doubts.
That night, between his barely there touches, the way he’d entrusted her with his vulnerabilities, and the gentle, lingering kiss he’d given her on the front porch, her defenses had begun to unravel. Or maybe they’d already been threadbare.
In the four months they’d known each other, she’d always held a soft spot for him. Sure, she’d had sexual fantasies about him a few times, okay, pretty much every day, but she’d also looked forward to being with him. Period. She’d make it a point to be at Darci and Nate’s if she’d known Luke would be there. Loved his hokey jokes, how he’d go out of his way to talk with her, coax her out of a bad mood and put a smile on her face.
Pick Me’s dramatic dun, dun, dun music caught her attention. She stopped folding and stared at the TV. Enthralled by the dozens of fleeting emotions crossing Trudy’s pretty face as Jackson confessed that he wasn’t a successful attorney, but an hourly employee at a garage. Disbelief, disappointment, and denial clashed with the adoration and love shimmering in the Southern belle’s bright, blue eyes.
“Well, there’s a prime example of Cognitive Dissonance,” Jenna observed with a clinical eye. Trudy valued money and financial security. Being with a man who lacked money and status would conflict with her beliefs. She’d have to accept him for who he was, appreciate and cherish Jackson’s positive qualities if she were to make the relationship work.
Jenna eyed Trudy’s Gucci shoes as Jackson dropped to one knee and told her how much he cared about her, and apologized for going along with the producer’s hoax.
“She’s not going to do it,” Jenna said. No way, no how. Trudy relied too much on money and her social status. But Trudy shocked the audience, the host, and even Jenna when she threw her arms around Jackson, sobbing against his shoulder and telling him she’d been in love with him from the start.
With a disgusted groan, Jenna hit the off button on the remote. The room fell silent. She sat for moment, staring at the darkened TV screen as an uncanny awareness shifted through her mind.
Wiping a hand across her forehead, she leaned into the couch. Once again, she had no problem dissecting others emotional proclivities, but for whatever reason it took a trashy reality show to help her realize her own.
She suffered from a bit of Cognitive Dissonance as well. After all, commitment was a crock. Love never lasted, because not one man in her life had given her any inclination, any reason to believe. Luke wanted a commitment from her, which upended her lifelong beliefs. Her only solution, she’d either have to cut bait, before things became seriously messy, or plunge into this relationship with full force.
Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin on her knee. She didn’t have to make a decision today, or even tomorrow. Deep in her heart, though, she already knew the choice she’d make. Finding the guts to do it would be the difficult part. She didn’t know if she had the strength to admit her feelings, to bare her soul. Her stomach knotted at the thought of even making such an admission.
What if Luke didn’t feel the exact same way? What if he rejected her? Like her father had rejected her and her mother. Like that idiot she’d fallen for while in her final years of grad school.
Although…
What if she skirted the issue and showed him how she felt. Let her body do the talking. She’d never had a problem seducing a man, and maybe Luke had been sticking to this no-sex stuff because he’d been waiting for her to make a move.
The phone startled her from her thoughts. Those familiar butterflies instantly danced and weaved through her belly as anticipation hummed through her veins. Anxious to talk to Luke, to hear about his important meeting, she quickly answered.
“Sorry I’m calling so late, did I wake you?” His husky, masculine timbre had a quiet, sensual effect on her. For months she’d
That night, between his barely there touches, the way he’d entrusted her with his vulnerabilities, and the gentle, lingering kiss he’d given her on the front porch, her defenses had begun to unravel. Or maybe they’d already been threadbare.
In the four months they’d known each other, she’d always held a soft spot for him. Sure, she’d had sexual fantasies about him a few times, okay, pretty much every day, but she’d also looked forward to being with him. Period. She’d make it a point to be at Darci and Nate’s if she’d known Luke would be there. Loved his hokey jokes, how he’d go out of his way to talk with her, coax her out of a bad mood and put a smile on her face.
Pick Me’s dramatic dun, dun, dun music caught her attention. She stopped folding and stared at the TV. Enthralled by the dozens of fleeting emotions crossing Trudy’s pretty face as Jackson confessed that he wasn’t a successful attorney, but an hourly employee at a garage. Disbelief, disappointment, and denial clashed with the adoration and love shimmering in the Southern belle’s bright, blue eyes.
“Well, there’s a prime example of Cognitive Dissonance,” Jenna observed with a clinical eye. Trudy valued money and financial security. Being with a man who lacked money and status would conflict with her beliefs. She’d have to accept him for who he was, appreciate and cherish Jackson’s positive qualities if she were to make the relationship work.
Jenna eyed Trudy’s Gucci shoes as Jackson dropped to one knee and told her how much he cared about her, and apologized for going along with the producer’s hoax.
“She’s not going to do it,” Jenna said. No way, no how. Trudy relied too much on money and her social status. But Trudy shocked the audience, the host, and even Jenna when she threw her arms around Jackson, sobbing against his shoulder and telling him she’d been in love with him from the start.
With a disgusted groan, Jenna hit the off button on the remote. The room fell silent. She sat for moment, staring at the darkened TV screen as an uncanny awareness shifted through her mind.
Wiping a hand across her forehead, she leaned into the couch. Once again, she had no problem dissecting others emotional proclivities, but for whatever reason it took a trashy reality show to help her realize her own.
She suffered from a bit of Cognitive Dissonance as well. After all, commitment was a crock. Love never lasted, because not one man in her life had given her any inclination, any reason to believe. Luke wanted a commitment from her, which upended her lifelong beliefs. Her only solution, she’d either have to cut bait, before things became seriously messy, or plunge into this relationship with full force.
Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin on her knee. She didn’t have to make a decision today, or even tomorrow. Deep in her heart, though, she already knew the choice she’d make. Finding the guts to do it would be the difficult part. She didn’t know if she had the strength to admit her feelings, to bare her soul. Her stomach knotted at the thought of even making such an admission.
What if Luke didn’t feel the exact same way? What if he rejected her? Like her father had rejected her and her mother. Like that idiot she’d fallen for while in her final years of grad school.
Although…
What if she skirted the issue and showed him how she felt. Let her body do the talking. She’d never had a problem seducing a man, and maybe Luke had been sticking to this no-sex stuff because he’d been waiting for her to make a move.
The phone startled her from her thoughts. Those familiar butterflies instantly danced and weaved through her belly as anticipation hummed through her veins. Anxious to talk to Luke, to hear about his important meeting, she quickly answered.
“Sorry I’m calling so late, did I wake you?” His husky, masculine timbre had a quiet, sensual effect on her. For months she’d
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