It was strange to get such a thrill from seeing Storm Morris’ music room. Suddenly, I was a teenager again. Only Caroline knew how many hours I had spent in the studio’s little loft, listening to that same song over and over again and wondering when the crown prince of rock would leave his mansion and discover he loved me. Except this time, I wasn’t the ‘stick in the mud’ my mother remembered. I wasn’t diligently avoiding alcohol or anything even remotely resembling fun, like I had when I was younger. I was giggly, a bit tipsy, and enjoying every minute of it.
And I was actually flirting with a handsome stranger!
“Want to get back to the party?” Sean asked.
Self-consciousness flowed back over me as we stumbled out of the secret passage and back into the library. I let go of his hand, feeling the warmth and tingling attraction of his touch even as we stepped apart. Other people had discovered the quiet room and a lively group was gathered around the fireplace, toasting a new band I had never heard of.
“Is it wrong to say no?” I asked.
Sean caught my hand up again and grinned. “Who wants to be right?”
He led me out of the library and into the crush of people in the hall. The crowd waited to get into the ballroom where the DJ had begun remixing all of Ian Morris’ top hits. The floor was a seething mass of fans and curiosity-seekers, and I was glad when Sean steered us straight out the French doors and into the garden.
“You sure you don’t want to join in the party?” he asked as we crossed the wide portico.
I giggled and revealed the champagne bottle I had snagged on our way through the ballroom. “Who says the party isn’t out here?”
It was outrageous. I had never said anything like that in my life, much less to a man I had just met. I knew it had to be the alcohol talking, but it felt so much better than all the worry I had been carrying around. Besides, wasn’t this Caroline and Victoria’s plan? Didn’t my friends want me to finally cut loose?
Now I just had to figure out how one did such a thing, and I guessed that more champagne was a good place to start.
Sean pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. “A girl after my own heart.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, breathless as his arm snaked around my waist.
“There’s a greenhouse over here that’s full of orchids,” he said.
“Sounds steamy,” I giggled.
When we pushed open the greenhouse door, we discovered just how steamy it was inside. A couple of party-goers were sprawled out on the floor enjoying their own heat. We veered to the left, only to discover another couple pressed up against the back wall, their hot breath mingling with the condensation on the windows.
Cheeks blazing with a hot blush, I let Sean lead me right out the back door of the greenhouse. There he stood with a bemused smile on his face.
“Guess the old mansion’s still got it,” he said with a rueful smile.
“I’m going to guess the hedge maze will have more of the same.” My hand felt as hot as my cheeks, and I self-consciously tugged it out of Sean’s grip.
We wandered back around the steamy greenhouse and took a break at the foot of the splashing garden fountain. A statue of Pan grinned down at us, and I swear his mischievous expression was directed at me.
What harm would come if I misbehaved just this once?
I was never going to find Storm Morris, much less corner him and convince him to stay just to help the town’s small business owners. The whole plan had probably just been a ploy to get me out of Caroline’s studio for the night. I wasn’t ready to face the problems I had left in New York City, and this was the perfect place to let them go for a while.
Just as I was starting to relax and notice the heat of Sean’s thigh pressed close to mine, I spotted Rick, from the music store, wandering down the garden path. He waved but I pretended not to see him. Instead, I jumped up and held out my hand to Sean.
“Have you ever seen the back orchard?” I asked.
He stood up and took my hand. “I’ve been told it’s got a great view of the mansion.”
“And probably a handful of kids from town giving the big party wistful looks.” I tugged him down the garden path to avoid Rick. I wasn’t ready to return to being practical, responsible old Cora just yet.
“Are you from around here?” Sean asked as we walked.
“What? Um, no. I mean, I’ve been to Murtaugh enough to get the lay of the land. It’s a small town,” I said to cover up my connections. “What about you? You seem to know an awful lot about the Morris Mansion. Are you really a Storm Morris superfan?”
“Super fan? Ha, I mean, yeah. Kinda,” Sean said.
“Hey, no judgment here.” I went up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I once slept for a whole month with his poster folded up under my pillow.”
“Really?” Sean stopped in the middle of the garden path and bent over laughing. “Sorry, it’s just that’s not what I expected to hear from you!”
“Why not?” I asked. “Don’t I look like a super fan, too?”
Sean bit his lip but couldn’t stop laughing. “No, actually, you don’t. You look too upright, too, I dunno, responsible?”
I looked down at my tight black sweater and sapphire-blue satin skirt. Could he really see me through my borrowed party outfit? “Responsible?”
He tugged me closer and snaked both arms around my waist. “Or maybe I just like the idea of helping a good girl cut loose.”
