Loving Lena Read Free Page A

everyone knew she'd been cheating, than I cared about the marriage being over, I let it go. I didn't miss her, although it was nice having someone in the house. I didn't want her back even when she made the offer.”
    “Your ex wanted you back?”
    “Doesn't yours?” He leaned back, watching the expressions chase across her face, which surprised him. It’d been a while since he met anyone so open. It was refreshing. Maybe he’d reconsider his one-date rule. Somehow he didn’t think once would be enough. She had an interesting mix of innocence and fire. It lay banked, smoldering beneath the surface. Her husband obviously didn’t realize the gem he had. Tough. His ignorance was Kurt's delight.
    She nodded slowly, thinking. “Yeah, he's sorry and wants me to stop the divorce. He wants me to come home.” She shook her head. “There's no way I could ever trust or forgive him.”
    Trust, from his experience, was a touchy subject. While he was glad she wasn’t interested in returning to the fool who let her go, he didn’t want her so hardened by her past she couldn’t move on. Most people were imperfect and could be forgiven most things. “Why? Why can't you forgive him?”
    She sighed and shook her head. “I don't want to talk about him right now.” A knock sounded at the door. He swore beneath his breath at the interruption.
    He stood and looked at the door. “Yes?”
    Jeff, his best friend and top salesman, opened the door. His eyes swept the room, looking between the two occupants.
    “Sorry to disturb you.” He frowned slightly. “Faye's looking for you. She's made a decision about a car.” He offered a small smile in her direction as she walked past him, but sent a puzzled frown to Kurt.
    “Don't ask,” Kurt said following her out the door.

Chapter 2
     
    Lena left Faye at the dealership to complete the paperwork for her new car. Her conversation with Kurt had slashed open the new scabs on her heart.
    Kurt. She closed her eyes remembering the blue-green eyes that laid her soul bare. It wasn't his six plus feet of muscular perfection that grabbed her attention. Or his wavy black-brown thick hair layered perfectly around his angular face, with high cheekbones and straight narrow nose topped off an interesting masculine package. She’d dated more handsome men.
    Without a doubt, she would've overlooked all of that if it weren't for his over-whelming self-confidence. At a time when hers was at an all time low, his strength of conviction penetrated her morass of self-hatred, and offered a balm for her bruised ego. His words made her think, and that was a good thing.
    After parking her car in the driveway, she leaned back against the headrest and swallowed hard. What did she feel? Embarrassment? Most definitely. Pain? Yeah, that too. Did the hurt stem from the humiliation or her romantic heart? After years of trying to fit in and be what her husband wanted, she questioned her heart for the first time. Was that love? What did she feel for the man? Sure, she burst with pride when he delivered powerful sermons and people responded. Pride? There had to be more.
    Had her body ever quivered in desire when he touched her, looked at her? Had he even looked at her the way Kurt did, with hungry eyes? Searching her memory, she couldn’t place a time when her ex looked at her with half the heat the man she’d just met had. Of course, he wanted to have sex with her. But hadn’t Elijah? She shook her head and leaned back against the seat rest. Did she miss being with him? Seeing his sardonic smile, hearing his voice, or the way he watched her take care of him. Why didn’t her body ache for him?
    Their sex life was a series of hit and misses. More misses since she was being honest. The man had been a virgin on their wedding night and had no idea of foreplay. He’d never gotten the hang of it. She’d chalked it up to being a Christian, buried her sexual desires, and focused on being a good wife.
    What if there was more?