Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2) (22 page)

Chapter Fourteen

“They get along,” Ray said to Sean
quietly.

“I have a feeling Cassie is going to be a
bad influence.”

“Until she meets Kate. Then she’ll get
influenced.”

“True.”

“You patched things up, then?”

“Disappointed that Krista finally gave
in?”

They stopped in the entryway of the living
room as the women filed into the kitchen for snacks. Keith trudged
off to a corner by himself.

“No,” Ray said, looking at him openly. “I
think you’ve earned her trust, and I think she’s earned yours.
Finally. You two are a good match.”

Sean was taken aback. Ray had never given a
green light for a girl. He’d never thought the girl was good
enough, or the other way around. He said so.

Ray smiled and looked at the women, chatting
and laughing. “You’ve changed. So has she. You’re more…laid back.
Secure, I might say. She’s more open. Less guarded. I think you’ve
brought her out of her shell.”

“And she’s tamed me?” Sean huffed.

“She’s shown she won’t put up with anything
less than excellence, which is what you are capable of, but only
just now realizing.”

Sean shook his head, “I don’t know about
that, but I like her. A lot. This last couple of weeks has made me
see that. Thinking I lost her drove me out of my mind.”

“Yes. Your whole team has noticed. Judy has
passed it on. Marcus, for a wonder, has not.”

Sudden dread pierced Sean. “What are people
saying?”

Ray shrugged. “The usual. You only like her
because she won’t give it up. She is trying to tease you but she’ll
get it in the end—same old stuff.”

“Same old for all girls, or her in
particular?”

“Her.”

“That’s not as bad as I thought.”

“No, not yet. You might nip it in the bud,
though, with Judy and Marcus. You two will be noticed.”

“I guess.”

Sean noticed, belatedly, that Keith was
looking at him. Sean met the glare and intensified the look, until
Keith looked away.

“What did Cassie ever see in him?” Sean
wondered, shaking his head.

Keith got up and skulked out, meeting Krista
in the dining room as she was making her way to Sean. She looked at
him warily and said, “Back, Satan!” She crossed herself. Keith
scowled.

Sean couldn’t help but laugh, wondering if
he would have to comfort Cassie’s hurt feelings.

The question was answered immediately as
Cassie yelled from the kitchen, “Keith! Don’t annoy the hired
help!”

“Make me some popcorn, wench!” Krista yelled
back, reaching Sean.

The front door opened and closed.

Sean was happier now than he could ever
remember. Sharing embarrassing stories from one’s youth was
something a person did among their loved ones, which was exactly
what had happened. Sean had all the people he cared most about in
the world, besides Ray’s two kids, in one room. It made his heart
swell with emotion he’d always hoped, but never thought he’d
experience.

“
Damn it!” Cassie
exclaimed, cutting through his reverie.

“Cass, language,” Sean said
automatically.

Cassie shot him an irritated glare across
the counter.

“Leave him, Cassie,” Krista called, standing
next to Sean but not putting her arm around him for some reason.
Sean got a spark of insecurity out of nowhere. “He’s probably just
going to get high.”

Cassie froze. Mary did, too. Everyone looked
at Krista.

“What?” Mary said with wide eyes.

Cassie walked into the living room.
“High?”

“Five?” Krista answered with a raised hand.
To Cassie’s straight face, she said, “Not funny?”

“How do you know that?” Cassie was focused
entirely on Krista. Sean wasn’t sure what was happening.

Krista put a hand on her
hip, “Seriously? Dude stares at inanimate objects, he hides in
corners, he creeps around all the time, and he wants to escape to
the beach on a cold and miserable night
alone
? He’s getting high. Bet
you.”

“That
asshole!
” Cassie said, then glared
at Sean, daring him to say something about her language. “He
promised he would stop.”

“That was probably before you dumped him,”
Krista snickered.

“Huh.” Cassie looked back at the door. “Good
point. I’ll put on some music.”

Krista shrugged and turned back to the guys,
who were looking bewildered at Cassie’s quick and indifferent
change of mood. They both decided that they would never understand
women, plain and simple.

