“And way out of my league,” Leah said and chuckled. “If I was, you know, interested.”

  Nicola’s expression widened. “Which of course you’re not?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “That would be ridiculous.”

  “Sure,” Nicola mused. “Only, sometimes it’s fun to be a little ridiculous.”

  Leah laughed and relaxed. Nicola was good company, and for the next half hour they talked about everyday and mundane things—like J.D.’s planned surprise birthday party to the upcoming charity benefit held at O’Sullivan’s to aid the museum and art gallery.

  “Gwen was telling me about it,” she said and sipped the coffee Nicola had made. “I need to convince my brother to sponsor a table—David’s got more money than he knows what to do with.”

  “He was in the same year as Kieran and I in high school. I heard he’s getting married again.”

  She nodded. “Yes, to Annie. She’s awesome and the kids adore her.”

  Nicola shook her head. “It was so sad what happened to his first wife. And of course you both lost your mom as well in the plane crash. But it’s lovely that he’s met someone else now.”

  Leah’s throat tightened. “I’m very happy for my brother. And Annie’s such a good stepmom to his kids. I’ve always thought it takes someone with an extra-big heart to take on someone else’s children. Like you did,” she acknowledged gently.

  Nicola smiled a little. “We had some tough times in the beginning. Of course the boys miss their parents, and I miss my big brother and sister-in-law. But we’ve worked hard to make a strong family together.”

  Leah noticed how Nicola’s hand strayed to her belly for a moment, and a tiny smile was etched at one corner of her mouth. But she didn’t make any assumptions. Instead, she kept the conversation as general as she could. “Family is the most important thing in the world. I know I feel blessed to belong to the one I have, even though we drive each other crazy at times. But when we’re all together, you know, all the McCalls and the Petrovics and Culhanes...it feels as though I’m the luckiest person in the world be a part of something so amazing.”

  Nicola smiled warmly. “I know what you mean. And I know Kieran is happy that Sean’s back so he can be a part of things with the family. Everything has mostly smoothed over with Jonah and since J.D. married Kathleen, and well, everyone is trying to get along.”

  “Everyone except Sean?” she suggested.

  Nicola shrugged. “It’s been harder for him since he hasn’t been living here. Jonah is a good man, and Kieran has worked hard on building a relationship with him. I mean, they’re brothers. Sean will realize that in time.”

  Leah felt an inexplicable urge to defend him. “I’m sure you’re right. I guess he’s taking things slowly and obviously needs more time to come to terms with all the changes.”

  It was another twenty minutes before the men returned to the kitchen. Leah’s stomach flipped a little when she spotted Sean walking through the doorway, and she had to admit that in chinos, a gray shirt, a leather belt and boots he looked good. Really good. She silently cursed herself for noticing and sipped on the second cup of coffee Nicola had provided.

  Friend zone, remember!

  And really, she wasn’t in any kind of place to think about them being anything other than that, despite the way he made her twitch.

  Twitch?

  Really...is that what he did?

  It had been so long since she’d twitched, itched, craved or longed for a man she could hardly remember. Two years, she thought and grimaced. It was as though she’d put her libido on ice since Xavier had swooped in and stolen her money, her heart and her trust.

  But...lately she started to thaw.

  Don’t be an idiot over a man...not again.

  She thought about what Sean had told her and wondered how significant his hearing loss was. He was clearly uncomfortable talking about it, and she understood his reluctance. Sean was a private person, and they hardly knew one another. Which made her wonder why he’d told her in the first place. Her brother often said she had a way of getting people to open up. Perhaps she came across as trusting and approachable. She certainly had her own complicated history of being trusting and gullible.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, looking a little twitchy himself.

  Leah slid off the stool. “Sure.”

  Once they’d said their goodbyes she followed him outside, and they were quickly on their way back toward Cedar River. He didn’t say anything for a while, and she was happy to look out the window and admire the scenery. When they hit the main road to town, Leah let out a long sigh.

  “Did you say something?” he asked.

  “No,” she replied, but her curiosity piqued. “Do you need me to talk louder?”

  “Not exactly,” he returned. “Just speak clearly and don’t whisper. And I will probably ask you to repeat yourself if I need to.”

  “No problem,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know. Do you need to get your car modified?” she asked, looking at the dash.

  “Well, I haven’t so far,” he replied. “If I need to, I will.”

  She nodded. “Your brother and sister-in-law are really nice people. I’ll always be grateful to Kieran for helping my dad when he was sick.”

  “He’s a good doctor. And a good man,” he added quietly, and then his tone altered and he continued. “I wonder what it’s like...”

  Leah stared at him. “What what’s like?”

  He shrugged. “Living such a valuable life. Helping people. Being the best version of yourself.”

  “Don’t you believe you are?”

  “Not consistently,” he replied. “The fact is, there are elements of my life that seem clichéd and superficial.”

  “Like the red sports car and the leggy blondes?”

  He chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah. The truth is, the car isn’t a big deal in LA, and the blondes aren’t as frequent as my reputation might suggest.”

  “So, you’re a Boy Scout?”

