The Courage To Love (Love On The North Shore) (17 page)

“About a month.” Her eyes followed Sean as he took off after Sydney’s husband, who now carried the ball. In the blink of an eye George hit the ground, his shorter legs no match for Sean.

“He’s no Mark Walden, but he’s cute.” Sydney switched her baby to her other hip as she spoke.

The word cute and Sean didn’t belong in the same sentence, but she kept the thought to herself.

“Speaking of Mark Walden, I don’t know how you manage to work with him every day. The guy is gorgeous. How do you kiss him and remember your lines?”

“Easy. It’s just a job when I kiss him.” In fact, when she’d kissed him on the set Friday, thoughts of her weekend with Sean filled her head. “It’s kind of like when you take a patient’s blood pressure. It’s just another part of the job.”

“I’ve worked at the hospital for ten years and never had a patient look like Mark Walden,” Sydney said. “My God, you’d think they were ten years old.” On the grass George did some kind of dance move in the end zone, then spiked the ball into the ground.

“You married him.” Mia laughed and elbowed her cousin in the side.

Sydney sighed dramatically. “Don’t remind me,” she said before smiling. “What about you? Do you think he’s the one?”

Mia bit down on her lip and considered the question. Was he the one? She didn’t know. What she felt for him was unlike anything she’d experienced in previous relationships. Did that mean he was the one? “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Before leaving town that afternoon, Mia drove by the house she grew up in, which her cousin Sydney now owned, and then headed for the highway. In the passenger seat, Sean remained quiet. The carefree guy who played football with her family was gone. In fact the closer they got to the city, the more withdrawn he became. By the time they took the exit off the highway, he’d clammed up altogether, his mouth set in a severe frown and his eyes locked on the road. Without even asking, she knew what occupied his thoughts, and more than anything she wished she could help.

“Can you stay for a little while?” She slid her room key into the slot and pushed open the door.

Sean focused his eyes on her and she caught a glimpse of indecision. Then he pulled her close, kissing her as he pushed the door closed behind them.

The calluses on his palms scratched her skin as his hands disappeared under her shirt and rubbed her back. Grabbing at the back of his shirt, she pulled it free from his waistband and ran her hands underneath. Slowly, she trailed her hand up and down his warm flesh as Sean’s kiss became more intense. When his tongue slipped inside and touched hers, the low burning flame inside her ignited. Not in the mood to take things slowly, she pulled back, grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and yanked it over her head. Before the top hit the floor she’d unclasped her bra and tossed it away, too. She stood there as his eyes made a slow inspection. As they traveled from her face, down to her breasts, and across her stomach they left a trail of heat behind.

She grabbed at the front of his shirt and tugged it up. “This has to go.” Her voice came out so breathless, she almost didn’t recognize it.

Without breaking eye contact he grabbed the fabric from her hands and pulled it off. Eager to have her skin against his, she moved closer, prepared to wrap her arms around him again.

“Not yet.” He placed a hand on her waist to keep her away. “There’s something I need to do first,” he said as he lowered his head.

Before she registered his intent, he wrapped his lips around her nipple and sucked. Pure pleasure radiated outward, setting every part of her body on fire. As he continued to tease, she leaned against the wall afraid her legs would give out.

“Sean,” she said as a moan when he gave the other nipple its fair share.

Threading her fingers into his short hair, she opened her eyes and looked down at him. The sight of him suckling her sent some wild animalistic desire straight to her core and she ached to have him inside her. Reaching between their bodies she stripped off her shorts and underwear before reaching for his jeans. Once she had them pushed down, she wrapped one hand around him and rubbed the soft skin while her other hand settled on his butt and urged him closer.

“No more teasing,” she ordered, as she continued to run a hand up and down the flesh in her hand.

Stopping his assault on her breast, he switched to her mouth as he picked her up. On cue she wrapped her legs around his waist and in one smooth motion he slid inside.

Sean swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. “I need to go, it’s almost ten o’clock.”

“I wish you could stay tonight.” She watched him pull his jeans on as she sat up. “But I need to be in makeup at three.” That ungodly hour would be there in no time.

Sean leaned down and kissed her. “I’ve got work at home anyway.”

She climbed out of bed and walked to the chest of drawers. “I’m stuck in the city all week, but I should be free all weekend unless the schedule changes.” Mia pulled on an old T-shirt, the well-worn cotton soft against her skin. “You can stay here again, or I can come up to North Salem and stay with you.”

Dragging a hand through his hair, Sean met her gaze. “We can figure it out later.”

Something about his voice caused a seed of uncertainty to take root in her stomach. “Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Not even ten minutes after he left, Mia climbed back into bed. The alarm would be waking her soon, yet even knowing that, she stared at the ceiling. Her cousin’s question played over and over in her head. Was he the one? How long did you need to know someone before you knew? Her cousin, Sydney, dated her husband for eight years before they got engaged, and then their engagement lasted another two years before they walked down the aisle. True, they were a rare case, but still, logic told her it was too soon to know if Sean was the one. Her heart said other things. Being with Sean just felt right, pure and simple. And the idea of not seeing him again once she left Boston made her chest physically ache.

Mia sighed and rolled onto her side. She’d never been in love before, but this was how she imagined it. She hoped he shared her feelings. So far he’d shown that he cared for her and desired her, but nothing pointed to definite love. Then again, Sean wasn’t the type to put his feelings on display, unless it involved his father. He did have a difficult time hiding his dislike for the man. Not that she blamed him, considering their past.

She pushed away thoughts of Sean’s dad. Whatever happened between him and his father was between them.

