Heated Rush Part 18

Sean started to chuckle, having already realized that Mrs. Davis was a sharp one. But something about the way Annie said the name Blake gave him pause. Glancing over, seeing the quiver of her lips, and realizing she was genuinely distressed, he suddenly understood, as if a lightbulb had gone off over his thick head. "My G.o.d, there really was was a Blake." a Blake."

Annie didn't reply at first. Instead, she wearily removed her sungla.s.ses, pushing them onto her head as if wanting him to see her eyes, to read the truth there.

If he hadn't already left the back road and entered a busy highway, he would have pulled over to do exactly that. But as it was, he kept his face forward, waiting for her to say whatever it was she was trying to find the words for.

"Yes," she finally admitted, "there was was a Blake." a Blake."

His jaw flexing, he strove to remain detached, impersonal. She had, after all, hired him for this weekend. So he shouldn't have expected her to be honest about what the h.e.l.l was really going on. Or to be wounded now when he found out she had not.

"I see. He was your last lover?" G.o.d, he hated using that word in connection with anyone else who'd ever touched Annie.

"No. Not my lover."

It wasn't until he released his breath in a slow whoosh that he realized he'd been holding it, waiting for her to answer.

"We dated, but it had never gone that far."

The dull tone in her voice told him it had gone far enough. Far enough to wound, to hurt. Far enough to leave a scar.

Forcing his own feelings out of the mix, he reached for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. "What happened?"

"He was married."

Stunned, Sean couldn't help gritting his teeth. Annie didn't seem the type. She was so honest, so open and sweet.

Not that he was about to pa.s.s judgment, not given his own history. Jesus, many of the women he'd been with had been the bored wives of husbands who'd paid Sean to keep them company.

Still, the idea of Annie being a part of anything like that stung. Deeply. "I see."

She released his hand, as if feeling him draw away, if only mentally. "No, you don't. I didn't know he was married."

Annie went on to tell him the whole story, speaking quickly, and every word she said increased his anger. By the time she'd finished, his hands were clenched so tightly around the steering wheel they actually hurt.

"So he used his baby boy to get in your good graces, to soften you up for the poor abandoned father. Then tried to lie his way into your bed."

"Pretty much."

Son of a b.i.t.c.h. Sean would like to have his tight hands around the man's throat, rather than this impersonal padded wheel. This Blake deserved to be throttled by someone who knew how to do the job.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth," she admitted. "It's just very humiliating. I'm ashamed and embarra.s.sed."

"And horrified at the very prospect of your parents finding out," he said, knowing instantly that it was true.

"Oh, you've no idea!"

Having just spent a weekend with the Davises, he had a very good good idea. "What exactly did your mother say?" idea. "What exactly did your mother say?"

Annie sniffed a little, then chuckled, as if not sure whether to cry or laugh with the relief of having gotten the whole sordid story off her chest. "She told me she couldn't think of a single 'nickname' that sounded like Blake."

Yeah, that hadn't been his best cover.

"And that while she didn't appreciate the deception..."

"Yes?"

Clearing her throat, she admitted, "She said judging by the way you and I looked at each other, there were real feelings between us, and she thought we could be very happy together."

Real feelings. Very happy. Together. Him and Annie. As in, happy as a couple, a genuine one. Marriage, family, a home. All the things he'd never envisioned for himself, things he'd been running from since the day he'd turned twenty-one.

And all were things he knew knew Annie truly wanted, on her own terms, after she'd seen the world. Annie truly wanted, on her own terms, after she'd seen the world.

Annie said nothing else. Instead she pulled her sungla.s.ses back down over her eyes, and tilted her head back to let the hot sun fall onto her face, as if she wanted to take a nap.

In truth, she was giving him s.p.a.ce, not forcing him to say a word. Not that he would have known what to say. So he merely continued to drive.

With every mile that pa.s.sed beneath the wheels of the car, Sean felt the subtle pull of his real real life. The closer they came to Chicago, the more that life drew him back, reminding him of the choices he'd made. life. The closer they came to Chicago, the more that life drew him back, reminding him of the choices he'd made.

Choices that had seemed right at the time. But which now, with Annie's whispered words of a fantasy relationship he had never dreamed possible repeating in his ear, shamed him to his core.

10.

