Emma Darcy Marriage Meltdown (pdf)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

roses. I wanted to give you the warm thrill of feeling loved and valued and
very much in the other's thoughts.'
Slashes of burning red seared his cheekbones. 'It's not quite the same with
men,' he muttered tersely. Embarrassment? Guilt that he hadn't thought to
send her roses? He hadn't done that in a long time, not since the day after
Jessica was born.
She skirted the desk, refusing to be put off. 'Why isn't it the same? It's a
message of love either way.'
'Is it?' Hard, suspicious, turning towards her but more in challenge than
welcome.
'What else could it be?' she asked, feeling her throat start to tighten. She
needed some encouragement to carry this off.
'A game people play,' he answered flatly, his eyes boring into hers. 'A
manipulative game.'
'That is so cynical, Reid.' She set her handbag on his desk and reached up to
curl her arms around his neck, her eyes chiding him for taking such a
viewpoint. 'I love you. I wanted to show it. I want to show you now, too.'
Something wrong with your mouth that you couldn 't use it to communicate
your burning desire, one way or another?
She went up on tiptoe to kiss him.
His body was stiff, unyielding, his eyes cold and hard.
'Let's have lunch together, make love in the afternoon,' she murmured,
trying to soften him. 'I booked a room for us '
'Oh, for pity's sake, stop it!' he growled, his eyes blazing a savage rejection
as he snatched her arms away from his neck and held them forcibly at her
sides. 'Nobody changes their nature overnight. I'm not a fool, Gina. Don't
make me lose what respect I have for you.'
'Respect?' she echoed blankly, her heart hammering so hard she wasn't sure
she heard him correctly.
He winced and released her, stepping back so quickly there was no stopping
him from wheeling away from her. He paced around the desk, putting space
between them before he spoke to her again, his hand slicing the air in deep
agitation.
'Look! I'm sorry about last night. Okay? I'm sorry.' He shot the words at her
in short explosive bursts, as though he hated them but was forced to say
them.
I'm not sorry, she thought, but couldn't get her mouth to work. How was it
when she tried to seduce her husband, she ended up driving him away from
her? Even when she was following his instructions? It seemed she was
damned if she did and damned if she didn't. How did one get a win-win
situation?
'It shouldn't have happened,' he went on. 'I wish it hadn't. You didn't deserve
what I did, and I sure as hell don't like myself this morning. There's no need
for you to ' he sucked in a deep breath and let it hiss out between his teeth
' to rub it in,' he finished grimly, his hands clenching into angry fists.
Gina shook her head over his tortured reasoning. 'So that's why you
organised for me to sleep late this morning. You didn't want to face me.
Because you felt bad about yourself.'
'I didn't want you to feel pressured.'
'Would you mind telling me why you should feel bad about letting me know
what you want?'
'Damn it, Gina! I virtually assaulted you last night. I completely lost it. Then
to go on for so long...' He shook his head, deeply disturbed, unable to
explain or excuse himself. His eyes looked sick with self- recrimination.
'Don't you think it was a release for both of us?' she asked softly, wanting to
reach out to him, to soothe his anguish and wipe away the guilt.
'God knows!' he muttered, grimacing at memories he didn't want to share,
didn't want to even look at again. 'What I'm trying to say is, don't think you
have to service me or indulge me.' His face was a study of revulsion. 'I'd hate
it. I know it would be false, and I'd hate the thought of you forcing yourself
to ' his mouth curled in distaste ' please me.'
Bewilderment coursed through her. Didn't he understand about loving, that
to give was to receive, as well? 'But...it pleases me to please you,' she
offered tentatively.
'Oh, come on, Gina!" He threw his hands up in disgust. 'I'm not a child to be
pampered and cossetted and told I'm a good boy, no matter what!'
Gina bit down on her tongue, frightened of riling him further. His eyes were
blue bolts of lightning--fierce resentment, stabbing at her in violent flashes. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Tematy