Read Online When You Were Mine [Second Chances 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Michelle Roth - Free Book Online Page A

“Okay.”
    She took his hand and led him to the couch. As he settled into same seat he’d been in before, she settled next to him and turned to face him partially.
    After taking a deep breath, she told him the whole story. It was what he’d read online, which was awful, but worse. She’d talked about having to go and get tested, the press on her lawn. Having to talk to her father about all of it.
    Admittedly, the testing was something he hadn’t even considered. He’d breathed a sigh of relief when she’d told him that she’d ended up testing negative for everything. The thought that she could have inadvertently gotten anything from that toolbag was a horrifying thought.
    Eventually, she said, “So, that’s the deal. I’m just now moving on with my life and I don’t want to jump into anything too quickly. I don’t want either one of us to get hurt.”
    She looked so hesitant, so lost, that he pulled her into his arms and held her. After a moment, the stiffness left her body and she relaxed against him with a sigh. As he stroked a hand over her hair, he said, “I meant what I said before. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
    Her voice was so soft that he barely heard her say, “I want you, but...”
    “Let’s just take our time,” Jamie said, brushing his lips across the top of her head.

    * * * *

    He was going completely insane. It was official.
    It had been two weeks since he’d helped Cora install her sink. They ended up cuddled on the couch watching movies until the late hours of the night. They had seen each other several times since then. They had gone out to dinner, been to the movies, and done their share of hanging out at their respective places.
    A few nights ago they had decided to go to the Santa Monica Pier. Neither of them had been in years. They got dinner at the tapas place near the end of the pier and wandered through the shops. Seeing the look of relaxed happiness on her face had been great. It had reminded him of the old, carefree Cora.
    She was still a little bit leery about the prospect of dating him. Given her history, he understood that. He was going to let her make the next move, even if it killed him. And at this rate, it very well might. Each night had ended with nothing more than a chaste kiss on the lips.
    She had just canceled lunch plans on him. One of her patients was having a crisis and booked an emergency session. Between her pro bono work on the weekends and the emergency sessions that ended up being booked three times a week, she was working sixty hours a week. He had always known that she was dedicated, but seeing it in action was kind of impressive.
    He refocused his attention on the ad he was designing for the dentist next door. He’d taken one look at his business card and offered him a free consultation. That had apparently done the trick, because he was able to book several more throughout the building via word of mouth.
    So far he’d designed a new logo, new business card, and now they were working on a postcard mailer. He really enjoyed this part of his work more than anything else. It was incredibly rewarding to take the vague image that someone saw in their mind, and turn it into something real and tangible.
    After he finished the proof he had been working on, he had emailed it over for approval. It was, he decided, time for lunch. He’d gotten to work at eight that morning and had worked steadily until three thirty without much of a break.
    He moved back into the kitchenette and grabbed sandwich fixings from the fridge. He had dinner plans with Cora tonight. It was a little late in the day to order in. Ham and cheese would have to do, he decided.
    After he finished up his sandwich, he fielded a call from the furniture vendor that was sending over his conference table. It had apparently been dropped during shipping and had a small scratch. The table was now on back order.
    Because the table had been exactly what he wanted, he agreed to