ANNIE WASN'T SURE what to expect when they reached the city. Sean might take her back to his hotel as he'd sworn to do. He could be planning to make love to her in every way humans had ever tried until tomorrow morning when the sun came up. what to expect when they reached the city. Sean might take her back to his hotel as he'd sworn to do. He could be planning to make love to her in every way humans had ever tried until tomorrow morning when the sun came up.

Or, judging by the near silence-broken only by occasional small talk-in which they'd shared the two-hour ride, he might be ready to drop her off at her place. Some men might toss her cat and her suitcase on the sidewalk, and drive like h.e.l.l to the airport.

She should have kept her mouth shut, should never have told him exactly what her mother had said. Honestly, though, the intuitive words had stunned Annie so much, she'd almost had had to share them. If only to see whether saying them out loud made them any less shocking to her own ears. to share them. If only to see whether saying them out loud made them any less shocking to her own ears.

Her mother had seen love love in their eyes? Hers and Sean's? Was that even possible? After one week, could such a thing really happen? in their eyes? Hers and Sean's? Was that even possible? After one week, could such a thing really happen?

In her mother's opinion, of course it could. She and Annie's father were a well-known case of love-at-first-sight. But those things didn't happen nowadays, did they? Especially not to women like Annie.

And especially especially not with men like Sean. not with men like Sean.

Arriving in the city, she almost held her breath to see which way he'd go. When he turned toward his own hotel, rather than Lincoln Park, she somehow managed not to fall over and kiss his feet. Or to jabber her thanks for not yanking away these last hours they had with each other.

She wanted those hours. Wanted them desperately now that her mother's accusation had filled her brain with possibilities.

Not that she believed Sean loved her. But the idea that she, Annie, had truly fallen in love with him, suddenly didn't seem so ridiculous. In fact, she suspected it could be true. And knowing that, she wanted as much time with the man as she could get.

"I can't wait to explain the emu-prints on the hood of the car," Sean murmured, smiling for the first time in two hours. He'd just pulled into the garage beneath the hotel.

The garage...the one where she'd left her van.

d.a.m.n, maybe he'd brought her back here because he had had to. She had to get her car, didn't she? to. She had to get her car, didn't she?

Parking, he reached into the backseat and picked up Wally's crate. She was sure he would kiss her goodbye and wave to her from the elevator. They couldn't very well traipse through the lobby of this five-star hotel with a fat, mean cat in a cage.

But it seemed that's exactly what he meant to do. Not even asking if she was coming up, he hoisted their two small bags over his shoulder, balancing the crate in his other hand, and walked toward the elevator. Not toward her own vehicle.

When she didn't follow right away, he looked back over his shoulder. "Annie?"

She swallowed hard and hurried to join him. "Coming."

Though she had no idea what he was thinking, or how he felt about what she'd said in the car, Sean was making it pretty clear that his plans for the rest of today-and tonight-hadn't changed. At the very least, they would have that much.

Beyond that? Well, she couldn't think about that now.

Almost giddy with relief, she followed him into the elevator and watched him punch the b.u.t.ton for the lobby. Unfortunately, it appeared the elevator did not go straight up to his floor, so they were going to have to take Wally on tour.

"Are they going to let us bring him up?"

He shrugged, unconcerned. "If anyone has the nerve to try to stop us, I'll put down a pet deposit." He lifted the crate, eyeing Wally. "That means you have to be on your best behavior."

The idea that the cat would be refused simply didn't seem to occur to him. The man's self-confidence, his certainty of himself and what he was doing, poured off him. It was such a part of his personality that he didn't allow for any negative reaction to anything he did.

How amazing to be that confident. If Annie had that ability, she certainly wouldn't have had to go to a bachelor auction to find a date.

No way. She wouldn't have given up going to that auction for anything in the world. She wouldn't have given up going to that auction for anything in the world.

"See? n.o.body even noticed him," Sean said. They'd strolled with complete innocence through the ma.s.sive lobby and down a short corridor leading to a bank of elevators going up to the rooms above.

"Thank G.o.d there wasn't a dog around, or they would have heard Wally screeching from the fortieth floor."

"Nah, he's a big p.u.s.s.ycat, aren't you, boy?"

She was smiling over his cooing tone-the man could charm four-legged beasts as easily as the two-legged kind-when the elevator door in front of them opened with a quiet whoosh. Two women were inside, well-dressed ones carrying designer purses, with diamonds proclaiming their wealth around their necks and on their fingers.

Annie barely paid attention to them, at least until she felt Sean freeze beside her.

