Read Online Storms and Dreams (Becoming Jane Book 3) by Alexis Adare - Free Book Online Page B

shoreline. He enthralled me; his words, his eyes, the lazy stretch of his fingers as they drummed at his biceps, those dimples at the corners of his smile. I blinked and took a deep breath, steadying myself, lust and longing flowing together into some jumble of emotions that was unfamiliar territory to me.
    “What did you think of me ?” I asked. “First impression. Truth.”
    “Ah.” He smiled and glanced at the water, his eyes lingering. “What did I tell myself I thought of you? Or what did I really think?”
    That’s an interesting answer, I thought. “Both.”
    He sighed and squinted at the ocean, the sea air tousling his hair as he spoke. “I told myself you were silly. One of those students who daydreams about affairs with a teacher. That thinks the idea is glamorous and exciting. I told myself that you were simple and unsophisticated and that nothing good would come of any of this.”
    “Ouch.”
    “But my honest impression was that you were exquisite. In every way. Your words charmed just as surely as your form. And every time we spoke, I grew more and more annoyed.”
    “Why?” I whispered.
    “Because you are enchanting,” he said. Walking to me, he reached out, his fingers brushing a windswept strand of hair from my face. “It’s as if the gods made you just for me, to tempt me. And I was determined to resist, because I was sure it would all end in tragedy. Which if there are gods involved, is generally how things end.” He laughed.
    “No gods here,” I said, glancing around dramatically. “Far as I can see.”
    “It was when you remarked on Kipling that I knew,” he said, musing. “I knew at that moment that you were nothing like what I’d assumed. And I knew I was not going to succeed in resisting you. I knew I didn’t want to.”
    “Damn,” I said quietly. “If I knew name dropping Kipling was such a great pickup line, I would’ve started using it years ago.”
    He beamed, threw his head back and laughed heartily. “See, that right there, Jane. That’s you. You’re spectacular. How could I resist you?”
    “At the laundromat—”
    “Ah yes,” he said. Stepping closer to me, he cradled my face in his hands. “I believe I exhibited some of those kinky qualities then. Didn’t I?”
    “Just a bit.”
    “After that encounter, I think I’ll forever have a terrible fondness for laundromats.”
    “Me too,” I said, my pulse quickening at the memory, I turned and took a few steps away from him. “Yeah, you made all kinds of promises that night,” I said, looking back at him. “But then you backed off. You changed your mind. Why?”
    Why are you even asking this? I thought. This was in the past; we’d gotten together despite all the confusion. What did this matter now? But it did somehow. I needed to know.
    “The truth,” he said, more statement than question. But I answered him anyway.
    “Always.”
    “The truth is,” he said, his gaze scanning over the ocean’s horizon as if he’d find some answers there, “I was scared. I’d almost lost control with you that night. It shocked me how much I wanted you.”
    He turned back, his eyes searching mine. I was stunned by his expression, realizing that it mattered to him, too. He needed to explain just as much as I needed to hear it.
    “I haven’t wanted anything or anyone like that in a very long time. Maybe ever.”
    I bit my lip, wanting to respond, but unsure of what to say. I hoped he could see my response in my eyes.
    “We both felt it. Didn’t we?” he said, and his gaze was to the sea again. “If we’re honest, we both felt something from the very beginning. And it scared us. Both of us.”
    I swallowed hard. “What do you mean?” I asked, and I felt the lie lurking behind the question. I knew exactly what he meant.
    He crossed to me in two long strides, his leather clad knuckles brushing my cheek. “This,” he said. “This right here. What’s between us is so strong I can almost see it in the air, like