love a man again. When you made such a colossal mistake in judgment once, how could you risk that pain again? “That wasn’t…” Julianna cleared her throat. “I want you.” There. That was good. Basic. Honest. “Do you want me?” Could it be simpler than that?
His hands were loose at his sides. “Baby, do you even need to ask?”
“I’m not looking for promises.” They should be clear on this. “I don’t want forever. I don’t want you to swear that you’ll always be mine.”
His eyelids flickered.
“I want tonight,” she said. “I want you. I want no regrets. I just want as much pleasure as we can handle.”
His gaze held hers. “And everything else? Your sister? The charge against you? Your stalker?”
She hated to think about all of that. “My sister is in New York. She’s safe. The murder charge against me is going to be taken care of—I’ve got the best lawyer in the business.” A lawyer that Ethan had recommended to her. “As for my stalker, she’s locked up.” She still couldn’t believe it had been Heather. Heather had hated her enough to take a shot at her? “So I don’t have to be scared anymore. I can relax and be with you.”
He wasn’t taking her into his arms and giving her one of those awesome-devastating kisses of his. He was just staring at her, his eyes glittering, and she realized that desire might not be enough. Not for Devlin. “You don’t trust me,” Julianna whispered.
His head inclined. “You do like your secrets, don’t you?”
“I told you the truth.”
“
After
you ditched me so that you could run to Ethan.” Now he moved toward her, a slow glide that made her tense. “So before we do anything, we need to get a few things straight.”
Her breath came a little faster. “Maybe this was a mistake. You don’t want me so—”
His hand slid around the curve of her shoulder. “I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted another woman. I look at you, and I ache. I look at you, and I want to be
in
you.”
Okay...
“That’s the first thing we need to get straight.”
With an effort, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want you…so much that it should scare me.” Because she hadn’t planned to give herself to another lover, not so completely, not with the wild abandon she’d had with him…
in that terrible house.
“Are you afraid of me?” His voice was rough, but his gaze seemed worried as it swept over her.
She didn’t answer, not at first, because it wasn’t an easy yes or no question. How did you trust a man when you’d seen how much violence another could deliver? Were you just supposed to put that fear away and act like nothing had ever happened? She couldn’t do that. “Yes, I’m afraid.”
He stepped back. His hand slid from her.
She lunged forward and grabbed his hand. “I’m afraid of the way I feel about you. I’m afraid that I feel too much, far too soon, with you.” And she’d thought that she’d gotten caught up with Jeremy too soon…the attraction she felt for Devlin was
nothing
like what she’d felt for her dead husband. “I’m afraid because…” She would be brutally honest here. “Because we’ve just met and I’m already in too deep with you. Your past is violent, your job is violent, and I don’t want to ever be anyone’s victim again.”
I won’t be.
She’d do whatever was necessary to protect herself.
Even kill.
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “I swear, I will never hurt you.”
She wanted to believe him. She’d also wanted to believe that Jeremy couldn’t have actually hit her or broken her wrist or—
“I am not him,” Devlin said with cold fury, but his fury didn’t seem to be directed at her. “I am not like that bastard, and I never will be. I would sooner cut off my own damn hand than ever lift it against you or any woman.”
She was holding his hand. A strong hand, tanned. A hand that could form a powerful fist. A hand that had caressed her so carefully.
“I have rules,
His hands were loose at his sides. “Baby, do you even need to ask?”
“I’m not looking for promises.” They should be clear on this. “I don’t want forever. I don’t want you to swear that you’ll always be mine.”
His eyelids flickered.
“I want tonight,” she said. “I want you. I want no regrets. I just want as much pleasure as we can handle.”
His gaze held hers. “And everything else? Your sister? The charge against you? Your stalker?”
She hated to think about all of that. “My sister is in New York. She’s safe. The murder charge against me is going to be taken care of—I’ve got the best lawyer in the business.” A lawyer that Ethan had recommended to her. “As for my stalker, she’s locked up.” She still couldn’t believe it had been Heather. Heather had hated her enough to take a shot at her? “So I don’t have to be scared anymore. I can relax and be with you.”
He wasn’t taking her into his arms and giving her one of those awesome-devastating kisses of his. He was just staring at her, his eyes glittering, and she realized that desire might not be enough. Not for Devlin. “You don’t trust me,” Julianna whispered.
His head inclined. “You do like your secrets, don’t you?”
“I told you the truth.”
“
After
you ditched me so that you could run to Ethan.” Now he moved toward her, a slow glide that made her tense. “So before we do anything, we need to get a few things straight.”
Her breath came a little faster. “Maybe this was a mistake. You don’t want me so—”
His hand slid around the curve of her shoulder. “I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted another woman. I look at you, and I ache. I look at you, and I want to be
in
you.”
Okay...
“That’s the first thing we need to get straight.”
With an effort, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want you…so much that it should scare me.” Because she hadn’t planned to give herself to another lover, not so completely, not with the wild abandon she’d had with him…
in that terrible house.
“Are you afraid of me?” His voice was rough, but his gaze seemed worried as it swept over her.
She didn’t answer, not at first, because it wasn’t an easy yes or no question. How did you trust a man when you’d seen how much violence another could deliver? Were you just supposed to put that fear away and act like nothing had ever happened? She couldn’t do that. “Yes, I’m afraid.”
He stepped back. His hand slid from her.
She lunged forward and grabbed his hand. “I’m afraid of the way I feel about you. I’m afraid that I feel too much, far too soon, with you.” And she’d thought that she’d gotten caught up with Jeremy too soon…the attraction she felt for Devlin was
nothing
like what she’d felt for her dead husband. “I’m afraid because…” She would be brutally honest here. “Because we’ve just met and I’m already in too deep with you. Your past is violent, your job is violent, and I don’t want to ever be anyone’s victim again.”
I won’t be.
She’d do whatever was necessary to protect herself.
Even kill.
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “I swear, I will never hurt you.”
She wanted to believe him. She’d also wanted to believe that Jeremy couldn’t have actually hit her or broken her wrist or—
“I am not him,” Devlin said with cold fury, but his fury didn’t seem to be directed at her. “I am not like that bastard, and I never will be. I would sooner cut off my own damn hand than ever lift it against you or any woman.”
She was holding his hand. A strong hand, tanned. A hand that could form a powerful fist. A hand that had caressed her so carefully.
“I have rules,
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