Fantasy

Just as she had wanted it to be.

Several women were attempting to speak to him, but he ignored them. He pushed himself away from the wall and started toward Brandi. She considered making a hasty exit, leaving Shay to fend for herself. Watching the two of them get acquainted wasn’t something she could anticipate with any degree of outward indifference.

But Shay turned then and followed Brandi’s gaze. She placed a restraining hand on Brandi’s shoulder, and as the man reached them Shay embraced him with her free arm, kissing his cheek with familiar affection. Brandi could only gawk.

“Sebastian, you did wonderfully—our biggest attraction! For a moment there, I was afraid my bid would cause a brawl. Some of the ladies were very disappointed to be put out of the running.” She laughed, then added, “I was right—you are a natural.”

“A natural idiot for letting you talk me into this,” he said easily, his gaze swinging down to Brandi. He studied her, and his tone dropped to an intimate level. “I don’t think I’ll thank you for making that last bid, Shay.”

Brandi’s eyes widened. Was he insinuating that he’d wanted her to bid? She opened her mouth to…say what? She had no idea, but then he glanced at Shay again.

“I’d appreciate an introduction,” he said, “since you two seem well acquainted.”

Shay grinned, making no effort to hide her satisfaction at his interest. “Not only well acquainted, but related. Sebastian, I’d like you to meet my little sister.” She pressed Brandi forward. “Sebastian Sinclair, meet Brandi Sommers.”

“Sister?” He looked surprised and his eyes narrowed on Brandi’s face, scrutinizing her every feature. Brandi knew he was drawing comparisons between her and Shay, and she was bound to come up lacking. She stiffened her spine and scowled at him.

Shay forged on, intent on some course that eluded Brandi. But somehow Brandi knew, she wasn’t going to like it.

“Sebastian is a good friend of mine,” Shay said, then added with a burst of wary enthusiasm, “Happy birthday, honey! I bought him for you.”

SEBASTIAN’S FIRST THOUGHT was that the woman would faint dead at his feet. She’d gone deathly pale and her mouth had dropped open. Yet when he reached for her, she jerked back and there wasn’t a single ounce of uncertainty in her expression.

Her glare said plain enough that she wanted nothing to do with him.

His sense of indignation rose, but he was unsure what to say. He couldn’t pull his gaze away from her face, regardless of her obvious rejection. Up close, he could see her huge eyes were a very soft blue, ringed with thick black lashes. Her nose tipped up on the end and her small stubborn chin was slightly pointed. There were hollows beneath her cheekbones giving her a very delicate appearance, but her jaw was firm. Her lips…she had a very sexy mouth, he decided, lush and well defined, even if she refused to smile, even if her expression now was more shocked than pleased. She wasn’t pale like Shay, but rather her skin had a dusky rose hue, and her midnight black hair…it was wildly curly, cut short and framing her face…untamable. He found himself suffering a severe case of instantaneous lust. And yet the woman looked appalled at her sister’s generosity. Well, hell.

“I’d never have guessed you were related,” he said, trying for an ounce of aplomb in the awkward moment. “You two look nothing alike.”

Shay grinned. “I’m adopted, didn’t you know? I guess I never told you about that.”

“I guess you didn’t.”

She surprised him with that, enough that he could actually take his eyes off Brandi’s face a moment to stare at Shay. “You’re not kidding?”

“Nope. My stepparents thought they couldn’t have kids, so they took me in. And they’ve always treated me like their first child.”

“You are their first child,” Brandi muttered, frowning up at her sister.

“But shortly after my adoption was final, Mom got pregnant.” Shay beamed down at Brandi. “She’s like a miracle child.”

“Hardly a child now,” he said, his attention resting on Brandi’s pursed lips for a few seconds. He envisioned kissing that mulish expression off her mouth, then had to force that image away before he embarrassed himself.

Brandi rolled her eyes, then crossed her arms over her breasts—small perfect breasts, he couldn’t help noticing. She barely reached his collarbone, but she managed to look imposing nonetheless. “You’ll have to forgive my sister, Mr. Sinclair. She gets carried away with her generous intentions on occasion. But I don’t want…that is…” She fumbled for the appropriate words, which gave Shay a chance to offer more arguments.

