Making Waves by Julie Leto

Author:Julie Leto
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2005-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

DESPITE THE SUBTLE struggle Tessa launched against his embrace, Colton knew that ultimately, she wouldn’t run. Yes, he’d presented a frightening challenge to a woman who’d made an art out of escaping rather than facing her deepest fears, but he had just as much confidence in her latent courage as he did in his resolve to make Tessa see what was undeniably true—they were meant for each other.

With amazing ease, their souls had become intertwined during the writing of their little book of sex, betrayal and divine soap-opera drama. Here on her island, they’d connected more deeply, as if they’d been just as destined to be together as their fictional lovers. Yet in a way, their lovemaking had led them to a fork in the road—an ultimate test. If Tessa couldn’t deal with her past or with the woman she’d become because of Daniel, then Colton couldn’t invest his heart completely by falling in love.

He wasn’t afraid of a woman with neuroses. What woman didn’t have them? Hell, what man didn’t? The whole scenario he’d cooked up to entice Tessa into an affair proved he had his own issues with obsession and control to deal with. But he hadn’t forgotten his core inspiration for their deal. A weeklong fling was fine, but he wasn’t willing to invest any more of his time and emotions in a relationship destined for doom. He didn’t want to call it quits. His affection for her ran too deep. Yet he needed some hint, some clue that she might at some point be able to peel away the layers of her inability to commit to reveal the real, vulnerable, headstrong woman he knew existed. He accepted that her past had shaped her, but he wouldn’t buy that old hurts defined her. She’d been burned, but not charred. Not ruined. Not incapable of trying again.

She sighed, settled into his unflinching embrace and laid her cheek gently on his chest. The scent of her hair tantalized him and the soft sensation of her skin on his made him wonder why he’d had to bring this all up before they’d made love. Sometimes, he could be so dumb.

“You have no idea what frightens me, Colton.”

“No, I don’t know. Not for sure. But something more than your ex has you running scared, Tessa. In fact, you handled him without flinching. Whatever is keeping you from opening up to me will remain a mystery until you let me in.”

She tensed, her back rigid and tight. “If I let you in, if I show you what frightens me, I have to acknowledge my fears myself. I’m tired of being scared, Colton. I just want to live life and enjoy and forget about everything else.”

He held her tighter, brushing a soft kiss on the crown of her head. “You mean live life on the surface, never digging too deep so that you don’t open up a dangerous hole you can’t get yourself out of?”

She snickered humorlessly. “That about sums it up.”

“That’s normal, after all you’ve been through, Tessa.

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