Page 113 of Big Bad Wolfe

Breathing rapidly, he pulled away and clenched his hands at his sides, battling the terror that taunted him. The mocking scorn that tempted him to bolt.

His knuckles brushed something small and hard on the mat, and he picked it up. He looked at the piece of sea glass Casey had given him. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket when he’d scooped up his clothes.

Zane studied the cobalt stone glistening in his palm with wonder and growing realization. Like the glass, he’d arrived in Cape Hope brittle and broken, but Jillian and Casey had tumbled him sideways and upside down … and begun to smooth his rough edges.

If he hung around long enough, maybe—

His throat constricted. Was it possible Jillian and Casey had been purposely thrust into his life to tilt his world on its axis? To turn him upside down and inside out?

To heal him?

The thought shattered his remaining defenses, and his heart fisted in painful yearning.

To have a wife and child to love … Who loved him back …

Emotions tangled inside him, tying him into knots of uncertainty. Jillian was unconditionally offering him what he’d longed for all his life.

A family.

He loved her. With everything he had. Everything he was.

But he didn’t know how to put that love into action.

He swallowed the stinging lump in his throat. Jillian knew how. She loved freely, with complete acceptance. Maybe if he told her everything, maybe if she understood where he came from, she could teach him.

He traced an unsteady finger down her pert nose. “Take a shower with me.”

She tilted her head, considering him. Smiled. “All right.”

“Then I have a story to tell you.” He gulped. “It’s ugly. No happy ending. But I … I want to stop running.”

Her lovely features softened, her eyes glowing. “That’s a very brave decision.” The empathy in her voice enfolded him like a down comforter. “And don’t worry about the story, we can write the sequel differently.”

Smiling despite the looming dread waiting to pounce, he stood and helped her to her feet. “Those rose-colored glasses must be made of tungsten. They’re beginning to look real appealing.”

She kissed him. “They’re big enough for two.”

They blew out the candles, gathered their scattered clothing. Naked, they walked upstairs hand-in-hand. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Most women hid their nakedness either under the sheets, or the cover of darkness. Even when coaxed to reveal themselves, they seemed unable to resist pointing out their flaws. Flaws he hadn’t noticed and still didn’t see, even after they insisted otherwise.

Not Jillian. She was refreshingly unselfconscious with him, as if they’d been lovers for years.

He urged Jillian to climb in the shower so she could warm up while he found her emerald robe, his drawstring pants, and Casey’s child monitor. Returning to the bathroom, he locked the main door, opened the glass shower door and stepped into the steamy enclosure. His gaze cruised over her glistening feminine curves. “Damn, woman, you knock the air right out of me.”

And she was his for the asking. His breath returned, hitched in his throat with the possibility.

“Thank you.” Her gaze swept him from head to toe. “You’re magnificent yourself, Wolfie.”

He couldn’t resist moving closer to capture her honeyed mouth and she eagerly returned his kiss. The silky heat of her tongue tangled with his, then she planted her hands on his chest and applied gentle pressure. “Are you stalling for time?”

“No. Maybe. Okay, probably. But I have an irresistible, wet, naked goddess right here and … waste not, want not.”

She grinned. “A philosophy I can totally get onboard with.”

Grinning back, he slathered his hands with soap and advanced on her.

She squeaked and squirmed as his soapy hands slicked over her. “I can wash myself.”

“Yeah.” He snuggled her against him, his slippery palms massaging her back, sliding down to cup her butt. “But admit it, this is much more fun.”

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