Heated Rush Part 3

"Could you tell if that tux was designer-made? It sure looked like it from the back of the room."

"He's booking a trip to Siberia as we speak."

"He's tall, right? He looked tall."

"Rather than giving me the rest of this week to prepare myself to show up alone, he's going to leave me hanging-hoping-then stand me up on Sat.u.r.day. I'll be brain-dead from stressing out about it and won't be able to invent a single excuse, like that my guy is on a top secret military mission to Hungary or something."

"Are we at war with Hungary?"

"I hate that you're laughing at me," Annie said, shooting Tara a glare, fully aware that her friend had been tormenting her intentionally.

Tara finally grinned and stopped hara.s.sing her. "For heaven's sake, will you stop it already? He said he'd be there. He'll be there. Why would he stand you up?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe because he looks like he's never heard the word farm farm in his life and doesn't have a clue that the filet mignon he enjoyed for dinner last night once wore a cowbell?" in his life and doesn't have a clue that the filet mignon he enjoyed for dinner last night once wore a cowbell?"

Tara, the vegetarian-this month-threw a hand up in protest and made a retching sound.

"Sorry."

Reaching the garage, they got on the elevator to go up to the fourth level. As they ascended, Annie continued to imagine all the excuses Sean Murphy would make for not showing up. She couldn't think of a single reason he would would show-despite how nice his kisses had been. And despite those sensual words and his even more sensual expression when he'd talked about their show-despite how nice his kisses had been. And despite those sensual words and his even more sensual expression when he'd talked about their chemistry chemistry. She was almost swearing by the time they reached level two.

"I should have just seduced him. Got a night of good s.e.x out of it, rather than expecting him to come meet the family."

"Heck, yes!"

Annie glared at her friend. "Do I look that that easy?" easy?"

"No, you don't look it, but for a man like that, honey, the Pope's mama would be easy."

"I blew it," Annie murmured, not wanting to get into a how-s.e.xy-he-is conversation with Tara, knowing it would surely lead to an oh-the-man-has-a-great-kiss conversation, which she really really didn't want to have right now. didn't want to have right now.

Those two kisses belonged to her and her alone.

Tara put a hand on her arm, lightly. "Stop, Annie. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd go back on his word."

"Neither did Blake."

If Tara's green eyes could have spewed flames at will, they would have been firing at the very mention of Annie's ex's name. "I have never even met this auction guy, but I'm insulted on his behalf that you'd even consider comparing him with that lying, cheating, womanizing slime bucket."

Sighing in remorse, Annie nodded. "You're right. Sean seemed like a decent guy." An incredibly handsome-almost magnetic-decent guy. And, judging from his bio, a heroic one, too. He was a paramedic. Saving people's lives-not trying to recklessly destroy them, as Blake had done to her.

Frankly, the man seemed like no one she'd ever known. "I shouldn't cast judgments. Maybe I'm just borrowing trouble."

"I'm sure you are. Now, tell me everything else about him." Tara wasn't teasing this time. She wanted the scoop.

"You saw him."

"From a distance. They wouldn't let us losers enter the c.o.c.ktail party." Tara wrinkled her nose. "Junior League n.a.z.is."

"Well, he is is tall." tall."

"Figured that much, honey. Give me something good."

"He's got a pierced ear and it's totally s.e.xy." Even though she'd never imagined one would be.

Tara shrugged, unimpressed. Then again, she didn't read romance novels like Annie did, so she probably wouldn't get the instant gold-earring-long-black-hair pirate fantasy that had immediately gone through Annie's mind when she'd seen him up close.

"More."

"He has an amazing voice."

"Throaty? Like, talk-dirty-to-me voice?"

She shook her head as they exited the elevator and approached her minivan, parked halfway down the center aisle on this almost-deserted level. Annie tugged her small evening bag tighter against her side, sweeping a thorough, a.s.sessing stare around the shadowy recesses of the garage.

