Read Online Taming the Lone Wolf by Joan Johnston - Free Book Online

halfbrother—never materialized. He wondered if it was because he didn’t want or need Tess’s attention as much as he had wanted or needed his father’s love.
    Actually the opposite was true. What he needed from Tess far exceeded the care and respect he had wanted from his father. It dawned on him as he lay in bed with her spooned against his groin, his arm under her breasts, that he wanted her love.
    The thought terrified him.
    What if Tess was like his father? Would he always come second behind the child? Would he always end up with whatever love—and time—was left over after she had given to Rose first. It was selfish to want Tess’s love all to himself. But he did.
    He was unaware he had made a disgusted sound in his throat.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Tess whispered into the darkness. She turned in his arms and pressed herself against him. His body instantly hardened.
    â€œDon’t, Tess.” He didn’t want to need her any more than he already did.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” she asked.
    He heard the caring in her voice. She had plenty of time for him now. Rose was sound asleep. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    She sat up. “You’ve been moping around for the past three days. You might as well tell me what’s troubling you. Neither of us is going to get any sleep until you do.”
    â€œIt’s nothing,” he insisted.
    â€œFine,” she said turning her back on him. “Keep it to yourself.”
    When he tried to put his arm around her, she shoved him away and said, “Leave me alone.”
    Here at last was the rejection he had expected from her all along. He refused to accept it.
    â€œDon’t turn away from me, Tess.”
    Tess heard the longing in his voice and recognized the need for what it was.
    â€œOh, Stony.” She turned back into his waiting arms, pressing herself against him. And felt the fire ignite between them as it always did.
    She tried not to let her love show, tried not to give too much of herself. When Stony thrust inside her she arched into him. When his mouth captured hers, she surrendered to his passion. When their bodies joined at last, she knew her soul was lost. To a man who didn’t want to love her, a lone wolf who couldn’t be caged.

Chapter Five
    S TONY HAD REALIZED over the course of the winter that he couldn’t live without Tess. He resented the time he had to spend away from her hunting down rustlers. He was ready to admit he needed her in his life. However, he had some daunting hurdles to get over before that was possible.
    He had to tell Tess that he was the man who had killed her husband. And he had to come to terms with the fact that he would always have to share her with Rose, in the same way he had been forced to share his father with a half brother. Both obstacles loomed, seemingly insurmountable, before him. The need to resolve them consumed his waking moments and haunted his dreams.
    He knew Tess was aware of his distraction, yet she didn’t confront him about it. He was glad, because he had no idea how he could explain why he had kept his part in her husband’s death a secret from her all these months. He was living a lie. Unfortunately he knew exactly how Tess felt about lies.
    The second time he had returned to his cabin, having left it to return to Jackson following his brief Christmas holiday with Tess and Rose, he had found things achingly familiar, even to the savory stew bubbling on the stove.
    At supper he had said, “I don’t know when my house has ever seemed so much like a home. Thank you, Tess.”
    She had blushed, those marvelous roses appearing in her cheeks. “Do you mean it, Stony? Really?”
    â€œI don’t lie. Especially about important things.”
    â€œThat means a lot to me,” she said, her eyes downcast. He thought she wasn’t going to explain herself, but the rest of it came tumbling out. “I was