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Catherine hated the woman already and wanted to say as much, but instead she stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
Dean swiped a hand over his face before he straightened and caught her gaze. “And I was in love with her.”
Catherine paled, suddenly afraid for him to say more. Afraid she wouldn’t be able to withstand what he was about to tell her. She remembered Deanna saying that Dean hadn’t had much luck in the dating arena and knew this must have been what she’d been talking about.
She reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. “What happened?” she asked.
“She cheated on me,” he bit out. “The day I was going to propose to her, I walked in on her with another man.” He grimaced, as if reliving the moment. “She was my whole world, Catherine, and she betrayed me.”
Catherine wanted to do some serious bodily harm to Linda. It was one of the few times in her life, Catherine actually used the B word.
Dean’s head shot backward. “Ouch,” he said with a playful half smile curving his lips.
Catherine shrugged. “All I know is that if she tossed a man like you to the side, then she must’ve been off her rocker.”
“Yeah, well, the point is it’s hard for me to trust because of her. Because of what she did to me. He paused a moment then added, “Sadly, she wasn’t the only girlfriend to walk all over me either.”
“I understand” Catherine said. “It would be difficult for anyone to trust after that.”
“Yes,” he gritted out.
“Is that why you’ve had it in your head that I was lying about my adoption? That I was up to no good?”
“Yeah,” he answered as he reached over and took possession of her hand. Enthralled, Catherine watched as he brought it to his mouth and pressed his lips against her palm. “I’m sorry for being a complete shit,” he said. “I’m sorry for not having faith in you. I know I don’t deserve it, but if you’ll let me I promise to make it up to you.”
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sp; God, her heart was breaking for him. For a man as passionate and loyal as Dean, a betrayal like the one he’d just described would be worse than if the woman had stabbed him in the back with a butcher knife. “It’s okay. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago. It’s in the past.” His gaze caught hers as he said, “The point is, I treated you badly and it wasn’t fair, sweetheart.”
“Yes, you did, but I know why now,” she said, her heart softening for the strong man sitting next to her, baring his soul. “Linda left quite an impression on you, and it’s hard to get over something like that.”
“Yeah, and it’s frustrating as hell.” He frowned, a muscle in his jaw jumping erratically. “I’m no good for you, Catherine.”
“How about I be the judge of that?” She stroked his cheek with her free hand and murmured, “Besides, I only have so much time left in Ohio, and I want to make the absolute most of every minute.”
Dean wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and drew her close. “Mmm, not a bad idea,” he growled as he kissed her. It was so brief and soft, Catherine barely had time to take in his taste before he pulled away. “This evening is for you, sweetheart.”
She had no idea what he meant by that, but when he released her and pushed her backward until she was sprawled atop the cool blankets, Catherine gave up on attempting to think clearly. Her worries about their relationship flew out the window as erotic images of her gorgeous lover filled her head.
Dean, in all his tanned, dark-haired glory, stood and stripped out of his clothes before sprawling out on the bed next to her. His well-muscled body and the intensity in his dreamy hazel eyes were enough to have any woman drooling. The heavy length between his legs made Catherine’s face burn. He was hard and ready and he was all hers.
Catherine tore her gaze away from his erection and searched his face for answers. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve the way she did, but she felt loved in that moment. Was she deluding herself?
Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her stiff body in tight. She was as rigid as a wooden plank, every muscle strung tight with nerves and fears.
“Relax. Leave all the big questions for later. For now, just feel my body against yours,” Dean softly commanded, his voice, so rich and smooth, sliding over her skin, relaxing and firing up her libido at the same time.
“This feels . . . different somehow,” she confessed as she buried her nose into his side.
“What’s different, sweetheart? Talk to me,” Dean asked, his voice a smooth caress.
“I don’t know,” she said, as she attempted to put into words what she felt. “Up until this very moment you didn’t trust me. You made it clear that what was between us was only physical. It doesn’t feel that way now. At least not to me.”
Dean shook his head. “Sweetheart, it hasn’t been purely physical for me since the moment you so bravely came to my front door offering a truce.” He grinned. “You have this soft, giving nature that people respond to, including me. I love that you’re stubborn and shy and funny. Every part of you intrigues me.”
“So it’s not just my red hair you like, huh?”
