Irresistible (3 page)

“Ma’am, may I have this dance?”

Sean slowly raised his head to see yet another cowboy eyeing Sydney. This one was a little taller than the last and built like a Brahma—and raised by a coyote by the gleam in his eyes.

“The woman’s with me.” Sean spoke without thinking. Judging by Sydney’s widened eyes, his words had shocked her as much as they had him.

“Sean?” His name was almost inaudible on her lips.

“Excuse us.” He maneuvered her through the dancers and toward their table. Before they reached their destination, she pulled to an abrupt halt.

“Uhhh…what just happened?”

He bristled, reaching for the only thing that came to mind. “You don’t want to get involved with the likes of these men.”

“And why not?”

“Look at them, Sydney.”

No sooner did he say it than he regretted his words. Because look, or more to the point ogle, was exactly what she did, receiving several interested smiles in return that made his hackles rise to the surface.

“Okay. That’s enough,” he barked.

Her brows shot upward so fast he half expected them to disappear into her hairline.

“
Enough
?” She paused. When she spoke again her tone firmed. “No. What’s enough is your overbearing—
Errr
…” she growled. “That you think you have some say over my personal life. You’re my boss. I work for you. But you’re not my guardian or my protector. That’s all—” Her voice cracked. “That’s all there will ever be between us.”

Sydney was exquisite in her fury. Pink spotted her cheeks, while tendons tightened along her neck. Her hands clenched by her sides. And that perky little nose was high in the air. Her waspish effect made his blood pump hot and wild. He reached for her but she jerked away.

“That’s all, Sean.” Spinning around, she marched right into the arms of the cowboy who had interrupted them.

Sean fought the urge to go after her, but she was right. He had no claims on her. The realization soured his mood as he stomped back to the table and threw himself into his chair.

Louisa and Ted were on the dance floor. Cameron was nowhere in sight.

Harry leaned toward him. “Something wrong, bro?”

“That woman is infuriating.” Sean released an ominous growl as the cowboy swung Sydney into his body, her hips grinding his. Sean’s mouth went dry. Heat traveled so fast up his neck it felt as if his head would burst into flames.

“And beautiful.”

“Hell yes, she’s beau—” Sean stuttered. “I mean…she’s young and vulnerable.”

Both men turned to watch her just as she spun away from the cowboy, her body dissolving into the music as her eyes closed. Her ass swayed seductively to the beat. Her shoulders undulated, her breasts pressed tight against that sexy damn sweater. Arms above her head, she bent her knees, taking her body down in a wave that made Sean’s heart crash against his chest.

“Vulnerable? Sydney?” Harry chuckled. “So you’ve got it bad for her?”

Gaze locked on the woman of his infatuation, Sean huffed. “Are you kidding?” Watching her rub against another man made his palms itch to tear the little minx out of the cowboy’s embrace. “She’s my sister. Well, sort of.” They had no blood ties.

“The man doth protest too much, methinks.”

Sean slowly turned his head, leveling his glare on Harry. “Ha. Ha. Think what you want, Shakespeare.”

He picked up his beer and took a deep swig before slamming the bottle on the table. Without saying another word he got to his feet. The last chords of the music strummed and he planned to be next to Sydney before a new song began.

As he stepped onto the dance floor, sweet laughter caressed his ears. Sydney wore a broad smile for the cowboy who stroked his palms down her arms until he held her hands in his. Another growl rumbled in Sean’s throat. He wanted her to smile at him like that.

Anchoring his fingers around her biceps, he pulled her out of the man’s grasp. “My turn.”

The cowboy took a step toward them, stopping when Sydney shook her head. Disappointment greeted Sean. He’d like nothing better than to wipe the smirk from the cowboy’s face.

With several quick brushes of her hand, she fanned the blush on her cheeks. “I think I’ll sit this one out. But thank you.” Not waiting for a response, she sauntered off at a clip.

Hard-pressed to follow, he worked his way through the crowd, increasing his pace when he realized she wasn’t heading for their table. Instead, she ducked out the exit.

Sydney wasn’t getting away from him that easily.

A gust of crisp air whipped through his hair as he pushed the door open and stepped outside. Bitter cold stung his face. Above him gray clouds hung heavy in the sky. It would soon be snowing again.

The dim lights of the parking lot shrouded everything in shadows. A quick glance around and he found his prey propped against the side of the building. Arms wrapped around her chest, she shivered.

Foolish woman.

Closing the distance between them, Sean shook his head. “What are you doing out here without a jacket?”

A frown rose as it always did the second she laid eyes on him. “I needed some air.” Her appraising glare took him in. “I don’t see you wearing a jacket.” Her chin trembled, teeth chattering.

“Sydney?”

Her head tilting toward her feet made her silky hair fall like a curtain around her face. “What do you want, Sean?” Her voice was raw with emotion.

“Too make sure you’re okay.”

Refusing to meet his eyes, she continued to look at the ground. “I’m fine. Go back inside.”

Placing a knuckle beneath her chin, he raised her gaze to meet his. Before she could turn away from him, he saw tears brightening her eyes. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Brittle silence stretched between them, and then she jerked her head up, trembling with what looked like caged fury below the chill. She pushed away from the wall, coming so close to him that he felt her heat.

“Wrong? Can’t you leave me alone? Dammit, Sean. Why are you doing this to me? If you’re mad at me say so, but don’t play with me. I’m not a toy.”

Anger rose on the tail end of hers. He grabbed her biceps and gave her a gentle shake. “You want me to leave you alone? Then tell me what I’ve done. Why do you hate me?”