  He grinned. “Not exactly. But sometimes it’s easier to let people think about you in certain way to avoid people thinking about you, if that makes sense.”

  “Like your mother,” she suggested. “Who thinks it would be good for you to settle down, have a couple of kids and a picket fence life?”

  “She’s my mom,” he agreed, “so she’s wired to think that way. And she’s probably right. I just don’t think I’m wired that way. The truth is, I’ve never really done what’s been expected of me. I left town, instead of staying to work alongside my father in the family business. I left college after two semesters and then followed my gut, building the career I wanted, on my own terms. I’m the clichéd black sheep.”

  “A black sheep’s wool is warmer,” she offered foolishly, feeling as though she’d somehow found a kindred spirit in Sean, and liked the feeling because she’d also spent most of her life feeling as though she didn’t quite belong.

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  She shrugged. “It sounds true.”

  He laughed. “Is your glass always half full, Leah?”

  “Not usually,” she replied. “But since you’re so moody, it makes me seem like I believe in rainbows and unicorns.”

  “I’m betting you actually do believe in rainbows and unicorns,” he said and grinned. “And I don’t mean to be moody again. It seems to be my fallback.”

  “Isn’t that partly why we’ve agreed to be friends, to get you out of your funk?”

  “Actually, it was to stop my mother from matchmaking,” he replied and drove the car across the bridge and turned left onto Main Street.

  “Because I’m not your type.”

  “And I’m not yours,” he reminded her. “Which is why we make perfect friends. There’s no...tension.”

  His words, although she was certain were not meant to offend, made her feel about as desirable as a sack of potatoes. Because he was her type. She absolutely, 100 percent, was attracted to Sean and wanted to jump his bones. Of course she would never, ever, show it. And never tell a soul. Even when she was having drinks with her cousin Ellie and friend Winona the night before, and they’d teased her about crushing on him, she’d categorically denied it and assured them that they were just friends. And, of course she was lying through her teeth. But since she’d made such a fool of herself over Xavier, she had no intention of admitting she was hot for someone who had the same lethal combo of looks and sexiness.

  “Yeah,” she agreed, cringing inwardly. “No blip. No pressure.”

  “It’s a nice change. I like hanging out with you.”

  She liked it, too. “Want to grab coffee and a doughnut before we head to the hardware store?”

  He nodded and turned the car toward the bakery. They stopped for about ten minutes, snacked on chocolate croissants and got their coffee to go and were at the hardware store before midday. Since he appeared to never have been in the place before, Leah urged him toward the paint section.

  “This way,” she said and grabbed his hand.

  And then wished she hadn’t, because his touch was electric and sent a bolt of something—she wasn’t sure what—race up her arm, which then made her skin scorch and her blood pressure sky rocket, and she groaned before she had a chance to stop herself.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and discreetly tried to remove her hand, but his fingers were now around hers and he didn’t appear to be in any hurry to release her. She met his gaze, feeling the heat coming off him, and thinking that in someplace called Leah’s Stupid Fantasies, she saw something in his expression that was definitely outside the friend zone.

  He’s not attracted to you, remember?

  He’s mentioned the fact several times.

  Don’t be an idiot.

  Leah swallowed hard and pointed to the paint color swatches, ignoring the heat in her arm, her chest and her legs. “Pick a color.”

  He moved a little closer, and she inhaled the woodsy cologne he wore, which was instantly like catnip for her sex-starved pheromones. She shuddered out a breath, trying not to think about how he still held her hand and was standing ridiculously close.

  “You pick,” he said.

  Leah stared at him, suddenly outraged—not only by her surging libido, but by his very obvious indifference to their close proximity. “It’s your house.”

  “And you’re the artist,” he reminded her. “I trust your instincts.”

  He wouldn’t trust her so much if he suspected she was itching to plant a kiss on his perfectly sinful throat. “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Blue,” he replied.

  She nodded and scanned the swatches, acutely conscious that he was still holding her hand, but didn’t want to be obvious and pull away first because then he might suspect what she was thinking. “This one,” she said and pulled out a card that showed a pale blue named after some cool arctic reference.

  He looked at the swatch and nodded. “Sure.”

  “And you need brushes and rollers and stuff, right?”

  “I guess.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Have you ever painted a room before?”

  “No,” he replied, not looking the faintest bit embarrassed. “If I wanted something done, I paid a contractor to do it.”

  “City boy,” she teased and then met his gaze. “Ah...my hand?”

  He glanced to where their fingers were linked and quickly released her. “Sorry.”

  Leah managed a casual shrug and tried to ignore the tingling that remained after his touch ended. Stupid. Foolish. Fantasy. She said the words over and over to herself like a chant as she walked on ahead and perused the brushes and equipment needed. After a couple of minutes, she made a selection and instructed him to hold out his arms, which she filled with several items.

  “That should do it,” she said and hauled a couple of plastic tarps off the rack. “I’ll see if we can get this stuff delivered this afternoon.” She headed toward the front counter.