~*~*~*~

In a couple hours they all had buzzes and
everyone was deciding to head to bed.

“Is everyone staying here?” Krista asked
Sean, swooping her hand low on his stomach.

“Yeah, it’s a three-bedroom,” he said
quietly, looking at her fixedly.

“We don’t get away from the kids much,” Mary
slurred. “Even when we do we aren’t as wild and crazy as we once
were, I’m afraid.” She got up and moved purposely to the stairs.
She was a little beyond buzzed, it looked like.

Ray moved to go with her, looking pretty
steady. “G’night,” he muttered.

So…not as sober as he looked.

Cassie got up, too. “I better go and get
that lunatic.”

Keith still hadn’t returned from his
forays.

“
I’ll go with you,” Sean
said protectively, rising.

Cassie stopped suddenly, “Why? Is it
dangerous here?”

“No,” Krista said, staying seated on the
love seat where she and Sean had been sitting. She had a half-glass
of wine to finish. “Sean thinks all darkness is dangerous, but
you’ll be fine. It will probably be a ghost town out there. But
take Sean, in case I’m wrong and you find the only ax-murder in the
city wandering around on the beach.”

Cassie smiled and patted Sean’s arm. “Thanks
big bro, but it would be better if you weren’t around. Last thing I
need is my big gay brother showing up to marshal in my homophobe
ex-boyfriend.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, walking with her
to the edge of the living room.

“Go sit down. You’re being rude to your
guest.” She pushed him back toward Krista. He didn’t budge of
course--pushing a six-foot pile of muscle wasn’t easy or
effective--but he got the hint and let her go on her hunt for her
stoner boyfriend.

Sean came back and sat beside Krista again.
He turned his body toward her and leaned over, lightly nuzzling her
neck. The heat was there from earlier, but it was softer. It was a
contained wildfire.

“
Touch me,” she
said.

“I don’t know if that is such a good idea,”
he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

“It is definitely not, no. Why?”

“I need to take things slowly, Krista. All
sorts of new issues come with sex. We can still call what we are
doing friendship. Friendly friendship. As soon as sex is in the
picture, things get real.”

“And
real
messes with the
head.”

“Precisely.”

“
So, if we pretend I am a
virgin and not ready for sex, would that work?”

Sean’s lips curved into a smile as he kissed
down her neck to her chest. “Are you sure you’re that good of an
actor?”

“Har har.” She slipped her dress strap over
her shoulder so he had more access to flesh.

He took advantage immediately. His hand went
back down to her inner thigh and began to inch up. Krista opened
her legs slowly and leaned back, allowing him more access, wanting
that clever hand where she needed it most.

Before he reached her sweet spot, or her
nipple for that matter, the front door opened again. Sean languidly
straightened up and brought her with him, content with the
teasing.

“
You look fine,” he said as
they heard voices arguing. She continued to smooth out her dress,
not believing him.

They listened for a second before Sean said,
“Okay, let’s head to bed. That is—do…uh, would you like to
stay?”

“Is this the part where we get all insecure
about what the other wants?” Krista asked with a lazy smile,
feeling up his muscled arm.

He answered with his lopsided, boyish grin
that lit up his features and made Krista’s heart thump. “Might
be.”

“Well, let me clear the
air. I would like to spend the night here
sans
clothes, if that can be
arranged?”

He leaned into her again, running his lips
along her jaw line as he scooped his hand under her dress and up
the back of her leg, cupping her butt. All he said was, “Hmmm.”

Krista waited while Sean checked on Cassie
and that clown Keith, and then she followed him to his bedroom. He
lit a couple of candles, opened the curtains and closed the
door.

“Mood lighting, huh?” she asked a she
crossed to the big picture window overlooking the limitless
ocean.

In the flickering glow Sean came up behind
her and put his arms around her waist. “Don’t bother trying to find
Japan, it’s too dark.”

“Spoil sport.”

“I’m glad we could find this peace together,
Krista. It is what I always wanted with you.”

“Me, too, you hippy. Very glad. I really
missed you the last couple of weeks.”

