wouldn’t wash out the c anyon roads. If Lex applied a little charm, maybe he could get Kyra to advise him on how to win bac k his lady .
Jessie tried to forget Lex the whole evening. She couldn’t. Despite her efforts, his face haunted her. She missed him. And she was angry with him. Frightened, if truth be told. Steve drove them back to M alibu after the closing act at T he Comedy Store.
Three Margaritas di dn’t dull the ache in her heart . She slipped into bed exhausted by the events of the las t few days. Exhausted by her jangle d emotions, and yet unable to sleep. She lay awake in the darkness, st r oking Duncan’s ear and reviewing her argument with Lex that afternoon again and again.
He hurt her by running out on her like that. He just left her, with no explanation, no promise of returning. It was scary crazy.
Jessie grew up with crazy. She knew enough to give it wide path. She was stunned by the harshness of his confrontation when they did finally meet.
No, it wasn’t worth the heartache. She was wise to walk away.
But you love him.
There was the catch. Jessie sat up and turned on the bedside lamp . She picked up the romance novel she’d started a month ago, before Lex completely swept her away. The pirate i n the story reminded her of Lex with his black attire and his long raven mane. The hero climbed the tree outside the heroine’s room in the cover of darkn ess, entered her window and mad e love to her until stars faded a nd dawn threatened them. A s silently as he’d come, he glided away, his handsome face hidden in the shadows of the rosy dawn so he’d not be recognized and hung as a criminal as he placed himself in jeopardy night after night to be with his lady love.
Jessie tossed the book across the room in disgust. It was supposed to make her forg et Lex, not fantasize about him. The author wasn’t to blame. H er works were flawless, each story a treasure Jessie tucked away to read again and again.
The problem was with her heart. She should hate him. Seriously .
He left. Abandoned her and it hurt mor e than she cared to admit. Jessie wanted someone she could trus t, someone who would be there-- forever.
No man could live up to her romantic fantasies. Kyra pointed that out to her time after time. Overlook the faults, her friend counseled , overlook the maverick spiri t, and enjoy what happiness you could with a man as long as he found you desirable.
Mayb e Kyra could live that way; not Jessie. She turned out the light again , seeking the numbness of sleep to help her forget the pain in her heart. Even there, his image haunted her as Lex crept into her room, and sank onto the bed beside her . . . .
Desperate whining yanked Jessie from the silken depths of slumber. Duncan. Somehow, she’d left him in the hall last night. He was scratching to be let in. She sat forward with a jerk, ready to vault out of bed with an apology on her lips, when the black mass beside her came into focus.
“Lex ? ” Jessie p ulled the covers up about her . “How did you get in here? ”
He sat next to her, his black shirt unbuttoned to display his chiseled chest, his hair long and loose about his shoulders and a sexy smile on his lips . “Steve let me in.”
The r omance novel lay across the room where she’d tossed it last night. The cover displayed a bold hero bare to the waist, a pirate with an eye-patch, long flowi ng hair and a seductive glower . Her eyes moved from the cover to the image larger than life sitting beside her on the bed. Close, too damned close. Lex w as the modern equivalent of that pirate . W hat the hell was he doing sitting beside her bed so early in the morning?
“Marry me , Jessica. ”
Jessie blinked. She had to be dreaming. She pus hed the covers aside and evaded the aberration before her, moving to the bathroom with speed born of sheer panic.
She looked at her appearance in the mirror and cringed. Hung over, she looked like t he walking dead. Her mascara
Jessie tried to forget Lex the whole evening. She couldn’t. Despite her efforts, his face haunted her. She missed him. And she was angry with him. Frightened, if truth be told. Steve drove them back to M alibu after the closing act at T he Comedy Store.
Three Margaritas di dn’t dull the ache in her heart . She slipped into bed exhausted by the events of the las t few days. Exhausted by her jangle d emotions, and yet unable to sleep. She lay awake in the darkness, st r oking Duncan’s ear and reviewing her argument with Lex that afternoon again and again.
He hurt her by running out on her like that. He just left her, with no explanation, no promise of returning. It was scary crazy.
Jessie grew up with crazy. She knew enough to give it wide path. She was stunned by the harshness of his confrontation when they did finally meet.
No, it wasn’t worth the heartache. She was wise to walk away.
But you love him.
There was the catch. Jessie sat up and turned on the bedside lamp . She picked up the romance novel she’d started a month ago, before Lex completely swept her away. The pirate i n the story reminded her of Lex with his black attire and his long raven mane. The hero climbed the tree outside the heroine’s room in the cover of darkn ess, entered her window and mad e love to her until stars faded a nd dawn threatened them. A s silently as he’d come, he glided away, his handsome face hidden in the shadows of the rosy dawn so he’d not be recognized and hung as a criminal as he placed himself in jeopardy night after night to be with his lady love.
Jessie tossed the book across the room in disgust. It was supposed to make her forg et Lex, not fantasize about him. The author wasn’t to blame. H er works were flawless, each story a treasure Jessie tucked away to read again and again.
The problem was with her heart. She should hate him. Seriously .
He left. Abandoned her and it hurt mor e than she cared to admit. Jessie wanted someone she could trus t, someone who would be there-- forever.
No man could live up to her romantic fantasies. Kyra pointed that out to her time after time. Overlook the faults, her friend counseled , overlook the maverick spiri t, and enjoy what happiness you could with a man as long as he found you desirable.
Mayb e Kyra could live that way; not Jessie. She turned out the light again , seeking the numbness of sleep to help her forget the pain in her heart. Even there, his image haunted her as Lex crept into her room, and sank onto the bed beside her . . . .
Desperate whining yanked Jessie from the silken depths of slumber. Duncan. Somehow, she’d left him in the hall last night. He was scratching to be let in. She sat forward with a jerk, ready to vault out of bed with an apology on her lips, when the black mass beside her came into focus.
“Lex ? ” Jessie p ulled the covers up about her . “How did you get in here? ”
He sat next to her, his black shirt unbuttoned to display his chiseled chest, his hair long and loose about his shoulders and a sexy smile on his lips . “Steve let me in.”
The r omance novel lay across the room where she’d tossed it last night. The cover displayed a bold hero bare to the waist, a pirate with an eye-patch, long flowi ng hair and a seductive glower . Her eyes moved from the cover to the image larger than life sitting beside her on the bed. Close, too damned close. Lex w as the modern equivalent of that pirate . W hat the hell was he doing sitting beside her bed so early in the morning?
“Marry me , Jessica. ”
Jessie blinked. She had to be dreaming. She pus hed the covers aside and evaded the aberration before her, moving to the bathroom with speed born of sheer panic.
She looked at her appearance in the mirror and cringed. Hung over, she looked like t he walking dead. Her mascara
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