AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yesterday my mother made a few comments once again about me being single and now Dane. As if Dane is even considering dating right now. I later found out that Melanie told him she is seeing someone. She did it quickly when he picked the kids up knowing there’d be no time to talk about it.”
“That’s horrible. Dropping a bomb and then making him sit on it hoping it doesn’t explode.”
“I think their marriage was like that often and it’s better in the long run it didn’t work out. I felt bad for Dane and we talked some when my parents were in the other room. The kids were playing.” She took a deep breath and figured she got this far, might as well say the rest. “I asked him if he thought we were damaged.”
“Damaged?” Royce asked. “If anyone should be, it’s me for the way my mother has been and I don’t think I’m damaged. Why would you think you are?”
“Dane didn’t think it either. We are both adopted. We’ve known it most of our lives. My parents were open about it. I remember Dane coming home one day when he was in elementary school and asking why my parents were blondes and we weren’t. I think they figured it was the best time to finally tell us.”
“How old were you?” he asked.
“Five, I think. It was hard to understand what they were saying, but I got it. I believed them when they said it was never meant to be a secret, but they had to figure out the time to tell us so that we understood.”
“Were you hurt or upset by it?”
“No,” she said honestly. “I accepted it. I didn’t see a reason not to. Even back then I knew it was not like I could change anything. I know my biological mother’s name. It was an open adoption. I was a few days old when I went home with them. My birth mother was a teenager, no father listed. Either she didn’t know or didn’t say. Dane was three months old when he was adopted. Same situation. Teen parent who thought they could handle it and realized they couldn’t.”
“Which had to be harder yet to let go of,” he said.
“I’m sure, but neither of us has ever thought of that life. We love our parents and they gave us a good one, but I do wonder at times iftheythink we are damaged. I’m still single and in my mother’s eyes, unbending to compromise if I even meet a guy. Dane’s marriage failed.”
“Lots of marriages fail,” he said.
She knew that. “My parents often ask if I’m skittish because of Dane’s marriage and I’m not sure how many times I have to tell them that it has nothing to do with it or me. Maybe I just haven’t found the right person yet? Maybe I am unbending? No clue. I think I’ll figure it out when it happens. But in the meantime...here we are.”
“Here we are,” he said.
“We know the Fierces and your father seem to think we are a good fit,” she said. “I’m not sure I like that someone else is trying to pair me up.”
“The same,” he said. “My father isn’t normally like this and I’m not sure why he is now. I want to think Grant and Garrett put a bug in his ear, but I can’t put the blame on them either.”
“No,” she said. “I know they mean well. They are having fun too, but I’m not sure I’m ready or willing to go along.”
“Which is why rule number one—no one knows,” he said.
She nodded her head. “Not the Fierces. Not my family nor my friends or coworkers.”
“My father won’t know. Neither will coworkers or my sister.”
“Rule number two,” she said. “We need to make sure there is enough chemistry between us to get further down the list of rules.”
He smirked at her and the juices that had been slowly being squeezed in her body just let loose and all but flooded her.
His hair was a little messy as if he’d run his fingers through it. He had a tight cotton shirt on that let her see he had some pretty damn good arms on him. But she knew that already having worked with him for years in the warmer weather when he was wearing T-shirts.
Jeans were his normal attire and he had the same on today. No shoes or boots though, just socks and she saw he had some pretty big feet to go with his hands and the rest of his body.
He stood up and held his hand out. “Do we try this chemistry?” His dark blue eyes were almost dancing mischievously.
“It’s the only way to find out,” she said, standing. “Otherwise the rest of this process is a waste.”
There was a rumble low in his throat that turned her on even more. In her eyes the chemistry was clearly there, but it’s not like he could see it.
“I don’t think it’s a waste, but we’ll find out.”
She put her hand in his and he yanked her hard into his chest, she landed with a thud and a laugh, then his hand slipped into her hair and held her head in place while his mouth lowered to hers.
There was nothing slow with this kiss. It was hard and it was fast and it was aggressive.
