Chain of Title (12 page)

Sean held Shayna closer and
dropped his head down next to hers so that they were cheek to cheek.  “They’re
probably partly to blame for me never marrying.  Without knowing it, they set
the bar high. 
Close enough
wasn’t good enough, and I just never met a
woman I couldn’t live without.”  He brushed his cheek against hers and paused. 
She felt his smile and the ripple of his chuckle at a memory.  “And then this
spunky, gorgeous blonde with a killer smile and fiery attitude strutted into my
very
popular,
well-established
restaurant, claiming she’d never
heard of the place and seriously doubting my Italian heritage.”  His warm
breath heated the skin on Shayna’s neck. “Something about you just clicked.  I
felt
it.  I had to know you, all of you, everything.”

He paused for a moment, shaping
his words.  “I know we’ve both loved other people, Shay.”  He cradled her face
in his hands, locking his eyes onto hers, and rumbled with heated determination,
“But I love you like no other.”

She felt the rush of air push
from her lungs and pass her lips just as his mouth claimed hers in a searing
kiss that triggered waves of long-forgotten memories and deep yearnings.  As
his kiss and hold became more intense, more possessive, Shayna broke their
connection.

Breathing in labored breaths,
she cupped his square jaw in her hands and smiled softly up at him, shaking her
head in disbelief.  “I never expected to feel this way about a man again.”  She
paused to assess him, and then confessed, “And I’m not talking about Frank.”

Recognition flashed across
his features.

Her first love.  The one she
had never gotten over.  He exhaled sharply, pressing his forehead to hers,
stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“I love you, too, Sean
Parker.  You make me feel like a girl again, with my whole life ahead of me. The
self-doubts of the last three years?  Gone.  I love the way you look at me—like
I am that girl.  I feel like
me
again.”

He gently rubbed his nose
against hers, releasing a stuttered sigh.  “
We
have our whole lives
ahead of us, Shay.  You’re going to get your happy ending.  I promise.”

He lifted her up, kissing her
tenderly and then hungrily as he began walking them back into the house and
toward the stairs.  Just as he pivoted to take the first step, the doorbell
chimed and a loud knock sounded from the frosted glass doors.

“Just ignore it,” he murmured
roughly against Shayna’s lips.

Her eyelid lifted enough to
see a massive alien looking form shadowed against the opaque doors.  “Wait. 
Sean, wait.  Let me get this real quick.”

He groaned and reluctantly
released her.  When she opened the door, a kaleidoscope of every imaginable hue
of flower with their pungent scents washed over her in the late summer breeze. 
It appeared as if they were levitating until the deliveryman peeked around the
dense foliage.  She glanced back at Sean, who had ambled closer with a peculiar
expression on his face.  She smiled expectantly up at him.

“Did you send these?”  He
shook his head slowly at the ostentatious floral arrangement, his features
hardening.

“Delivery for Mrs. Chastain,”
the smiling man said.  Shayna heard Sean huff behind her.  “And there’s no need
for a tip, your husband was more than generous.”

Shayna snorted in disgust. 
“Yeah, I’ll bet he was.  I’m sorry, but I don’t want—”

“Here I’ll take that,” Sean
offered with a crisp tone, moving in front of Shayna and retrieving the
oversized arrangement.  She looked at him in disbelief as he walked away with
the flowers.

“Uh, thanks,” she said
absently to the deliveryman as she shut the door and followed Sean into the
kitchen.

He set the vase down on the
counter and jerked the small envelope out of its holder.  He looked at it for a
moment with a stony expression before handing it off to Shayna.  She just glared
at it not touching or opening it.

“Aren’t you going to read
it?” Sean asked, with a hard tone that he was clearly trying to restrain.

“No, I’m not.  I didn’t even
want the damn flowers, and I don’t care what the card says.”

He continued holding the unsealed
envelope out to her.  “If you don’t, then I will.”

Shayna stood gaping at him. 
What had gotten into him?  After everything she had just said to him, he had to
know that Frank was no threat.  She could see by the stubborn look in his eyes
that he wasn’t going to back down.

“Fine,” she gritted out with
a perturbed sigh.  She took the envelope and pulled out the card.

It was a simple note—in
Frank’s handwriting even.

I miss us.

~Frank

Shayna tossed the card on the
counter, moved past Sean to the refrigerator, and started rooting around for a
snack or anything to return her mood back to where it was before the knock at
the door.

“I need to go into town. 
Stop by the restaurant, take care of some business.  I’ll call you later,” he
remarked coolly.

Shayna turned to see him marching
away—with the flowers.

“What’re you doing, Sean? 
Where are you taking the flowers?”

“I’m going to give these to
someone,” he remarked placidly.

“What do you mean?”  She felt
nervous flutters in her stomach.  “You’re not going to see Frank are you? 
Don’t do it, Sean.  Don’t play his game.”  Shayna knew that Frank Chastain was
a man you underestimated at your own peril.  He was ruthless when it came to
business, and she knew he was viewing their split as a stalled negotiation that
would eventually turn in his favor—once his unrelenting pressure caused a cave
in.

