Deeper Than the Ocean by Julie Ann Walker

Author:Julie Ann Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Limerence Publications LLC
Published: 2021-05-31T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

12:11 PM…

Chrissy’s throat closed up.

Sweat popped out on her upper lip at the same time panic rose inside her.

Is someone stabbing me in my pupils? It sure felt like it. That, or she was milliseconds away from bursting into tears.

But why?

Was it because hearing those words on Wolf’s lips sounded like poetry? Made her feel more alive than ever? Made her feel worthy and adored in a way she never had before?

She’d spent her entire life trying not to become her mother, and all it took was one overused phrase to have her wanting to ditch those hard-learned life lessons.

Those words, when spoken by a man who was staring at her with a sincerity in his eyes that flamed so hot it burned her from the inside out, had power. They made her want to believe.

No wonder Josephine had fallen so easily so many times. A person could become addicted to hearing those words.

But it’s not real! she silently reminded herself. It’s just hormones and brain chemistry, and when that fades, what’s left? Will there be anything left?

There never had been for her mother.

Her voice sounded like seashells stuck in a garbage disposal when she finally said, “You don’t, Wolf. Not really. You want me. There’s a difference.”

A muscle ticked in the side of his jaw. His next words were measured. “There are a few things I’m good at, Christina. Knife play, navigation, and puttin’ up with the machinations of a big, boisterous family.”

Not for the first time, she imagined him surrounded by an adoring crowd of nieces and nephews. Although, if she was honest with herself, her mind’s eye conjured other children into the mix. Little ones who shared his flashing, dark eyes, and her straight, slightly upturned nose.

“But what I’m really, really good at is knowin’ my own mind,” he continued. “I do want you, darlin’. More than I’ve ever wanted another woman. But it’s more than that. I’ve fallen in love with you. With your smart mouth and quick wit. With how you get quiet and introspective when you’re out fishin’. With how you always mean what you say and say what you mean and—”

“Wolf—” she tried to interrupt, but he talked right over her.

“I’m not braggin’ or anything, but I’ve known my fair share of women. Have even been downright infatuated with a few of ’em. And yet, I’ve never felt a connection like the one I feel with you.”

“Wolf—” she tried again, but a strong gust of wind whistled by outside and rattled the fronds of the saw palmetto against the side of the house, distracting her.

The storm was nearly upon them. Its tumultuous arrival matched the emotions roiling inside her.

“Wolf”—this time she managed to finish her thought—“what happens six weeks from now or six months from now when we’ve scratched our itch and we’re no longer running on that heady, tingly feeling? Are you willing to settle for comfort in place of adventure? For convenience in place of excitement? I think if you’re

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