Free Elusive Echoes by Kay Springsteen

the distance
between them in three quick strides.
    "Hey, Sean. What brings you—?"
    Her eyes widened as she registered his
intent. He took hold of her shoulders, and moved in, capturing her
lips in a frantic kiss born of the realization that he could have
lost her. Her fingers fisted in his shirt. His arms slid around to
her back and he pulled her tight against him, trapping her hands
between them. His angst became a combination of longing and need
that nudged away his customary caution.
    Her lips, so warm and welcoming, her body so
soft and his for the taking. He'd never felt more alive than he did
as he pinned her against the bar and lost himself in the passion
that always hovered between them like an ion-charged storm, ready
to erupt with thunder. She went limp in his arms with a moan as he
claimed the affirmation of her life that he needed for his own to
continue.
     
    ****
     
    The desperation in Sean's kiss clued Mel
that something was wrong. Immediately, predictable scenarios rolled
through her mind. Was it Sandy or the baby? His father? When the
tone of the kiss rolled over to desire, she swayed against him.
Whatever was wrong, kissing her seemed to be fixing it. She opened
her mouth to his questing tongue, enjoying the sensual
invasion.
    He broke the kiss slowly, retreating by
inches at a time.
    Mel sighed. "Hey, gorgeous man. Not that I'm
complaining or anything, but what's going on?"
    Sean cupped her face and searched her eyes,
apparently finding more reassurance. His eyes lost the agitation
they'd held when he first came in, but they still contained an
intensity she'd never seen before.
    "I saw your car and—where you went off the
road." He pulled back a little and ran his hands over her
shoulders, down her arms, up her sides, before slipping around to
her back and drawing her close again. He rested his forehead
against hers. "Are you okay?"
    "I . . . had a moment. When it happened."
She reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers along his jaw.
He hadn't shaved and the stubble prickled deliciously against her
skin. Ever so slightly, he pushed into her touch. "I'm okay," she
whispered, holding onto his gaze. But she hadn't been okay, really.
Not until he'd walked through the door.
    And now he was here. Caring. Strong. And
because she felt herself not only leaning against him, but leaning
toward letting him take care of her through this latest crisis and
maybe the rest of her life, Mel recoiled. She had to get her life
in order before she could entertain any idea of happily ever after.
She straightened and turned back to the newspaper. She folded it
quickly but before she could cram it under the bar, Sean stilled
her hands.
    "What's this?" He unfolded the newspaper and
tapped a finger on one of the red circles she'd drawn.
    "It's nothing. I'm looking for another car.
It's going to be cheaper than fixing my old one." She reached for
the paper but he held it out of her reach, reading it.
    "In the barely-running, never-safe section
of the classifieds?" Sean shook out the paper. "This one's as old
as I am and has over three hundred thousand miles."
    "But its transmission's been replaced."
    "Replaced with what, a couple of squirrels
instead of just one?"
    "And it's only five hundred dollars."
    He grunted. "It's not worth
five hundred cents." He went back to reading. "Okay, this one's a
little newer. Runs but needs engine work. Some front end damage. The guy
probably hit a tree and screwed up the engine."
    "It's only six hundred." The heat of
embarrassment was beginning to creep in and Mel felt uncomfortable.
She didn't want him poking through her finances.
    Shaking his head, Sean turned the paper over
and read the next car she'd marked. "No, Mel. Just—no. Why are you
looking at piece-of-crap cars? Are you on a tight budget?"
    "Technically, yes." She tried to snatch the
paper again but he only held it higher. "I'm partner in this place
now."
    "You get a partner's salary, don't you?" He
frowned. "Sandy would have