Roman Reunion (Destination: Desire) Page 14

  “I love you, Karen.” His thumbs stroked over the back of her hands, sending little tingles over her skin. “I will love you to my dying day.”

  Him saying that, on his knees. Now, there was a nice little fantasy come true. “I’m not sure I can—”

  His hands tightened on hers. “Trust isn’t something that’s built overnight, sweetheart, especially once it’s been broken. Give me the time, the chance, to convince you.”

  “What would that entail?” She licked her lips and his gaze shifted to her mouth, awareness shimmered between them, but she refused to let herself be distracted. She tugged on his hands and he met her eyes again.

  “Not fighting to keep me out of your life would be a good start. I’ll fight just as hard to stay in it, and we’ll just hurt each other more. I don’t want that, but I can’t—I can’t—stay away.” He swallowed hard. “Don’t ask it of me. Anything else but that.”

  She pulled in a slow breath and let it out. There was no denying that she was still scared, still worried. What would it take to make her feel more secure? “Okay, I won’t try to keep you out of my life, but I have conditions.”

  His big body froze as her words hit him, and she saw hope and joy fill his gaze. His fingers clenched on hers painfully. “Name them. Anything.”

  “First, I want couples counseling. I think we’re going to need a referee for a while.” She’d asked for this a year before she’d filed for divorce, and he’d flatly refused.

  “Done,” he stated. “We can find a counselor here in HMB.”

  Well, that had been the easy condition. The next one he was going to like a lot less. “Second, I want you to sign the divorce papers and give them to me.”

  Fear spasmed across his face. “Karen.”

  She didn’t back down, kept her expression dead serious. “You said I could ask you for anything. That’s what I’m asking. I will give you one more chance and if you mess it up, if you hurt me or make me feel in any way like I’m less important than your work or your father or anyone else, I get to file those papers. That’s my deal. Take it or leave it.”

  A shudder ran through him, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You’ll tell me before you file them?”

  “Yes, but you will not fight me on the divorce if you blow this chance.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Do we have a deal?”

  “Yes. We have a deal.” He brought her hand to his lips, turned it over and kissed her palm. “You won’t regret this, Karen. I love you.”

  She tugged her hands away, then cupped his face. “I love you too, and that’s the only reason you’re getting this last shot. You’re lucky we had Rome.”

  His eyes looked a bit damp, and a beautiful, tender smile curved his mouth. It was the smile that had always been just for her, that told her how precious she was to him. She’d always loved that smile.

  He leaned into her touch. “I will always be grateful for Rome. Because it gave you to me the first time, and then gave you back to me when I was foolish enough to let you go. It’s my favorite city in the world. Though I have a feeling this one is going to be a close second.”

  Pushing her chair back, she rose and he scrambled to his feet. His hands twitched as if he wanted to grab her. Afraid she’d make a run for it? She guessed they both had some worries to work through. They’d have to do that together. That felt right, and some of the tension seeped out of her. They could do this, if they wanted to, if they were willing to put in the effort. But they both had to be all in. That was the most terrifying part, but the payoff if things went well? Priceless.

  She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “So, you leased an office, huh?”

  “Yes, I did.” He stroked her hair away from her face, and she realized how much she’d missed his hands on her.

  Her lips twisted, and she hesitated before she put voice to her next thought. “Are you thinking about buying a house here or just renting for now?”

  “Buying.” His penetrating gaze speared her. “Why? Is there a house you want?”

  “There’s this big old Victorian with a huge yard, right on the beach. It used to be an inn, but went under a couple of years ago and no one’s bought it.” She shrugged. “I always loved walking by it as a kid, but it probably needs serious renovations.”

  “That’s what contractors are for,” he said reasonably. “It can’t hurt to look.”

  She fished her purse out of a desk drawer. “Okay, we can look.”

  “Right now?” Hopefulness lilted his words. “I can call the realtor that showed me my new office. I’m sure she’d be happy to show us any house. When are you off work?”

