Everything to Lose (Moonlight Dating Series #2) Read Free Page B

whining, but she was sadly beyond any sort of reason. Her sanity had flown to Timbuktu with a one-way ticket.
    “Why?” she screamed. Her nerves teetered on the brink of something utterly terrifying.
    The mug felt slick under her tightened fingers . If she added any more pressure, the handmade ceramic would surely shatter in her hand. Her head was a weighty mass that burdened her, drained her. All he gave her was an anguished look that made things worse.
    “I don’t know why you’re telling me this right now and not before we made a whole mess of things… I just can’t…”
    She bit back tears and stood abruptly. Somehow, the noise the chair made as it grated against the tiled floor exasperated her even further. She hated the chair. She hated this kitchen. Hell, she hated this whole house!
    “I just can’t deal with more of this, dammit ! Can’t you see? When you left you showed me I wasn’t good enough for you. That you didn’t want me. That you didn’t want us to be anymore. All I ever wanted was your love, your child, to have a family, to love you back with all my h—heart. But I didn’t stop you from leaving. Perhaps we’re meant to be… apart.”
    Her voice broke, her throat burned. She swallowed and what came down felt like acid that corroded her insides.
    “We let each other go. Now you’re a consultant and I’m an architect. That’s all we have. Our stupid careers.”
    At the last word, she grabbed her mug and flung it with all her strength against the wall. In this violent reaction she transferred all of her aggravation, all of her pain.
    She watched , transfixed , as the dregs of the coffee left brown, streaky stains on the mossy green wall and pieces of colorful ceramic scattered on the pristine tiled floor. Strips of sunlight hit the cheerful bits through the window blinds. Dust floated in the air above them and she had a wild wish that she could be one of those specks – suspended, weightless, mindless.
    Tears fell free. Mortified, she turned and ran upstairs to the sanctuary of her bedroom, praying to find some peace.
    But she should have known he’d follow her. That he wouldn’t let go. Her heart sank when she heard the door creak gently, followed by the sound of feet pattering on the carpet toward her. She huddled on the floor, her head buried between her knees that she hugged to her chest in a tight embrace.
    “Go away.”
    She sensed him close, crouching down, but she was too much of a chicken to raise her head and look him in the eyes. His warm breath teased the baby hairs at her temple, and strong fingers gently buried themselves in her hair, soothingly combing through the thick mass.
    “No,” he stated in a low voice. “I ain’t going away and I won’t leave you again. Never, even if you tell me to.”
    Blood pumped fast through her veins. All it took was the excruciating tenderness of his touch and the deep, rich timbre of his voice to yank her heartstrings out of her grasp.
    “Never.”
     
     

C HAPTER 2
     
    Love surged through Dane, precious and pure. He closed his eyes and savored the way she felt under his touch.
    Fragile yet strong.
    Soft .
    He regretted none of his decisions in life but one: leaving his Lissy.
    And what made him fit to be tied was that it had been all a matter of stupid pride that meant nothing when weighed against the happiness they could have shared, if only he hadn’t been so blind and foolish...
    He 'd had it made. How could he have the world and light out, just like that?
    In business he was like a pit-bull – when everyone else admitted defeat he just kept going until the wind blew in his favor. Giving up was not in his nature.
    Devil take him.
    Of all the things to gamble on, he had to put his marriage on the line when he knew more than anyon e that running away never solved a goddamn thing!
    He’d seen firsthand how pride and cowardice could break the spirit. Bitterness, betrayal, resentment, abandonment – all these were the bread and