CHAPTER SIX
Sheridan had never felt so satisfied in all her life. When she had thought up the idea of striping for Luis, she had no idea it would turn out this way. She smiled as he raised his head to look at her then she pulled him in for another kiss. She moaned as Luis gently ran his hands up her bare back. He took advantage and slipped his tongue inside. She felt the fire slowly start to build again and she was just on the verge of reaching for the button on Luis' jeans when she heard a loud wolf whistle pierce the air and a masculine voice call out. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Sheridan froze and felt the color drain from her face as she realized that she and Luis were no longer alone. Luis instantly pulled away from her and placed his body in front of hers to shield her from the view of the two men standing at the edge of the pool. She crossed her arms in front of her breasts and moved closer to Luis back. She had barely caught a glimpse of the men, but from the looks on their faces, they caught more than a glimpse of her. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she leaned her forehead against Luis back in total humiliation. She felt his muscles tense but figured it had more to do with their visitors than her.
"Hank, Josh what are you guys doing here?" Luis asked in a sharp voice that caused her to raise her head in surprise.
"Well we came to see if the party was still on," one of the guys said with a laugh. "But it looks like it started without us."
"Hey, Luis, aren't you going to introduce us to your... friend?" The other guy asked favoring her with a wide smile and a wink.
Sher groaned and leaned her head back against Luis. She had wanted to ruin her reputation, but being caught naked as a jaybird by two perfect strangers was a little more than she bargained for. In fact, it was a lot more than she bargained for. She only prayed Luis could get rid of them quickly. She was starting to get cold.
"Yeah the party is still on Hank and no Josh I'm not going to introduce you." Sher smiled against Luis back. Did he want to keep her to himself?
"Afraid I'll steal her away from you, Lopez-Fitzgerald?" The guy Luis had addressed as Josh asked with an edge to his voice that caused Sheridan to look up once again.
Sher couldn't wait to hear Luis' response to that. She didn't have to wait long. "Not a chance, Edwards. She's too smart to get mixed up with a guy like you."
"Then what the hell is she doing with you?" Sheridan felt Luis tense and realized immediately that Josh had struck a nerve. She suddenly became aware of the animosity between them and wondered at it's cause. A woman maybe? She wouldn't doubt it.
The two men continued to stare each other down for what seemed like an eternity until finally Hank broke the silence. "Time to go Edwards. Catch ya later, Luis. See ya beautiful."
Luis and Josh just glared at each other. After a few more tense seconds, Josh broke the connection by turning to look at her. He winked when he saw that she was looking at him, then turned to follow Hank. Luis didn't move until both men were out of sight.
"Well, he seems charming." Sher said to break the sudden tension filled silence.
"You stay the hell away from him," Luis said turning to face her, his eyes blazing with fury. "And put your damn clothes on while you're at it."
Sheridan was taken aback by the anger in his voice, but she recovered quickly, her temper on the rise. "Just who do you think you are! You don't own me. If I want to go around naked in a pool then I will. And if I want to talk to Josh or whoever I will."
Luis' eyes took on a dangerous gleam. He stepped closer to her and she backed away. "Sher, I'm only going to say this one more time. Stay the hell away from Josh Edwards."
"Why? You want to keep me all to yourself? You afraid he really will steal me away?"
"No," he said taking another step toward her. "I'm not afraid of anything Sher. That is one thing you should know about me."
She reached out a hand to touch him, but he backed away out of her reach. "Don't. Don't touch me. What happened in this pool will not happen again."
"For someone who isn't afraid of anything you seem awfully afraid right now. Don't tell me you're afraid of being alone with me again? I bet Josh wouldn't be afraid."
A string of curses fell from his mouth and caused her jaw to drop in surprise. His eyes were cold and black with fury. "You like to push buttons, don't you? See how far you can go? Well, I don't know what the hell kind of game you think you're playing, but I've had enough. I may have lost my head today, but I'm telling you right now that what happened in this pool today will not happen again. Now go get some damn clothes on."
Sher flinched. She couldn't help it. The rage in his voice and the anger in his eyes were intimidating to say the least. She had crossed a line and she knew without a doubt there was no going back. Damn, she thought as she turned away fighting tears, her plans to seduce Luis had just gone up in smoke. Sher climbed out of the pool, wrapped a towel around herself and raced inside. She'd barely made it to her room before the tears started to fall. Damn him for making her cry.
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Luis watched as Sher raced inside the house. He knew he should apologize for taking his anger at Josh out on her, but he also knew if he did it would start whatever game she was playing right back up again. He couldn't let what happened today happen again. That could have been Ethan and Theresa that caught them in the pool or worse Julian and Ivy. A small part of him wished it had been.
Luis shook his head then got out of the pool. His jeans were soaked, but he had another pair in his truck. He walked around the house to his truck and grabbed the pants from behind his seat. After drying off and changing into the new pair of pants, he decided it was time to get back to work. He found his hammer in the same place he had dropped it earlier and began to hang another board on the outside wall of the pool house. The memories of what happened in that pool invaded his thoughts and he shook his head in confusion. Why did she get to him like that? No other girl had ever made him lose control that way. He'd forgotten his promise to himself and to Ethan. He'd forgotten everything except Sher. Because of that, he'd placed them both in an embarrassing situation.
Luis knew, thanks to Hank's tendency to have a big mouth, that it would be the main topic of conversation at the party tonight. It normally wouldn't bother him. After all, he usually thrived on this type of attention. But this time... this time it wasn't just him involved. This time Sher would be talked about as well. He hated that she was going to be put through the ringer tonight. His friends would embarrass the hell out of both of them.
God, he thought taking out his frustrations on the nail he was currently hammering, Ethan was going to hit the roof when he found out. Not only had he done exactly what he said he wouldn't do - gotten involved with Sher - but he'd also let Hank and Josh catch them in the act. Josh. He hoped Sher listened and stayed away from him tonight, but something told him she wouldn't. He knew he would have to keep an eye on her tonight and Josh too. He didn't want Josh anywhere near her. It wasn't because he was jealous. Hell, he didn't have any reason to be. Like Sher said, he didn't own her. But Josh Edwards was not the type of guy that Sher wanted to be around.
Luis knew that he and Josh had about the same reputation with women, but he also knew there was one big difference between them. He had a conscience and Josh... Josh didn't. He knew that Josh wouldn't think twice about taking what Sher had offered him yesterday and again this afternoon. But the only way that was going to happen would be over his dead body.
To Be Continued...