virgin. I bet there are lots of women in this town who’d love to keep you warm at night.”
“Are you fishing? You only need to ask.”
She nodded. “I guess it’s normal to be curious. Don’t you wonder who I’ve slept with since you?”
“Sometimes.” His hand lowered to her naked breasts and he rolled one bud underneath the pad of his finger. She delighted in the rush of sensation darting to her inner thighs. “Anyway, you’re the lover who taught me everything.”
“Hm?” She lifted up on her elbow and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“You taught me all of a lover’s secrets, baby. You were my first love and all I wanted to do was please you. You just didn’t stick around long enough for me to pull out all of my talent.” He wriggled his brows.
“I definitely reaped the rewards last night.”
“I know the past is a dark cloud lingering above us.” He sat up, propped the pillow against his back. “Eventually we’re going to have to face it head on. Sometimes I feel like it’s an axe ready to come down on us, but talking about it may help.”
“No we won’t. If we ignore it, maybe that cloud will disappear.” She lifted the sheet to cover her nudity. “If it’s in the past, that’s where it should stay.”
“Oh yes we do.” His slid his fingers through her hair. She nudged her head closer, loving the fondness in his touch. “There are things I don’t understand…and things you don’t either. Like my marriage—”
“Oh.” Discomfort skirted its way through her tranquility. “You really don’t owe me an explanation.” Hearing about Tiffany first thing in the morning didn’t settle well on her stomach.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked.
“No. Yes. Hell, I don’t know.” Honesty was the best policy.
“Ask me, Holly.” He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “I know you want to.”
“Did you love her?” she asked.
“Yes, I did,” he said without hesitation.
“Okay.” Why did she feel a stabbing pain in her gut? Instinct warned her that the conversation should stop, but the ball was rolling.
“The love I had for her was different than my love for you.”
“But we were young and stupid. Did either of us really know what love was?”
He slightly shrugged. “I think we did. Sure, we hadn’t experienced a lot of life but we felt something.”
“Why did you marry her?” The question had weighed on her for years.
“Because she was pregnant by another man and I cared for her.”
Confusion filled her mind. “What? She was pregnant by another man?”
“He’d gotten her pregnant and when he found out, he rejected her. She was afraid that her parents would do the same when they heard the news. So, I agreed to marry her. They believed I was the father.”
“And where is the child now?”
“She had a miscarriage. And it wasn’t long after when she was diagnosed with cancer.”
Holly’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry to hear that. How awful that must have been for her, and for you.”
“Although Tiffany and I never loved each other passionately, we did have a good relationship—one of mutual respect and admiration.”
“You were a true gentleman. Who was the missing father?” Getting pregnant as a teen could have been Holly’s experience. She’d had a scare a time or two when she was eighteen.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“She never told you?”
“She said it wasn’t necessary.” He dropped the piece of hair he’d been playing with.
“Whoever he is, he must be afraid you know the truth.”
“If he is, he’s never come forward and said anything.”
“She was lucky to have you. Most men wouldn’t have stepped up and offered to take the responsibility of another man’s child.”
“At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do,” he said. “Tiffany had always looked at things from a positive viewpoint. I’d made mistakes too. I knew firsthand how she felt being with someone who
“Are you fishing? You only need to ask.”
She nodded. “I guess it’s normal to be curious. Don’t you wonder who I’ve slept with since you?”
“Sometimes.” His hand lowered to her naked breasts and he rolled one bud underneath the pad of his finger. She delighted in the rush of sensation darting to her inner thighs. “Anyway, you’re the lover who taught me everything.”
“Hm?” She lifted up on her elbow and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“You taught me all of a lover’s secrets, baby. You were my first love and all I wanted to do was please you. You just didn’t stick around long enough for me to pull out all of my talent.” He wriggled his brows.
“I definitely reaped the rewards last night.”
“I know the past is a dark cloud lingering above us.” He sat up, propped the pillow against his back. “Eventually we’re going to have to face it head on. Sometimes I feel like it’s an axe ready to come down on us, but talking about it may help.”
“No we won’t. If we ignore it, maybe that cloud will disappear.” She lifted the sheet to cover her nudity. “If it’s in the past, that’s where it should stay.”
“Oh yes we do.” His slid his fingers through her hair. She nudged her head closer, loving the fondness in his touch. “There are things I don’t understand…and things you don’t either. Like my marriage—”
“Oh.” Discomfort skirted its way through her tranquility. “You really don’t owe me an explanation.” Hearing about Tiffany first thing in the morning didn’t settle well on her stomach.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked.
“No. Yes. Hell, I don’t know.” Honesty was the best policy.
“Ask me, Holly.” He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “I know you want to.”
“Did you love her?” she asked.
“Yes, I did,” he said without hesitation.
“Okay.” Why did she feel a stabbing pain in her gut? Instinct warned her that the conversation should stop, but the ball was rolling.
“The love I had for her was different than my love for you.”
“But we were young and stupid. Did either of us really know what love was?”
He slightly shrugged. “I think we did. Sure, we hadn’t experienced a lot of life but we felt something.”
“Why did you marry her?” The question had weighed on her for years.
“Because she was pregnant by another man and I cared for her.”
Confusion filled her mind. “What? She was pregnant by another man?”
“He’d gotten her pregnant and when he found out, he rejected her. She was afraid that her parents would do the same when they heard the news. So, I agreed to marry her. They believed I was the father.”
“And where is the child now?”
“She had a miscarriage. And it wasn’t long after when she was diagnosed with cancer.”
Holly’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry to hear that. How awful that must have been for her, and for you.”
“Although Tiffany and I never loved each other passionately, we did have a good relationship—one of mutual respect and admiration.”
“You were a true gentleman. Who was the missing father?” Getting pregnant as a teen could have been Holly’s experience. She’d had a scare a time or two when she was eighteen.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“She never told you?”
“She said it wasn’t necessary.” He dropped the piece of hair he’d been playing with.
“Whoever he is, he must be afraid you know the truth.”
“If he is, he’s never come forward and said anything.”
“She was lucky to have you. Most men wouldn’t have stepped up and offered to take the responsibility of another man’s child.”
“At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do,” he said. “Tiffany had always looked at things from a positive viewpoint. I’d made mistakes too. I knew firsthand how she felt being with someone who
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