Read Online By Invitation Only by Lori Wilde, Wendy Etherington, Jillian Burns - Free Book Online Page B
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for the duration. You’d lay down your life for the other person without blinking. But that kind of loyalty doesn’t come cheap. When you commit yourself to something you stay committed.”
Nick felt J.D.’s words all the way to his bones. It was as if the other man had looked at him and seen his every secret. It was startling and unsettling.
“What was your life like before you met her?” J.D. asked.
“Um…I have a wide circle of friends.”
“You partied a lot. Just like me.”
“And now?”
“Now I understand what I was doing.”
“Which was?”
“Hiding from the pain that I knew commitment would bring.”
“You’re not afraid now?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because the thought of being without her hurts a hundred times more.”
It was crazy, but Nick understood what J.D. was saying. He’d avoided falling in love because he knew that once he did, he would be the most dedicated person on earth. That level of commitment made you vulnerable. Every time the one you loved got hurt, it was worse than a hit to your own body.
“Time to man up,” J.D. said. “Time to feel the pain and know that it’s a good thing. Without accepting that pain is a part of being deeply in love, you’ll never grow up.”
“That’s twisted, man.”
“And the truest thing I’ve ever told anyone.”
T HE WEDDING REHEARSAL was fun and romantic. The dinner afterward was lavish. Nick got to meet J. D. Maynard Sr., one of the richest men in Texas and the rest of J.D.’s large family. He learned that, other than her cousin Honey, Holly had no immediate family. Her parents had both passed away and she’d been an only child.
But all through the rehearsal and dinner, Nick hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Olivia and he kept thinking about what J.D. had said to him. When they got back to the bungalow, he immediately went to the hammock on the beach because he knew that if he stayed in the room with her, he’d make love to her.
Around midnight, the moon vanished behind a heavy cloud that had rolled in. The air lay thick, sultry. Nick lay in the hammock rocking back and forth, trying to will away his boner.
It was a losing battle.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. Her full pink lips, those sweet round cheeks and that tumble of blond hair twining down her shoulders. He recalled their kiss from the night before and he tasted her on his tongue—the nectar that was Olivia—a little tart on top, but soft and sweet underneath. He smelled her scent—like sunshine and flowers and cotton. He heard the sound of her voice, challenging him in the way no one had ever challenged him. She mixed him up and turned him around. Why did he love feeling so lost?
The wind kicked up, swaying the hammock with a sultry breeze. Maybe sleeping with her would cure the need. Maybe she was right and it was just all hot chemistry. We aren’t cut out for a relationship. She’s a cat, you’re a dog. Natural enemies. Besides, you’re not long-term relationship material.
Why not?
Why couldn’t he have a long-term relationship? Where was it written in stone that he had to stay single just because he made a living blogging about the single life? He could change the direction of his blog to reflect the changes in his life. Change was a good thing, right?
Nick sucked in a deep breath. Did he want to change? Was he really ready to pursue something more meaningful? Was Olivia really the one?
Overhead, the clouds rumbled and fat drops of rain fell from the sky.
O LIVIA WAS WIDE-AWAKE when she heard the back door slide open and the sound of rain rustling the vegetation, but she pretended to be asleep. Her heart started pounding like a bank robber on the run, beating so hard that she feared Nick could hear it in the silence of the room. She had her eyes closed, barely able to resist the urge to peek at him from behind her eyelashes.
He sank down on the other side of the bed.
Every muscle in Olivia’s body
Nick felt J.D.’s words all the way to his bones. It was as if the other man had looked at him and seen his every secret. It was startling and unsettling.
“What was your life like before you met her?” J.D. asked.
“Um…I have a wide circle of friends.”
“You partied a lot. Just like me.”
“And now?”
“Now I understand what I was doing.”
“Which was?”
“Hiding from the pain that I knew commitment would bring.”
“You’re not afraid now?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because the thought of being without her hurts a hundred times more.”
It was crazy, but Nick understood what J.D. was saying. He’d avoided falling in love because he knew that once he did, he would be the most dedicated person on earth. That level of commitment made you vulnerable. Every time the one you loved got hurt, it was worse than a hit to your own body.
“Time to man up,” J.D. said. “Time to feel the pain and know that it’s a good thing. Without accepting that pain is a part of being deeply in love, you’ll never grow up.”
“That’s twisted, man.”
“And the truest thing I’ve ever told anyone.”
T HE WEDDING REHEARSAL was fun and romantic. The dinner afterward was lavish. Nick got to meet J. D. Maynard Sr., one of the richest men in Texas and the rest of J.D.’s large family. He learned that, other than her cousin Honey, Holly had no immediate family. Her parents had both passed away and she’d been an only child.
But all through the rehearsal and dinner, Nick hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Olivia and he kept thinking about what J.D. had said to him. When they got back to the bungalow, he immediately went to the hammock on the beach because he knew that if he stayed in the room with her, he’d make love to her.
Around midnight, the moon vanished behind a heavy cloud that had rolled in. The air lay thick, sultry. Nick lay in the hammock rocking back and forth, trying to will away his boner.
It was a losing battle.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. Her full pink lips, those sweet round cheeks and that tumble of blond hair twining down her shoulders. He recalled their kiss from the night before and he tasted her on his tongue—the nectar that was Olivia—a little tart on top, but soft and sweet underneath. He smelled her scent—like sunshine and flowers and cotton. He heard the sound of her voice, challenging him in the way no one had ever challenged him. She mixed him up and turned him around. Why did he love feeling so lost?
The wind kicked up, swaying the hammock with a sultry breeze. Maybe sleeping with her would cure the need. Maybe she was right and it was just all hot chemistry. We aren’t cut out for a relationship. She’s a cat, you’re a dog. Natural enemies. Besides, you’re not long-term relationship material.
Why not?
Why couldn’t he have a long-term relationship? Where was it written in stone that he had to stay single just because he made a living blogging about the single life? He could change the direction of his blog to reflect the changes in his life. Change was a good thing, right?
Nick sucked in a deep breath. Did he want to change? Was he really ready to pursue something more meaningful? Was Olivia really the one?
Overhead, the clouds rumbled and fat drops of rain fell from the sky.
O LIVIA WAS WIDE-AWAKE when she heard the back door slide open and the sound of rain rustling the vegetation, but she pretended to be asleep. Her heart started pounding like a bank robber on the run, beating so hard that she feared Nick could hear it in the silence of the room. She had her eyes closed, barely able to resist the urge to peek at him from behind her eyelashes.
He sank down on the other side of the bed.
Every muscle in Olivia’s body
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