doubts.
He wandered the room, his movements restless.
“Everyone expected the worst from me and it was just easier to give them what they wanted. I was too busy thumbing my nose at the world to think about the long-term consequences of what I was doing.”
“You were a kid.”
He speared her with the harsh glitter of his gaze. “I was an adult, old enough to know better.”
She expected him to close the gap, to finish what he’d started last night now that she knew the truth and the past wasn’t a wall standing between them. Instead, he shook his head.
He turned away from her and headed for the door.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“Why would you do that?”
He shot her a glance over his shoulder and shifted on his feet. For the first time, Willow realized he was nervous. That shocked her.
“You deserved the truth. It never occurred to me that you thought I’d left you and gone to her. If I’d known...”
His mouth twisted. His eyes filled with concern and...regret. He was worried about her. She had family, although her parents had moved to the Georgia coast several years ago for the sunshine and sand. She had friends—several women she counted as close and knew would be there for her if she ever needed them. But she’d been on her own for a very long time—design school, establishing a business and all the sacrifices that went along with it.
She couldn’t remember the last time someone had been concerned about her.
“Don’t go,” she found herself saying.
Dev’s body stilled. The tension that had been tightening his muscles slowly leaked out. The sharp line of his shoulders rounded. With deliberate movements, he turned back to her.
He stood there, his hard, masculine body framed by the utter femininity of her workroom. She couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes dropped to the ridge pushing hard against his fly. And she remembered. The feel of him against her, inside her. She wanted more.
Although nothing had changed. Maybe some of their history had been revised, but Dev hadn’t changed. Not really. Instinctively, she knew that he was still a loner. Sinful. Dangerous. And he could still hurt her.
But she couldn’t let him go. Maybe this was her chance to discover her own sensuality. To let him show her just how desirable she could be. To revel in the buzz of electricity that snapped between them. She’d never felt that with anyone else.
Unlike before, she had no girlish notions about what was happening. This was about right now and nothing more.
She realized she was staring at his straining fly, hunger and heat crashing through her. Her face flushed. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, licking her lips.
Dev’s sharp intake of breath and the pressing weight of his gaze pinned her to the floor. She wasn’t sure she could have walked away even if she’d wanted to.
With sinewy grace, he pushed away from the door and stalked closer. He looked down into her upturned face. His eyes were dark and this close she could see the emotions roiling beneath the surface, ones she knew instinctively he wanted to keep in check.
Slowly, he reached for her, running a single finger over the curve of her jaw.
“This is your chance to tell me to get lost. Tonight there are no masks, no past, nothing to hide behind. Just me and you and the craving that’s always been there between us.”
Two nights ago she’d made a reckless decision and done something foolish, let this man into her bed and her body. She could tell herself that if she’d known who he was, she never would have let him touch her.
But today her body called her ten kinds of liar.
“I’m sorry.” The apology slipped out before she even knew she was going to say it.
He didn’t pretend ignorance. “You keep saying that, but you’ve done nothing to apologize for.”
“Maybe not, but I feel responsible.”
“For something your sister did ten years ago?”
“For believing the worst of you for ten years.”
His lips
He wandered the room, his movements restless.
“Everyone expected the worst from me and it was just easier to give them what they wanted. I was too busy thumbing my nose at the world to think about the long-term consequences of what I was doing.”
“You were a kid.”
He speared her with the harsh glitter of his gaze. “I was an adult, old enough to know better.”
She expected him to close the gap, to finish what he’d started last night now that she knew the truth and the past wasn’t a wall standing between them. Instead, he shook his head.
He turned away from her and headed for the door.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“Why would you do that?”
He shot her a glance over his shoulder and shifted on his feet. For the first time, Willow realized he was nervous. That shocked her.
“You deserved the truth. It never occurred to me that you thought I’d left you and gone to her. If I’d known...”
His mouth twisted. His eyes filled with concern and...regret. He was worried about her. She had family, although her parents had moved to the Georgia coast several years ago for the sunshine and sand. She had friends—several women she counted as close and knew would be there for her if she ever needed them. But she’d been on her own for a very long time—design school, establishing a business and all the sacrifices that went along with it.
She couldn’t remember the last time someone had been concerned about her.
“Don’t go,” she found herself saying.
Dev’s body stilled. The tension that had been tightening his muscles slowly leaked out. The sharp line of his shoulders rounded. With deliberate movements, he turned back to her.
He stood there, his hard, masculine body framed by the utter femininity of her workroom. She couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes dropped to the ridge pushing hard against his fly. And she remembered. The feel of him against her, inside her. She wanted more.
Although nothing had changed. Maybe some of their history had been revised, but Dev hadn’t changed. Not really. Instinctively, she knew that he was still a loner. Sinful. Dangerous. And he could still hurt her.
But she couldn’t let him go. Maybe this was her chance to discover her own sensuality. To let him show her just how desirable she could be. To revel in the buzz of electricity that snapped between them. She’d never felt that with anyone else.
Unlike before, she had no girlish notions about what was happening. This was about right now and nothing more.
She realized she was staring at his straining fly, hunger and heat crashing through her. Her face flushed. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, licking her lips.
Dev’s sharp intake of breath and the pressing weight of his gaze pinned her to the floor. She wasn’t sure she could have walked away even if she’d wanted to.
With sinewy grace, he pushed away from the door and stalked closer. He looked down into her upturned face. His eyes were dark and this close she could see the emotions roiling beneath the surface, ones she knew instinctively he wanted to keep in check.
Slowly, he reached for her, running a single finger over the curve of her jaw.
“This is your chance to tell me to get lost. Tonight there are no masks, no past, nothing to hide behind. Just me and you and the craving that’s always been there between us.”
Two nights ago she’d made a reckless decision and done something foolish, let this man into her bed and her body. She could tell herself that if she’d known who he was, she never would have let him touch her.
But today her body called her ten kinds of liar.
“I’m sorry.” The apology slipped out before she even knew she was going to say it.
He didn’t pretend ignorance. “You keep saying that, but you’ve done nothing to apologize for.”
“Maybe not, but I feel responsible.”
“For something your sister did ten years ago?”
“For believing the worst of you for ten years.”
His lips
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