Maybe there was a different way to learn the extent of Sean’s feelings. Perhaps he dropped hints in the way he acted or spoke. From now on she’d need to pay closer attention to the minute details, just in case. With that last thought, she closed her eyes and shut out the world.

Chapter 11

The elevator doors closed in front of her and she hit the button for the tenth floor. Even though she’d remained on set longer than planned, she should have enough time to take a nice long bath before Sean arrived. On the past few occasions when he’d come to Boston, he’d never gotten there before six, and it wasn’t even five yet.

The numbers on the elevator lit up, as it carried her to her floor. What should they do this weekend? The weekend before they’d caught a Red Sox game at Fenway on Friday night, and on Saturday they’d sat down by the Charles River and watched the Dragon Boat Festival. Sunday, at her request, they’d stayed in all day and just been plain old lazy.

There was no shortage of things to do in the city, but at the moment nothing jumped out at her. In fact if they spent the night in, she’d be okay with that. Tomorrow they could go out and do something fun.

Mia pushed opened her hotel room door, and kicked off her sandals before the door even closed behind her. The fragrance of fresh flowers and hazelnut greeted her, and she stopped short. A gigantic arrangement of summer flowers sat on the table next to a picnic basket and an extra-large latte from the Boston cafe she’d fallen in love with.

“You’re here already,” she said when Sean appeared from the kitchen with a black iced coffee in his hands.

Sean took the latte off the table and walked toward her. “I wanted to get here before you got back and surprise you, so I left earlier than usual.” He handed her the large drink. “I hope I got this right. It’s hazelnut made with nonfat milk minus the whip cream and sugar.”

Her heart sang with delight. He’d remembered how she liked her drink. “Thank you. It’s perfect.” She took a long sip from the latte, the cold beverage a great treat after the heat outside. Not quite the end of June, the heat in the city had already hit some record highs that week. Today at least a nice breeze helped provide some relief despite the humidity.

“These are gorgeous.” She leaned toward the flowers and took in a deep breath. “What’s this?” Mia pointed at the picnic basket.

“Dinner. I read that the Boston Pops is doing at concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. I’ve never been to a concert over there, and I thought you might enjoy it.” He gathered her up in his arms and hugged her. “If you don’t like that idea we—”

“No. It sounds great.”

Located on the Boston side of the Charles River, the Esplanade was used by city residents for everything from running and cycling to picnics and sunbathing. The city also used the Hatch Memorial Shell for free outdoor concerts all some summer long, with the annual Fourth of July concert by the Boston Pops being one of the most popular shows. In fact, every year that concert and the fireworks that followed it drew upward of 500,000 guests into the park, or at least that was what she’d read. She’d never attended the event herself.

Tonight the park was nowhere near that crowded, and after several people stopped them for her autograph, they found an empty area on the grass not far from the stage.

Once Sean spread out the blanket he’d packed, Mia sat down and stretched out her legs. Kicking off her sandals again, she dug her feet into the thick green grass, loving the way it felt between her toes. Next to her, Sean unpacked the basket. “Did you bring enough food?”she asked. He just kept pulling out containers.

Sean placed some paper plates next to the food and then moved the basket away. “When I stopped at Quincy Market, I didn’t know what we’d be in the mood for, so I got a little of whatever looked good.” He picked one container and handed it to her. “This is for you. A grilled chicken salad minus the dressing and cheese. You can eat anything else you want, too.”

Another piece of her heart slipped away, as she accepted the salad. “Thanks. What else did you get? Something smells good.”

He went down the line, naming each dish as he opened the containers. There was everything from a Thai chicken and curry dish, to traditional Indian naan bread, and lasagna. To top if off, he’d grabbed some double chocolate chip cookies that were the size of plates and two chocolate hazelnut tortes.

“I’m tempted to skip the food and go right for the cookies.” She stabbed the lettuce in her salad, but her eyes never left the cookies. Man did they look good.

“Go ahead. I won’t stop you.” He picked up one and held it out. “I ate one on my way back to the hotel after I got the food.”

The darn thing all but called her name, but she raised her forkful of salad to her mouth. “Maybe later.”

Sean put the cookie off to the side again, and began a plate for himself. “If there are none left later, don’t say I didn’t offer.”

After their meal, Sean sat next to her eating a cookie as she sipped her water. She’d caved and had a quarter of a cookie once she finished her salad and then wrapped the rest up and returned it to the picnic basket. “Those cookies are almost as good as your mom’s.”

“I know. The rest of yours might not make it through the night.”

“Be my guest.” She rested her head on his shoulder and watched the musicians file onto the stage. All dressed in black and white, they resembled a bunch of penguins with musical instruments. “This was a great idea tonight.” She took his hand and intwined their fingers. “Thank you.”

***

“Have you heard back from the bank yet?” Mia asked as the swan boat completed its journey around the lagoon. Once again she’d hidden her hair under her baseball hat and skipped any makeup in an attempt to blend in. The night before when they’d returned from their picnic lunch, they’d been ambushed by photographers waiting outside her hotel.

Sean shifted his legs in an attempt to get more comfortable. Whoever designed the boats hadn’t considered tall people. Thankfully the boat ride only lasted fifteen minutes. “No, not yet. I expect to hear back in another week or two.”

The driver maneuvered the boat back to the dock and as soon as he gave them the green light, Sean got out with Mia right behind him.

“Has your mom come around yet?”

Hand in hand they started down the pathway through the park and toward the Commonwealth Avenue Mall which would take them right into Back Bay where they planned to have a late lunch.

“We—” Sean began to answer as an elderly couple holding hands approached them.

“You two look so happy and in love. You remind me of us when we came here on our honeymoon.” The thin gray-haired woman stopped in front of them. “Don’t they, Will?”