionate love to each other, satisfying this longing that never quite left her.
Deanna was so shaken by the image that she inadvertently dropped the can of soda in her hand. It spilled over her bare thigh, soaked the blanket and sent her scooting onto the hot sand.
"You okay?" Sean asked, appearing beside her.
She forced a smile. "Just dropped my soda all over myself. It was cold."
"You need to go in the water or you"ll be all sticky," he said.
"Not me. The ocean"s freezing."
By then Kevin had joined them. "No, it"s not, Mom. You"ll love it once you get in."
A mischievous grin spread across Sean"s face. "Kev, I don"t think your mom"s going to become a believer unless we prove it to her."
She shot a wary look at him and backed up a step. "Meaning what exactly?"
Before she could react, Sean had scooped her up until she was resting against his bare chest. The sensation of being next to all that sun-warmed skin was so intriguing that for a moment, she completely forgot about his obvious intentions. When she finally remembered, they were already at the ocean"s edge.
"Put me down, you idiot," she demanded, trying to wriggle free and escape before he dunked her in the Atlantic. He simply held on more tightly and kept walking.
The icy water skimmed the bottoms of her feet. "It couldn"t be any colder if there were ice cubes in here," she squealed. "Sean Devaney, put me down right this instant."
He looked steadily into her eyes. "Now?" he inquired lightly. "You want me to put you down right now?"
Deanna saw the trick, but it was already too late. Sean released her. She hit the water with a splash. It was no more than three feet deep, but she sank into it with a shriek of dismay. It was like stepping under the shower and belatedly realizing that she"d forgotten to turn on the hot water. The shock of cold nearly paralyzed her.
The instant she managed to get on her feet, she brushed her soaking wet hair out of her eyes and faced Sean with a determined look. "You are in so much trouble," she said.
Her indignation was enough to heat her up as she went after him, diving neatly below the surface and aiming directly for his knees. She took him by surprise, managing to knock him off his feet. Satisfied with her sneak attack, she surfaced just as he stood up, sputtering.
"So, that"s the way you want to play," he said, a glint in his eyes as he came after her.
Deanna tried to evade his reach, but Sean was quicker. He had her off her feet and in the water before she could plead for mercy. Then Kevin was in the middle of things, splashing them both. When he managed to hit Sean squarely in the face with a handful of water, Deanna saw her chance. She ran for sh.o.r.e.
Sean caught her just before she hit the beach, carried her right back out and sank down in water to his shoulders, still holding her cradled against his chest.
"Ready to concede yet?" he inquired, his gaze locked with hers.
Deanna was aware of every single spot where their bodies were in contact. Given the temperature of the water and the heat they were generating, she was amazed that this part of the Atlantic hadn"t turned into a steam bath. She tried to respond to Sean"s taunt, but she couldn"t seem to form the words, couldn"t even think.
Suddenly Sean"s eyes darkened as if the heat had finally gotten to him, as well. His hand slipped higher, brushing against the already hard bud of her nipple. Even through her suit the sensation shot fiery heat straight through her. His knowing gaze held hers, daring her to protest or move away.
But Deanna didn"t want to move. She wanted that almost innocent caress to last forever, wanted the wild flaring of need to build and build until she was writhing beneath Sean and he was burying himself deep inside her.
Oh, no, she thought with a moan. What was happening to her? She was turning into a bundle of exposed nerves, sensitive to every brush of Sean"s fingers across her flesh. If she could react like this with her son just a few feet away and Sean doing practically nothing, what would happen if he truly set out to seduce her?
"We"re going to finish this one of these days," he told her quietly, still holding her gaze.
She shuddered at the certainty in his voice. There was little point in denying his claim. They were destined to finish this. They had been for weeks now. Only old fears and uncertainties, which ran deep in both of them, had kept the tide of their wanting in check.
His lips curved. "No argument?"
She solemnly shook her head. "Why waste my breath?"
"Geez, Dee, why not torment me a little more?" he muttered hoa.r.s.ely. "I thought you"d at least tell me I was crazy to think for one minute that you and I..." His voice trailed off and he glanced toward Kevin who was splashing nearby, safe with his colorful floating device twisted around his waist. "Well, you know."
Deanna smiled at his attempt at discretion. "I know." She rested her hand against his cheek, loving the way the combination of stubble, heat and icy salt water felt against her palm.
Eyes locked with hers, he lowered her slowly to her feet, letting her feel the tension in his body, his unmistakable arousal. With water swirling around them up to their waists, he held her tightly against him, rocking his hips just a little, just enough to make her wish they were out here all alone, under a moonlit sky.
She swallowed hard. "I"d better...I need..."
"What do you need?" he asked, amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes.
"Heat," she blurted.
He laughed. "This isn"t making you hot enough?"
"Sun," she insisted, refusing to concede. She waved in the general direction of the beach. "I need to get back."
"Because?"
She opted for total honesty. "Because, Sean Devaney, you scare the daylights out of me."
He seemed genuinely shocked by that. "Me? Why?"
"Because you make me feel things, want things, I"d never expected to want again."
He regarded her with a commiserating look. "Tell me about it. This-you and me-it was the last thing I expected."
"Or wanted," she guessed.
"Or wanted," he agreed.
Somehow knowing that he didn"t want this-didn"t want to want her-hurt more than she"d antic.i.p.ated it would. Of course he didn"t. How many times had he made it plain that commitment was the last thing on his mind? She remembered another man-Frankie-who"d hedged about the future, but she"d been so confident that they could defy the odds. Was she willing to take on another man with doubts?
"It doesn"t have to go any further than this," she said stiffly, gathering her pride around her.
He touched a finger to her lips. "I think you and I both know that it"s impossible to turn back now."
"Not impossible," she insisted.