“Do you promise to be good?”
I stopped shifting and squirming and attempted to catch my breath. I could feel Sean’s laboured breaths on the back of my neck. I couldn’t promise anything, my temper was still boiling over.
“Let. Me. Go,” I bit out.
A chuckle, rich and deep, vibrated through his chest against me.
“I don’t think so, little wild cat.”
I arched my head to the side so I could see him, his breaths still as laboured as mine. But his breaths weren’t through exertion; these breaths were strained for a whole other reason as I felt the heat of his skin on mine. I strained my neck around and looked into his eyes, eyes that were studying me. He was contemplating whether to release me, with all the seriousness as if he was contemplating releasing a caged animal. The sternness in his expression fell away as he caught my eyes.
A little smirk tilted the corner of his mouth.
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you, Amy? I don’t mind admitting, you scare the hell out of me.”
“If you don’t let me go, I am going to open up a can of whoop ass on you.”
This had him throwing his head back with laughter, which just made me even angrier and I jerked and kicked about some more.
“What a terrifying thought!” he said. His grip tightened to still my movements.
“What ya got there, Seany boy?”
A deep, burly voice emanated from the darkness. Big Sam, who worked at the local council, appeared from the drive, making his way up onto the verandah. He had a curious, bemused look on his face as he studied the situation. I tried to struggle free again, thinking surely this would embarrass Sean into letting me go. But his embrace was tighter than ever, as I was pressed against his ribcage.
“Look out, Sam, she’s a real live wire.”
Sam paused, about to open the pub door.
“Well, careful you don’t get electrocuted, young fella.”
“It’s all good, Sam.”
His grip loosened a little and I stopped fighting. I suddenly felt a little mortified by my actions. I would have tried to run a hand through my hair, if they weren’t pinned to my sides. Oh God! I had started a bar room brawl. I had been in a bar room brawl. In my bar room!
“Enter with caution, Sam.”
“Trouble?”
“Oh, I think Toby and Stan have everything under control; just some trouble with a few blow-ins.”
Sam shook his head. “Bloody tourists. Be good, kids.”
Having left us alone, I was now super aware of Sean’s arm around my ribcage, pressing under my bra line, intimately close to the swell of my breasts. His other arm was swooped around my lower stomach. The heat seeping from skin to skin was so intense I thought I would be burned by his touch. A touch I found myself leaning back into. His chest was like a living, breathing wall – so sturdy, so strong. His thumb stroked my upper arm in a soothing, circular motion. I could sense his lips near my ear as his breaths swept across my cheek. I slowly lifted my eyes to him. Gone was any sign of amusement or even concern. Instead, there was something I hadn’t seen before, and didn’t know how to name it. His eyes flicked across my face in a deep study. His gaze flicked from my eyes to my mouth and quickly back again. It was so fast I thought I had imagined it. Was there a silent question behind that foreign look? It seemed like hours had passed since I had pleaded with him to let me go. Now, having seen that raw look in his eyes, it had me wanting the opposite. Before I could open my mouth to voice just that …
“Amy?”
The trance was broken. Our heads snapped around to see my cousin, Chris, standing at our side with his duffel bag slumped over his shoulder and murder in his eyes.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Chapter Twenty
Sean’s arms fell away almost as quickly as I leapt forward.
Chris dropped his bag to the ground. His eyes narrowed and flicked from Sean to me and then back, his penetrating glare resting on Sean, who scratched the back of his neck and attempted not to smile.
Oh God, please don’t smile …
I could see a familiar tension pulsing through Chris’s veins as he fixed his lethal stare on Sean.
“Chris, what are you doing here?” I asked, trying to deflect his attention and rage – a rage I was all too familiar with; it was the same fury that arose any time his kid brother, Adam, pushed him to the edge. It usually resulted in a joint beating of one another. My eyes widened at the memories and I moved to quickly stand between him and Sean.
“Hey, quit it!” I pulled at Chris’s top, causing his eyes to narrow down towards me.
“I said what are you doing here?”
His serious gaze burned into me and I suddenly regretted redirecting his attention.