Despite what her family might think about her being unsafe in the "big bad city" after being raised in a nursery-rhyme town come to life, Annie knew how to handle herself. She clenched her keys in her hands, the longest, sharpest ones between her fingers, and suspected Tara's fingers were resting lightly on the small can of mace she always carried.

What a couple of Charlie's Angels. If a thug with a knife approached, they'd probably both toss him their purses and run like h.e.l.l back toward the elevator. Frankly, that was the smart thing to do.

But for some sicko who wanted more than a purse? Well, the keys-as-spikes and mace were basic necessities when living in the city. Besides, she liked to at least think she was tough, if only to avoid letting her family's constant worries that she wasn't get her down.

They'd predicted robbery, rape, mugging...nearly everything except mutilation when she'd informed them she was heading for Chicago, fresh off the farm, after four years of commuting to a small, local college. In the five years since she'd arrived, she'd had her purse s.n.a.t.c.hed, and her first apartment burglarized. Twice.

But otherwise, she'd managed to avoid getting herself murdered and proving them all right, which would have prompted the ultimate-if tearful-"I told you so" from her mother.

Her mother was going to like Sean Murphy. If If he showed up. he showed up.

Her father would like that he was a rescue worker. Albeit, the most elegant, well-dressed rescue worker any of them had ever seen. Again, if if he showed up. he showed up.

And her brothers would like that he was big and strong, and probably knew all about sports-even if it was Irish sports like rugby rather than football. If he showed up. If he showed up.

Her three annoying siblings would definitely consider him a step-up from one guy Annie had dated in high school. That had been back when she thought she wanted to marry the current-day version of Lord Byron, someone soft, soulful, vulnerable and emotional. Blech. Blech.

Although Sean Murphy was a gentleman-her instincts told her that-there wasn't one soft spot on that incredible body, nor an ounce of vulnerability in his c.o.c.ky smile.

He was all mouthwatering, turn-your-insides-to-mush man.

"Earth to Annie?"

"Sorry," she mumbled as they reached her minivan.

"Tell me about his voice."

Remembering the question Tara had asked, she admitted, "He has an accent. The program didn't mention it-" which she found odd "-but he's foreign."

"Oooh, s.e.xy. French?"

"Irish."

"Even better! Like James Bond."

Remembering her conversation with Sean, Annie had to chuckle. "Nope, Bond is English. Or Scottish. We never quite nailed that down. Sean's one of those black-haired, blue-eyed Irishmen who rolls his R's and sounds like he's taking a soft bite out of each one of his words as he utters it."

Tara's mouth fell open. "Good G.o.d, woman, did you spend twenty minutes with him or the entire night? You sound like he's been taking soft, s.e.xy bites out of you you."

Feeling her heart thump in her chest at that that visual, Annie purposefully ignored her friend. And she managed to continue ignoring her as they got in the van and left the garage, heading toward Lincoln Park, where they both lived. visual, Annie purposefully ignored her friend. And she managed to continue ignoring her as they got in the van and left the garage, heading toward Lincoln Park, where they both lived.

But once she'd dropped her friend off, watching to ensure she got up into her apartment safely, Annie could no longer ignore the voice in her head that had been echoing Tara's. She had felt like Sean Murphy had been taking s.e.xy little bites out of her.

Removing bits of her self-control, morsels of her insecurity, and big, huge chunks of her resistance.

"I want him," she whispered as she entered her own quiet apartment.

Her four-year-old tabby, Wally, heard her and deigned to come to the door for a quick greeting, if only to see whether she had anything interesting to eat. Given her carryout lifestyle, she usually did.

Bending to pet him, she repeated, "I really want him."

And not just as a cover for this weekend's family get-together. She wanted him physically, as she hadn't wanted anyone in a long time. Including her creepazoid ex.

Given her recent track record, she had no business wanting anybody, or trusting her own faulty judgment. But that didn't change the way her thighs quivered and her panties tightened against her s.e.x at the mere thought of Murphy nibbling her from top to bottom. Especially since she knew just how soft and warm his lips were. How delicious his tongue.

