fourteenth, all those years ago.
When she was finished, she said, 'Skarrett's her puppet. And I think she's got Monk doing her bidding now too. She's playing both of them to get what she wants.'
She put the bottle down on the table and took a step toward John Paul. 'So now you know.'
'Now I know…'
'So?' she demanded. 'Tell me what you think.'
He shrugged. 'I think you're right. Jilly is a maniac.'
She threaded her fingers through her hair and took another step toward him. 'No, that's not what I was asking.'
'Then what?'
She stopped a foot away from him. 'Aren't you sorry?'
He felt as if he were playing twenty questions. In exasperation, he asked, 'Sorry about what?'
'Getting involved with me. It's a temporary situation, but even so…'
'Hell, no.'
She stepped back. 'John Paul, you've got to be a little repulsed…'
'Afraid not.'
She glared at him. 'Why not? I don't come from a normal family. Genetically speaking, I'm a mess.'
'Sugar, no need to be so melodramatic and no need to shout at me either. I can hear just fine.'
'How can you smile after what you just heard? How can you-'
'Avery, you didn't do any of those things. Jilly did.'
He thought he was being extremely logical, but she wasn't the least bit interested in being reasonable. 'Now do you understand why I won't ever get married?'
Before she could take another step away from him, he reached for her. He put his hands on her hips and slowly pulled her
toward him.
'No, I don't understand.'
She tried to push his hands away, but they were cemented to her body.
'You're going to have to explain it to me. Are you afraid you'll sneeze and turn into a sociopath?'
'No, of course not, but I can't have children, and even if I could…'
'I know,' he said softly. 'You wouldn't risk it.'
'Men want children.'
She stood between his knees, frowning at him while she shifted from foot to foot.
'Some do,' he agreed. 'Some don't.'
'Do you?'
He wasn't going to lie to her. 'I always figured I'd settle down one day and have a couple of kids. I still might,' he said. 'But, Avery, there are a lot of children out there who need good homes.'
'Do you think after doing a background check on my family that I would ever qualify?'
'Yes, I do.'
'I won't get married.'
The defiance was back in her voice. She was trying to hide her vulnerability, but it wasn't working. He knew she was hurting inside.
'Did I ask you to marry me?'
'No.'
'Okay, then. I think we've had enough heavy talk for a little while. And I also think you need to lighten up a little.'
It occurred to her that he was behaving the same way he had when she'd shown him her back. The scars hadn't seemed to
faze him. Obviously, neither did the stories she'd told him about Jilly.
What the hell was the matter with him?
'You need to relax,' he told her. He worked her blouse up over her navel and leaned forward to kiss her stomach.
'That's what yoga is for. It helps me relax.'
'I've found a better way to unwind.'
He unbuttoned her shorts and reached for the zipper. She grabbed his hand.
'What do you think you're doing?'
His smile made her heart race. Her hand dropped to her side, and she watched him unzip her shorts. As they fell to the floor,
he finally answered her.
'It's simple, sugar. I'm going to
Chapter 32
Secrets were best shared in the bedroom. They made love, and after he had kissed and caressed every inch of her
beautiful body, she was exhausted.
'I told you I'd get around to your back,' he said as he rolled away from her.
She laughed because he'd sounded so smug. Still breathless from their lovemaking, she whispered, 'You're insatiable.'
He grinned arrogantly. 'With you I am.'
It was a lovely thing to say, almost a compliment, she thought. 'Move over,' she told him. 'I'm falling off the bed.'
The double bed didn't give him anyplace to go. 'We're gonna need to buy a king-size bed.'
Her mood changed as swiftly as the wind. 'Why?' she asked tensely.
'Because I'm too big for a double bed,' he answered. 'My feet hang over. What's the big deal about a king- size bed?'
'We both know we can't have any kind of a lasting relationship.'
'Did I ask?'
'No, but you implied…'
'Sugar, you worry too much.'
She silently agreed. Of course, she worried… about everything. But what terrified her more than anything was ruining things. Admitting to herself that she loved John Paul had already put her in a mild panic. What was going to happen when they parted? Would she ever recover?
'I don't believe in marriage. Look what it does to some people.'
'What people?'
'People like the Parnells…'
'Sugar, those aren't what you'd call typical people.'
'What about the divorce rate?'
'What about couples who have stayed together?'
'I'd ruin things,' she blurted out.
When he didn't respond, she propped herself up with her elbow, leaned over him, and waited. Had he fallen asleep?
'Did you hear what I just said?'
He was wearing an adorable smile and nothing else. He oozed self-confidence, probably because he didn't give a hoot what anyone else thought. She'd lived her life trying to please everyone. He was the complete antithesis. He didn't want to please anyone.
'You don't have much faith in yourself, do you? It's okay,' he added before she could answer. 'I've got enough for both of us.'
