‘Dee. It’s Sean. I’m standing outside the tea rooms but I won’t come in unless you want me to. Please say yes.’
The fraction of a second before she replied seemed like an eternity. ‘Sean? What do you mean you are outside the tea rooms? I thought that you would be in Chicago by now.’
‘Long story, but I’d like to tell you about it in person instead of on the pavement in the dark at the crack of dawn.’
‘Okay. Yes, Lottie will let you in.’
It took Sean three seconds to give a very startled Lottie a quick wave, then bound up the stairs two at a time and stand puffing and panting outside Dee’s bedroom.
His hand stretched out towards the door handle. And then he snatched it back.
Eyes closed, he blew out a long, deep breath, his head suddenly dizzy with doubt as the blood surged in his veins.
What was he doing here? What if she said, thanks, but no thanks? This was crazy.
He loved this woman and he had been willing to let her go because he was afraid of changing his life? Mad.
For once he was going to risk their future happiness on a crazy decision to trust his heart instead of his head.
And what if she said yes? She could be committing herself to a life where he could be on the road or in a different hotel most of the year. Was that fair?
Yes. Because he was just as determined to show Dee that he was able to give her a fraction of the love she felt for him.
And he had to do it now. Or never. Perhaps that was why he felt so naked. Exposed.
Sean straightened his back and just prepared to knock, but at the very second he did so there was movement on the other side of the door, and the handle turned on its own and cracked open an inch, then wider...and Dee was standing there.
Her eyes locked onto his as she looked at him with the kind of intensity that seemed to knock the oxygen from his lungs.
Then those eyes smiled and he took in the full effect of that beautiful face. No camera in the world could have captured the look on Dee’s face at this moment.
He felt as though the air would explode with the electricity in the air between them.
‘Hi,’ she whispered. ‘Has something happened to bring you back? Are you okay?’ There was so much love and concern in her voice that any doubts Sean had about what he had to do next were wiped away.
Sean stretched out his hand and stroked her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers.
‘I haven’t stopped thinking about what you said. And you were right. Leaving last night was my decision. So I did something about it.’
Sean breathed in, his heart thudding so loudly that he suspected that she must be hearing it from where she was standing so quietly, dressed in her kimono. ‘I know now that I will always love you, Dervla Flynn, and it doesn’t matter where I am in the world.’ He licked her lips. ‘I want to be with you. Love you.’
Her mouth opened to reply but he pressed one finger on her lips and smiled, breaking the terror. ‘You see, I’m not as brave as you are. As soon as I left you last night, I knew that I couldn’t leave the woman I have fallen in love with without trying to come up with some options.’
He grinned at her and slid forward so that both of his hands were cupped around her face as tears pricked her eyes. ‘I love you way too much to let you go. I need you, Dee. I need you so much. Nothing else comes close. What would you say if I told you that I would be working out of London for the next twelve months?’
Her reply was to fall into his arms and he swept her up, holding her body tight, tight, before tilting his open mouth onto hers in a hot, hot kiss.
He cupped her face with both of his hands, his thumbs wiping away tears and water from her cheeks, and then he poured into his kiss the passion and devotion, the fear and doubts, which came with giving your heart to another human being.
‘I didn’t expect to be saying this standing in a cake shop, but it doesn’t change a thing. I am so in love with you.’
‘Oh, Sean. I wasn’t sure I could go through with today without you. Can you forgive me? I have been such an idiot. Of course your family need you. You love them and want to do the right thing. I know what that’s like.’
‘Better than you think. I have done something rash—there’s a limo on the way to the airport at this very minute to collect two very special first-class passengers from a flight from Sri Lanka. I knew that you wanted your parents with you today to see all that you have done. Are you okay with that?’
‘Seriously?’ she asked, stunned. ‘You flew my parents to London for the festival? You did that for me?’
He nodded. ‘Seriously.’ His thumb was still moving across her cheek. ‘It’s time that I met your parents. Because I am thinking of taking a break for a couple of months and Sri Lanka is on my list of destinations. If you come with me.’
‘Oh, Sean. Do you mean it? Yes? Oh, I love you so much.’
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers, his entire world contained within his arms.
They were still standing there, kissing passionately, when there was the sound of loud voices breaking into their private world. Lottie had opened up downstairs and the first customers had arrived.
‘But what about your work? Chicago? Brazil?’
‘I had a long conference call with my dad and Rob last night, and we have agreed to give some senior managers a chance to show us what they can do. Plus, my dad offered me a new job this week. Could be challenging.’
‘Difficult?’
‘Very.’ He grinned. ‘Apparently he needs a new manager for the Richmond Square hotel who can fit in a bit of training now and then. Within walking distance of this cake shop and the woman I’ve fallen in love with. And all the tea I can drink. How could I say no?’
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from NO TIME LIKE MARDI GRAS by Kimberly Lang.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin KISS story.
You think of flirting as an art form! Harlequin KISS stories are all about the delirium of a potential new romance—where fun-loving heroines and irresistible heroes just can’t get enough of each other.
Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Kiss every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
PROLOGUE
From The Ex Factor:
Dear Exes,
My ex and I were together for three years and knew each other socially before that. Unfortunately, while our relationship is over, I still see him all the time. We have the same friends, go to the same places...it’s really awkward. We don’t hate each other, but we don’t want to be together anymore. How should I handle this?
Callie:
It takes time and a bit of tact. You don’t want to alienate your friends or make them feel as though they have to choose one of you and exclude the other. Change what habits and haunts you can—find a new coffee shop, a new bar to hang out in—so that the old places don’t remind you or others of your former couple status. Your friends will take their cues from you, so the more over him you are and the more comfortable you are in his presence, the easier it will become for everyone. You might even want to do things in smaller groups—minus your ex, of course—until the breakup isn’t so fresh. Eventually those friend-only feelings will return.
Ex-Man:
Move. As far away as you possibly can. I cannot recommend this strongly enough. You can always make new friends.
Copyright © 2014 by Kimberly Kerr
ISBN-13: 9781460325780
TROUBLE O
N HER DOORSTEP
Copyright © 2014 by Nina Harrington
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Trouble on Her Doorstep Page 17