  “Um.” She glanced at the clock in the corner of her computer screen. “An hour ago. I’m still getting my bearings.”

  Quickly saving her spreadsheet, she shut down for the night. It was past time to go.

  Empathy darkened his brown eyes. “And you have nothing to go home to, so why bother? I know that feeling all too well.”

  She poked a finger at his shoulder. “I’m not agreeing to move in with you yet. I’m just saying there’s a house I like.”

  “Understood.”

  His reply was so swift, she almost grinned. “If I asked for a pony right now, you’d go for it, wouldn’t you?”

  One eyebrow arched. “What color pony?”

  She did grin then. He smiled back, and her heart skipped a beat. Hope tangled with uncertainty. This was going to be hard. She wouldn’t lie to herself about that. Rebuilding trust was going to be a rough road to travel for both of them.

  She slung her purse strap over her shoulder, heading for the door. She turned back just before she reached it. “Tate?”

  “Yeah?” He must have sensed some of her feelings, because he immediately pulled her into his arms. She sighed, relaxing against him.

  Honesty was going to need to be a big part of their relationship recovery, so she met his gaze and admitted, “I’m scared.”

  He let his forehead drop to meet hers, never breaking eye contact. “Me too. Scared I’ll screw this up, scared I’m going to get my heart dropkicked if you change your mind.”

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  He kissed her then, and their lips clung. It was slow and soft and just right. Their tongues twined and they explored each other, so much love and longing in the kiss that it made her heart squeeze. Warmth swirled inside her, rising to a wicked heat. She ran her hands over him, outlining every muscle and curve with her fingertips. It was as if years had passed since she’d touched him, rather than a few days. He seemed just as unable to stop himself from stroking her body. His fingers sifted through her short hair, cradling the back of her head while he scraped his teeth over her lower lip. She moaned low in her throat when he gently broke the contact.

  “I love you, Karen.” His voice shook with emotion. “You are the most important thing in my life, and I will never give you a reason to believe otherwise. I promise.”

  She balled her fingers in the front of his polo. “I’m holding you to that.”

  The smile she loved lit his face. “Do that.”

  Epilogue

  Eight months later…

  Tate had kept all his promises. Every single one of them. He’d kept his client list restricted so he could come home to Karen every day at a reasonable hour. He’d taken on two partners so that he could share the workload, and so that he didn’t feel the need to control every detail the way his father did. He’d flatly refused to let Robert draw him back into any of the cases at the Patton family firm.

  And he had reminded her every single day that he loved her, that he’d learned his lesson very well, that she was the most precious part of his life.

  He’d also managed to knock her up, but he didn’t know that yet. That was her little surprise to him. A housewarming gift, since they were finally moving in to the renovated inn. It had been in rough shape, but working with the contractors to restore it had given her something to talk to Tate about at times when she’d struggled ag
ainst lashing out from old angers, when the fear of how badly he could hurt her again had almost let her shove him out of her life for good.

  They’d seen a counselor for the first couple of months, and he’d been there for every single appointment. No excuses, no letting anything else get in the way. There were a lot of days at first that had been touch and go, but he’d held on, just as he’d said he would. He’d taken everything she’d dished out until the pockets of bitterness that she’d had to excise had disappeared one by one.

  Rain pattered against the window of one of the smaller bedrooms on the second floor. She already had plans to make the room a nursery. Leaning against the windowsill, she watched Tate jog from the woodshed to the house, his arms piled with logs for the fire. Happiness expanded inside her until she just couldn’t contain it, and a smile burst across her lips.

  The holidays were right around the corner, and she couldn’t believe the changes a single year wrought. Last Christmas, they’d broken up. This Christmas, she couldn’t imagine her life without him. And life was pretty damn good.

