Sean's Sweetheart (3 page)

Chapter Seven

Between a full load of college classes, a part-time gig selling clothes, and avoiding Caleb like the plague, Talia stayed busy. Being busy meant no time to obsess about the sexy bartender. Given the one-sided nature of her attraction, she did her best to put it behind her. She accepted Sean's lack of interest.

Talia filled her week with confrontations. She bitched Claire out and got a half-hearted apology. When Karly got home Thursday evening, Talia dragged her sister inside to confront her about leaving her stranded.

"You needed a push to talk to him. You want him, he wants you. You are so shy. I didn't think you'd make a move without help."

"Well, I gave him my number."

"Oh, wow, that's awesome! I'm so proud of you! You put yourself out there. See, us leaving you there was a good thing!" Karly bounced in her excitement.

A good thing?
Talia leaned closer to her sister. She glared and waited for the idiot to stop bouncing before she whispered, "He wadded it up and stuck it in an old soda cup. Then we rode home in silence. So, you want to tell me again how it was a good thing that you embarrassed the crap out of me?"

"Oh, Talia, he didn't? Really? But he's into you! He came over to our table and flirted with you. I don't get it. Did he say why he didn't want your number?"

"He said something about being too old for me, but whatever. He's not interested and it's not like I knew him. I still have a boyfriend for now, so I shouldn't have given him my number anyway. But if you ever, ever, do me that way again, I will hurt you. Geez, Karly, do you know how bad it was for me to have to ask him for a ride again? I could have died from embarrassment."

"I'm so sorry, Talia. I really am. I thought he would ask you out. And speaking of Caleb, why haven't you dumped his loser butt yet?" Karly looked contrite. Talia would make her sweat for a few days before she forgave her sister fully.

"Because I was afraid to go alone. Zane's been so busy with work that he couldn't take off just to escort his little sister to break up with her asshole boyfriend. He's going with me tomorrow."

Oh, how she dreaded the inevitable drama breaking up with Caleb would cause. It had to happen. She could not let Caleb keep abusing her. And she shouldn't have hidden the bruises as long as she had.

The next afternoon, Zane picked her up and drove her to meet Caleb. Talia couldn't relax. The beginnings of a tension headache crept up from her shoulders. Even Zane's goofy attempts at cheering her up didn't help. When his jokes fell flat, he tried another tactic.

"So, uh... is Claire still dating that dipwad?"

"Not sure which guy you mean."

"That weird guy who used to work at the marina. The one whose sister's a stripper."

"Claire used to be a stripper."

"I know. Damn, I miss those days."

Talia slugged her brother. "That's my friend you are lusting after."

"Well, she won't let me be her friend. Or her more than friend."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I know. Not like Claire'd ever give me the time of day anyway. I've tried."

When Talia didn't reply, Zane fell quiet. He didn't ask why she wanted him to go with her to see her boyfriend. Karly must have told him what Caleb was like. What Caleb had done.

She fiddled with her hair and willed the knot in her stomach to go away. This
had
to happen. Caleb had to be out of her life. For good.

Caleb answered the door half-dressed. The flash of anger when Caleb's eyes landed on Zane behind her made Talia very glad her older brother came. She prayed Zane wouldn't let Caleb kill her as she took a deep breath.

Here goes.

"Caleb, we are over. I… I can't take your abuse any more. We're finished." Talia tried to put on an air of confidence. But when Caleb stepped closer, her voice wavered. He reached out and grabbed her biceps and shook her hard. Fear froze her muscles. Her breathing came in shallow pants until Zane stepped up.

"Keep your damn hands off my sister." Zane shoved Caleb back into the wall.

"You'll regret this, you stupid bitch. I will get you back, don't you doubt it!" Caleb screamed at her. He raised a fist and shook it over Zane's shoulder at her.

She backed away flinching and Zane slammed him into the wall again. "I mean it. Leave her alone, asshole!"

Caleb hushed, but his glare could have set fires. Zane kept between them and urged her toward his truck. She reaffirmed her vow to not let Caleb see her cry.