“I can afford him, Brandi. And he’s the perfect gift!” Brandi stared at her sister, and Shay grumbled defensively, “Well, he is!”

With her face bright red and her posture rigid, Brandi appeared more than determined to send him on his way.

Sebastian interrupted before she could do just that. “When you say ‘little’ sister, you aren’t exaggerating.”

Shay grasped the change of topic gratefully. “Brandi looks like the family. Petite and dark. I’m afraid with my gawky height and fair hair, it’s me who’s the oddity.”

“Ha!” Brandy now had her hands on her narrow hips. “A beautiful oddity and you know it.” To Sebastian, she said, “Shay is the reining matriarch of the family. She does her best to boss us all around, and usually we let her because she enjoys it so much. It gives her something to do and keeps her out of trouble. But this time…”

He didn’t want to be dismissed, so he held out his hand to Brandi and quickly interrupted. “So I’m a birthday present, am I? I suppose I’ve been worse things in my line of work.”

She put her small hand in his large one, gave it two jerky, firm pumps, then mumbled, “Nice to meet you.” And in the next breath she asked with a good dose of suspicion, “What exactly is your line of work?”

Shay poked Brandi in the ribs, causing her to jump. As Brandi rubbed her side, scowling, Shay explained. “Sebastian owns a personal security agency and he does a credible job of taking care of people, watching out for them, protecting them from danger of any kind. It’s one reason for all the brawn you noticed.”

Brandi’s eyes flared and her cheeks flushed. So she’d noticed him to that degree had she? Excellent.

She stuttered a moment, then ended with, “I’m going to kill you, Shay.”

Shay looked totally unconcerned with the threat. She fluttered her manicured hand in Brandi’s direction as if to fan away the anger. “Sebastian has to stay in top shape. His job can be, at times, very physical. But he’s up to it. He’s real hero material, he just doesn’t realize it.”

“I do my job the same as anyone else, Shay. There’s nothing heroic about it.”

“You see what I mean?” Shay asked Brandi, then added in a stage whisper, “Actually he’d be a perfect male if he wasn’t such a chauvinist. But Sebastian thinks of all women as delicate and frail and he wants to save them all.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know about that, Shay. I certainly wouldn’t term you as delicate. Tough as shoe leather maybe, but not—”

Shay smacked at him, laughing. But Brandi frowned as if she didn’t quite trust him, regardless of her sister’s romanticized declaration. Then she turned to Shay, and though she lowered her voice, he heard every word. “I don’t know what you’re up to here, Shay, but it won’t work, so stop it right now. You bought him, you can just keep him.”

“I don’t want him!” Shay said, frowning now herself. “He’s a great guy, but we’re too much alike. We’d kill each other within twenty-four hours. Besides, I’ve already been this route and don’t intend to go it again.”

“But I should?”

Shay shrugged. “You know how it is about a path never traveled. Your weeds are growing tall, Brandi. Pretty soon you won’t be able to find the path anymore.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Brandi muttered. “That’s the dumbest bit of argument you’ve ever come up with.”

Sebastian was beginning to feel like a stray mutt. Not since he was twelve years old and had begun gaining his height and physical structure had a woman showed such disinterest in his company. He wasn’t vain, but then, he wasn’t stupid, either. He’d had women argue over him before, plenty of times actually—but never to see who had to be stuck with him. More often than not, women chased him.

But now Brandi wasn’t chasing him—she was trying to chase him away. Perversely, he was determined to hang around.

Shay had her hands on her hips, mimicking Brandi’s stance, and she looked every bit as determined as Brandi. “I wanted to give you something special for your birthday, Brandi, but I was at a loss. I couldn’t think of a single suitable gift. Then, well, you mentioned your new plans, and inspiration struck.”

Sebastian bit his upper lip. He didn’t understand the part about “new plans,” but inspiration was apparently the way Brandi had stared at him while he was onstage. Her sister had interpreted that eat-him-alive look as interest, so maybe he hadn’t misread her after all. Maybe it was that her interest hadn’t quite encompassed five days alone with him, as the prize package specified. He didn’t understand why—but he was already determined to find out.

Brandi waved a small dismissive hand—the same as her sister had done earlier, only this time it was aimed in his direction. “He wasn’t part of my plans.”