  She knew the elderly sales clerk, Morris, as he was a friend of her father’s. “Hey, Morris,” she greeted as they approached the desk. “Any chance you could get your grandson to deliver these to Spruce Road this afternoon?” she asked and gave the exact address.

  The older man gave Sean a quick once-over and then nodded. “Anything for you, sweet thing. How’s your dad feelin’?”

  “Much better. I’ve moved in for a while, so I can keep a close eye on him,” she said and winked.

  The older man nodded. “And who’s this?” he asked and gestured in Sean’s direction. She quickly made the introductions. “Don’t I feel fancy,” Morris teased, laughing loudly. “We don’t usually get the O’Sullivans in the store. The hotel gets me to deliver their supplies. If I’d known you were coming, I would have pulled out the good china and red carpet.”

  She could feel Sean tense for a second and she quickly grabbed his arm, squeezing the hard muscle and almost groaning at how good it felt. She released him abruptly and allowed him to place the items on the counter and then pay for them.

  “Thank you,” he said and took the receipt.

  Leah chatted to Morris for another few moments and then left the store, Sean striding at her side. Once they were back in the car, she spoke. “You look pissed.”

  His mouth curled at her words, and she wasn’t about to admit that she had something of a potty mouth. Then he laughed humorlessly. “The O’Sullivan reputation reaches far and wide, I see.”

  “He was only teasing. And well, your dad and Liam aren’t exactly the handyman type who frequent hardware stores, are they?” she remarked and grinned.

  “There’s that rich and entitled stereotype again.”

  “If the stereotype fits,” she teased and laughed.

  His scowl slowly disappeared. “I don’t think I’ve ever known a woman quite like you, Leah.”

  Her brows rose for dramatic effect. “You mean one who doesn’t pander your giant ego?”

  “Precisely.”

  She laughed. “That will never be me.”

  He didn’t offer a reply, and Leah relaxed in the seat. Once they were heading back across the bridge and toward the river, he spoke again.

  “Leah, what are you doing next Sunday?”

  She turned her head. “Ah...why?”

  “I have this thing,” he said, a little uneasily. “My dad’s surprise birthday party, and I was wondering...” He paused, looking directly ahead, fingers tight on the steering wheel. “Ah...would you like to come with me?”

  It sounded like a date. But since he wasn’t into her in that way, she didn’t dare allow herself the fantasy. Most likely he wanted a gal pal to hang out with so his mother and siblings would get off his back about remaining resolutely single.

  The thing was, she also needed her own date for Annie and David’s wedding in five days. Which gave her an idea.

  “Sure,” she said quickly. “If you come as my plus-one to my brother’s wedding on Saturday.”

  He grinned. “It’s a deal.”

  Chapter Six

  Sean had no real desire to go to Leah’s brother’s wedding. But since he also didn’t want to go stag to his own family shindig, helping each other out seemed like the perfect solution.

  Once they were back at his house, he opened the automatic garage door and drove the car inside. She got out and walked outside, letting out a long and appreciative whistle.

  “I really think this is one of the best spots along the river,” she said and pointed to a bend along the riverbank. “That’s my cousin Jake’s place.”

  “Liam lives next door to him,” he stated. “Biggest block in the area, of course. My brother always has to have the best.”

  Leah raised her brows and looked at him, jerking a thumb in the direction of the garage. “He’s not the one driving the Ferrari though, is he?”

  “Damn, you’re hard on me,” he said and grinned. “Want a tour of the place?”

  “No need,” she replied. “I’ve been here before. I looked at it when it came on the market. Back before my ex stole my money.”

  “You planned on buying it?” he asked quietly.

  She shrugged. “Maybe. It’s all moot now. I’m broke and it belongs to you.”

  Guilt stupidly pressed down on his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

  “You couldn’t know,” she said and stood in front of him. “A car’s coming. Must be the hardware store.”

  True enough, a pickup came barreling down the driveway and a young man with scruffy red hair dropped off the paint and equipment. Leah chatted to the youth for a few minutes while Sean took the equipment into the house. He waited for her to head inside and quickly met her by the front door. She walked through the house and nodded appreciatively.

  “It looks great in here. Did you have your furniture hauled from LA?”

  “Nope,” he replied. “I hired a decorator to style the place. You know me,” he added when she gave him a questionable look. “Besides, decorating isn’t my thing. Making coffee, though, is something I’m very good at.”

  She chuckled and followed him into the kitchen. “Can you cook?”

  “Actually...yes,” he admitted. “It’s another thing I’m good at. I’ll cook you dinner sometime. I make an awesome linguini.”

  “So many talents,” she teased. “What else are you good at?”

  “Making coffee. Poker,” he said and cranked up the coffee machine. “And Scrabble.”

  She perched on a counter stool and smiled. “Anything else?”

  Sean’s mouth curled at the edges. “Sex.”

  She stilled for a moment and then chuckled. “What about kissing? That’s way more important than sex.”

  He tried to ignore the heat suddenly surging through his blood and grabbed a couple of mugs, facing her across the countertop. “I haven’t had any complaints,” he replied and smiled a little more.