What a Woman Wants (A Manley Maids Novel) (27 page)

L
ET’S
go again!” Livvy was bouncing all over the place, God help him. Down the steps from the ride, across the macadam, circling around him like her dancing poodle. Though a hell of a lot cuter.

“You want to do that
again
? Aren’t you about to toss up your three eggs, four pieces of organic multi-grain toast, and two glasses of grapefruit juice?”

“Technically, it was only one and a half.”

“Oh, right. Big difference there. So if it’d been two full glasses
then
you’d be tossing it?”

“No, silly. I love that ride. When the bottom falls out, it’s like that feeling you get in your tummy when you . . . You know.” She nibbled on her bottom lip and Sean had a feeling he knew exactly what she was going to say.

He tugged her against him and linked his hands against the small of her back. “You mean like the feeling you get when I do this?”

He kissed her. Right there in the park in front of everyone, he kissed her as if it were just the two of them like at the lake. As if he couldn’t wait to take her home.

He couldn’t. “I want you, Livvy.” He had to murmur it against her skin.

“Sean, we’re in public.”

“Trust me, I know.” He tugged on her earlobe with his teeth. “Just wanted to make sure
you
did.”

She arched her back slightly, thrusting her belly against his erection. “Oh I know.”

He exhaled on a laugh and kissed the tip of her nose. “How long do you think we can stay like this before someone notices?”

“Probably a lot longer than if you let go and turned around right now.”

“Good point.”

“I say we try the log flume next. That water will be sure to cool you down.”

“Until you end up soaking wet.”

“Oh, right. Good point. How about the fun house instead?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

It was a good plan. Those moving stairs sent her careening back into him. And that rope climb . . . Good thing Gran had taught him to be a gentleman; he’d let her go first.

“Cotton candy?” she asked once they’d worked their way through the hamster wheel and onto the platform at the end.

“Cotton candy? You?” Sean put a hand on his chest and pretended to stagger back against the cordon ropes. “Isn’t that full of chemicals and dyes and nitrates or something?”

“Sugar and air. Maybe some food coloring. Not too bad.”

“Go figure. The stuff mothers warn kids about passes muster with you.”

She poked him in the chest. “Mothers also warn girls about guys like you, yet I’m not listening to that, either.”

Sean wouldn’t let her pull her hand away. He plastered it against him, more than willing to use any excuse to get her hands on him. Hell, he had it bad for her. “Hey, I’m a good guy. Mothers love me.”

“I bet they do.” She waggled her eyebrows and tugged her hand free as she headed on to the next ride.

Sean followed her, quickly catching up. Bryan was the one every woman loved. And that was okay with Sean. He didn’t need to be the object of every woman’s fantasy. Just one certain one.

One special one.

Livvy.

“Sean? You okay?”

Livvy turned around when he stopped moving. Hell, he thought he’d stopped
breathing
.

“Sean?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” In a my-world-just-tilted sort of way.

“Can we do the swings? I love spinning around like that.”

She ought to try spinning the way he was right now. Holy hell, he was falling for her. And not because the sex had been great. Though it had been. But he wanted her smiles in the morning and her moans at night. Her kisses all day long. He wanted her laughter and her insecurities and her jokes and her sighs when she was sleeping. He’d even take the dogs if it meant he got Livvy. And her blushes. Oh, how he wanted her blushes.

“Or do you want to do that pirate ship ride?

He looked to where she was pointing. A giant ship swinging from side to side until it was almost perpendicular to the ground. Nah, he didn’t need to go on that one; his insides were doing that all on their own.

“Or how about the Double Shot? It’s a rush.”

He didn’t need any more of a rush. But he couldn’t exactly tell her that. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

He was
falling for
Livvy.

L
IVVY
couldn’t remember a better day. Well, maybe the one by the lake, but this was a close second. Sean was so much fun and such a good sport and the perfect guy to hang out with at an amusement park. He, of course, hit the bell on the strong man game. He popped all six balloons with his darts, winning her a stuffed hippo “for her menagerie,” and didn’t mind powdered sugar all over his face from the funnel cake.

Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that she kissed it off of him, but still . . .