“He’s perfect for your plans! You’re twenty-six today and you never have any fun. Sebastian is fun.” She glanced at him and demanded verification. “Aren’t you fun, Sebastian?”

“A laugh a minute.” But he didn’t feel like laughing. He felt like telling Shay to be quiet and stop pushing her sister. Hell, Shay was practically forcing him on Brandi, and she was resisting admirably. It was a new experience—and he didn’t like it one bit.

Brandi closed her eyes, then opened them again. “No.”

“Now, Brandi…”

It was most likely male pride that motivated him, because he didn’t like being rejected any more than the next guy. Especially not after Brandi had managed to intrigue him so thoroughly with her blatant, wide-eyed, somehow innocent staring. He should just forget about the whole thing. He didn’t have time to take away from his other commitments. He was in the middle of screening new help for hire at his office, and each room in his home was in some stage of renovation. His free time these days amounted to nil.

But he found himself stepping in front of Brandi and Shay, hiding them from the crowd. That damn no had sounded entirely too final, and he’d already determined not to let her say no.

“I’m sorry you’re not happy with the arrangement, Miss Sommers,” he said, not quite able to keep the annoyance out of his tone, “but the fact is, neither of us has any choice at this point. The press is ready to snap a shot of anything that even remotely looks suspicious. If you hesitate or look as if you’re being coerced, Shay’s publicity will suffer. My business will suffer. The women’s shelter will suffer.”

Turning very slowly, Brandi stared up at him. “You’re exaggerating.”

“We’re next in line for photos. If you look unwilling or unhappy you can imagine how the text will read below the picture. They’ll slaughter your sister’s intentions, and my business will be given a bum rap. They’ll somehow twist it so that you had reason to refuse my company on the trip. This whole event will end up looking like a disreputable scam, and the efforts to provide housing for battered families will lose ground.”

After spewing that nonsensical garbage—all of it exaggerated, just as she’d claimed—Sebastian waited. If Brandi Sommers was anything at all like her sister, she wouldn’t want to jeopardize the success of the auction. He waited, holding his breath and feeling ridiculous for letting her decision matter so much to him.

After a calming breath, she looked at Shay. “What will happen now?”

A look of relief crossed Shay’s features, then she smiled. “Your prize package includes a short trip to Gatlinburg, with all expenses paid.” When Brandi started to protest again, Shay added, “You’ll be going to a very quiet resort. I picked the place myself. You’ll love it.”

Reaching out, Sebastian clasped Shay’s shoulder, giving her a silent signal to desist. If he was to be forced on Brandi, he preferred to do the forcing himself. Somehow it seemed less demeaning. “Look at it this way, Miss Sommers. Like it or not, you own me for the next five days.”

Her eyes grew so large he had to struggle to hide his grin. That little reminder had certainly gained her attention. “You’ll be the one calling the shots. If you want to sit in the cabin the whole time and brood about your pushy sister here, that’s your business. I’m just there as an escort if you want or need one.” Then he added innocently, “Or for whatever purpose you assign me.”

That notion had promise, even though Brandi was proving to be a contrary little wretch. She might be cute, and her unwavering gaze could set a man on fire, but she wasn’t the most warm or welcoming woman he’d ever met.

Strange, but for some reason that fact wasn’t deterring his interest in the least.

Brandi did look slightly intrigued by the idea, but then she shook her head. “I don’t know….”

“Take your time and think about it.” He added with a nod at the reporters, “But until we’re out of here, it’s important that you play along. At least pretend to be an excited, willing participant.”

Brandi hesitated again, but she did give in. “Fine. I’ll…think about it. But let’s get this part of it over with, please. I’d like to get home.”

Shay gave her an apologetic smile. “You can’t leave any time soon. The photographers want pictures of the two of you together. There’s hors d’oeuvres, drinks. Dancing.”

Brandi stiffened up again. For whatever reason, she was determined to resist the attraction between them.

He was just as determined not to let her.

BRANDI CONTEMPLATED muzzling her sister. She was in fine form tonight, at her most autocratic. “We’ll do a few pictures, Shay. But you can forget the dancing and drinks.”

Shay looked annoyed, but Sebastian accepted her edict. “Fair enough. Are you ready?” He held out his hand to Brandi.

Ready? Good God, no, she wasn’t ready. But at this point, Shay had left her little choice.

