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An Excerpt From: HONORING SEAN
© Copyright MAGGIE CASPER, 2005.
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave, Inc.
Light filtered through the dimly lit room as the front
door opened. Of its own accord, the slab of heavy oak snapped shut behind
the woman who’d just entered through it. To the hulking man standing next
to the bar, the room suddenly seemed brighter as if a shot of pure sunshine
had found its way through the thick brick walls.
The tall, lithe figure of Honor Rollings moved further
into the room astounding him. It still amazed him how easily she had
accomplished, in the blink of an eye, to steal his heart right from his
chest.
Her jerky movements indicated her anger level, and damn,
but she was cute when she was mad. He couldn’t help the rumbling chuckle
that escaped his lips.
“Mornin’, Little Darlin’,” he said by way of greeting.
His “Little Darlin’” who wasn’t so little by today’s
standards, stalked right up to him, toe to toe, thighs to knees, nose to
chest.
He pegged her at about five eight, but to his
six-foot-three-inch build, she may as well be a fairy. With her hands
fisted on her slender hips and her blonde hair billowing like a cloud
around her shoulders, she looked like every healthy American man’s idea of
a wet dream.
Her clear blue eyes burned with righteous indignation.
“Don’t you Little Darlin’ me you…you…big oaf,”
she all but snarled, as she stomped one dainty sandal-clad foot in her fit
of rage.
His face hurt from trying to hide the grin begging to
break loose. Her head was thrown back allowing her to see his face without
forcing her to back up. The woman had courage, he’d give her that much.
There weren’t many people willing to stand toe-to-toe with Sean O’Malley.
Of course, the tempting view he had of the delicate arch
of her neck was causing him some problems. Combined with her scent, and the
rapid rise and fall of her pert little breasts as she ranted and raved, and
he was a goner.
The monster in his pants was stirring, insisting on its
fair share of attention, but in actuality, all that was being accomplished
was to make the fit of his jeans uncomfortably tight.
“Are you listening to me, Mr. O’Malley?” she asked,
punctuating the question with a manicured nail to his chest. “I can’t
believe you did that. You had no right!”
Grabbing her under the elbows, he lifted her off her
feet until she was eye to eye with him.
“Now that’s where you’re wrong, I had every right. I
warned you, Little Darlin’. Warned you the minute I saw you and recognized
you as mine what would happen.”
He watched as her eyes narrowed to slits. Ice blue and
cold, they probably scared most men with their intensity.
“Oh, for the love of God, would you put me down?”
When he returned her safely to her feet, she just
continued to stare up into his face. “Mr.—”
“Sean, I told you to call me Sean. Dammit, Honor, there
are many things I’ll allow, but you and other men isn’t one of them, so
don’t ask it of me.
“I did just what I said I’d do under the circumstances.
Well, almost all of what I’d said. We’ll take care of the rest later, don’t
doubt it.”
Just as he finished speaking, the front door opened
allowing entrance to a small group of people. It was just before dinnertime
on a Thursday night. Handing a white apron to Honor, Sean made his way back
behind the bar to continue stocking the refrigerator with bottled beer.
When she leaned over the bar, giving him a birds-eye
view down the scoop neck of her silky peach blouse, he looked up.
“We’re not done talking Mr. O’Malley,” she hissed
between clenched teeth. “I don’t know where you came up with the
scatterbrained idea that I belong to you. I’ve only worked for you for
three days.
“I can tell you though, that who I see is none of your
business. I do not belong to you now, nor will I in the future. As soon as
I have a bit of cash in my pocket, I’ll be out of your hair.”
This time Sean couldn’t hold back the booming laugh or
the wide grin that spread itself across his face. Running one hand over his
smoothly shaven head, all he said was “We’ll see, Honor, we’ll see.”
* * * * *
Shaking her head, Honor stalked to the booth in the
corner while wrapping the white apron snugly around her waist. The man
was an ogre, she fumed silently.
Once she’d served drinks to the four people seated at
the booth, Honor went back to her silent fit of pique. Never in her life
had anyone made her want to curse more than Sean O’Malley did.
It was one of her personal goals in life, to never stoop
to using foul words as part of her everyday language. Not only that, but
the fact that her father The Major would have had some seriously stern
words to say to his daughter had he ever heard her utter a foul word, kept
her on the straight and narrow.
She liked being ladylike. Dressing neatly and keeping
her language clean was only a small part of it, but the danged man behind
the bar made it nearly impossible. And now, for some off-the-wall reason,
he thought she belonged to him.
She couldn’t help the shiver that raced down her spine
at the thought. He was more man than she’d ever before encountered. Even
her own father who she’d though had hung the moon, couldn’t measure up in size.
There was just something about the man that insisted
upon being shown respect. The commanding way he carried himself, and the
deep baritone of his voice only added to his overall appeal.
She tried to keep the thoughts of last night far from
her mind’s eye because when she thought about the whole incident, she
wanted to kick something.
Humiliation was a hard thing to swallow, but the knowing
looks and nervous giggles had been too much.
It had all been in fun. Never in a million years did
Honor think Sean would follow through with his threat. As a matter of fact,
until he’d shown up last night, she’d even forgotten the argument ever took
place. Evidently, Sean didn’t forget as easily.
Now though, the ominous words spoken during the short
argument on the day they’d once again met played through her mind. His
parting words that day had made her blush.
You belong to me, Honor. If I catch you with another
man, I’ll beat him to a pulp, and when I’m done with him, I’ll paddle your
ass until you can’t sit.
The man must be stark raving mad! Sean may have met her
briefly as a teenager, but when he’d voiced those words, she’d known him as
an adult for less than twenty-four hours. Weren’t men supposed to be
commitment shy? Why did she have to pick a place of employment where her
employer stated within minutes of meeting her that she was the one. It was
asinine.
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