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“Don’t be stupid,” Tam cut in, rolling her eyes. “Privacy is an illusion in today’s electronic world. And I always investigate the people who interest me.” She pulled out another cigarette, lit it. “And we haven’t even gotten to his toys,” she continued. “The motorcycle, jet skis, boat, hang glider, deep sea diving equipment. He’s not as rich as he would have been if he’d participated in some of my projects, but he can afford decent clothes for you. Don’t doubt it.”
Sean peeked up at her, abashed. She tried not to laugh. He made a big show of rifling through the credit card slips. “Eight hundred bucks at one store? What the hell is Melinda’s Intimates?”
“She needs sexy lingerie, don’t you agree?”
Sean’s eyes lit up. He strode over to the shopping bags and rooted through them until he found a pink one with tinted tissue poking out of it.
He reached in with both hands. When he pulled them out, several small, complicated garments dangled from them. An ivory bustier trimmed with a froth of antique lace. A black demi-bra and matching thong. A pearl pink baby-doll nightie. He looked up at Liv. “Oh, wow,” he said reverently. “Good investment, Tam. Worth every penny.”
Tam snorted. “Men. So predictable. It’s sad, really.”
Sean rubbed the pale green silk tap pants voluptuously against his face. “I don’t suppose you picked up anything for me, did you?”
Tam blew out a stream of smoke, her beautiful eyes narrowed to golden slits. “No,” she said. “I was far more inspired by her. You’re perfectly capable of doing your own shopping, big boy.”
“I figured as much,” he said, looking resigned. “You’d rather be shot through the eye than give me a break, wouldn’t you?”
“You’re getting bodily fluids all over my sheets, insulting me, inconveniencing me. That’s not enough of a break?” She turned to Liv. “You’re in no condition to model this stuff until you’ve had a shower, so get to it. This clown’s brothers will be in my face any minute. Hurry.”
The door clicked shut behind her. Sean shook his head. “I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he muttered. “It’s not worth the stress that woman puts me through.” He reached into the pink bag again, as if seeking comfort, and soon found it, in the form of pink French cut satin panties, trimmed with black ribbon. “Ooh. Crotchless.” He waggled his fingers through a slit in the gusset. “Wear these today.”
Liv willed herself not to laugh. “Why on earth would I do that?”
He blinked innocently. “For spontaneous sex. You know. Bent over the hood of a car. Perched on the washing machine during the spin cycle. Up against the wall in the hall bathroom.”
She decided that ignoring him was the best policy. “I’m going to pay for those clothes myself, you know.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Like hell. Even if that wasn’t a direct affront to my manhood, it wouldn’t be fair to you. You didn’t ask Tam to drop five thousand bucks on clothes for you. She did it for fun, to bust my balls. It’s between me and her. Besides, she likes to see girls looking good. I think maybe she goes both ways.”
“Five thousand?” Liv’s mind snagged on the sum, stupefied.
“More, actually,” he said, with martyred calm. “But it’s OK, babe. The numbers were just a shock, first thing in the morning. I might have to cut back on the servants in my sixty room mansion. Run my own bath in the solid gold tub. Cut my own toenails with the diamond encrusted platinum clippers. No biggie.”
“Stop teasing for just one second and be straight with me,” she said. “Just how do you make your living, anyhow?”
He shrugged helplessly. “Little bit of this, little bit of that.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” she snapped.
“I’m not,” he protested. “My professional life is a grab bag. I get bored easily. If something starts feeling too much like work, I drop it and move on.”
“Wow. Lucky you.” She tried to picture that kind of flexibility, but it was hard to imagine. “And you can afford to be so fussy?”
He looked embarrassed. “Yeah. Like Tam said, I’ve got some interest income. My brother Davy’s a financial whiz. He did some good investing for me over the years. Lately, I’ve been doing consulting gigs for war films. My brothers think it’s fluff, and maybe it is, but I’ve had enough heavy shit to last a lifetime. I like to keep things light.”
“With us, too?” She couldn’t help but ask.
The smile vanished from his eyes. “No, babe.” He reached up, and gripped her wrist. She stumbled down the rest of the stairs to meet him.
Sean lifted the T-shirt up over her head, and claimed her mouth, in a slow, possessive kiss. “When it comes to you, I’m dead serious.” He shoved the crotchless confection into her hand, closing her fingers around it. “Wear these for me today. Every time I look at you, I’ll think about slipping my fingers through that hole, finding you wet. And when I finally get you alone, you’ll be so ready, I won’t have to do cartwheels and backflips to persuade you. I can just mount up and ride.”
She stumbled back, pulling away. “I have to take a shower.”
He gave her his sexy fallen angel smile. “Can I come?” He popped open the top button of his jeans. They strained over his erection.
“Absolutely not.” She fled to the bathroom, locked the door, and sagged down on the edge of the bathtub, trying to breathe.
When was she going to get used to him? It didn’t matter that she was traumatized, bitten, bruised, penniless, jobless, in danger for her life. All he had to do was whisper in her ear, and hey presto, she was a knot of mindless yearning. Helplessly aching and throbbing for him.
