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balls off and serve  em for dinner earlier. But now that we re alone, you act like I m going to hit you or
something. I thought you were better than that.
 I ve had almost five hours to think about what you were going to say. You ve always been
somewhat& demonstrative when you re upset. I ve never seen any value to yelling myself hoarse. So no,
I m not looking forward to this. He could practically see frost coming out of her mouth as she spoke.
 You didn t care about my demonstrations at the house.
 At the house, I was angry.
 But you re not anymore. Of course she wasn t, she d had her say. And her say had been six kinds of
insulting, each and every one of them telling him to keep his distance. Just thinking about it pissed him off
all over again.  How convenient for you.
Her mouth twitched and some life snapped in her eyes.  I had every right to be angry. You were
giving your family the wrong impression. On purpose.
Damn right he d done it on purpose.  I was being attentive and you were giving everyone the cold
shoulder because things weren t going your way. I hate to break it to you, querida, but you don t have all
the answers and you re not the only one with something to lose in this situation. Those people are all going
to play an important role in her life now. That means they ll be part of your life, the same as me. Treating
us like shit will kind of get in the way of that.
She rolled her eyes.  I wasn t treating anyone like anything. I was staying out of the way because the
whole point was for them to accept Chloe. Chloe. Why weren t you giving her the grand tour, introducing
her to the relatives, instead of finding new and inventive ways to excuse putting your hands all over me?
He focused on the first accusation& for now.  I did. For as long as she stayed still for it. Unlike you,
she likes people and dove right in.
Color flooded her cheeks in a rush.  What s that supposed to mean?
 It means, he said, taking that step forward she d put between them and another two besides,  you re
getting more and more like your mother with every damn day and it s getting on my fucking nerves.
She froze, her eyes widening while her mouth fell slightly open. He could just see the tops of her
teeth, perfectly white and even.
 What the hell happened to you, Pen? Do you even see the way you re becoming like her? You freeze
people out, shut off your emotions and act like you re too good to be bothered. You re thirty-two fuckin
years old, but you re locked up in clothes and restraints like some goddamned retirement-home lady. You
used to talk about the way you d be when you grew up. That you d go away and do things, make a
difference with your life. Everyone knew you were just waiting to grow up and get out from your mother s
control, but you haven t. And it s wrong for you.
 You don t know what you re talking about.
 Oh, yes, I do. He walked up to her now, invading her space, almost wrapping his hands around her
shoulders, he wanted to shake her so much.  You don t think I paid attention, but I did. I knew you. I knew
who you were under the frills and the manners and all that other shit she used to make you do. You used to
laugh, Pen. I haven t heard you laugh once since I came back. Not a real laugh. It wasn t loud, wasn t
crazy, but fuck, at least you did it. When the hell did you lose what made you special?
That finally seemed to snap her back to reality because she put her hands on his chest and shoved.
 You happened, Raul. You. I spent fifteen years throwing myself at you because I couldn t seem to help it
and you never cared.
He let her move him, shock at her emotional explosion muting his earlier frustration. She pushed
again, as if she thought she could throw him across the room instead of a single step backward.
 Finally, finally, when I thought you felt something for me, all that happened was a horrible drunken
fuck in a closet. A closet, Raul. Nameless, faceless and completely forgettable. She pounded at him,
enough that it actually hurt this time. Or was that only because of what she was saying?  You left and you
never looked back. You destroyed me. Does that make your ego feel better? I thought I lost everything the
day you left, and I ve spent the rest of my life proving myself wrong. Proving to myself if no one else
that you don t matter anymore, and you know what, I ve done a hell of a job.
 So excuse me if I m not special enough for you anymore. Maybe it was the pregnancy afterward that
took a little of the shine off. Or do you think it was surviving medical school with an infant? It could have
been the pointless relationships I tried to have every now and again, each one a little more depressing than
the last. Or maybe, just maybe, it was living with my mother s unflagging disappointment my entire life
because at every single turn, I ve lived up to everyone s lowest expectations.
 And by the way, yes, she s a bitch, okay, but she s my bitchy mother and if you want my respect for
your family you d better damn well have some for mine. Either way, you do not get to decide if I m special,
Raul. You made your mind up a long time ago that I wasn t 
The kiss muffled her words. She shoved at him again, but he didn t let her go. She had to stop talking.
Because everything she was saying was ripping his chest open. He licked at her lips, taking her fists into his
hands and holding them still. She kept trying to hit him, but eventually she stopped fighting. Instead he felt
her lips soften, part and then the darting touch of her tongue against his. She stroked, a warm, wet invitation
that he d have to have been dead for three days to turn down.
Letting go of her hands, he cupped her face, gentling his touch but unable to tamp down the hunger.
His body hardened for her, pushing against her. Her palms slid down his chest, burning a trail to his waist,
where she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled his hips closer. Flush, their bodies strained into each other
from chest to knee.
The kiss slowed, became an exploration. He tasted her lips, drawing the full curve of the bottom one
into his mouth before delving back inside to stroke her tongue with his. His senses filled with her, the taste
of her, the scent and the feel of her. She met him kiss for kiss, rising up on her toes to get that little bit
closer.
When the kiss finally broke, he still held her face cupped in his hands, but the angry fire in her eyes
had cooled, the cobalt color shimmering with unshed tears. With unabashed want. Her lips pink and
swollen, open and moist enough for him to want to pull her right back in.
She stared at him, looking almost tormented.  Why can t I hate you?
Wouldn t everything be easier if she could? He touched her lip with his thumb, caressing it carefully.
 Probably the same reason I don t think I can let you go tonight.
He thought she d get angry again, but all she did was sniff and blink back her tears. Her poise
threatened to return, and with it he knew would go any chance of touching her. Kissing her again. Making
love to her, which he d just told her he meant to do.
A good man would have released his hold and left. A good man would tell her she deserved better
than the way he d treated her all her life. But if there was one thing Raul knew about himself, it was that no
one in their right mind would ever call him good.
 Don t make me let you go, Pen. I won t be able to.
Penelope didn t pretend to misunderstand. Or lie and say she didn t want him just as much.  What
about Chloe? I don t want 
 I ll be gone before she wakes up.
She glanced down at the couch, a flicker of distaste making her flinch. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]