Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 18896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
She grasped the cardboard edges of the box. “I shouldn’t have run out on you this morning.”
“I understand,” he said, his voice soft. “You were acting on instinct and fear.” He eased himself onto the edge of her desk, too close for her peace of mind but his presence also calmed her.
Unusual, she thought, and very welcome.
She inhaled his masculine scent and sighed. Her emotions raw, she accepted them, no matter how difficult.
“I moved too fast and for that I’m sorry. I’m just crazy in love with you. So the issue is, are you going to run from your feelings because of your past? Or are you going to stay and face them… and give us a chance?”
In that instant, Brandy’s past and present flashed in front of her eyes, a kaleidoscope of memories, some good, some bad, some satisfying, but way too many lonely ones. Lonely by choice not necessity, she thought. Last night she’d chosen Max and last night she hadn’t felt alone or isolated.
She was a woman who’d always prided herself on her ability to stand on her own two feet but he wasn’t asking her to give up her independence and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms.
“Are you going to leave me hanging after a pronouncement like that?”
She slowly shook her head and his devastating smile nearly knocked her off her feet.
A weight she hadn’t been aware of carrying her whole life eased and lifted inside her.
She could run and hide or give the future a chance. No contest, Brandy thought, a smile pulling at her lips.
More than anything else, his ability to own up to his feelings and emotions touched her heart. She could free hers and learn from him. Be independent and still be in love.
If she dared.
His gaze locked with hers. He lifted his hand, revealing a green sprig of mistletoe and holding it up high. “I thought we could try it again.” He extended his free hand, holding it out to her.
Waiting.
She sensed he’d wait as long as she needed but she was through running.
* * *
Brandy rushed into his arms and Max lowered his head for a kiss that felt too long in coming. He’d never admit it out loud but she’d had him sweating. But now she was his.
Her lips were soft and willing, welcoming him. His hands slipped around her waist, beneath the band of her sweatshirt until he encountered soft skin. She let out a faint sigh and leaned back against the desk, letting his body mesh with hers. Her thighs spread and his groin settled hard against her stomach.
But warning bells went off in his head. “Not again, sweetheart. Not until we’ve got a few things settled.”
“Mmm.” She purred in his ear and her hand slipped to the bulge in his jeans.
Max nearly caved right then, but knowing his future was on the line, he forced himself to pull back. He’d messed up once and she’d run at the first opportunity. He wasn’t about to screw up again. “I love you” was saying a hell of a lot for a man who’d always lived alone—but it wasn’t a declaration of future intent. And a woman like Brandy both deserved and needed one.
And for the first time, Max realized, so did he. “Brandy.”
She met his gaze.
“I don’t usually sleep with women I just met.”
She grinned. “That’s good because I feel as if I’ve known you all my life.”
“Then prove it. I’m a slob. I don’t put my clean clothes away, I wear them straight from a pile on the chair. I squeeze the toothpaste from the middle, I drink milk out of the carton, and those are the positives.” He paused, deadly serious. “But I still think we have a chance.”
Her eyes were misty and damp but her smile never dimmed. “I’ve been known to hang stockings from doorknobs and eat Chinese food out of the carton. For breakfast.”
His body protested his prolonged wait in making her his but his mind and heart knew he was doing it right this time. “I go to sleep too late and wake up too early. But I promise to give you the best that I’ve got to make us work. You can trust me and you never have to fear me—” Max never got to finish.