Read Online Trouble with the Law by Tatiana March - Free Book Online
Authors: Tatiana March
Tags: Contemporary Romance
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her shatter beneath him, and then waiting for her to calm down, so he could start all over again.
Giving, not taking, and the selfless act seemed to forge the most complete possession he had ever experienced.
* * * *
When Justine woke in the morning, she found herself spooned against Mark, his arm around her waist, anchoring her close. She barely dared to breathe. What madness had overcome her yesterday? A hot flush crept over her skin as she recalled how she had allowed the blistering anger to turn her into a sexual aggressor. Then she closed her eyes and thought how Mark had carried her to bed and made love to her with a tenderness that still tugged at her heart.
Sheriff Taylor was a dangerous man, but that was something she’d known from the instant she first saw him storming across the floor into his office.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, without any apparent transition between sleep and wakefulness.
Almost against her will, Justine snuggled closer. “Yes.”
“Do you want to come with me today?”
“I don’t know.” Hesitation muffled her voice. How would he introduce her to his brother’s children, who would no doubt mention her when they got home? Friend? Girlfriend? Or would he keep it deliberately vague?
“How old are your niece and nephew?” she asked.
“Seven and ten.”
“Do you have any children?”
His arm tensed around her. “No.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“Yes.” He shifted along the bed. “Have you?” he asked. She could hear the strain in his voice, and knew that although he might be curious about her, his main reason for asking the question had been to turn the conversation away from him.
“No,” she said.
“How come?”
“I almost got married when I was in my early thirties.” She paused for a moment, puzzled by the impulse that had her pouring out her relationship history to a stranger. “The man was my boss. He was divorced with three children, and he made it clear he didn’t want any more. I decided it was too much of a sacrifice.” She couldn’t stop the wistful little sound that rose in her chest. “Seems foolish now, since I’ve ended up childless anyway.”
“It must have seemed the right decision at the time. You couldn’t know then that you wouldn’t meet someone else.”
Justine was glad she had her back to Mark, so he couldn’t see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “That’s right,” she said. “And the guy turned out to be a bastard anyway.”
“Why? What did he do?”
“He fired me when I broke off the engagement.” She blinked back the tears, angry that despite the years the memory still had the power to hurt. “Six months later, he married a twenty-two-year-old and promptly got her pregnant.”
“Maybe he realized he’d made a mistake in letting you go, and didn’t want to repeat it,” Mark said lightly.
Justine expelled a long sigh. “Or maybe he never loved me the way he loved her.”
“Maybe.” Mark held her tight in his warm embrace. “This seems a very long way of answering my question.”
“Which was?”
“Do you want to come along today when I take my niece and nephew to Valley Forge ?”
Justine held her breath. “No,” she said in the end. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. And I have work to do. I need to go and man the Chandler Developments stall at the charity bike ride in
Fairmount
Park
.”
He didn’t press her. They took turns to shower and then had breakfast. Mark kept up the idle conversation, attempting to fill in the long silences. When he was gone, with assurances that he would be in touch as soon as he knew if he had the time to drive down the following weekend, Justine couldn’t relax. She spent the rest of the day regretting that she hadn’t gone with him.
So what, if it made no sense to risk becoming too fond of him, and having to suffer the agonies of a broken heart when he disappeared? Surely, a broken heart was better than a frozen heart.
Chapter Eight
The
Giving, not taking, and the selfless act seemed to forge the most complete possession he had ever experienced.
* * * *
When Justine woke in the morning, she found herself spooned against Mark, his arm around her waist, anchoring her close. She barely dared to breathe. What madness had overcome her yesterday? A hot flush crept over her skin as she recalled how she had allowed the blistering anger to turn her into a sexual aggressor. Then she closed her eyes and thought how Mark had carried her to bed and made love to her with a tenderness that still tugged at her heart.
Sheriff Taylor was a dangerous man, but that was something she’d known from the instant she first saw him storming across the floor into his office.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, without any apparent transition between sleep and wakefulness.
Almost against her will, Justine snuggled closer. “Yes.”
“Do you want to come with me today?”
“I don’t know.” Hesitation muffled her voice. How would he introduce her to his brother’s children, who would no doubt mention her when they got home? Friend? Girlfriend? Or would he keep it deliberately vague?
“How old are your niece and nephew?” she asked.
“Seven and ten.”
“Do you have any children?”
His arm tensed around her. “No.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“Yes.” He shifted along the bed. “Have you?” he asked. She could hear the strain in his voice, and knew that although he might be curious about her, his main reason for asking the question had been to turn the conversation away from him.
“No,” she said.
“How come?”
“I almost got married when I was in my early thirties.” She paused for a moment, puzzled by the impulse that had her pouring out her relationship history to a stranger. “The man was my boss. He was divorced with three children, and he made it clear he didn’t want any more. I decided it was too much of a sacrifice.” She couldn’t stop the wistful little sound that rose in her chest. “Seems foolish now, since I’ve ended up childless anyway.”
“It must have seemed the right decision at the time. You couldn’t know then that you wouldn’t meet someone else.”
Justine was glad she had her back to Mark, so he couldn’t see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “That’s right,” she said. “And the guy turned out to be a bastard anyway.”
“Why? What did he do?”
“He fired me when I broke off the engagement.” She blinked back the tears, angry that despite the years the memory still had the power to hurt. “Six months later, he married a twenty-two-year-old and promptly got her pregnant.”
“Maybe he realized he’d made a mistake in letting you go, and didn’t want to repeat it,” Mark said lightly.
Justine expelled a long sigh. “Or maybe he never loved me the way he loved her.”
“Maybe.” Mark held her tight in his warm embrace. “This seems a very long way of answering my question.”
“Which was?”
“Do you want to come along today when I take my niece and nephew to Valley Forge ?”
Justine held her breath. “No,” she said in the end. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. And I have work to do. I need to go and man the Chandler Developments stall at the charity bike ride in
Fairmount
Park
.”
He didn’t press her. They took turns to shower and then had breakfast. Mark kept up the idle conversation, attempting to fill in the long silences. When he was gone, with assurances that he would be in touch as soon as he knew if he had the time to drive down the following weekend, Justine couldn’t relax. She spent the rest of the day regretting that she hadn’t gone with him.
So what, if it made no sense to risk becoming too fond of him, and having to suffer the agonies of a broken heart when he disappeared? Surely, a broken heart was better than a frozen heart.
Chapter Eight
The
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