Sean's Sweetheart (9 page)

Chapter Twenty-one

Sean had dozed off pretty early into the movie and Talia'd grabbed one of the blankets Claire had gotten out to cover him. Spreading the fleece over him, she crawled under the blanket with him seeking out his body heat. Claire liked to keep her apartment ice cold. Talia always froze there. He mumbled when she slipped in beside him, but didn't wake up. His arm came around her and held her close. Talia sighed before snuggling into his hold. She didn't make it to the halfway point of the movie before she drifted off herself, warm and cozy against Sean.

When Talia woke, Sean's big body engulfed her. Warm breath ruffled her hair with each breath he took. The tension in his muscles concerned her. Before she could ask what was wrong, she heard one of her friend's voices.

"Have you ever had a 'friend' that you cuddled with like that?"

Claire responded, "Nope, sure haven't. I can't blame her for not wanting to actually date him though. Why would she date this guy after dating Caleb? Caleb was so hot. I mean, he's kinda cute and all, but as big as he is, I'd be a little afraid of him. He's gotta be at least six-six, right? He totally towers over her."

"I'd be afraid he'd crush me or something. You know… during 'stuff'." The other girl giggled.

Claire snorted. "I'm curious to know if he's at least proportionate. But, yeah, dating a guy that much bigger than me would have me nervous. Lord, if he ever took a swing at her, he'd kill her. Did you see the size of his hands?"

The tautness in Sean's muscles told Talia that he was awake and listening. Listening to her friends talk about them and put him down... put her down.

She bolted up to confront her so-called friends. "Maybe 'she' likes that he's nothing like Caleb! Maybe his being nothing like Caleb is a good thing—a very good thing. Caleb was cute, yes. He was also a controlling ass who treated me like something he'd stepped in and then made me believe that it was my fault."

Claire sat there staring with a hand over her mouth, acting like Talia's speech shocked her.
That bitch.

Stopping to take a couple deep breaths, she paused for a moment before yelling again. "God, Claire, you know what Caleb put me through and how he made me feel. You, of all people, should know I'd want something, or someone, completely different. Here's a crazy thought, but maybe I like having someone treat me like I am special. Like I matter."

Someone hit pause on the movie as she became the entertainment. "And as far as Sean's size goes, it is not any of your damned business. I will say this, he's given me more satisfaction than Caleb ever managed. If you think Caleb is so perfect, you can have him and his tiny little dick. He's lousy in bed, but hey, he's popular and that's what matters isn't it? Not his character, not how he treats his girlfriend, but damn, he's pretty. Fuck you, Claire. Fuck all of you."

Her rant came to an abrupt end. A sob escaped on the tail end of a gasp for air. She couldn't hold the tears back any longer. She sank back to the floor, tears pouring from her eyes. Sean cradled her in his arms. His deep voice mumbled reassurances in her ear that she deserved better than Caleb.

"You're supposed to be her best friend? What a way to show it, talking about her behind her back. Hell, not even behind her back since she was in the same room," Sean snapped.

He rose to his feet in one fluid motion, with her still cradled in his arms, and carried her out to the car. Keeping one of her small hands enclosed in his, Sean did his best to comfort her as he drove back to his apartment. Tears ran unimpeded down her face. She didn't try to contain her sobs. Sean swung his car into his parking space and hurried around to Talia. He drew her out of the car and into his arms. Talia pressed her wet face into the collar of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck, inhaling slow and deep to pull his scent into her lungs.

Chapter Twenty-two

Keeping Talia in a snug hold against his chest, Sean made his way up the narrow stairs of his building. Karly and some guy stood outside his door, waiting for them. What the fuck were they doing here?

"Claire called me and told me what happened. She said Talia was really upset and she was completely at fault. One of the other bartenders gave me your address. Is she okay?"

He handed his keys to Karly to get her to unlock the door and carried Talia inside before he answered. He sank down on the couch, still cradling her in his arms.

"Does she look okay? What did Claire say happened?"

"Said that she made a comment about you that she regretted. And Talia got really upset and left with you, crying, after yelling at her. Claire didn't say what she'd said."

"That's somewhat true. The comment wasn't about Sean, though, it was about me. She basically told one of her friends that I'm stupid for being interested in Sean because he's nowhere near as cute as Caleb. And then went on to say I should be afraid of him because he's a big guy who would likely crush me if we ever... well, you know, had sex," Talia roused herself to say.

Sean bit the inside of his jaw, trying to stem the flood of desire that pounded up, hearing Talia talk about the two of them having sex.

"Wow! Oh, wow, that's worse than I thought. I figured it was just something like she didn't think he was cute or whatever. You know how shallow Claire can be." Karly plopped her butt down in the middle of his coffee table. Sean's bartender instincts almost made him growl at her to utilize the furniture properly.

"God, she knows how Caleb treated you. Heck, she encouraged you to break up with him and to go after Sean! I'm going to choke her. Oh, wait 'til I see her again!" Karly pounded one small fist into her palm and muttered under her breath.

Talia didn't say anything else. She snuggled in to his chest, her soft sniffles finally slowing down.

Karly seemed to have wound down. She shut up anyway, and her friend stayed silent.

After a few minutes of way too much quiet, Sean finally spoke. "So, Karly, who's your friend?"

"Oh, right. Y'all haven't met. Sean, this is Garrett. Garrett, this is Sean. He's going to be Talia's boyfriend. He's just too stubborn to realize it yet." Shaking his head, Sean laughed. The little spitfire was probably right though.

