After the Hurt Read Free Page A

breath and find something to give her a momentary distraction. Their first piece of furniture, a couch they’d tucked into the alcove next to an old fireplace, was gone. That made her sad as it was the one they’d celebrated on when they first purchased this building. Not to mention, of course, the many other passionate and intimate moments they had shared before that fire. The alcove now had a cozy table for two. Was it stupid to feel sentimental over an old, worn-out sofa?
    She noticed he’d followed her gaze. If he didn’t remember their escapades, then he’d turned into one hell of a cold, hard man. She was crushed by how much he’d changed, but it didn’t diminish the feelings raging inside her.
    Swifter than she could register her shock, he grabbed her arms, pulling her closer to him as they both now leaned over the bar. In his frenzy, a tray fell to the floor with a crash. Pepper was beyond resisting him. She’d been holding it together up until now. His touch unleashed her; it had been far too long since he’d last laid his hands on her, regardless of his intentions.
    She thought she heard a low growl come from somewhere deep inside him. Pepper sucked in a ragged breath at the intensity etched on his face. A glint of his passion made her heart leap. Oh, maybe, just maybe it wasn’t lost after all. He had to still have some feelings for her. No matter how hard he tried to hide them. They stayed almost nose to nose for what seemed like an eternity. She was dying to scream at him to “Either kiss me or toss me aside; do something!” Pepper knew how deep Tank’s passion ran. He was a complicated man, and intense in everything that he did, from his MMA days to owning a bar restaurant to loving her. It was one of the many reasons she loved him so. Their sexual chemistry was rare and she wanted it back.
    He knew her inside out, every nuance, every mood, and most important, he
understood
her. She refused to believe they’d never have those moments again of quiet intimacy or the wild and exciting lovemaking that was only theirs. Bottom line: Pepper had realized during her travels that she couldn’t live without him anymore.

Chapter 2
    Tank stared into her violet eyes. The ones that had had the ability to turn him inside out. But not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever again. The shock of seeing her after the door slammed shut had been enough to stop his heart. He’d been about to step out from behind the floor-to-ceiling glass-walled wine cooler to do one last check of the details for the engagement party this evening and had frozen mid-step.
    Now she was back in his arms; he was staring into her face. A face he’d loved from the moment he’d laid eyes on her in high school. What the fuck was she doing here? Now, after all this time, without even a peep from her, she’d returned. Where had she been? What had she been doing? Pepper had vanished into thin air. He wanted to rage at her but bit his tongue. The rush of emotions crashed over him and he didn’t trust himself not to say something he’d regret. His actions probably gave away much of what he was feeling but, holy hell, touching her again felt amazingly right, which only confused the fuck out of him even more.
    His breath ceased as if there were a band wrapped tight around his chest squeezing the life out of him. She’d been able to bring him to his knees in the past but, by God, he’d not let it happen anymore, especially after what she’d done. He was still reeling and not thinking straight, unable to believe his eyes. When she’d come through the door just a few minutes ago, Tank had felt like a starved man seeing food for the first time in days.
    He’d watched her weave between the tables with an elegance and grace a dancer would envy. When she’d removed her coat and slid onto the stool, her red leather skirt hiked up to reveal a very familiar, tantalizingly trim thigh, it had nearly done him in. Her long, slender, and yes, magnificent legs had