Read Online Bowles, Jan - Tamed by the Dom [Guilty Pleasures 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Jan Bowles - Free Book Online Page A

smoothed her hand over his chest, her fingers tracing over the buttons one at a time until she reached the bare flesh of his neck. She gently stroked his lips, letting the back of her fingers drift across his cheeks. Her eyes were hooded as she stared intently at him. “I love these lines, Colt, at the side of your mouth. For as long as I can remember, you’ve always had dimples, but they’re so sexy now, especially with this five o’clock shadow.”
    “So you like dimples and rough skin, eh?” He raised his brows.
    “I’ve a confession to make. I had a crush on you when I was fourteen. I first fell for you when you rescued me from all the aspiring prom queens. They took great pleasure in making fun of the geeky girl and her oddball mother.” She smiled wistfully. “I used to dream about you every night. You were my knight in shining armor.”
    “That’s real nice, honey.” He became serious, and his brows drew together. “The money you borrowed, Kat? Did you manage to pay it all back?”
    “I’m managing.”
    He lifted her chin and looked intently into her eyes. “If you need any help, just let me know. I can easily pay it off for you.”
    She shook her head. “Like I said, I’ll sort it out myself. Besides, it reminds me of how stupid I’ve been. Talking of reminding, you haven’t yet answered my question.”
    “Which is?”
    “What was Angie like?”
    He rubbed a hand over his face and into his hair. Kat would not let this go. “She’s tall, slim, and blonde.”
    “She sounds very beautiful, Colt.”
    “She was, is very beautiful,” he replied, knowing full well where the conversation was leading. He supposed he’d just have to go with it.
    He guessed Kat must have thought his melancholy was a sign of regret because she said, “It sounds like you had the perfect relationship with her.”
    “It’s not what you think. We’ll never get back together again, Kat. What we shared is finished for good.”
    “But what happened? You both set the club up, and then you split, almost immediately after the doors opened to the public. Why?”
    He closed his eyes tightly shut, trying to keep the memories at bay. “Leave it, Kat. Just leave it.”
    Immediately she pulled away and sat bolt upright on the blanket. “Okay, but don’t expect me to reveal any more about myself. If you’re not up for it, then neither am I.” He could hear the irritation in her voice. He guessed Kat would always say it as it was.
    He took a deep breath. “After I met Angie, we lived in Minnesota for a while. She had a good job as an air hostess, and we had a child together, a son. When Josh was two years old, he caught meningitis. He didn’t stand a chance. One minute he was a healthy toddler, the next he was in hospital fighting for his life on a respirator. When he died, both Angie and I fell apart. He was our world. He meant everything to us. I found it hard to accept he was dead. I just couldn’t discuss it. Not with the doctor and certainly not with Angie.
    “It was as though my life ended that day. We tried to make a go of it. That’s why we came back to the ranch when my parents died. Angie thought if we set the club up it might take our minds off things. It did for a while. We were so busy we didn’t have time to think, but once everything was in place, it all came flooding back. The hurt and the accusations. We said a lot of hateful things to each other.”
    He’d treated Angie coldly when he couldn’t cope himself. Instead of comforting her, he’d turned away.
    “Angie needed me and I wasn’t there for her.”
    “Oh, Colt, I’m so, so sorry.” Kat put her hand on his. “It’s not your fault. People grieve in different ways. We all cope the only way we know how. Sometimes our actions affect others more than we think. We make our decisions, and we have to live by them.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you have a picture?”
    He nodded, and then dug into his jean pocket. He pulled out his wallet. In one