Zane sped away from Caleb's house. She sank down into the seat. Her breath came in ragged gasps of relief. With Caleb gone, she could control her own life again. Her brother kept quiet, always good at seeing when someone needed space. Once she regained control of her emotions and sat up straight, Zane suggested she join him and his friends that night at a bonfire on the beach.

"Sis, you need to relax. It'll do you some good to loosen up a bit. It should be a blast tonight. Come on, hang out with us!"

Not really in the party mood, Talia agreed to go anyway. She needed to get back out there. And a bonfire with her brother sounded like a safe way to start.

Zane dropped her off at home, but before he drove away, he said, "I don't know what you saw in Caleb. I know he's popular and all, but he's a jerk. You deserve better than him."

Talia silently agreed with him. She whispered her thanks and went in to change.

She drove down to the beach and found Zane, his friends, and their girlfriends. They'd built a huge bonfire and had dragged some logs up around it for seats. Her brother's goofy friends soon teased a smile onto her face. But after a few hours of chatting and laughing with them, she really needed some alone time. She walked down the beach away from the bonfire. The sound of the water soothed her frayed nerves. These past few months had really taken a toll on her.

The brisk spring air put a slight damper on the evening, but it couldn't keep Talia's spirits down. It was nice to be herself and not have to worry something she said would set Caleb off. The weight lifted from her shoulders today—once she removed Caleb from her life—made her feel ten pounds lighter.

She didn't even know who she was anymore. Caleb had taken that from her. The hopes she'd had for the future, her goals. He'd made her second-guess everything. When they'd started dating, she'd had a plan. Now her grades were in the toilet and she was in danger of getting kicked out of the nursing program. Who was Talia Richmond now? She sure as hell didn't know.

She walked just out of reach of the slapping water, lost in thought. Where would her future lead her now? And how would she tell her parents about breaking up with Caleb? Her dad freaking loved Caleb. Not watching her step, she slipped in a puddle and sank a bit in the soft sand. She stopped for a moment to tug her shoe free.

The tiny hairs at the back of Talia's neck prickled and the sensations of eyes on her made her skin crawl. Wrapping her arms tight around herself, Talia suppressed a shudder. When she looked up, she gulped as the profile of a man emerged from the shadowy darkness. The moonlight behind him emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. Hands in his pockets, he ambled up the beach toward her. Her breath caught in alarm and a shiver went down her spine. She glanced back at the group crowded around the bonfire. If she screamed, could anyone even hear her? The drumming of her heart seemed louder than the waves crashing against the sand. Her stomach lurched up into her throat as he neared. She couldn't breathe.

Her heart rate slowed down when she recognized the big bartender. "Sean?"

"Talia? What are you doing on the beach alone at two a.m.? You okay, sweetheart? Come on, let me take you home." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tried to steer her toward the parking lot. Always so protective.

"I'm here with my brother. I drove myself, so I don't need a ride tonight." She didn't shrug away from his touch. In fact, she leaned in to him. He'd initiated the contact and she wasn't complaining.

Damn, he smelled good. Leaning against him, a little bit of his warmth seeped into her chilled skin. She should have brought a sweater, but a sweater wouldn't warm her the way Sean's body heat would. As much as she'd tried to fight it this week, every ounce of the attraction she felt for Sean still lingered. More than lingered, it now blossomed with his touch.

"Well, where is he? I want to make sure you're with him before I take off. I've invested a lot of time into protecting you lately." His smile said he teased, but an underlying tone lent seriousness to his words. Sean would make sure she was safe. She knew that as well as she knew her own name.

Choosing to focus on the light-hearted comment, she slipped an arm under his open jacket and decided to flirt a little. She'd never be a temptress, but maybe some innocent flirting would boost her fragile self-esteem. Sean was safe. Like he said, he'd protected her. He would never hurt her. Some flirtation, knowing it would never lead anywhere, couldn't hurt. She needed this. The quiet protection, respect, and manners…

Bumping her hip against his thigh, Talia laughed at his comments. "I'm not sure where Zane is at the moment, but he's around somewhere. He wouldn't have left me here without a word. He's not like Karly. You know, you're starting to make a habit of trying to rescue me."

