Read Online Challenge Accepted - A Contemporary Romance by Carol Rose - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carol Rose
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lot."
"You must have given him hell," Colt ven tured, unable to see Hayley meekly submitting to being forced into a frothy debutante's dress. Heck, had he ever even seen her in a dress?
Hayley shook her head sadly. "I wasn't re bellious at all. How could I be? My father loved me. Everything he did was for my benefit. He told me over and over that I was all he had, that we had to stick together."
Colt frowned. "There's a limit to how much a parent can expect."
"Is there?" She scooted off the railing and drifted across the veranda to lean against the wall. "I guess my father never heard that."
"But you figured it out," said Colt. "You're here, doing what you want instead of being somebody's society wife."
Another sigh slipped out of her, a whisper of relief. "Yes, I finally rebelled. I can safely say that my life now is nothing like my father planned.
"It's amazing, though. You think that freedom will feel so ... free. But some ties are hard to break. I'm here, doing what I want, and I know my father is hurt and upset." Hayley walked over, leaned next to him and stared out at the dark garden. "I couldn't even explain it to him. One day he went on a business trip, and I just moved out. It was selfish of me, but I couldn't look him in the face and explain. He wouldn't have accepted my going."
"So you just left?"
Hayley heard the faint note of censure in his question. "Yes, I just left. I called a week later and gave my address to the house keeper."
"You love your dad." It was a statement of fact. Colt's eyes held hers as if he were daring her to deny it.
"Yes, but he suffocates me. I can't breathe around him. He doesn't hear me, doesn't really know me." Hayley smiled at him wryly. ''I'm not sure he'd like me if he did know me.
"Yes, he would," Colt disagreed flatly.
She glanced at him, conscious of his nearness, the solid warmth of his body. He seemed so strong, so sure of himself.
"Tell me something." He broke the silence. "Have you ever been married?" Colt's eyes darkened when he turned to look at her.
Hayley hesitated, distracted from his question by the smoldering expression on his face, the tension that seemed to hum through his body. She swallowed. “No. I got engaged, but I didn't go through with it. That was partly why I left home."
An uncontrollable impulse to lose herself to him, to surrender to his touch, nearly over-whelmed her.
He seemed so close ....
Somewhere in the shrubbery, night crea tures scuffled, their scurrying making crackling sounds in the brush.
"Do you ever see him?"
"See who?" Hayley's mouth felt dry, her brain sluggish.
"Your former fiancé," Colt said sardonically.
"Sometimes." Hayley looked down. "We're still friends."
"You're friends with everyone, aren't you?" His murmur tugged her attention back up to his face.
"I like being friendly." The inanity slipped out as her gaze locked with his.
''I've noticed." Colt reached out, his hand brushing back her hair. "But I don't want to be just your friend."
Hayley's breath caught in her throat as he drew nearer. His lips settled on hers, seducing her with his heat. She leaned into him, her body taking over as if knowing she was too confused to handle the decision.
Colt drew her into his arms. His kiss was direct and open, no pretense, no holding back. Just as he lived, he kissed her without apology-and with strength and passion.
The night closed them in, dark and alive, sheltering and drenched with the scents of the garden. She remembered the smell of him, the masculine fragrance of his skin.
Her arms slid around his waist as she opened to his plundering. Yet she wasn't afraid. He felt so right, the heat of his body wrapped around her.
Colt's lips trailed down her neck, his hand tunneling beneath her hair. The callused skin of his fingers brushed against her sensitive neck. Hayley murmured something in her throat, her hands clutching his shoulders for support.
Without thought, her hands traveled up to circle his neck, brushing
"You must have given him hell," Colt ven tured, unable to see Hayley meekly submitting to being forced into a frothy debutante's dress. Heck, had he ever even seen her in a dress?
Hayley shook her head sadly. "I wasn't re bellious at all. How could I be? My father loved me. Everything he did was for my benefit. He told me over and over that I was all he had, that we had to stick together."
Colt frowned. "There's a limit to how much a parent can expect."
"Is there?" She scooted off the railing and drifted across the veranda to lean against the wall. "I guess my father never heard that."
"But you figured it out," said Colt. "You're here, doing what you want instead of being somebody's society wife."
Another sigh slipped out of her, a whisper of relief. "Yes, I finally rebelled. I can safely say that my life now is nothing like my father planned.
"It's amazing, though. You think that freedom will feel so ... free. But some ties are hard to break. I'm here, doing what I want, and I know my father is hurt and upset." Hayley walked over, leaned next to him and stared out at the dark garden. "I couldn't even explain it to him. One day he went on a business trip, and I just moved out. It was selfish of me, but I couldn't look him in the face and explain. He wouldn't have accepted my going."
"So you just left?"
Hayley heard the faint note of censure in his question. "Yes, I just left. I called a week later and gave my address to the house keeper."
"You love your dad." It was a statement of fact. Colt's eyes held hers as if he were daring her to deny it.
"Yes, but he suffocates me. I can't breathe around him. He doesn't hear me, doesn't really know me." Hayley smiled at him wryly. ''I'm not sure he'd like me if he did know me.
"Yes, he would," Colt disagreed flatly.
She glanced at him, conscious of his nearness, the solid warmth of his body. He seemed so strong, so sure of himself.
"Tell me something." He broke the silence. "Have you ever been married?" Colt's eyes darkened when he turned to look at her.
Hayley hesitated, distracted from his question by the smoldering expression on his face, the tension that seemed to hum through his body. She swallowed. “No. I got engaged, but I didn't go through with it. That was partly why I left home."
An uncontrollable impulse to lose herself to him, to surrender to his touch, nearly over-whelmed her.
He seemed so close ....
Somewhere in the shrubbery, night crea tures scuffled, their scurrying making crackling sounds in the brush.
"Do you ever see him?"
"See who?" Hayley's mouth felt dry, her brain sluggish.
"Your former fiancé," Colt said sardonically.
"Sometimes." Hayley looked down. "We're still friends."
"You're friends with everyone, aren't you?" His murmur tugged her attention back up to his face.
"I like being friendly." The inanity slipped out as her gaze locked with his.
''I've noticed." Colt reached out, his hand brushing back her hair. "But I don't want to be just your friend."
Hayley's breath caught in her throat as he drew nearer. His lips settled on hers, seducing her with his heat. She leaned into him, her body taking over as if knowing she was too confused to handle the decision.
Colt drew her into his arms. His kiss was direct and open, no pretense, no holding back. Just as he lived, he kissed her without apology-and with strength and passion.
The night closed them in, dark and alive, sheltering and drenched with the scents of the garden. She remembered the smell of him, the masculine fragrance of his skin.
Her arms slid around his waist as she opened to his plundering. Yet she wasn't afraid. He felt so right, the heat of his body wrapped around her.
Colt's lips trailed down her neck, his hand tunneling beneath her hair. The callused skin of his fingers brushed against her sensitive neck. Hayley murmured something in her throat, her hands clutching his shoulders for support.
Without thought, her hands traveled up to circle his neck, brushing
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