Sean welcomes Briana back to his home, and the two openly begin to show interest in each other. Briana has also shown her determination to make Sean forget his painful first love. Sean will forget Anastasia and open his heart to her, to Briana Tanner Clooney.

Sarah. Briana must say a big thanks to the girl because it is thanks to her encouragement that she has returned to this house and is living a better relationship with the man she secretly loves. It's nice to be living here again, watching Sean behind the window curtains, and the good news is that Briana doesn't have to hide anymore.

Briana missed many things about Sean's wooden house. She missed Rocco, her beloved husky dog. She missed the cool air that brushed her skin and blew her hair. And Briana missed the fresh scent of the leaves along with the sound of birds chirping to greet her in the morning. But most wonderful of all was her longing for Sean. Not just his sexy body and fierce features, and most ridiculously, Briana also misses his strict attitude towards her.

Oh.

From the doorway, Briana noticed Sean sitting with his back to her on one of the steps of her porch. His head was bowed deeply and his shoulders slumped down; instantly, Briana knew that Sean was thinking about something that made him feel sad.

Briana came and sat right by his side. Sean turned his head, and he immediately smiled a small smile to greet Briana, "Pearl."

Pearl, Briana felt that she didn't deserve that special nickname.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Briana wiped the coffee stain at the top corner of her lip. "Are you pensive?"

Sean shook his head slowly. "I was just thinking about something," he said.

"And what is that something'?"

Sean smiled. This time it was a mischievous smile that showed on his face for the first time.

Damn, he's getting hotter with that smile, Briana swore.

Briana became nervous as Sean brought his face to her ear, then he whispered seductively, "Do you really want to know?"

“Yes, very much!” Briana just nodded because it was too difficult to speak.

"I've been thinking about you," he whispered with his lips lingering near Briana's earlobe.

Briana turned her head, and their lips almost met. Sean didn't seem bothered; on the contrary, a lopsided smile was clearly printed on his face.

"Me?" It was hard to believe Sean was thinking about her. All Briana knew was wood, tools, and... Anastasia.

Sean returned to his previous position. He stopped teasing the sensitive spot on Briana's ear and started to get in his serious zone, but the intimacy wasn't over yet; instead, Sean brought Briana's head to rest on his broad shoulder.

"Don't misrepresent me, Pearl.

It's just hard for me to trust a woman anymore."

Briana took one of Sean's large hands in hers. Sean returned the hold as he exhaled softly. Briana understood what he was feeling. Sean was afraid to put his trust in a woman again. He was afraid of getting his heart hurt again by anyone, including Briana.

"We can take it slow, Sean. I won't force you to trust me completely; I just want you to open your heart to know me and my love. That way slowly, that trust will surely grow."

"Anna..." Sean rested his chin on the top of Briana's head and then said, "My heart has been open to you for a long time."

Briana lifted her face and looked at Sean's handsome face in the moonlight. Hearing the man admit his attraction made Briana's feelings lighter. Briana thought it would be difficult to soften Sean's heart, which was as hard as a rock; it turned out that he had long since opened his heart to her.

"Thank you," Briana said.

Sean shook his head and cupped Briana's face with his large palm as he said, "No, thank you."

Briana smiled.

"You know, Sarah was right," he said.

Briana's forehead wrinkled deeply. "Right about what?" she asked.

"You're different from other girls."

Really? Briana thought all this time Sean had seen her as Anastasia, his ex-girlfriend. Briana was even ready to become that girl's shadow until Sean realized his love for Briana.

"I don't know what I said to you when I was drunk, Anna. I don't even remember it. But believe me, it was all just nonsense said by a man who was drunk and desperate," said Adam.

Briana had indeed told Sean that she heard Anastasia's name directly from his lips when Sean was drunk. She also told Sean what the man had said to her at the time. Sean looked very sorry after finding out.

"I don't mind if you still have feelings for your former lover, Sean. I fully understand that first love is hard to forget," Briana said.

Sean shook his head.

“But I believe that eventually, once you get to know my love well, the only Anna you'll remember is me, Briana."

Sean's lips curled up, creating the most beautiful smile Briana had ever seen. "You need to know Anna," he whispered. "That girl just left my heart after you came into my life. For a moment I thought you were just reminding me of her, but then I realized you had managed to kick her out."

Oh ....

Briana paused and blushed at the confession. Something inside her cheered and boasted.

Well Anastasia, I don't know you, but I can deduce that you must be very sorry for leaving Sean and abandoning his sincere love just like that.

"Sean, what you said was like a cheer that made me much more eager to melt your heart," Briana said with a wide smile.

Sean smiled back, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "You've been melting my heart for a long time, Pearl, but I'm a cowardly bastard who only dared to admit it tonight."

A huge feeling of happiness exploded inside Briana like fireworks. Her heart was beating fast with excitement, and she felt so lucky; without any effort, Briana had managed to melt Sean's heart. However, Briana wasn't resting on her laurels; she had to convince Sean of her feelings for him. Briana had to make sure that Sean really loved her so that he would not hesitate to call her a lover.

Briana smiled at Sean. Those dark eyes immediately fell on her lips before rising back up to look into Briana's eyes. Sean's face slowly came forward, and Briana was immediately stunned; her smile faded, then she closed her eyelids, feeling the warmth of Sean, who hugged her even tighter when their lips met.

Oh ....

Briana couldn't tell how crazy she was for this lord of the forest. Under the moonlight on the porch of the house, Sean kissed her lips very softly, really softly, as if Briana were something fragile. The two of them held each other and rubbed each other's bodies as the sounds of the night animals melted into the crackling sounds of the intimate kiss.

Briana moaned.

Sean's kiss slowly went down to Briana's jaw. He gave her a wet kiss that felt so good there. Occasionally his lips growled, and he pulled Briana's body even tighter into his strong arms.

"Sean..." Briana whispered.

Sean pulled gently on Briana's bottom lip. Their breath was heavy and rushed against each other's faces, and Briana loved how it got so bad for wanting him.

"Pearl..." Sean's breath hit Briana's face softly. "I don't want to rush things; I want something special with you."

Oh, that's so sweet and... sexy!

"I understand, Sean. I want something special with you too," Briana whispered.

With his index finger, Sean tucked a cheeky strand of hair behind Briana's ear, then he gently kissed the forehead and whispered, "We need to get inside."

Briana's eyebrows shot up.

"Before a bear comes and pounces on us in front of the house," he continued.

Suddenly Briana's body stiffened. Her eyes widened, and she got goosebumps from what Sean had just said.

"Bear? Gosh, why didn't you say that earlier? What if a bear comes in while we're kissing and turns us into dinner? That's horrible!"

"Let's go in!" Sean said.

Briana hurriedly got up and pulled Sean's hand to enter the house with her. Seeing Briana's reaction, Sean immediately chuckled softly; he felt he had succeeded in scaring his girl.

"Oh, Sean!"