If You Were Mine (36 page)

after they’d made up. But from that first moment he’d set eyes

on Heather, he’d puled out al the stops to make her his. He

wouldn’t stop now, wouldn’t ever stop loving her with every

piece of his heart and his soul.

“My father gave my mother this ring.”

She looked down at the ring, then back up at him. “It’s

beautiful, Zach.”

“Wil you be mine, Heather?”

“I’ve always been yours.”

He loved the sound of it.

Always.

And then she said something he liked even more.

“Yes.”

Ryan Sulivan sprawled out on the lounger under the big

oak tree in his mother’s backyard, enjoying his beer.

Everyone was ecstatic that Zach had convinced Heather to

Everyone was ecstatic that Zach had convinced Heather to

take him back, but none more than Lori, who had been crowing

about her victory on the bet they’d made to anyone who would

listen, while the two dogs—one huge, one tiny—chased each

other in circles on the lawn. Emma gurgled with happiness

whenever the dogs came near.

It had been a heck of a year for his siblings. Weddings.

Babies. Engagements. Even dogs.

Ryan didn’t have anything against people faling in love, and

he was glad it had worked out so wel for everyone...but the

whole thing looked like a heck of a lot of trouble. The sex part,

he was game for, of course. But al the breaking up and getting

back together, the anguish he’d seen on his siblings’ faces when

things went wrong?

No, thanks.

He was perfectly happy with the status quo. He liked his

job on the pitcher’s mound, enjoyed spending time with his

family, friends, and the pretty women who understood not to

expect too much from a guy like him.

When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he was almost too

relaxed to bother to pul it out. When it buzzed again a few

seconds later, he reached into his back jeans pocket to shut it

off. Before he could, he saw the text:

I need your help.

Vicki?

She’d been one of his closest friends in high school, but he

She’d been one of his closest friends in high school, but he

hadn’t seen her, or heard from her, in a long time. Too long.

Was she in trouble?

He quickly texted her back.

Where are you?

He was gripping his phone hard enough to crack it as he

waited for her answer.

San Francisco. Pacific Union Club.

What was she doing back in the city? And at the exclusive,

old-money cocktail lounge?

Ryan was out of the chair and heading for the front door

when her next text buzzed through to his cel.

Come quick.

Gone was the relaxed Sulivan the world thought they

knew. Because if anyone so much as touched a hair on Vicki’s

head, Ryan would kil them.

~ THE END ~

Don’t miss the first four books in Bella Andre’s Sullivan

family series ~ out now!

THE LOOK OF LOVE

(Chase & Chloe, The Sulivans #1)

FROM THIS MOMENT ON

(Marcus & Nicola, The Sulivans #2)

CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

(Gabe & Megan, The Sulivans #3)

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU

(Sophie & Jake, The Sulivans #4)

Watch for Book #6 coming Fall 2012!

LET ME BE THE ONE

(Ryan Sullivan’s story)

* * *

books...

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU

Sophie & Jake – The Sulivans #4

© 2012 Bela Andre

Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years

old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann.

Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy

still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin. That is, when he

bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught

up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it’s

long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her

for who she truly is...the woman who will love him forever.

Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since

his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only

woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not

only is Sophie his best friend’s off-limits younger sister...he

can’t risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply

hidden secret.

Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake’s every

fantasy come to life—smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy

—he doesn’t have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands,

off her. And he can’t stop craving more of her sweet smiles

and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving

Sophie isn’t the right thing to do...how can he possibly

resist?

Enjoy the following excerpt for I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR

YOU...

Jake decided to steer completely clear of Sophie for the

Jake decided to steer completely clear of Sophie for the

rest of the wedding. A little distance from al those soft curves

and plump red lips would help him get his head back on straight.

“I’ve got this,” he told Sammy, one of his best bartenders

at the original McCann’s in the city. “You can circulate with the

trays.”

Fortunately, the wedding guests were thirsty, clearly

needing some vino or hops to wash the taste of the syrupy vows

from their tongues. Pouring drinks for strangers was as natural to

Jake as breathing, and he immediately got into a rhythm in the

middle of the vineyard as the meal was served and people kept a

running line behind the bar between courses. He couldn’t

remember a time he hadn’t been drying clean glasses,

rearranging bottles. As a kid, when his dad had been the one

running the taps, Jake had been in the back loading and

unloading the dishwasher for a few extra bucks while the cooks

at whatever pub they were at slung together plates of fish and

chips and colcannon.

When the female guests flirted with him at the bar, he flirted

back. So what if none of them were even half as pretty as

Sophie? The Sulivans might be pairing up one after the other like

they’d been infected by the same virus, but Jake had had his

shots.

Love
wasn’t going to take him down.

He knew better than to think that love meant a damn thing

when the going got rough and it was easier to split. No wife, no

kids, plenty of pretty women, but no rings, was what Jake’s

future held. He’d play with al the kids the Sulivan clan was

future held. He’d play with al the kids the Sulivan clan was

bound to pump out, would enjoy being Uncle Jake, but he

wouldn’t make the mistake of thinking he’d ever be a good

husband or father.

