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didn t work out, I don t know if I could live without
you as part of my life. I suck at relationships. You
said it yourself. I discard men like a bad habit.
 Don t group me with all the other guys in your
past, Cassandra. Don t tell me that what we ve
shared isn t special, more than special. We ve
discovered a once-in-a-lifetime love and I m not
letting you give it up because you dislike change.
 I m afraid, Daren.
His eyes widened.  Of me?
 Don t be ridiculous, she scolded.  I could never
be afraid of you. I m just, well, this is all happening
too fast. It still feels like a dream.
 I know you love me, Cass, baby. I can see it in
the way you look at me, feel it in your touch.
 Of course I love you. You re my best friend.
His hand slammed on the table.  Damn it. It s
more than that and you know it. You just won t
admit it because then you ll have no excuse not to
marry me.
She couldn t admit it. As much as she wanted to
declare her love to him, she just couldn t. Her heart
needed protection from the heartbreak that was sure
to come when he realized he d made a huge mistake.
He d probably laugh about it by morning while she
slowly died inside.
Best friends. Fuck buddies. Friends-with-
benefits. That s all they were. All they could ever be.
Cassandra had to face reality for both of them.
 My answer is no, Daren. I won t marry you.
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Christina James
 Cassandra.
She shook her head to ward off his scrutiny.  I
guess I didn t want to admit that having you as my
lover could jeopardize our friendship. If it didn t
work out, I don t know if I could live without you.
His hand covered hers.  It s a little too late for
that since we re lovers now. But I ll give you time for
this to sink in. But make no mistake, I won t sit at
home in New Hampshire while you fuck other men. I
won t share you, Cassandra. I don t desire any other
woman but you. For now, I ll give you some time.
And, of course, I still intend to use this weekend to
convince you how good we are together.
****
Daren and Cassandra cleared their dishes from
the deck, the evening air turning cooler with the
hint of humidity. What he wouldn t give to spend
every night like this, with Cassandra by his side, in
his bed, with him.
He poured two glasses of wine, handed her one,
then took her hand and led her into the large family
room. The awkwardness of their earlier conversation
still hung in the air, but he refused to waste one
minute of their weekend arguing about why they
were right for each other. Convincing her to move
with him wouldn t be an easy job, but he had at least
hoped asking her to marry him would show her,
prove to her, that he was willing to make a
commitment. She didn t have to fear commitment
with him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life
with her. There was no question in his mind or heart
about that.
Maybe all these years it hadn t been the
women s fault for not returning to his bed. Maybe he
didn t make them feel desired enough to want to
return. He d always fantasized about Cassandra
being the woman in his bed. And there was that one
time he d yelled Cassandra s name out while fucking
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that gorgeous black-haired actress. What the hell
was her name? It escaped him and, truth be told, he
couldn t even remember what her face looked like.
He just remembered that her hair and body
resembled Cassandra s. And, of course, he
remembered her reaction to being called another
woman s name. His cheek could still feel the sting of
that slap.
Daren left Cassandra on the couch while he lit a
fire in the stone hearth, the focal point in the large
family room. There were only two logs in it so the
heat would be minimal. He wanted the night to be
perfect so he could romance her, show her how their
lives could be together. The surface of her kinkier
side had only just been skimmed. Tonight, he
planned to pull out all stops and deliver her the most
intense orgasms, so memorable they d be the only
thing she would think of when away from him. Then
she d yearn for him, crave to be in his arms. He
needed her to crave his companionship like he did
hers. And maybe, just maybe, she d stop being so
damn stubborn and admit she was in love with him.
He glanced over at her sitting cozily on the
couch sipping her wine, and knew he couldn t be
wrong about that. He believed with every fiber of his
being that Cassandra loved him more than just as a
friend. If she didn t his heart would never recover.
He could never feel for another woman what he felt
for Cassandra. She had to know there was nothing
he wouldn t do for her.
He walked to the couch and picked up his wine
glass and sat next to her.
 A toast, he said, raising his glass.  To the most
wonderful woman a man can call his friend and be
fortunate enough to have feasted on her beauty.
The clink of the glasses echoed in the room as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]