this conversation before, remember? I’m not capable of doing anything else.”
“Others may believe that, but I don’t.” She reached out, stroking the tense muscles of his arm. When he didn’t protest, she leaned closer, emboldened, pressing feather-light kisses the length of his raspy jawline.
He managed to shove a single word past tightly clenched teeth. “Don’t.”
“I just wanted to show I wasn’t afraid.”
“Aren’t you?” It would be so easy to prove her wrong. His resolve hardened. Maybe if he did, it would settle the situation between them once and for all. He didn’t delay any further. In one lightning-fast move, he tossed her backward. Crouching above, he planted his hands on either side of her head, settling the lower half of his body on top of hers. Only her cotton nightgown separated them. It was a flimsy barrier—about as flimsy as his self-control. “Afraid now?” he demanded.
She shook her head, but he noticed that some of her confidence had fled.
“You should be.”
Shadows briefly marred the serenity of her expression before vanishing in the face of absolute certainty. “I need you, Jake.” She reached for him, tracing the taut angles of his face from cheekbone to chin. “And you need me.”
The wild animal was back, feral gold eyes glaring down at her. “Why are you doing this?” he snarled. “Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it? This marriage should never have happened. I’m not a safe man to be around.”
“Do you want to hurt me?” she asked curiously. “Does it give you pleasure to hurt people?”
A muscle jerked in his cheek. “No.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” Her other hand settled on his hip, gliding upward, tracing the contoured muscles from abdomen to chest.
His breathing grew strained and he caught her hand, stilling its insidious exploration. “I can’t…I don’t…Damn, but you’re pushing your luck.”
“I guess I am. But tell me something…If I said you were hurting me, would you stop?”
His throat worked for a moment as though answering were a struggle. Finally he nodded. “Yeah. I’d stop.”
She smiled, her expression so radiant, it blinded him to everything else. “Then I’ll make a deal with you. The minute you do something that hurts me, I’ll ask you to stop. And if I do anything that hurts you, just say the word. All right?”
A harsh, disbelieving laugh burst from him. “You can’t be serious—”
“I’m very serious.” She gazed up at him, her eyes clear and direct. It was a probing look, one that threatened to pierce straight to his very soul—assuming he still had anything worthy of such a name. And then she said something that knocked him over the edge. “I trust you, Jake.”
So simple. So absolute. So innocent and trusting. And so devastating. It broke him, splintering the rock-solid shell he’d spent his entire life erecting.
From the minute he’d seen her, he’d wanted her. Of course, it had been sheer desire, a physical need, savage and elemental and basic. He hadn’t tried to fool himself about that—had never held with the sort of man who wrapped lust in pretty lies. No, he’d always been blunt and honest, both with himself and with his women. He took what he wanted without concern for the consequences before walking away—heart-whole and fancyfree. It had been his credo as long as he could remember.
But with Wynne…
He couldn’t. He couldn’t take her with the same thoughtless disregard. She wasn’t like the other women he’d had. They’d all known the score. And if they’dsecretly hoped to change his mind, he’d been quick to disabuse them of the notion.
“Jake?”
He fought for strength, fought harder than he ever had before. If he never committed another noble or honorable act again in his life, so help him, he’d get this one moment right. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“If you want me to stop, say the word and I’ll
“Others may believe that, but I don’t.” She reached out, stroking the tense muscles of his arm. When he didn’t protest, she leaned closer, emboldened, pressing feather-light kisses the length of his raspy jawline.
He managed to shove a single word past tightly clenched teeth. “Don’t.”
“I just wanted to show I wasn’t afraid.”
“Aren’t you?” It would be so easy to prove her wrong. His resolve hardened. Maybe if he did, it would settle the situation between them once and for all. He didn’t delay any further. In one lightning-fast move, he tossed her backward. Crouching above, he planted his hands on either side of her head, settling the lower half of his body on top of hers. Only her cotton nightgown separated them. It was a flimsy barrier—about as flimsy as his self-control. “Afraid now?” he demanded.
She shook her head, but he noticed that some of her confidence had fled.
“You should be.”
Shadows briefly marred the serenity of her expression before vanishing in the face of absolute certainty. “I need you, Jake.” She reached for him, tracing the taut angles of his face from cheekbone to chin. “And you need me.”
The wild animal was back, feral gold eyes glaring down at her. “Why are you doing this?” he snarled. “Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it? This marriage should never have happened. I’m not a safe man to be around.”
“Do you want to hurt me?” she asked curiously. “Does it give you pleasure to hurt people?”
A muscle jerked in his cheek. “No.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” Her other hand settled on his hip, gliding upward, tracing the contoured muscles from abdomen to chest.
His breathing grew strained and he caught her hand, stilling its insidious exploration. “I can’t…I don’t…Damn, but you’re pushing your luck.”
“I guess I am. But tell me something…If I said you were hurting me, would you stop?”
His throat worked for a moment as though answering were a struggle. Finally he nodded. “Yeah. I’d stop.”
She smiled, her expression so radiant, it blinded him to everything else. “Then I’ll make a deal with you. The minute you do something that hurts me, I’ll ask you to stop. And if I do anything that hurts you, just say the word. All right?”
A harsh, disbelieving laugh burst from him. “You can’t be serious—”
“I’m very serious.” She gazed up at him, her eyes clear and direct. It was a probing look, one that threatened to pierce straight to his very soul—assuming he still had anything worthy of such a name. And then she said something that knocked him over the edge. “I trust you, Jake.”
So simple. So absolute. So innocent and trusting. And so devastating. It broke him, splintering the rock-solid shell he’d spent his entire life erecting.
From the minute he’d seen her, he’d wanted her. Of course, it had been sheer desire, a physical need, savage and elemental and basic. He hadn’t tried to fool himself about that—had never held with the sort of man who wrapped lust in pretty lies. No, he’d always been blunt and honest, both with himself and with his women. He took what he wanted without concern for the consequences before walking away—heart-whole and fancyfree. It had been his credo as long as he could remember.
But with Wynne…
He couldn’t. He couldn’t take her with the same thoughtless disregard. She wasn’t like the other women he’d had. They’d all known the score. And if they’dsecretly hoped to change his mind, he’d been quick to disabuse them of the notion.
“Jake?”
He fought for strength, fought harder than he ever had before. If he never committed another noble or honorable act again in his life, so help him, he’d get this one moment right. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“If you want me to stop, say the word and I’ll
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