declined the ring, but you wouldn’t listen. You kept pushing me
to marry you, and you were so upset when I refused. Then you showed up at my
apartment in the middle of the night. You pounded on the door and demanded I
let you in. I was too terrified to let you in.”
My
breath caught. “ I was too terrified to let you in, ” I repeated brokenly.
“I assumed it would turn violent, like my previous relationship.” My chest
tightened as tears pooled in my eyes.
Michael
stared at me. He looked completely devastated.
Tears
slid silently down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Michael. I’m sorry I presumed the
worst… that I didn’t give you a chance to prove you wouldn’t hurt me. But you
were the first person I dated after my divorce. My marriage had been a disaster.
I didn’t know passion, I didn’t know what love was, and I didn’t trust anyone.”
Michael
rose from his chair. He reached for my hand and gently pulled me into his arms.
I
burst into tears as I mourned my marriage, the nine miserable years I’d spent
beaten and abused, and all the ways my ex-husband’s actions were still ruining
my life.
“ Je suis désolé ,”
Michael murmured soothingly. He dried my tears with his hands as my sobbing subsided
into deep, shuddering breaths. He reached for my hand and held it against his
chest while his other hand softly caressed my back. I closed my eyes as he tucked
my head under his chin. His weight shifted. Then his feet led mine in a slow,
tender dance.
I
took a deep breath and relaxed into the scent of his cedar, citrus, and clove
laced cologne. I could feel his heart beat under my hand, the warmth of his
body, and his well-muscled thighs as we moved in time to the soft jazz wafting
across the deck.
Michael
nuzzled the side of my head. “I wish I had known. If I had known about your
past, I wouldn’t have pushed so hard. I would have taken things slower, and I
would have never pounded on that door. I am so sorry, Kristine.”
I
sighed into his chest. “I know, Michael. I’m sorry too. I should have been more
honest about my past.”
Michael
stepped back so he could look at me. “I would never hit you, Kristine. I swear
it. I will never hurt you. I will make sure no one ever hurts you again.”
Tears
welled in my eyes.
Michael
looked defeated. A long sigh eased through his lips. “I didn’t mean to scare
you, mon coeur . I had never proposed before. I hadn’t even considered getting
married until I met you. And I know you think I’m crazy, but I knew. I knew the
second I met you that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life
with. I couldn’t bear the thought of being without you, and I could feel you
pulling away after I spent the night. I thought if I proposed you would see my
feelings for you were sincere. I was crazy in love with you, Kristine. It took
me by storm, and it killed me when you said no. I couldn’t believe you had
refused to marry me. And this idea that you needed less from me didn’t make
sense. I was so certain you needed more.”
I
tucked my head back under Michael’s chin. I couldn’t bear to look at his face.
There was too much heartbreak etched in those eyes; and I was feeling too conflicted
and confused to make sense of it all. Michael had thought he was doing the
honorable thing when he proposed. I didn’t trust him enough to reveal my past. I’d
been too scared to give him a chance. So I did the one thing I thought would
keep me safe. I pushed him away.
Michael
refused to let me hide. He stopped dancing and gently lifted my chin. “That’s why
I brought you here, Kristine. I need a second chance.” His eyes captured and
held mine as he lowered his lips to mine. He paused uncertainly. Then he poured
his plea into a kiss.
His
longing spiraled through me and tugged mercilessly at my heart. I clung to his
shirt as I melted into his chest. Michael wrapped me in his arms as he deepened
the kiss. Desire swept through me as his body hardened
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