It was dangerous, unexpected, outrageous. But she couldn't help wondering if that chemistry he'd mentioned would be enough to spark something physical between them this weekend.

And whether she'd let it.

3.

"OWNER AND MANAGER OF Baby Daze. Saints preserve us, she runs a nursery school." Baby Daze. Saints preserve us, she runs a nursery school."

Sean stared in disbelief at the small white business card in his hand. He hadn't read it carefully last night when Annie Davis, his pretty "winner" had slipped it to him after the auction. Now, though, since he'd decided he couldn't possibly wait until Sat.u.r.day to see her again, and had dug it out searching for her phone number, he'd noticed what the woman did for a living.

Day care.

On Sean's personal list of things to be avoided at all costs, babies were two steps below jealous husbands and three above yappy dogs that piddled themselves the moment you bent to pet them.

"And she works with them. On purpose. purpose."

All the more reason for him to call the woman and tell her she'd been out of line insisting he spend an entire weekend with her-on a farm, for G.o.d's sake-rather than just the dinner date he'd offered for the auction.

To be honest though, calling her to discuss the matter was only the excuse. Calling her her was his main objective. He had thought of nothing else but the way she'd felt in his arms since they'd parted company last night. was his main objective. He had thought of nothing else but the way she'd felt in his arms since they'd parted company last night.

But...babies?

He didn't do do that. that.

Something inside him forgot that fact, however, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and punched in Annie Davis's cell number. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. The little b.u.g.g.e.rs usually took naps around this time.

He hoped.

When she answered on the third ring and he heard the crying in the background, he realized he'd guessed wrong.

"Yes?" she snapped, sounding out of breath. "h.e.l.lo?"

He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I've caught you at a bad time."

"Sean?" she yelped, sounding shocked. "I mean, Mr. Murphy?"

"Sean'll do."

"It is is you. Wow." you. Wow."

Screech, whimper, yowl...He heard all of the above in the background as he said, "I should call back."

"Probably. Yes. I mean, I don't usually even answer this phone during the day, but I happened to have it in my pocket and heard it ringing. No, honey."

Honey? "What?" "What?"

"Sorry. I'm holding a squirming bundle of male energy and he's trying to bite my ear."

He'd like to bite her ear. And he had a lot of male energy. Sean suddenly found himself envying that squirming child, though that didn't, of course, mean he'd ever want to hold one himself. His younger half sister was perfectly capable of filling their ancestral home with little Murphys. He felt quite sure their father would be able to pay off any future husband to allow the tykes to carry on the family name.

"I, uh, didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"I figured we ought to talk about this weekend."

She sucked in an audible breath, and he could almost feel her panic through the phone. "You are are backing out." backing out."

So pessimistic for such a sweet-faced young woman. "Of course I'm not backing out. I just want a little more information about what I'm up against. Other than cows."

"You won't be up against them. You won't have to set foot anywhere near them. I didn't mean that crack about the shoes. You won't have to go anywhere near the milking barns. And we don't have much other livestock except for a few horses. Do you like to ride? Oh, and there are some sheep, too, but they'll be down in the pasture."

Barn. Good G.o.d. And sheep? He'd seen enough of those creatures in the first twenty-one years of his life to last him until the end of time. Why had he agreed to do this again?

Her eyes, fool. Her eyes and her throat and her golden hair and her soft lips and her feminine body and her honesty and the incredible way she'd felt in his arms.

Well, all right then.

"Listen, things are kind of crazy here," she said, sounding as if she was about to drop the phone even as she mumbled something to the baby. "Can you call me back after six?"

"Why don't I pick you up after six so we can go have a drink somewhere."

There was more yowling, plus a bit of tiny purring like a kitten being petted. He didn't suspect that was coming from Annie, though he most definitely wouldn't mind doing a little stroking.