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Stephanie let out a soft, barely audible cry as she suddenly awoke.
Damn it, she didn't want to succumb to Paul's sickening advances this morning... Or today, or at all, for that matter. But his strong, muscular body was so close, pressed up against her...
...And then, as she opened her eyes, she realized she was not in bed with Paul... One glimpse of the shaggy brown hair reminded her that she'd gone to Sean's hotel room the previous night. Instantly, a sense of relief came over her, only to be quickly replaced by fear.
What would happen to her once she saw Levesque? Surely, he'd returned to their suite at some point to discover her missing. What was she going to do or say when he demanded to know where she'd been all night?
The brunette swallowed hard, a knot of terror clenching her gut. She didn't even want to think about it, but one thing she knew for certain was that she couldn't let Paul know the truth.
She shuddered, knowing her fiance would figure it all out even if she kept her mouth shut. While he still had no clue as to the identity of the man she'd dubbed 'someone else,' Paul nonetheless knew there was now another man in her life. And damn if he wouldn't try to track him down to discover who he was...
Stephanie gazed down at Sean as he lay still sound asleep, her breath catching at how peaceful he looked. And as she leaned over just a bit, craning her neck just enough to get a better look at his face, she felt touched. Despite being a big man, O'Haire almost looked like a child in his sleep. Her heart began to pitter-patter quickly in her chest.
However, just as quickly, the brunette's mood took a nosedive as she speedily reminded herself of the situation. She was definitely in trouble. She was in way over her head - because not only was she stuck in this horrible sham of a relationship with Paul, she was also falling in love with a man who didn't reciprocate her deep feelings. And after everything she'd been through, she knew she couldn't take that.
Stephanie's eyes welled full of tears at the mere thought. She could just picture it - telling him how she really felt, and him cutting her off gently, but nonetheless having to set her straight, telling her he didn't feel the same way - that he was only so nice to her because he felt sorry for her, that he did it out of a sense of obligation...
But try as she might, she just couldn't imagine Sean O'Haire breaking her heart. It was an impossible visual for her to capture in her head, especially when she gazed down upon him in his sleep.
The brunette suddenly wondered what would happen if she just leaned down and kissed him...
Something inside of Stephanie softened as she gazed down at the dark-haired man. She reached out with one hand, and, very gently, caressed his unshaven cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble on her fingertips. She smoothed some wispy strands of his shoulder-length hair away from his face, a feeling of tenderness rushing through her.
And then, her hand still against his face, she began to lower her head toward his, her eyes closing as she neared his lips...
"Stephanie?" Sean suddenly stirred and spoke her name, and the brunette bolted back, thoroughly embarrassed and like a skittish little rabbit. Back on her own side of the bed - for they'd somehow fallen asleep in one another's embrace on this one the night before - Stephanie felt her heart racing a million miles a minute. She also felt her face burning and hoped beyond anything that O'Haire wouldn't notice.
"Steph?" the man spoke again, the grogginess evident in his deep, thoroughly masculine voice. He turned onto his back and squinted at her. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah," she replied, hating the little quaver in her voice. "Why do you ask?" Damn it, she was completely mortified. She wished the bed - or at least her side of it - would swallow her up right about then.
Sean blinked as he continued to eye her. He must have spooked her, and he was sorry for that. He realized she must have just waken up and been checking to see if he'd been awake yet.
And then, he noticed that Stephanie's cheeks were slightly moist... She'd obviously been crying, and not very long ago.
Suddenly, she spoke again, her words twisting into his heart like a knife.
"I... should be going now..."
"What? Where?" O'Haire sat up and faced her.
The brunette swung her legs over her side of the bed and rose, smoothing her rumpled clothing as best she could.
"To my suite... Paul will no doubt be-"
"Don't go," Sean said imploringly.
Stephanie stared into his blue eyes, which seemed to be pleading with her. On one hand, she needed her belongings, and had to get back to Paul. On the other, she knew the bastard would only make her suffer for having spent an entire night away from him.
"If I don't go back, what am I going to do?" she questioned.
"Ride with me to the next town," the tattooed man said. He would be damned if he let her go back to that asshole Levesque after what he'd done last night...
The young woman chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek as she pondered it over. Then, she nodded.
"Okay... I'll do that..."