‘No.’ She stood still, her breathing irregular. ‘No, I’m not saying that.’
His expression softened slightly and he brushed her cheek with gentle fingers. ‘Then why won’t you just let things take their course?’
‘Because it isn’t worth the pain you’ll cause Charlie and me,’ she said bleakly, trying without success to pull away from him. ‘It just isn’t worth it.’
He stared down at her for a long moment, a muscle working in his jaw, and then his head came down and his mouth captured hers, his kiss hot and demanding.
She gave a gasp of shock and tried to pull away, but long, strong fingers clamped the back of her head, preventing her escape, while his other arm slid down her back and pulled her firmly against him.
It was a kiss like no other she’d ever received—fiery, erotic, gentle and demanding all at the same time—and soon she forgot that she’d ever wanted to escape. All she wanted was more. His touch was totally addictive and, instead of pulling away, she leaned against him, feeling the hard muscle of his thighs pressing against her, wanting to feel every male inch of him against her.
The hand behind her head tightened and he made love to her mouth with a skill and expertise that left every feminine nerve ending in her body crying out for more.
Tentatively her hand travelled up to his neck touching the surprisingly soft hair at the back of his head, her heart pounding as his tongue danced with hers, dominating but at the same time gentle, encouraging her more timid response.
Her senses whirling, her free hand lifted to his chest, feeling the solid strength of muscle under the thin fabric of his shirt, feeling the steady thud of his heart. Ally could think of nothing but the way he made her feel. The way no one had ever made her feel before…
Sean growled something inarticulate and then dragged his mouth away from hers, trailing hot, biting kisses down the length of her throat before cupping her face in his hands.
His breathing was harsh and uneven as he stared down at her. ‘Now tell me it’s not worth it, Ally.’
And with that he released her and turned on his heel, leaving her with limbs trembling and heart pounding, wondering what had hit her.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALLY closed the door of her consulting room and sank into her chair. She couldn’t concentrate on the flickering computer screen in front of her. She couldn’t concentrate on the list of patients waiting to be seen or the mountain of results to be checked. In fact, she couldn’t concentrate on anything. It was a cold Monday morning and all she could think about was Sean and the way it had felt when he’d kissed her.
Why had she let him do that? Why?
She gave a groan and closed her eyes. The truth was that he hadn’t given her any choice. At least not in the beginning. But after that…well, after that she’d been as keen as him. Something had sparked between them, something she’d never known could happen.
She opened her eyes and lifted her chin. Well, it wasn’t going to happen again. It was only a kiss, for goodness’ sake. She could live with a kiss.
Straightening in her chair, she bit her lip, her emotions tumbled. How was she going to face him? He hadn’t stayed to supper on Saturday night. He hadn’t even stayed to have a conversation. He’d just kissed her until she’d been a gibbering wreck and then had walked out, leaving her to deal with the aftermath of her unleashed emotions. And now she had to face him.
Pulling herself together, she picked up the stack of results on her desk and started going through them, noting which were fine and which needed follow-up.
A tap on her door made her jump, and her hands trembled as the door opened and Sean strode in, closing the door firmly behind him.
Ally stared at him warily and he gave her a wry smile.
‘Don’t look like that. I’ve come to apologise.’
‘What for? Forcing me to kiss you? Taking over my home?’ Ruining a perfectly peaceful existence by making her feel things she didn’t know it was possible to feel? She glared at him, anger masking the other emotions that wrestled inside her.
He gave a short laugh and raked long fingers through his cropped hair. ‘Like I said, I’m sorry. I suppose I’m just not very good at taking no for an answer.’
‘Well, you’d better learn fast because it’s the only answer you’re ever going to get.’ Ally turned back to her pile of results, determined that he wouldn’t see how much her hands were shaking.
‘Why?’ His voice was hoarse and heart-stoppingly male. ‘Because you want to protect Charlie? Maybe she doesn’t need protecting. People come and go all the time—it’s a fact of life.’