They went on every ride, some twice, bought all of the overpriced pictures the rides took of them, watched a clown juggle, a sword swallower swallow swords (obviously), and the trained dog act got her seriously thinking about her own animals. Hers were smart; they could learn to do tricks like these. Maybe she could put on shows at senior centers or children’s hospitals now that she’d have time to do such things—
if
she found the rest of the clues.

She gave in to eating a hot dog—it was pretty good, though she wasn’t going to admit it to him—when Sean brought their drinks back to the table.

“Here. I got you an iced tea. Figured the cotton candy and funnel cake were enough sugar for you today, so I bagged the soda. Didn’t want to overdo it.” He plucked the hot dog from her hand. “Including this. All those nitrates you know.” He downed it in one bite.

“Hey! That’s my dinner!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? You were enjoying that? I thought you were eating it to appease me, since there’s no corn-fed beef around here.”

She crossed her arms and exhaled. “I was appeasing
me
. My appetite.”

He pulled out some more cash. “Oh. In that case, I’ll get you another one.”

“Never mind. It’s not like I need any more. Besides, I have this.” She held up her tea. What an utterly sweet gesture. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He took a good chug of his soda, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. She hid a smile. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh. Not buying it. Your nothings
always sound like something
to me, so spill. I want to know why you’re laughing at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you; I’m
smiling
at you.”

“Same thing. Tell me.”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

She arched her eyebrows and lowered her voice. “I already did.”

She loved teasing him. Loved the way his blue eyes darkened. Loved the way his shoulders got straighter as he sat up. Loved that tic in his jaw that said he got her innuendo and was remembering exactly what she was remembering.

“You’re going to pay for making that comment in public, Carolla.” His look let her know exactly what he was talking about.

“I’m counting on it.” She picked up a few hot dog bun crumbs from her napkin. “So, we should probably find the next clue before it gets dark. You haven’t seen a plaque or anything proclaiming the great Martinson name around here, have you?”

Sean looked at her a few seconds longer with
the look
. “Actually, I did. What will you give me if I tell you where it is?”

“What do you want?”

“You know the answer to that question.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And?”

“And I’m in complete agreement.” She stood up and held out her hand. Whatever Merriweather’s plans for the treasure hunt were, Livvy was just glad they included Sean. “Let’s go find that clue so we can spend the rest of the evening together.”

I
T
was late morning when Livvy woke up in some budget motel that probably rented rooms by the hour.

She smiled. For her and Sean, it was cheaper to rent it by the night.

She looked at him asleep beside her. She loved his face. Oh, not because he was good-looking, though he was, but because it was so expressive. Sean held nothing back. He looked at her with such care in his eyes, so clear and direct and honest . . . It felt as if she could see into his soul when she looked into them. His face was so strong, so masculine, so perfectly chiseled, as if Mother Nature had been intent on making not only the most perfect
inside
of a man, but
outside
as well. She’d gotten it right on both counts with Sean.

Livvy reached up to trace his nose. She’d done that a lot last night. There was something about Sean’s nose . . . and his lips . . . and his chin . . .and—

“See something you like?” He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss her fingers.

And to steal her breath.

“Yeah.” She more than liked it.

He rolled onto his side facing her, still holding her hand, then tucked it against his chest. Against his heart. “Me, too.” He kissed her.

It was a soft kiss. Sweet. Undemanding and simple. But filled with a world of goodness that brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky with Sean, but she wasn’t going to question it. For the first time in her life, she didn’t have to work hard for something good to come her way. It was as if the universe was acknowledging all her efforts and giving her a big reward for never giving up.

“Mmmm, you taste good,” he whispered against her lips.

“You said that yesterday.”

“You proved me right last night.”

Yep, she blushed again.

“Ah, Livvy, come here.” He wrapped her in a big, tight hug, and pulled her against him. Her arms went around his waist, her face into the crook of his shoulder, and there was no place on earth she’d rather be.

“Housekeeping.” The door opened.

Okay, maybe she’d rather be at home so no one would interrupt this moment.

“Hey!” Sean scrambled the sheets over her, then sat up. “We’re in here!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The maid backed out of the room, probably redder than Livvy was.

“That is
not
the way I wanted to wake up.” He ran his hand over her back and Livvy shivered. Yes, Mother Nature had done wonders with Sean.

She tossed her hair back and raised herself onto her elbows. “At least we know the rooms are clean.”