Chapter Eight

Talia bumped in to him, teasingly, and an intense longing rose up within him. Crap. He thought he'd squashed that.

When she shivered, he shrugged out of his jacket. He raised his arms to flip it over her and she shrank away. He clenched his fists at the look of fear on her face. It might just be worth going back to prison to rip that damn Caleb's arms off and shove them up his ass. How could anyone want to hurt her?

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be afraid of me, remember?"

She nodded and shivered again. This time when he raised his arms to wrap the warm leather jacket around her, he saw the steely determination in her green eyes. She was not going to flinch away from him again.

Her brother seemed to have disappeared. Asking around, someone finally said he'd headed down the beach with his girlfriend. It figured. Can't say he'd have done much different if he'd come to a bonfire with his girl. But Talia looked like she didn't want to be alone.

He should leave. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her. And fuck, he knew he couldn't have her. But damned if he could force himself to leave her on this beach alone.

All the logs around the fire had been claimed, so he directed their steps down the beach a short distance to a large rock. Sinking down next to her, his denim-covered thigh brushed hers and he could feel the heat from her body through the layers of fabric. With their gazes focused out over the water, neither of them spoke for a moment. He stretched his legs out and waited for her to say something.

She broke the silence without looking at him, "I broke up with Caleb today."

"Good, he didn't deserve you. Never let a man, or anyone else, for that matter, treat you like that again."

"So, what brings you out to the lakefront tonight?" Talia changed the subject and he let her. He'd rather poke his eyes out with a rusty screwdriver than keep talking about her ex.

"Ah, rough night at the club. Couple of guys got into it over this girl in this tiny little dress. I had to break it up. Cops showed up."

"That sounds fun," Talia responded dryly.

"It's never a good night when the cops get called. I like to come down here; the sounds of the waves help me relax. It's either walk it off here or punch something some nights."

"Walking is probably the better choice."

Sean chuckled. "For sure. Punching stuff hurts sometimes."

Talia laughed and nudged his knee with her own. When he glanced over at her, she smiled and ducked her head. She slid a little closer to him and laid her head against his shoulder. He moved to put his arm around her and her muscles tensed. Slipping his arm around her waist, he drew her up against him. He shouldn't hold her like this. Already too attached to her, he needed to keep his distance. But a few minutes couldn't hurt, right?

He was just making sure she wasn't cold. That was it. "You warm enough?"

"Mmmhmm," she murmured. She relaxed into his side and brought her hand up to rest on his chest. He ached for her to slide that little hand inside his shirt like she did the night they met.

She brought her gaze up to meet his in the flickering light of the fire. "Sean, I have to ask…"

He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaned into his touch, and he groaned. Her soft curves pressed against his side when she shifted against him. She tugged at his neck, pulling his head down toward her. Even a saint couldn't resist her when that little tongue darted out, licking her lips in anticipation.

And he was no saint.

One kiss wouldn't hurt…

"Talia?" a man's voice called from a few feet away.

Fuck.

She jerked back from his touch like he'd thrown her in the bonfire. A couple stood staring at them—and the concern on the man's face made him think this was the missing brother.

He rose up and introduced himself.

"I ran into Talia down on the beach. Make sure she gets home safely, will ya?" He told Zane as they shook hands.

"Uh, yeah. Talia, you okay?"

"I'm perfect. Sean is determined to become my knight in shining armor, lately."

He snorted, shaking his head. "I'm no knight." He gave her a shy smile. No one had ever called him a knight before. And fuck if he was shining, more like tarnished beyond redemption. "I'm just a sucker for a damsel in distress, I guess. You take care, sweetheart."

He wanted to kiss her goodbye, but the moment had been broken. His common sense wouldn't let that happen now. So he stuffed his hands in his pockets, said his goodbyes, and walked away.