“I’m not afraid of
Frank
Chastain
,” he barked out over his shoulder, yanking the door shut behind
him.

“These
are for you,” Sean said tightly, placing the extravagant arrangement on the
desk while eyeing the nameplate, “Brittany.”

The young woman beamed at the
rainbow of flowers then turned her attentions to Sean.  Her smile broadened
even further.

“Somehow these got delivered to
your boss’
ex
-wife.  We both know that must’ve been a mistake.  Right? 
I’m sure the florist just made an error.”

Sean’s eyes narrowed as he
assessed the girl before him.  He smirked, shaking his head, and rounded his
hand over his smooth chin.  He snorted in disbelief and then tossed the card in
front of her on the desk.

“Here’s the card from your—
boyfriend
.” 
He moved around her desk and headed for Frank’s office.

“Wait!  Excuse me!  You can’t
go in there without an appointment!”

Sean ignored her protests and
marched straight for the door, turning the knob and shoving it open, hard.  The
real estate mogul had his feet propped on the desk, reclining in the executive
chair and talking into his Bluetooth headset.  When he saw Sean, his demeanor
hardened.  Sean approached and stood cavalierly in front of the desk, hands
casually in his pockets, loudly rattling coins and keys, with a stony
expression and fierce stare.

“I’ll call you back, Tony,”
Frank said in a pinched tone, pulling the earpiece off and chucking it on his
desk.  He remained reclining with his feet propped, appearing unruffled by the
surprise visit.  “What the fuck are you doing here?” he questioned with a
sneer.

Sean took his time sizing up
the man in front of him.  Then he spoke in a low growl, “Mix up with a
delivery.  Thought your squeeze toy should have her flowers.”  Frank’s eyes
narrowed and he dropped his feet to the floor, pushing up to a standing
position across the desk from Sean.  “Get your head out of your ass, Chastain. 
Shayna’s made it pretty goddamn clear you’re out of the picture.”

“Who the hell do you think
you are—
boy?
”

Sean chuckled.  “Oh, I’m the
guy that’s gonna make sure you
stay
out of the picture.”  Frank snorted
in disbelief at the display of bravado.  “Your
pathetic
show the other
night only made you look like a desperate fool.  Or maybe at your age, your
knees just gave out.”  Sean smirked.

Frank’s features tightened.  “Real
smart ass, aren’t you, Parker?”

“Just calling it like I see
it,” he quipped.  “Shayna divorced you.  Deal with it like a man and move on. 
Now
.”

Frank broke into laughter.  “You’re
funny, sport.  Real funny.  Think you’re gonna tell
me
what to do?  I
told you before; you’ll get your turn.  You’ll fuck up and she’ll cut you off
like she does everybody.”  He leaned across his desk.  “Soon enough you’ll be
taking your own advice,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, and you probably think
you’ll be there to pick up the pieces...like you did after her first husband
died.”  Sean glimpsed Frank’s candid moment of bewilderment before he quickly
hid it.  “I’d say Shayna had every right to choose
not
to be a doormat—for
you
or
her mother.”  This time Frank’s eyes glazed a bit as a puff of
air escaped his lips.  One corner of Sean’s mouth curled up slightly.  “Yeah,
that’s right Chastain.  I’m not just some guy she’s using to make your sorry
ass jealous.  I’m in it for the long haul, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t think you really
want to pick a fight with me, Parker,” Frank warned in a menacing tone.

“I’d say you’re the one
picking a fight.  This isn’t some business deal.  There’s no city official’s
hand out to be greased by you or kickbacks to be paid so you can get what you
want.  It’s Shayna’s call, and she’s already made it.”

Sean strolled casually over
to the wall of windows, viewing the panoramic cityscape from high above in the
glass tower.

“Mt. Pleasant sure has
changed since I was a kid.  At one time, it had a lot of character, charm,
green spaces, and parks.  Now I just see a lot of concrete and steel.  No
long-term planning for the urbanites that live here after five o’clock.  No
parks for the kids.  No boutique stores that invite people to walk around the
city and explore it.”  Sean exhaled.  “Just concrete and steel.  Just dollars
and cents.  No character.  I’m beginning to think the vision reflects the man that
created it.”  Sean pivoted slowly to face Frank who had moved from behind his desk
and closer to his adversary.

“My
vision
has put
this city on the map,” Frank said with restrained anger.  “Your
little
restaurant is in one of the last areas still clinging to the
days-gone-by
sentimentality.  Something tells me that won’t last much longer though.” 
Frank’s eyes narrowed in a calculating sneer.  “Everybody has a price.  When I
tear down those shitty little buildings and replace them with
concrete and
steel,
I wonder if you’ll be able to afford the rent then?  I’m guessing
not.  In fact, I’ll make sure of it.”

