couldn’t begin to imagine what Shay had in mind for her man. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. For some reason, the idea of Shay alone with him on a quiet, romantic getaway disturbed her. And as much as she hated to admit it, as much as she loved her sister and wanted her to be happy, she felt envious.
“Come on, Brandi. You’ll enjoy this.”
Extremely doubtful, she thought but it was difficult to take your sister to task when she was so incredibly tall. Compared to Brandi’s five feet four inches, Shay’s six feet could be rather persuasive.
They finally stopped beside a large crowd of women waiting to claim their “purchases.” Brandi looked around, seeing men and women pairing off while photographers captured every move. The women postured, showing off their elegant gowns and jewels, and the men smiled, looking sexy and confident and proud of their success. They were all so natural, so outgoing…so different from her.
Her gaze skimmed the room, taking it all in. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
All but one man.
Brandi froze, her gaze glued to that intense, unsmiling face. Size alone distinguished him from the other men. But there was also the darkness about him, his straight black hair, his tanned skin. Only his green eyes seemed bright, and they were like fire—watching her.
Already he’d loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his white dress shirt. Dark curling hair showed in the opening. Brandi wondered if he was that hairy all over, then flushed with the thought.
Lounging, with one broad shoulder propped against the wall, he affected a casual pose, but Brandi suspected there was nothing casual about it. A panther tensed to attack his prey was a better comparison than casual negligence.
He might as well have been on the stage again, he so completely dominated her vision, her thoughts. A touch of thrilling excitement swirled in her belly.
And then it hit her.
He was now Shay’s companion for the next five days, but was singling Brandi out by staring, stalking her with his eyes. Brandi stiffened and let her own black brows draw down in a frown. The man must be a complete cad! Of course, she was searching for reasons to dislike him, to make the situation more tolerable, but still, she had a valid point.
The corner of his mouth quirked in amusement for a split second, then leveled out again. His green gaze, brighter now, but still so very warm, slid over her face, then over the rest of her.
She remembered that look, knew what it meant, though it had been years since she’d experienced it. Experiencing it now made her stomach flip and her muscles tighten. She wondered if her plain black shift disappointed him. It fell to just below her knees, then met with her black stockings. With a barely scooped neck and elbow length sleeves, the dress exemplified her life—plain, uncomplicated, quiet.
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,