The champagne was definitely bubbling through our blood, and my head felt fizzy as he leaned forward and brushed a light kiss on my lips.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“For looking so insulted when I called you ‘upright,’” he said.
“You’re teasing me,” I cried. “Better watch out or I might surprise you.”
“I hope so,” Sean said with a lustful twinkle in his eyes.
At that moment, I was horrified to see that Rick was still following us along the garden path. He’d seen the quick peck Sean had given me and was marching our way at double speed now.
“Too bad we can’t find a real private place around here.” I glanced around for a place to hide before Rick caught up with us and put a damper on the wanton flirting I was enjoying.
“The back greenhouse is full of junk and looks abandoned. Bet no one’s in there,” Sean said.
The expression on his face was a curious mix of hope and dare. He was daring me to join him, to misbehave, to give into the undeniable attraction we both felt. And, despite my reputation for responsibility, I had never been one to turn down a dare.
“I’ll race you,” I said.
Sean caught up with me as I rounded the old greenhouse, and we spun in each other’s arms, laughing in the dark. The dusty glass door latched behind us, and it was a relief to have the relentless music and cheers of the party finally silenced. We were far enough from the mansion and completely hidden from the garden path.
Rick would head straight into the orchard, to the spot we used to hang out as children, and I felt myself relax again.
I kissed Sean.
It wasn’t so much that he was a stranger, but the fact that I could be a different me around him. The heady freedom of that amplified the attraction I felt for him. And my whole body pulsed with the need to let loose.
He pulled gently away from the kiss but kept his hands firm on my shoulders. “Hang on. I know there’s a bunch of patio furniture in here. How about we make ourselves comfortable?”
I ignored the long litany of text messages I had received from Susie Q and Victoria, illuminating the old greenhouse with my cell phone flashlight. Sean uncovered a lovely set of wicker furniture and plumped up the long pillows for the couch.
“Are you sure you want to be hiding out here with me? Shouldn’t a super fan be looking for Storm Morris?” I asked.
Sean smiled warmly as he unearthed an old lantern and lit it with the lighter he’d dug out of his pocket. “To be honest, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“You know, I don’t do this. Ever. I mean, this isn’t a regular thing for me,” I said.
“Gate-crashing, breaking into old greenhouses, or flirting with men you just met?” Sean asked.
I slapped his firm chest. “You think I’m flirting with you?”
He smiled and slipped his arms around my waist again. “I was kinda hoping you were.”
I should have argued, should have kept my distance, but he was irresistible. I had to admit this had been my secret hope all night. Sure, I had told the ladies I was coming to save Murtaugh, but really, deep down, I had just wanted one night of fun with no strings attached. And that was what Morris Mansion parties were all about.
So, I kissed him.
He held back, his breaths short and soft as if he didn’t want to scare me off. A few tantalizing brushes of his delicious lips had my fingers twisting into the collar of his shirt. I wanted more.
Sean gave in with a lusty sigh and swept me up into his arms, so he could deepen the kiss. I opened to him, whispering, “Yes,” between our hungry lips.
When my toes touched the ground again, I was next to the wicker sofa. Without thinking, without wanting to think, I tugged off my tight black sweater and tossed it over the back of the sofa. Then I slipped out of the sapphire skirt, glad the champagne could help me be bold.
I wanted this: to accept my desires as openly and easily as all the other women in my life could.
“Cora?” Sean asked in a soft voice. His gray eyes blazed across my exposed skin, stopping with obvious lust on the black lace of my undergarments.
“Yes.”
It was all I needed to say. Sean’s arms swept around me again, our kisses hotter and deeper as he laid me gently back onto the wicker sofa. Overhead, the dusty glass walls of the greenhouse didn’t completely block the bright stars. I saw them in brief glimpses as his lips explored my wanting body.
Relief crashed over me as my brain finally gave control over to my body. Gone were all my worries about money, a new job, the closing of my mother’s art studio. Sean was giving me a much-needed change from my over-analytical mind.
And it was mind-blowing.
The moment he pressed against my welcoming thighs, I felt a quake of pleasure so intense my toes curled. He felt it, too, his forehead on my shoulder, his hot breathing panting as he tried to hold back. I lifted my hips, bringing him even deeper in with a pulse of pure ecstasy.
There, hidden away in the forgotten greenhouse, we pushed each other to even greater heights, our voices muffled by deep, devouring kisses. Far away, the mansion party still raged, but it was another world entirely. All I knew was that I had found a much-needed release in Sean’s arms and there was nowhere else I would rather be.