Free The Courage To Love (Love On The North Shore) by Christina Tetreault

are leaking.” Maureen’s voice, along with the sound of footsteps on the basement stairs, reached through the desire filling her brain.
    Sean’s hands paused in her hair and he kissed her one more time before pulling away. “Be right up, Ma.” He dropped his hands to her shoulders.
    The footsteps stopped. “Thank you,” Maureen called down.
    Sean’s chest rose and fell against her as he took a deep breath, the effort to regain his composure evident.
    “Are you busy tomorrow night?” Mia asked. “I still want to take one of those ghost tours in Salem.”
    Sean didn’t answer, so she took a step away to look at his face. His eyes were locked on the far wall and his lips were pressed together tightly. “What do you say?”
    “Sure. I need to stick around here until five o’clock, but after that is fine.”
    “Great. I’ll make dinner reservations for around six. Is there any type of food you don’t like?” Sean struck her as a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but appearances could be deceiving.
    His hands dropped from her shoulders. “I’ll eat anything but sushi. Pick someplace you’ll enjoy.”
    She’d never acquired a taste for sushi either, despite her younger sister, Angelina’s, best efforts at broadening her palate.
    “Feel free to stay down here and practice if you want. I don’t know how long this will take.”
    Mia picked up the pool stick again. “Thanks, I think I will.”
    With nothing more than a nod, he walked away. When she heard the basement door close, she took another sip from her beer, then attempted to line up a shot. Careful to follow Sean’s instructions, she drew the stick back and made contact with the white cue ball. Unlike her first attempt, the ball stayed on the table and rolled a few inches before knocking into a solid orange ball.
    Not perfect, but better. Determined to at least get one ball in a pocket on her own, she walked to the other side of the table and tried again. After two more tries the solid red ball dropped into the left side pocket. With one enemy down, she turned her sights on the solid orange one again.

     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    “Our dinner reservations are all set for six o’clock at The Scarlet Letter and the ghost tour starts at eight,” Mia said from the doorway.
    Surprised by her voice, Sean turned away from the woodwork he’d started to cover with painter’s tape. He’d already moved all the small pieces of furniture out of the room and covered the large antique bureau and wardrobe with drop cloths. He needed to get the first coat of paint on today. Already his project was behind schedule. The Emerson room was the only guest room he hadn’t yet painted. He’d finished all the others that winter, and he’d planned to paint this one the week before, but thanks to the complications in his mother’s bathroom all his projects were behind schedule. Tomorrow he’d get the second coat of paint on the walls. The room was reserved for that weekend so it had to be back in order before then.
    Mia walked into the room and stopped near him. “Does that work for you?”
    Today she wore a pair of faded jeans that melded to her body as if they’d been made just for her and a cotton candy blue T-shirt with a deep V-neck. At the sight of her his pulse quickened as the head below his belt came to life, and he took a step forward as he contemplated how wise it would be to pick up where their kiss the night before had left off. The door was wide open and anyone could walk by. At the same time, it was early afternoon and more than likely most of the guests were out.
    In the end, he reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingers lingering at the corner of her mouth. “Should be fine.”
    Her lips curved upward to meet his fingers in a real smile, much like the one she’d given him at the block party. “Good. You look busy so I’ll see you later,” she said, her voice hinting at what may happen later that night.
    Before he answered, she turned and walked