She really didn’t want to touch him again. That one brief handshake had been enough to give her goose-flesh. Just looking at him made her heart beat faster. But she took his hand anyway. It was so large, it swallowed her smaller one. She noticed again that his palm was callused, his skin warm and dry. She actually liked touching him this way. Somehow, the gesture felt right. But she knew getting close enough to that big body to dance—to let him hold her—would be a mistake. She’d probably make a fool of herself and she couldn’t bear that. Not with him.

Better to discourage him now; it would save them both a lot of aggravation.

Shay had disappeared after the first picture—she was probably hiding. She’d dumped a volatile situation in Brandi’s lap with no warning, and though Brandi knew Shay meant well, Brandi was now in the unenviable position of turning down a sinfully gorgeous, sexy man.

“Mr. Sinclair…”

“Sebastian.”

She faltered just a moment, then nodded. “Uh, right. Sebastian.” She looked around the room, avoiding his direct gaze. “I can understand the need to protect Shay’s reputation by going through with a few harmless photos. But there’s no point in carrying this farce any further than that. The idea of a trip together is absurd.”

“No, it isn’t.”

She frowned at his firm disagreement, but he didn’t give her a chance to argue. He towered over her, his expression mild, his tone calm.

“Your sister has made me your gift. By now, everyone here knows it. If we tried to avoid the trip, someone would surely find out and the auction would lose its credibility.” He tilted his head at her. “Why are you so set against going?”

Since she couldn’t very well tell him the truth, she mustered up her most sarcastic tone. “Gee, let’s see. I’ve just met a total stranger and now I’m supposed to go off on a private trip with him.”

He only grinned at her, amused by her forced acerbity. Brandi sighed. Well, so much for insulting him. “Mr…. Sebastian. I don’t know you. I don’t know anything about you.”

“Funny, but with the way you stared earlier, I assumed you’d be pleased to have my company.”

She drew herself up, which was pathetic given the fact she stood at least a foot shorter than him. “You put yourself on a stage for just that purpose! Besides, I wasn’t the only one watching you.”

“But you are about the only one who’d cause such a fuss over a free vacation package! I think just about any other woman here tonight would be happy to go.”

“Maybe I should just give one of them my gift then, and you can both be deliriously happy.”

He stood glaring down at her for a moment, then his expression cleared and he chuckled. He had a nice chuckle…for a mountain. “Damn, I can’t believe I’m standing here debating this with you. Talk about a blow to the old masculine ego.” He took her arm and, without asking, led her toward a quieter corner. “I suppose if I must be abused, I ought to at least find some privacy so I can salvage a little pride.”

Now Brandi felt totally flustered. Abused? She certainly hadn’t meant to abuse him. But she also didn’t want privacy. She wanted to go home to her quiet apartment and pretend none of this had happened. But looking around, she realized they were drawing notice, so she allowed him to drag her away.

When they stopped in the corner Sebastian motioned for her to seat herself at a wooden bench there. She did, and then he sprawled beside her, taking up too much room, letting his thigh touch hers. Brandi stiffened. “Mr…. Sebastian. I’m sorry if I’ve insulted you in any way. Really. That was never my intent. It’s just that I don’t like being forced into a corner.”

He stared at her for a moment before he seemed to come to some sort of decision. “I have to tell you, Brandi. Your attitude really surprises me.”

“Oh?” She didn’t want him delving too deeply into her attitude, so she said, “You’re used to strange women jumping at the chance to go off alone with you?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call you strange. A little different, maybe. But then again… No, don’t storm off in a huff.” He caught her arm and eased her back into her seat. “I was only teasing.”

His smile was so catching, she almost smiled, too.

“You know I’m your sister’s friend. I assume you trust her?”

“Of course I do. She’s my sister.”

“Then you know I can’t be a totally reprehensible character or Shay, who has no tolerance for unkindness in any form, wouldn’t have bought me for you. Correct?”

Exasperation overrode her annoyance. “Good grief. You aren’t exactly a packaged present, for heaven’s sake. It’s a donation is all. You make yourself sound like a toy to play with.”

He chuckled and Brandi felt her face turn hot as she realized what she’d said. He reached out and touched her cheek with his knuckles, softly, just brushing her skin. Brandi almost shot off her seat.