Sean appeared unconcerned and
merely grinned at Frank.  “I’ve heard rumblings about your efforts to get the
wharf district rezoned.”  Sean leaned into Frank.  “Good luck with that, you’re
gonna need it.  Even the rezoning commission knows how popular that district is
with the locals and the tourists who come here in the summer.  They like the
charm, the character, some have even said the
quirks
.”  Sean bit at the
inside of his mouth to stop his growing grin.  “No, that’s one area even you
aren’t going to be able to steamroll over.  I’m sure of it.”  Frank’s mounting
anger was palpable.  “Times have been tough for everyone.  Even someone with
the last name ‘Chastain’ can’t get loans as easily these days.  Lenders are
more tight-fisted with their money now.  Want you to have more cash up front. 
Not so easy to borrow when half your money went to your ex-wife and the other
half is tied up in projects,” Sean paused for effect and grinned knowingly.  “A
fair number of which, I understand, have stalled.”

Frank’s eyes gleamed with
barely controlled rage.  “How’s your little restaurant doing, Parker?  I hear
that’s a tough business.  It can nose-dive
real
fast.”

Sean cocked his head and flexed
his jaw at the veiled threat.  “Well, whatever happens, I certainly won’t take
Shayna’s money to bail myself out of it. 
I’m
not that kind of man.”

Frank’s face shaded red and
the vein near his temple pulsed.  “What the hell does she see in you?” Frank spat
out icily.

Sean assessed the
increasingly hostile man before him.  “I’m guessing everything she
didn’t
see in you.”

As Sean turned to make his
exit, Frank taunted, “Better hang on to that sense of humor,
sport
. 
You’re gonna need it.”

Sean turned and wagged his
finger.  “You’re not as clever as you think you are, Chastain, and you’re about
to find that out.”

****

Shayna
recovered on her back, chest heaving, arms flopped above her head, on the plush
contemporary shag rug in front of the sleek fireplace, flames leaping from the
glass firestones.  The glow from the fire glinted off the silken layer of sweat
blanketing her body, heart knocking wildly against her chest, trying to catch
her breath.

What just happened?

Sean had stormed in earlier
in the evening and taken her in a frenzied haze of lust, dominance, and
unbridled passion.  All she could think right now was—
how soon can he do
that again
?

She felt him stir next to
her, rolling from his back to his side, his head perched in his hand.  He
reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

“I may’ve gotten a little
crazy tonight.  Sorry,” he whispered.

Shayna couldn’t control the
throaty, satisfied laughter that erupted from her.  “You call that a
little
crazy?”  She sighed and smiled contentedly.  “Jesus, sign me up for deluxe
crazy then.”  Now Sean was laughing and tugging her close to him.  “Don’t
ever
apologize for
that
.  I loved every second of it,” she murmured, reaching
up and bringing his mouth to hers for a deep kiss.  “You may have some scratches
on your back though,” she said, biting her lip, her fingertip tapping the tip
of his nose.

A low growl rumbled from Sean. 
“And
I
loved every second of
that
,” he said roughly, circling his
arms around her and taking her with him as he rolled onto his back, resting
them against sofa pillows tossed on the floor earlier.  They lay quietly,
enjoying the moment and each other’s warmth.

Then he broke the silence. 
“I’ve changed my mind, Shay.  I don’t want you to hear your ex out.  I don’t
think it’s a good idea.”  Her brows quirked and she propped herself up to look
at him.

“What happened today?  You
went to see him, didn’t you?”

His thumb skimmed across her full
bottom lip.  “Just don’t do it.  Okay?  Will you promise me that?”  His
features were taut, eyes a mixture of determination and worry.

He’d gone to see Frank.  She
was sure of it, but he obviously didn’t want to talk about it.  She exhaled resignedly. 
This couldn’t be good, but she’d stay out of it, for now.  Stepping in between
two chest-thumping males did not appeal to her.  They would just have to learn
to play nicely together—and grow up.

“That’s not a problem.  It’s
not like I want to see him, Sean.  I didn’t want to talk to him anyway.”

He nodded, and relief eased
across his face.  “Good.”  He pulled her closer, and she burrowed her head up
against his neck and shoulder.  “Let’s go away this weekend.  What do you
say?”  He gently stroked her arm, and she smoothed her hand from his strong
chest up to his square whiskered jaw.

“On your boat?” she asked hopefully.

“You liked that, huh?” he
responded, with a squeeze.

The memories warmed her from
the inside out.

“I’ve always loved the
water,” she replied dreamily.

“Yeah, me too.  If my mom
hadn’t gotten sick, I probably never would’ve left the Navy.”

“Then we never would’ve met,”
Shayna said reflectively.

Sean seemed to stop breathing,
then he tucked her tightly against him, tipping her chin up and giving her a
soft kiss.  “You have no idea how glad I am that we did,” he said hoarsely. 
Giving her a tentative look, he warned, “Things might get a little rocky for a
while, Shay.  Just ride it through with me and we’ll be fine.  Okay?”

Her eyes squeezed, and she
felt worry begin to bubble in her stomach.  Oh, no.  What had he done?

“Sean—”

He pressed his finger to her
lips and shook his head resolutely.  He didn’t want her in the middle.  He’d
told her that before and she knew there would be no budging him on it.  She
acquiesced for the time being with a sigh and a nod.  He pulled her mouth to
his, kissing her hungrily before rolling her onto her back and spreading her
warmth with his hard heat.