A Prince of a Guy (Red Hot Royals #1)(24)

When she remained silent, he stood. For a long moment, he looked at her, all the longing and yearning so evident in his gaze a mirror of her own.

Then he walked away.



NEARLY TWO WEEKS to the day after Stacy had changed Sean’s life by leaving him Melissa, she called him long distance.

She’d called every few days to talk to her daughter, sounding both homesick and elated at the way her job was going, but never had she called in the middle of the night.

“You okay?” It was his first question. When she said yes, his second was, “When are you coming back?”

Today or tomorrow, he knew. Melissa would be picked up. Carly would go back to whatever life it was that she was so mysterious about.

His life would be back to normal.

He could work late again.

He could stop making sure there were vegetables and fruit at the house.

He could sleep whenever he wanted. Not do dishes. Leave the toilet seat up.

He couldn’t wait.

But his sister hadn’t said anything. “Stace?”

“Um, yeah. About that.” She spoke in the little voice that always used to melt him, but he was unmeltable at the moment.

“Stacy. When are you coming back?”

“Well…the job has been extended.”

“Extended as in a couple of hours, right?”

“Oh, Sean. I miss Melissa so much, I do, but they love my work here. My designs, the material, everything. And they want me to do an entire show. Me. They want me, Sean. I still can’t believe it. I’m pinching myself to wake up, but I’m not dreaming.”

Sean wished he was.

“Can you believe it?”

No, dammit.

“They really want me, Little Miss No One U.S.A.!”

And just like that, Sean’s heart fell right to his toes.

“Sean?”

“It’s great,” he heard himself say. “Of course they want you. You’re the best.”

“No, I’m—”

“The best,” he said firmly, willing her to believe it. Willing her the confidence she’d never had, the confidence he was supposed to have somehow given her but hadn’t.

He’d tried.

But their parents had never really known what to do with their young, wild, carefree, trouble-bound daughter. Sean had been ten when she’d been born, already independent, so he hadn’t spent that much time with her—until five years ago, when their parents had died one after the other.

Twenty-five years old. His own man. His own life. And yet he’d been left with this whimsical, fanciful fifteen-year-old on his doorstep. Sean hadn’t known a thing about teenage girls, much less troubled ones, but they’d gotten to know each other pretty quick. Together they’d done the best they could, but deep down he knew a real guilt, for even his best had clearly not been good enough.

He hadn’t managed to make Stacy believe in herself and her abilities.

“This is my future, Sean.”

“I know.”

“Do you think I could stay? Just for another week or so?”

“Another week?” His voice cracked on that one. “That’s a long time, Stace. Melissa really misses you.”

“I miss her, too, so much. She’s doing okay?”

Sure. If he forgot about her destroying his office one-handed. If he forgot the fact that she had a cry that could crack glass and a temper that could headline any horror flick. But she also had huge, expressive eyes that looked at him as if he were the center of her universe. And a hug that got him every time. “She’s doing good.”

“I’m making money, and it’s not flipping burgers. I can’t get over that.” She sighed with relief.

Sean stifled his own sigh. “We’ll be here waiting.”



SEAN WENT to work before dawn. He did some of his best thinking at work.

Fact was, he wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things.

Such as Carly.

But he was clear on one thing. They seemed to have a hormone problem around each other. It wasn’t something he understood.

Until Tina, he’d had the occasional relationship, which included a date every week or so, the midweek phone call and some recreational sex.

Then Tina had come along, and he had fallen hard. After, he’d closed off his heart.

End of problem.

Ever since, he’d avoided complications. Simple enough. Whenever a woman wanted more from him, he felt claustrophobic. But this time there was no claustrophobia in sight, and this woman was living with him. What did that say?

The thought was nothing less than terrifying.

He could want her and not trust her, he told himself. He’d learned that much. Keep it simple. Easy. Light.

Yeah, no problem.

So why he canceled a meeting, didn’t return phone calls, left Nikki with her mouth hanging open in shock and, for only the second time ever, went home early was beyond him.

So much for simple, easy and light.

He didn’t want to think about why he was doing this. Except that when Melissa saw him walking up the porch steps, she squealed with such delight his heart squeezed.

Carly didn’t squeal with delight, she didn’t even smile, but something in the way she looked at him melted him anyway. He didn’t want to be drawn to her, but it didn’t seem to matter what he wanted. His brain was no longer in charge.