“I missed you, too. More than I wanted to
admit. There came a point, though, where I couldn’t do anything but
admit it. It killed me when I thought you had found someone else.
Especially because there was nothing I could do about it. Hard to
play the hero when you’re afraid you’ll just end up jerking around
the princess.”

“There is always that risk. Even with two
normal people--or two married people--there is always that risk.
Life is anything but certain. But sometimes the pleasure outweighs
the risk.”

He gave another “hmmm” as they looked out at
the black ocean before them.

“Did you put the painting in the bedroom
because of the story behind it, or just because you really liked
the look of it?” It had to be asked. Krista wasn’t as confident as
she portrayed.

Sean was quiet for a moment. Then, “I loved
it the first second I laid eyes on it. The very second. I didn’t
know why, I just knew I had to have it. Then, after Ben explained
it, it made sense. I had a real connection to it. To…” Sean
switched gears suddenly. “Ben is… he’s out of this world, that Ben.
He’s…”

“You have a bromance going, I get that.”
Krista laughed easily, knowing Sean was going to say something
else, but unsure what. She didn’t want to push. Not yet.

“I only befriended him to get close to you!
I…”

Krista broke away from Sean, fuzzy thoughts
fracturing. She faced him, genuinely angry on Ben’s behalf, because
Ben really liked Sean. He trusted him. You didn’t jerk Ben
around—he was too sweet of a guy for that.

With heat, Krista said,
“You
what?”

Sean froze, realized what he’d just said,
and immediately backpedaled with hands raised in defense. “Before I
even met him, Krista. I decided to befriend him before I even met
him. I gave him a chance where normally I wouldn’t bother, that’s
all. Turned out he was… He’s…”

“Smarter than you.” Krista turned back
around and leaned against Sean again, instantly placated. She never
was one to hold a grudge.

“Yeah—yes he is. I’ll admit it.” Sean
laughed. “That isn’t it, though. I don’t know. There’s something
about him. I really like him.”

“He’s sweet. He seems untouched by the worst
parts of human nature. He can be friends with his
roommate—me—without ever thinking sexually, even when I
accidentally walk out of my room naked. He’s…”

“Sorry?” Sean said, trying to turn her to
look at her face.

Krista started laughing. “Yup, that happens.
I usually sleep in just undies, or nude, so sometimes I get
distracted in the morning and hit the bathroom in my birthday suit.
I’ve always been comfortable in my skin.”

“Huh,” Sean said with a smile. He held her a
little tighter.

“
Anyway,” Krista went on,.
“Ben is a true find. He is the rare piece of art he creates. He’s
great.”

After a pause, Sean started
talking in a gush. “So after he explained the painting, I saw what
he said. I saw our first moments together. I saw that copy room in
it. I saw our many struggles in the break room. It’s an abstract
piece, so it lets the imagination run wild, but I
saw
it! Still see it. I
just… I wanted it close. I wanted to see it every day. As I said,
there are a great many days I don’t go into the living room. There
is never a day I don’t wake up in my bedroom.”

“Never?” Krista said disbelievingly.

Sean sighed. “Well… Not since I got the
painting, anyway.”

“No?”

“No, Krista. Not since then. Not since I
tricked you into a date.”

Krista relaxed in his arms and leaned her
head against his neck. He kissed the exposed skin, deciding it was
finally time. He led her to the bed. She laid down slowly, Sean
laying the length of his body against hers.

Chapter Fifteen

“No sex,” Sean said softly again, hating his
own rule, but wanting to avoid the worst pitfalls of himself for as
long as possible. Wanting to keep her forever, but not sure it was
in the cards, so staving off the inevitable for as long as fate
would let him. “Last time I’ll say it, I swear.”

“Better be. It is a mood kill every time.”
She laughed. “But what about oral sex? I need boundaries,
Mister.”

“Mister? Who are you, Oliver?” He lifted her
dress up to her waist slowly, loving the play of the silky fabric
as it shone and shimmered up her thighs and around her waist.
Seeing her shapely legs bared before him, and her lacy panties,
Sean spread her legs slowly, eyeing her playground.