She wedged her hands between them and shoved, but his iron grip remained. “Me? Hate you?” Her burst of laughter held no humor. “I—”

Before she could continue, he lowered his head and sealed her mouth with his. His kiss was hungry, lacking the tenderness he had thought would be there when he imagined their first caress. Instead, he forced her lips apart and thrust his tongue inside, plundering her like a starving man. Shuffling his feet, he pressed her against the building and bent his knees, grinding his hips to hers.

A whimper filled his mouth.

To his surprise, she snaked her arms around his neck. When she slid her tongue along his, a growl rumbled deep within. She tasted of honey and wine and a promise of a night in heaven. White-hot desire slammed unmercifully into his groin. His breath caught, tearing their lips apart.

Their eyes met. Desire, hot and alive, smoldered between them.

Boy. Had he been wrong—she was as attracted to him as he to her.

Heart pounding like a drum against his chest, he slipped his hands lower to cup her ass. The tight, small globes fit perfectly in his palms. Light as a feather, he raised her to hold her tightly against his hardening erection. Her legs folded around his waist, leaving nothing but the clothes they wore between them.

He closed his eyes. Damn. She felt so good, so right in his arms. He lifted his lids and took her mouth in another scorching kiss.

Using his body to shield her from the cold as well as wondering eyes, he braced her against the wall and cupped a breast through the thin sweater. His lips found hers at the same time he wedged her nipple between a thumb and forefinger and squeezed. Devouring her mouth, he swallowed her cry and increased the pressure of his fingers.

Man. He had to taste her.

All thoughts of where they were or the cold that surrounded them were gone. He released her legs, but not her lips, as she slid down his body. When her feet touched ground, he eased the cowl neckline of her sweater and bra down to bare her breast. Still fondling the nub, he kissed a path down her neck, before wrapping his tongue around the taut peak and sucking.

Her chest arched into him. “Oh God.
Sean
.”

As he took a long pull on her tender flesh, he glanced up to see her eyelids fall midway, her eyes reflecting his own desire. The erotic image was so hot it forced him to release her, dragging her back into his arms as her sweater sprung back in place.

Their mouths fused, teeth clashing. Desperate to get closer, he once again pressed her firmly against the building. As he covered her body like a second skin, she released a cry that touched his heart.

And then the door burst open, swinging back so hard it struck the wall with a bang. Several laughing individuals staggered out, heading for the parking lot.

He jerked back, stepping away from her. Her eyes were wide as she struggled to slip her breast back into her bra and right her sweater. When their eyes met, her embarrassment matched his.

What had he been thinking?

If any fool looked their way he or she could tell by their quickened breaths and kiss-swollen lips exactly what they’d been up to. It just so happened, the fool to discover them was Harry, who sauntered outside, glancing in their direction.

Trying to hide his amusement, he cleared his throat. “Cameron sent me to find you. The rest of the group wants to call it a night, but only if you two are ready.” Not waiting for a response, he disappeared back inside the establishment, but not before Sean saw the man wink.

“We’ll continue this later.” Sean extended his hand to Sydney, but she didn’t accept it.

She shook her head. “What about Mom? Cameron? We work together. Sean, I don’t think
this
—you…me—is a good idea.”

“Well, I do.” The cat was out of the bag. He had revealed his feelings for her and there was no turning back. He would have her one way or another.

Chapter Three

Laughter and easy chatter filled the Hummer as Sean drove their small party back to the house. Sydney sat motionless, struggling to figure out what had happened at Big Bear. Sean had kissed her, touched her. A chill raced up her spine and she trembled with the remembrance of his hand, his mouth on her breast. From the last words they shared, he planned on picking up where they’d left off.

The thought made her insides melt.

Was she dreaming?

Okay. If she had to admit it, her little-girl crush had grown into a full-blown love/hate relationship. But how had they gone from despising each other to losing themselves in each other’s arms?

Sydney glanced up and caught him staring at her from the rearview mirror. The intensity in his eyes sent a wave of heat through her, making her squirm against the leather seats. She dropped her gaze to her hands folded in her lap.

Would she let him make good on his promise or would she run and hide? Run and hide sounded like a good and reasonable choice, because morning regrets would surface and then where would she be? Their relationship had been strained before. One night of intimacy could do nothing but complicate things between them.

Think rationally
, she chided herself. Even though they were attracted to each other, relationships didn’t last. She couldn’t handle the idea of being abandoned again like when she was two.

Sure, she kept a stiff upper lip. But beneath all the feigned bravado she let the outside world see a woman who never let anyone get too close. With the exception of Cameron and their mother and father. Somehow they had cracked the barriers she’d erected.

She wanted Sean, but only one night would kill her.

Sitting between Sean and Harry, Cameron swung around in the front seat, catching Sydney’s attention. “How about those cowboys?” She wagged her eyebrows. “
Hawtttt
…” she sang in a high-pitched voice. “I thought you might bring one home tonight. A little ride ’em, cowboy,” she rocked her body suggestively, “if you know what I mean.”

Beside Sydney, Louisa’s and Ted’s laughter rose. She snapped her gaze to the rearview mirror and just as quickly back to Cameron. Sean wasn’t laughing and neither was she.

“Sooo…” Cameron continued, seemingly unaware of the tension in the car. “Did any of those rugged, good-looking men spark an interest? The last one you danced with had some pretty impressive biceps.”

“Hey there.” Harry jerked her around so that she faced him. “You’re not supposed to be looking at other men.” He raised his arm and flexed it.

Cameron giggled, cupping his face with both hands before she planted a big kiss on his lips to soothe his injured male pride.

When she spoke again, concern rang in her voice. “I just want to help my baby sister. It would do her good to get hooked up this weekend.”

“She doesn’t need your help,” Sean barked, staring straight ahead at the road.

The vehicle’s headlights bounced off the slick asphalt when they hit a bump. A light snow flurry had begun. White crystals accumulated on the hood and along the windshield wipers.