McCanns didn’t come with those genes.

“You haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

The slightly husky female voice reached in and grabbed him

a split second before he looked straight into Sophie’s eyes. Her

soft sensuality in that pink dress, the sweet smel of her perfume,

were a one-two punch straight to a gut that hadn’t yet recovered

from watching those tears slip down her cheeks, or the radiant

smile that had folowed.

Without waiting for an invitation, she put a ful plate on the

back table for him and moved around the bar to stand next to

him. “Scoot over. I’l help out while you eat.” She bumped her

hip into his, his body not giving a damn that she was OFF

LIMITS.

How could her brothers have let her out looking like this?

What were they thinking? Didn’t they care even a little bit about

their sister’s welfare?

While he was standing there losing his mind, Sophie took

drink orders and deftly poured glasses of wine and mixed drinks

for the wedding guests. She was a librarian, not a bartender. She

shouldn’t be so good at serving drinks. And no librarian should

ever be this hot, either, Jake thought as he clamped his jaw so

tight his temple started throbbing. He’d let her help for five

minutes, and then he’d send her back to her table to celebrate

with the rest of her family and make sure she stayed there for the

with the rest of her family and make sure she stayed there for the

rest of the reception.

Even if he had to tie her to her seat.

A beer bottle nearly slipped from his grip as Jake was hit

with a crystal-clear vision of Sophie in his bed, begging for him

to—

“I hear you’re a librarian. Read any good books lately?”

Jake surfaced from his triple-X daydream just in time to

notice a male guest leaning on the bar and looking down the top

of Sophie’s dress.

She didn’t seem to notice any of that as she smiled back at

the guy. She was too innocent to realize when a guy like this was

aiming for one thing, and one thing only.

“Mmm,” she said in that seductive voice, stil slightly hoarse

from her tears. “I’m always reading great books. What do you

like to read?”

The guy shrugged, not seeming to care that there was a

huge backup of thirsty people bottlenecking behind him. “I’m a

doct—”

“What are you drinking?” Jake broke in.

The guy shot him a look that said, C
an’t you see I’m

about to score here?

“Corona,” he said to Jake before turning back to Sophie.

“As I was saying, I’m a doctor, so I don’t have too much time to

read. But when I do, I usualy read medical thrilers.”

Jake couldn’t believe it when Sophie leaned over the bar

and said, “Oooh, how exciting. Medical thrilers always leave me

and said, “Oooh, how exciting. Medical thrilers always leave me

breathless.”

Didn’t she get that this loser was way beneath her? She

should be throwing a drink in his face, not giving him a better

view of her body as she leaned down to grab a bottle of beer.

Dr. Dickwad looked like he’d hit a home run, was counting the

minutes until he could strip that dress from her tanned skin and

find out if she tasted as good as she smeled.

Like hell.
Jake would kil him first.

Jake snatched the bottle from her hand. “Here’s your beer.

Time to let everyone else get a drink.”

He could feel Sophie frowning at him as he pinned the guy

with his hardest look. If she couldn’t pick good from bad, he

was going to have to save her. Whether she wanted him to or

not was irrelevant.

Although the guy flinched at Jake’s silent promise of

violence, it didn’t stop him from saying, “Be sure to save a dance

for me, gorgeous,” before he walked away.

Jake held on to his control by a very thin thread. Nothing

would feel better than to jump over the bar and tackle the guy to

teach him what happened when he flirted with the wrong girl. A

girl who was too sweet, too pretty, too damn perfect for him to

ever even think of touching one hair on her head.

“You’re not dancing with him,” he growled. “Not tonight.

Not ever.”

“I’m a big girl, Jake. I’l dance with whomever I want.”

Serving the customer always took priority. But not this

time. “Sammy,” he caled out across the reception area,

time. “Sammy,” he caled out across the reception area,

motioning for his employee to take over the bar again. He didn’t

wait for Sam to make it to the bar before wrapping his hand

around Sophie’s wrist and puling her out from behind the bar.

He didn’t stop walking until they were hidden behind a large

storage shed, just on the edge of the reception area.

“You are not getting within a hundred feet of that guy

again.”

Anger flared in her eyes. Eyes that had been ful of happy

tears, ful of pure joy, just a short while ago. “You can’t tel me

what to do.”

“Like hel I can’t.”

She yanked her arm from his and started to walk away, but

he couldn’t let her go. Not when she was bound to do something

stupid, like kiss a smarmy doctor. Furious at the picture of

anyone else touching Sophie, instead of just grabbing her wrist or

her shoulders, this time Jake wrapped his arms al the way

around her and puled her into him. He held her tight, her chest

pushing into his forearms, her height matching his so that her hips

fit perfectly between his open legs, her soft hips pressing into his

groin.

“Let go of me.”

“No.”

The word was muffled by her hair, so soft, so silky against

his chin and lips. And the truth was, he couldn’t have let go of

her for the world. Not just because he didn’t want that other guy