He didn't move. Didn't step inside, didn't get out of the way. Instead, he merely stared as one of the women-a very attractive brunette who was probably in her early forties-spied him and stepped so close their bodies almost touched.

"Sean!" the woman said, sounding completely delighted. Her smile tugged ten years off her face.

Oh, fabulous. An ex. As if they really needed something to bring back the tension that had finally seemed to be dissipating after the long car ride.

A tic appearing in his temple, Sean forced a smile of his own. "Constance."

"I had no idea you were stateside," the woman gushed. Then she looked down, saw the cage and the cat, and gaped. "You must be working for a real real cat-woman this time, rather than just a catty one like me." cat-woman this time, rather than just a catty one like me."

Annie, who had obviously become invisible-or was simply uninteresting enough to blend into the background-cleared her throat. "Sean, do you want me to take him so you can talk to your...friend?"

He met her stare, which was when she noticed that Sean hadn't hadn't turned to ice. No, there was heat in his eyes. Fiery heat. And turned to ice. No, there was heat in his eyes. Fiery heat. And not not the kind he displayed when he looked at her with raw hunger. the kind he displayed when he looked at her with raw hunger.

His emotions were roiling inside him like the churning of a ma.s.sive storm. Entirely foreign emotions-some she'd never a.s.sociate with this man-oozed almost visibly from his every pore. She saw anger there. Embarra.s.sment. Sadness.

Oh, G.o.d. This wasn't just an ex-girlfriend, she suddenly realized. He must have This wasn't just an ex-girlfriend, she suddenly realized. He must have loved loved this woman. Though her comments about his working for someone were a little confusing. Had he gotten involved with his boss? Is that what had sent him into his current world-hopping career, which had no fixed address, no stability? this woman. Though her comments about his working for someone were a little confusing. Had he gotten involved with his boss? Is that what had sent him into his current world-hopping career, which had no fixed address, no stability?

She reached for the cage.

"I've got him," Sean insisted, his words thick, his throat obviously tight.

"Sean?" the other woman said. Finally noticing Annie, his "friend" studied her closely. The a.s.sessing amber eyes noted the windblown hair, the off-the-rack T-shirt, the jean capris and the kick-around sandals.

They had absolutely no common ground, not a single thing that could make them relate to one another. Except the man standing between them.

"Oh," the wealthy woman finally murmured, blinking rapidly. Her face suffused with color, and she cleared her throat before turning her attention back to Sean. "I'm sorry. You...I mean..."

"It's all right," he bit out. "Nice to see you."

The woman nodded at him, then looked at Annie. "You've got a great guy," she said, her small smile appearing almost genuine. Then, grabbing her wide-eyed companion by the arm and tugging her away, she hurried down the hall and disappeared into the enormous lobby.

They stood in silence before the elevator door, which had closed again. Sean made no move toward the call b.u.t.ton, and she could almost see his mind working. As if he had to decide-proceed up to his room and pretend the interruption hadn't happened?

Or deal with it?

Almost afraid to know what he would tell her, Annie wasn't sure what she most wanted to happen. She still wasn't sure what he had decided when he finally reached over and pushed the Up b.u.t.ton. Because he certainly didn't put his arm around her and tug her close, or kiss her lightly to rea.s.sure her that their afternoon would be proceeding exactly as they'd both expected it to.

Nor did he say a word all the way up to his floor, or even to his room.

Once inside, he dropped the bags and put the crate down. Opening it, he lifted Wally out, then finally turned his attention to Annie. And with six simple words, he clued her in on what he was planning to do.

"You might want to sit down."

GIVEN THE CHOICE between going home and walking into one of his father's surprise engagement parties, or telling Annie the truth about his past, Sean would willingly have booked a trip to Dublin right now. Because knowing the dismay-disgust-he was going to see in her eyes, proceeding was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. between going home and walking into one of his father's surprise engagement parties, or telling Annie the truth about his past, Sean would willingly have booked a trip to Dublin right now. Because knowing the dismay-disgust-he was going to see in her eyes, proceeding was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

But proceed he did.

"That woman...you're thinking she was a girlfriend."

Annie, who had taken his advice and sat on the plush sofa that took up the outer room of his two-room suite, nodded. "Yes." Shaking her head, she added, "Look, just because I told you about my sordid past doesn't mean we have to go sharing romantic stories."

"There's nothing romantic about this one."

She waited.

"In fact, my relationship with Constance, which lasted for about a week a few years ago in Munich, was entirely business."

"Did she she know that?" know that?"