  Her friends and family would be over later for an unpacking party, which would be a lot more joyous than the last one she’d had at her apartment. Francesca intended to put in an appearance—she’d been surprisingly supportive of Tate’s career shift. Robert was busy with work tonight, of course. Tate’s sister would show up too, and Laurel combined with Anne promised to be an outrageous and hilarious time.

  But right now, Karen was content to spend her first few hours in her new home with just her husband for company. She heard the front door slam and then his footsteps thudded against the stairs. She left the future nursery and joined him in the master suite, where he was stacking logs in the grate.

  “I’m glad you brought some wood in. I thought we could break in the fireplace now.” After walking over to a box shoved against the wall, she rifled through it until she found what she was looking for.

  “Sure.” He reached for the matchbook sitting on the mantel. “I think I know which box downstairs has marshmallows in it, if you want to roast some.”

  “Marshmallows are good.” She held out a folded sheaf of papers. “You can use this as kindling.”

  She watched comprehension break over his face as he realized she was offering him the signed divorce papers. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The silence was so complete she could hear every breath he took.

  So many emotions flickered across his expression, she couldn’t pinpoint them all. He swallowed. “You don’t have to. If it makes you feel safer—”

  “It doesn’t. It did. But I don’t need it anymore.” And she didn’t. He’d worked his ass off to convince her that he was a changed man, and she’d seen the truth herself. She felt it every time he touched her, smiled at her, came home to her on time. He’d more than proven himself, and…she trusted him. It was that simple. “All I need is you. I love you, Tate.”

  Tate’s heart just stopped. Disbelief and hope flooded him. A tremor ran through his fingers as he reached for the papers she proffered. “Are you really sure?”

  Her green gaze shone with love and she nodded. “I adore you. More importantly, I have faith in you, in our marriage. If we run into more problems, I trust that we can make it through them. We’re in this together. No more divorce petition needed.”

  He tossed the sheaf on top of the firewood, then offered her the matchbook. “Why don’t you do the honors?”

  She didn’t hesitate, striking a match and setting the papers on fire. She dusted her hands off, nodding in satisfaction. “There.”

  Gratitude flooded him. Thank God he’d gone on that impromptu trip to Rome. Thank God Karen had been there too and he’d been smart enough to ask her for another shot at marriage. Thank God he’d escaped the family law firm. He’d never been the type to count on coincidence, but so many pieces had fallen into exactly the right place at exactly the right time, he couldn’t call it anything other than fate or destiny or plain, dumb luck. He was just so damn glad for all of it.

  After pulling her into his embrace, he buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her sweet scent. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” She rubbed a hand up and down his back in slow sweeps.

  “I meant…thank you for giving me a second chance.” He leaned back to look at her. “Thank you.”

  “You made the most of the opportunity, Patton.” Her grin was cheeky and she reached up to tweak his chin. “Good job.”

  A short laugh spilled out of him. “Awesome.”

  “I can make your day even better.” Secrets danced in her gaze, and dimples tucked into the corners of her mouth.

  He shook his head. “There’s no way today could be any better.”

  “Yeah, it could.” She grabbed his hand and moved it down to lie against the curve of her belly.

  It took him a moment to get the message, but when it did, his knees actually went weak. She was pregnant. They were having a baby. He was going to be a father. “Holy shit.”

  “Yep, that was my thought too.” She chuckled, delight shining in her eyes. “Two pink lines on the pregnancy test this morning. Holy shit.”

  Pure joy and utter contentment wound through him. The last few months had been the finest of his life. When Karen had left a year ago, he couldn’t even conceive of being happy again. But this…this was as close to perfect as he’d ever been. The future looked amazing—his wife back in his life, a baby on the way. The new house and thriving law practice were just icing on the cake.

  “You’re right, sweetheart. It’s even better now. The best day of my life.”

  About the Author

  Crystal Jordan began writing romance after she finished graduate school and needed something to fill the hours that used to be eaten away by homework. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a university in California, but has lived and worked all over the United States. She writes contemporary, paranormal, futuristic and erotic romance.