With a little teasing and joking, he managed to cajole a smile back onto Talia's face. Karly and Garrett hung around for several hours, the four of them talking and playing cards. When Garrett reminded Karly that it was getting close to her curfew, they realized how late it was. Karly left with Garrett. But not before whining to Talia not to tell anyone she was seeing him.

Sean rolled his eyes at the idea of a secret relationship. Talia answered with a laugh and said she wouldn't tell if Karly didn't tell their dad she was at Sean's. Oh, great, a secret friendship is even worse.

Hugging Talia close, Karly replied in a fake whisper, loud enough for everyone to hear, that she would never say anything about Talia spending time with a good guy like Sean. He liked the sound of that. A good guy.

Once the door closed behind the young couple, the quiet in the apartment got awkward. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? Her friends were turning against her because of him. Although Karly seemed to be on his side at least.

Finally, he just asked if she wanted him to drive her home. She had her car, but could she drive home safely? Leaving was the last thing he wanted her to do. But the hour grew late and despite his nap earlier, exhaustion made his very bones ache.

He tried to make plans with her for the next night, but she already had plans with her mom and sister. He sighed and she said she should probably go. Damn, he didn't want her to leave.

She did pull him in for a quick hug goodbye. When she released him, he grabbed her and pulled her flush against him again. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. He tipped her head up so she had to look at him. "I'm sorry about today. She won't be the last person who looks down on you for associating with a guy like me. I never wanted my life to affect you."

"You can't seriously blame yourself for Claire's actions. This was not on you in any way. I like you. A lot. If my friends can't see that you're good for me, then they don't deserve to be my friends."

Her arms slid up to wrap around his neck. When he didn't resist, she tugged his head down to hers and brushed her lips against his for the briefest of kisses before whispering, "Good night." Before he could close the distance and deepen the kiss, she stepped away.

"Let me walk you out. This isn't the best neighborhood. You shouldn't be here alone at night, okay?" Grabbing his keys, Sean walked her down to her car. He couldn't stop himself from hugging her close one more time before she left. He brushed a soft kiss across the top of her head.

He watched her drive away. If they kept hanging out like this it was only a matter of time before she would completely wear down his resolve.

Chapter Twenty-three

The karate studio was filled with chattering women. Talia sat with her mom and Karly, waiting for the class to start. So far, not a single man had walked through the door.

"Do you think they'll teach us how to kick a guy's ass?" Karly hopped up and stomped around the matted floor in the gym.

"I doubt that. More just how to hurt him enough that you can run away."

"I don't know why Dad is making me take this class anyway. Talia's the one with the crazy asshole stalker."

"Because he worries about all of us. It won't hurt you to be supportive of your sister. Watch your language."

Talia rolled her eyes at her mom's indulgent tone. She gave in a lot with Karly, always had. It's probably why her sister was such a wild child.

Karly continued to grumble about being forced into the class. Talia glared at her, hoping she would shut up. She, for one, wanted to be there. Some church had put a flyer on her car at work the other day and she'd had tears rolling down her cheeks before she even touched it. She resolved to take her life back, to stop being afraid. Learning to defend herself was a big part of that.

The instructor finally came in. A small man in his late forties, he looked cut. She'd never realized someone so tiny could look so strong. He gave a little speech about surroundings, clothing less likely to attract attention, and what this class would cover. Then he asked them to break into pairs. Karly grabbed their mom's hand and left Talia looking around for a partner. Crap. No one else was partner-less. Of course, the one who needed this class the most would end up without a partner.

"Ah, we one short. One minute, I find you partner. You ladies go ahead. Practice first move. Red, you watch. Get extra practice time after."

Red? Ugh. She watched him slip into one of the side rooms, exit that one, and back into the next. She was going to be partnerless all damn night. She turned her attention back to her mom and Karly. Her sister was more adept at getting free than their mother. Karly moved quickly into motion while their mother hesitated more.

She jumped a foot when the instructor laid a bony hand on her shoulder. A very unladylike expletive slipped from her lips. She turned toward him.

"I found partner. You no mind wrestling big, sweaty man for evening?"

"Hey, sweetheart." Talia's heart raced as she looked up at Sean.

"Sean? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you know each other. Even better! Yay! Now we move on. She need practice after. You help, yes?" He slapped Sean on the back and wandered back to the front of the class.

Sean moved over next to her and turned his attention to the instructor. She couldn't keep her eyes off him even when he nudged her to pay attention.

When they got to the practice part, she had no clue where to start. She'd been fascinated with a drop of sweat on Sean's brow and its trek down his strong jaw and completely missed the instruction. She looked frantically at her mom and sister to see what they were doing.

Sean whispered directions to her. She ended up on the mat, flat on her back, with Sean looming over her. She was supposed to trap one of his arms against her, wrap her leg around his, and flip them over so she was on top. All she ended up doing was grinding herself into him.

Desire flared up in his eyes. He didn't move. She tried again. He let out a ragged exhale and squeezed his eyes closed. The third try, she managed to flip him. Or maybe he let her. She didn't know. But now she sat astride him. Yoga pants and gym shorts separated them. He twitched beneath her. That was it. She leaned down; he raised up. His hand tangled in her hair and their lips met. It was glorious. Everything she had been waiting for in a second kiss. Hot lips, smooth tongue, Sean's hard body pressed against hers. Perfect.

Until the entire class started clapping and cheering for them.

Panic and guilt won out over desire in Sean's eyes. He shook his head and shut down all emotion. She found herself sitting back on her ass on the mats. He walked away, back stiff. The whispers and giggles started the moment the door closed behind him. Her mom and Karly reached out for her. But she was on her feet and following him.