them are groundless.”
“Groundless!” Netherland sat up on her haunches. “How dare you tell me that something I feel so strongly about is groundless?”
He sat up on his haunches and met her glare, face-to-face, nearly nose to nose. “I can dare and I will dare, Netherland, because I am your soul mate. You don’t have to concern yourself with instability because my love will be the most stable thing you will have in your life. You won’t have to worry about not having a home because your home will always be with me, wherever I am. Home is where the heart is, and your home will always reside in my heart, like my home will always be in yours. You love me.”
Netherland sat back down, Indian-style, and looked up at him. “No, I don’t love you,” she said quietly, wondering how he could assume such a thing. How could he make such a claim as if he were privy to her innermost feelings and emotions? “There are things you don’t even know about me, Ashton. Do you know why my first husband left me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“To some men it might. The reason he left me was that—”
“It doesn’t matter, Netherland,” he interrupted.“What matters to me is that you understand my position. We will not make love until you surrender all to me.”
“What you want I’m unable to give, Ashton,” she said softly, as tears glistened in her eyes. Why was he determined to make things difficult? Why couldn’t he take what she was offering and be satisfied with that? “You don’t know how hard it was on me for my father to be gone off somewhere when I had my birthdays, on Christmases, and important events at school. I was named homecoming queen at the beginning of my senior year, and because he was away, he didn’t see me get crowned.”
“Don’t you think he probably wanted to be there, Netherland? Instead he thought he was somewhere doing something equally as important, like protecting and safeguarding your freedom. Not only yours but the freedom of all the kids in your school, their parents and a whole lot of others. Even the person who placed that crown on your head at that coronation.”
Netherland sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. She hadn’t ever thought of her father’s numerous absences in that light before. “Mrs. Jones.”
Ashton lifted a dark brow. “Mrs. Jones? Who’s Mrs. Jones?”
Netherland shrugged slightly. “She was the home economics teacher who placed the crown on my head.”
Ashton nodded. A slight smile touched his lips. “Very well. Your father was protecting and safeguarding Mrs. Jones’s freedom, as well.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
She pulled back. “Bed? But you just said we wouldn’t make love until I believe in the vision.”
“We won’t. We’re going to bed to go to sleep.”
Netherland stared at him. “Can you do that? Sleep with me and not touch me?”
“Oh, I plan to touch you, I just don’t plan to make love to you. I have a strong constitution when it comes to you, Netherland. I haven’t slept with a woman since the day I laid eyes on you.”
Netherland blinked. That was almost three years ago. She couldn’t imagine a man as virile as Ashton going without that long. Her brothers would have thrown up their hands in frustration long ago. Whenever they came home from a long-term deployment, they would quickly pull out their little black books and look up old girlfriends. “Why?”
“Because you’re the only woman I want. Come on, let’s get under the covers and go to sleep.” He pushed the covers back and looked at her, waiting for her decision.
Netherland glanced down at the floor. He’d said the floor represented misunderstanding, mistrust and doubt. That was stuff she didn’t want to deal with at the moment. More than anything she wanted to spend the night in his arms, sharing his bed. But she had no intentions of surrendering to him by committing to what he wanted her to
“Groundless!” Netherland sat up on her haunches. “How dare you tell me that something I feel so strongly about is groundless?”
He sat up on his haunches and met her glare, face-to-face, nearly nose to nose. “I can dare and I will dare, Netherland, because I am your soul mate. You don’t have to concern yourself with instability because my love will be the most stable thing you will have in your life. You won’t have to worry about not having a home because your home will always be with me, wherever I am. Home is where the heart is, and your home will always reside in my heart, like my home will always be in yours. You love me.”
Netherland sat back down, Indian-style, and looked up at him. “No, I don’t love you,” she said quietly, wondering how he could assume such a thing. How could he make such a claim as if he were privy to her innermost feelings and emotions? “There are things you don’t even know about me, Ashton. Do you know why my first husband left me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“To some men it might. The reason he left me was that—”
“It doesn’t matter, Netherland,” he interrupted.“What matters to me is that you understand my position. We will not make love until you surrender all to me.”
“What you want I’m unable to give, Ashton,” she said softly, as tears glistened in her eyes. Why was he determined to make things difficult? Why couldn’t he take what she was offering and be satisfied with that? “You don’t know how hard it was on me for my father to be gone off somewhere when I had my birthdays, on Christmases, and important events at school. I was named homecoming queen at the beginning of my senior year, and because he was away, he didn’t see me get crowned.”
“Don’t you think he probably wanted to be there, Netherland? Instead he thought he was somewhere doing something equally as important, like protecting and safeguarding your freedom. Not only yours but the freedom of all the kids in your school, their parents and a whole lot of others. Even the person who placed that crown on your head at that coronation.”
Netherland sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. She hadn’t ever thought of her father’s numerous absences in that light before. “Mrs. Jones.”
Ashton lifted a dark brow. “Mrs. Jones? Who’s Mrs. Jones?”
Netherland shrugged slightly. “She was the home economics teacher who placed the crown on my head.”
Ashton nodded. A slight smile touched his lips. “Very well. Your father was protecting and safeguarding Mrs. Jones’s freedom, as well.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
She pulled back. “Bed? But you just said we wouldn’t make love until I believe in the vision.”
“We won’t. We’re going to bed to go to sleep.”
Netherland stared at him. “Can you do that? Sleep with me and not touch me?”
“Oh, I plan to touch you, I just don’t plan to make love to you. I have a strong constitution when it comes to you, Netherland. I haven’t slept with a woman since the day I laid eyes on you.”
Netherland blinked. That was almost three years ago. She couldn’t imagine a man as virile as Ashton going without that long. Her brothers would have thrown up their hands in frustration long ago. Whenever they came home from a long-term deployment, they would quickly pull out their little black books and look up old girlfriends. “Why?”
“Because you’re the only woman I want. Come on, let’s get under the covers and go to sleep.” He pushed the covers back and looked at her, waiting for her decision.
Netherland glanced down at the floor. He’d said the floor represented misunderstanding, mistrust and doubt. That was stuff she didn’t want to deal with at the moment. More than anything she wanted to spend the night in his arms, sharing his bed. But she had no intentions of surrendering to him by committing to what he wanted her to
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