  To learn more about Crystal please visit www.crystaljordan.com. Send an email to Crystal at crystal@crystaljordan.com or join her mailing list to get updates about Crystal’s contests and new books! www.crystaljordan.com/newsletter.

  Look for these titles by Crystal Jordan

  Now Available:

  Edge of Night

  Demon’s Caress

  Wasteland: The Wanderer

  Treasured

  Forbidden Passions

  Stolen Passions

  Fleeting Passions

  Illicit Passions

  Unbelievable

  If You Believe

  Believe in Me

  Make Me Believe

  In the Heat of the Night

  Total Eclipse of the Heart

  Big Girls Don’t Die

  It’s Raining Men

  Crazy Little Thing Called Love

  Destination: Desire

  Vegas Vacation

  Hawaiian Holiday

  Italian Interlude

  Roman Reunion

  Coming Soon:

  Alaskan Adventure

  What happens on the island, lingers in the heart.

  Hawaiian Holiday

  © 2013 Crystal Jordan

  Destination: Desire, Book 2

  Julie Simms moved back to Half Moon Bay to take over her ailing great aunt’s fiber arts store, and stayed by her side until the end. Now it’s Julie’s first Christmas without the sassy old lady, and grief drives her to take some much-needed time off away from a town full of memories.

  A week in Honolulu—hula dancers, coconut palms, and sunny beaches—is exactly what she needs, plus a bonus: meeting a gorgeous man who makes her forget everything except getting naked. With him. As often as possible.

  Stanford Professor Lukas Klein, who’s just finished up a conference and is ready for a break, hasn’t been this intensely attracted to a woman since his divorce. He’s been leery of getting too deeply involved in a relationship, yet Julie is a breath of fresh air he can’t resis
t. And doesn’t even want to try.

  Half Moon Bay and Stanford aren’t that far apart, but the magic of paradise could be too far removed from reality to let an attraction this mind-blowing last forever.

  Warning: Crochet bikinis and sex on the beach (the drink and the real thing). Hawaiian breezes ignite an affair hot enough to reanimate a dormant volcano.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Hawaiian Holiday:

  “Would you care to share my taxi?” a deep voice called from behind her. “We’re going to the same place, it seems.”

  Turning, she saw a tall man holding open the door to a cab. He was…sexy. Dark hair, serious blue eyes, angular features that contrasted with a sensual mouth. She took a few steps forward, her feet moving without any direction from her brain. Seriously, anyone that good to look at deserved a closer inspection. She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze by the time she stopped. And he looked even better from this angle. Something about him made her heart skip a beat.

  He leaned toward her, closing some of the distance between them. She didn’t back away. Somehow, it felt just right to have him in her personal space. His eyes crinkled at the corners, though he didn’t smile. “Should I take your coming over as a yes?”

  “Yes.” The word came out throatier and more inviting than she meant it to.

  His gaze dropped for just a moment to where her damp T-shirt clung to her breasts, and her breath caught, a shiver of utterly sexual awareness passing through her. Her nipples tightened. She wanted to tell herself it was from the breeze on her wet clothes, but it would have been a lie. Her reaction to this man was hot, instantaneous—a lightning strike of sheer need.

  Mmm-hmm. She could only hope she wasn’t drooling. A flush burned her cheeks. Wow, she hadn’t realized she was this hard up. Okay, so it had been a while since she’d let herself enjoy the company of a man. Not since before Auntie’s first stroke. She lifted her chin. It was time to get on with living her life, even if it would always be a little bit emptier without Eloise.

  Tilting her head, Julie looked the dark-haired man over one more time. Maybe not the most gorgeous guy she’d ever seen, but definitely the sexiest she’d been around in a long time. Hello, animal magnetism. She knew her attraction showed in her expression, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The tingle of warmth spreading through her felt pretty good.