Read Online A Long Tall Texan Summer: Tom Walker by Diana Palmer - Free Book Online

mouth.
    He pulled her close, ignoring her floury hands, and wrapped her up against him from head to toe. His lips
    were hungry, ardent. It had been years, and she was as soft and sweet as he remembered her. He groaned under his breath and deepened the kiss.
    She felt as if she'd died and gone to heaven. He wanted her. She wanted him, too. She pressed closer and whimpered.
    Tom forgot that there were people in the other room. He lifted her clear of the floor and kissed her until his mouth hurt. He hadn't realized
    how much he'd missed. Now, his lack of love came home with a violence that made him oblivious to everything else. In all the world, there was only one woman for him,
    and he had her in his arms right now.
    She felt him stiffen finally and her feet touched the floor. He was breathing roughly, but he didn't look as
    if he felt the least bit guilty. He touched her face gently and brushed the hair back from her face.
    "You don't look a day older than you did in New York," he said unsteadily. "You're as lovely as you were then."
    She searched his face with eyes that were just as inquisitive as his. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to trust him. But they weren't married and he wanted his daughter. She hesitated.
    He drew in a slow breath. "It's too soon, isn't it?" he asked. "All right. Suppose you go out with me, just the two of us, tomorrow night? I'll take you out to eat and we'll find somewhere to dance."
    "In Jacobsville?"
    "In Houston," he informed. "We'll need to leave about five. Can you close up early?"
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    "I will," she said immediately.
    He smiled, and his whole face changed. "Maybe they're right about second chances," he said. "I've missed you."
    She knew those words came hard to him. She smiled back. It was like the sun coming out after a long storm.
    But the shadows lingered, too. That night, after he went home, Tom had nightmares. His father's mocking, hateful words echoed over and over again in his ears. He wanted Elysia, but the barrier between his brain and his body still existed. Love was a weakness. Sex was a bigger one. His one taste of her had left him aching for months afterward. What would it be like, now, if he gave in to her? Could he really trust her not to want revenge for the emotional pain she'd suffered after his cold rejection, for leaving her alone to bear their child?
    He was tormented by doubts and irrational fears. By morning, he was already regretting his impulsive invitation to Elysia for supper. If he could have found a single logical excuse for backing out, he would have. But as things went, he was forced to go.
    When he went to pick her up, he found Elysia
    wearing a very pretty black lacy dress with short sleeves and a black velvet jacket. She looked elegant and expensive. Considering her inherited wealth, and the amount of money she seemed to earn with her exclusive boutique, it was no wonder that she had the right
    sort of clothes for any occasion. He remembered painfully well the simple black crepe sheath she'd worn
    the night he'd seduced her in New York City. It had been a cheap dress, and looked it. The one she was wearing tonight was probably a designer model. With her blond hair in a neat chignon and her pretty feet
    in simple black high heels, she was a knockout.
    "You're staring," she said.
    He chuckled. "I suppose I am. You look very nice."
    "Thanks. So do you." He was wearing a dark suit, which emphasized his own dark complexion. He looked remote and elegant and very sexy. She lowered her eyes and spoke to his chin. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
    Hearing her repeat aloud his own doubts startled him.
    She glanced up into his eyes and saw the indecision there. "I thought you might be regretting it," she said
    with a forced smile. "All of this was rather forced on you, wasn't it? You just wanted someone for a night,
    and now you have a past and a child to show for it." She sighed heavily.