“I don’t know how much playing I’m up to, Brandi, but I’ll try not to aggravate you too much.”

His mere presence aggravated her, but not the way he assumed. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t mean to insinuate…”

“I know.” He took his taunting knuckles away. “Now, back to dissecting my character. Shay told you I own a personal protection agency. People, the majority being politicians or those with high-profile positions, hire me as a bodyguard, or to keep watch over various functions where they might expect trouble. But I also take on other, more personal cases, with endangered women or children. It never ceases to amaze me how men can so easily brutalize someone smaller than themselves.”

Brandi shivered. There was a savagery in his eyes as he spoke that unnerved her. She had no doubt of the contempt he felt for bullies; but then, she shared that contempt.

He seemed drawn into his own thoughts for a moment, then he continued. “I was trained by the military. Spent eight years with Uncle Sam on special assignments that included keeping guard over some big government officials. Then I bailed out, worked for a firm for two years, and now I own my own business. I don’t like people who hurt or frighten other people. So I’ve made it my job to stop people who do.”

“How?”

“Excuse me?”

She had to ask. She had to know. “How do you stop them?”

His teeth closed over his upper lip and he pinned her with his gaze, refusing to let her look away. “However I have to. Without violence whenever possible. With extreme violence when necessary.”

She shuddered, but otherwise hid her reaction. For some reason, having him give her the unvarnished truth lessened the impact of his ruthless words. Brandi glanced at him, then muttered, “At least you’re honest.”

“Always.”

The drop in his voice nearly did her in. It was almost as if he suffered the same confusing mix of emotions that she did. Of course that was impossible. Her situation was unique to women; a man wouldn’t understand.

“I’ll always be honest with you, Brandi. As you get to know me—”

“I don’t want to get to know you.”

“—you’ll learn that I never lie.”

She wanted to growl in frustration. No man had ever so diligently pursued her. She’d given him options, offered to let him out of the absurd situation. Yet he remained insistent. “What do you get out of this, Sebastian?”

“Other than your sterling company?”

There was that touch of mockery again. She lifted her chin. “Yes. Why would you allow yourself to be sold in the first place? You seemed…disgusted by it all.”

“I was, a little.” Then he smiled. “Actually, a lot. I’m not one for rich crowds. Especially since my job usually keeps me in the shadows. And throwing money away—”

“On a very good cause.”

“I agree. But the battered women’s shelter wasn’t the motivation for most of the bids. Even without the cause, those people would have been comfortable tossing away thousands of dollars. To them it was no more than a lark, and the waste of it sickens me.”

“So, why would you do it if you hated it so much?”

“Because the money is desperately needed. Because the number of battered women and abused children rises every day. I see it in my job, I live with it. And I knew, with Shay in charge, the auction would be a success. She refused my check because she needed bodies to fill the stage. And when Shay sets her mind on something, she can be pretty damn persuasive.”

Brandi drew a sigh, then shook her head. He was a likable man, whether she wanted to like him or not. He was mostly polite, even with his arrogance, and his motivations certainly weren’t suspect. If anything, she had to admire his sense of obligation. “Shay has always been a bully. I swear, when she wants something, there’s no stopping her.”

“She’s pushy, but she’s also a shrewd business-woman.”

“You know my sister well?”

“I thought I did. But that bit about adoption threw me. She never let on.”

“Shay doesn’t think about it all that much, none of us do. She’s my older sister. My parents’ first child. Besides, it’s not something you’d bring up in idle conversation.”

“I suppose.”

“How did the two of you meet?” Even as she asked it, Brandi knew she was putting her nose where it had no business being. The notion that Shay and Sebastian might have once had a relationship was irrelevant to her. Or at least it should be.

But she didn’t retract the question.

“Shay and I’ve been friends a little over a year now. I had a case where a man threatened his wife. He’d beaten her before, and the hospital had records of the times she’d been in. But she had two kids, no money and no place else to go. Shay had just started work at the shelter. I got the mother and children settled there, then I worked with a few friends on the police force to get the guy locked up. I would have preferred a more personal vengeance, but that wouldn’t have solved the problem long-term. As it turned out, we discovered he was dealing drugs, too, so he’s out of the picture for a good long while. Anyway, Shay was great, making the family comfortable. We’ve had joint interests ever since.”