Sean laughed, then tossed the covers off and swatted her behind. “Come on, you. I could stay here all day and do nothing, but we’ve got a dog to pick up and a clue to find. You do have the one from the park, right?”

She searched for her bra, giggling when she found it hanging from the lamp on the nightstand.

“What’s so funny?”

“This.” She held it up.

“Lingerie is comical? Not to men.”

“Not the bra, but where I found it. No one’s ever tossed my bra onto a lampshade before.”

“Their loss. It was fun. Especially what came after.”

He was too gorgeous to pull off a cheesy leer. It just made her want a repeat of last night. But he was right; they didn’t have time. The clock was ticking on her inheritance. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted to live there or not, but she wanted the ability to make that choice.

“So where’s the clue?” he asked, pulling on his shorts. Commando.

Livvy tried to swallow but with her suddenly dry mouth, it didn’t happen.

She coughed and pulled the clue they’d gotten from the manager of The Merri Jeweler shop in the park from her bra. Sean had figured it out from the line, “something more precious than jewels” in the previous clue. “Uh, here.”

“That wasn’t there last night,” he said. “I checked.”

“It was between the fabric and the lining. You weren’t looking in the right place.”

“Trust me, I was in the right place.”

She felt the blush start all over again.

“Ah, Livvy, it’s too easy with you. Don’t ever lose that blush, okay? I’d miss it.”

“I’ll try not to.” And if he kept saying things like that, she wouldn’t need to try.

They grabbed a quick shower—separately so that they actually
left
the motel—tossed the travel toiletries they’d picked up at a convenience store last night into the trash, then Livvy read the clue to him again when they were on their way.

“A locket? That ought to be easy to find.”

“It would except it’s in the safe. And she didn’t give me the combination.”

“I’m sure Scanlon has it.”

“But I can’t ask him for it. See where she says, ‘On your own’? I have to figure out the combination by myself.”

“That could take years.”

“Tell me about it.”

Sean exhaled and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “It’s almost as if she wants you to fail.”

“Or the combination is so obvious that I should be able to figure it out.”

“If it were that easy, anyone could do it. Merriweather wasn’t stupid. The number has to be significant to you.” His cell phone rang. “Hang on. I have to take this call.”

He tapped his screen. “Manley.” His lips tightened as he listened to the person on the other end. “Yeah, that’ll work. One’s good. Where do you want to meet? Okay. Right. Got it. See you then.”

“So where are we going?” she asked when he ended the call.

“
We
aren’t going anywhere.
I
, however, have a business meeting, so you’re going to be on your own for clue hunting. You up for it?”

“Puhleaze. I’m a born clue hunter. I only let you tag along because I feel sorry for you all cooped up with chemicals and mops and vacuums and alpaca poo. I’ll be fine.” She tucked the clue back in her bra, totally enjoying the heat flaring in his eyes when she did so. “So does this business meeting have to do with your house-flipping business?”

“Yes. A potential buyer.”

“And that’s good, right?”

He blew out a breath. “Yeah, it’s good.”

“You don’t sound very excited.”

“It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, I’m glad to sell the place, but on the other, I hate parting with it. The place has sentimental value to me and it’s in an area that’s about to become the
in
place to live in the next few years, probably quadrupling my investment if I could hang on to it that long.”

“So why don’t you?”

He exhaled again, this time scratching his jaw. The rasp of his morning stubble reminded Livvy exactly how it’d felt against her stomach. Her thighs . . .

“Sometimes a deal comes along you just can’t pass up. This could be one of those.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He
did
have to make money after all, especially now that they weren’t sure if he’d have a job, so that was yet another reason for her to keep the house. She could give Sean the job permanently. Or, better yet, tell him to forego the cleaning altogether, and just hang out and keep her company. Except, Sean was proud. He wouldn’t want a handout from her and that, alone, made her fall a little more for him.

So did his tenderness when they stopped by the vet’s office to pick up Davy on their way home. He carried the poodle out to the car and gently set him on her lap, making sure the newly casted front leg was lying comfortably. He petted Davy a few times on the way home and didn’t pull his hand away when Davy licked him. Sean was definitely coming around to her animals.

Just like she was coming around to the idea of calling this place home.