Ann Yost That Voodoo That You Do [Wild Rose] (pdf)

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known though, that he'd never been serious about anyone
but the amethyst-eyed beauty. A niggling suspicion raised the
hairs on the back of his head.
173
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
Had Blanche engineered this meeting with Jessie? Had she
thought her great niece could take the place of his ex-wife?
He reminded himself it didn't matter.
He knew his duty.
Jessie thought about life's little ironies while she and the
others ate the "wedding" brownies Maude brought over from
Molly's. A few days ago after she'd broken an engagement,
she'd vowed to stay away from marriage. Then she met Luke
and fell in love real love. She should have rejoiced at a
proposal from him but she was, once again, fighting her way
out of another convenient marriage.
Luke's eyes fastened on her. He couldn't fool her. He was
determined to do right by Blanche's niece but he didn't want
to marry Jessie. He didn't want to marry anyone.
"You're a stubborn little thing," Luke grumbled.
"I think she's awesome," Francine put in.
Jessie thought she heard tears in her voice.
"She knows what she wants and she doesn't let anybody
push her around."
Jessie was pleased with the praise but she felt compelled
to be honest.
"It's not the same thing as you and Zach. You have a
history together. Luke and I have known one another for a
handful of days."
"That's the whole point, Jessie," Millicent said, with a touch
of asperity, "you've known each other."
"The world has changed," Francie pointed out. "Just
because a man and woman have sex, the woman doesn't
expect marriage."
174
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
Jessie felt the heat flood into her cheeks. She felt Luke's
eyes on her. She knew he was willing to marry her because of
Blanche.
It was an even worse reason than her first engagement.
"I appreciate the thought," she said, including everyone in
her comment. "I'd have liked to see a handfast ceremony."
"What if you're pregnant?"
Luke's words had the effect of a rock coming through the
plate-glass window.
"It's very unlikely," Jessie said, after a long minute. "It
was only the once."
"If you won't get married," Mabel Ruth said, "I feel duty
bound to ask you not to tempt fate."
"She's right," Luke said, his voice gravelly. His eyes held
Jessie's and, for a minute, she was lost in a sensual memory.
"If you won't marry me we can't use these." He took the
crumpled bag out of his pocket and set it on the table.
"Hostage condoms," Francine said. "I like it."
Later, as Luke and Jessie walked home together across the
snow-covered Green under a later afternoon pink sky, Jessie
wondered if she'd made a mistake. Once again she wondered
if Luke could learn to love her. It might have been worth the
risk for the wedding night of hot, heavy sex. She felt heat
explode inside her.
"What're you thinking about?"
She couldn't tell him how badly she wanted to plunge her
hands into his hair, to feel the naked length of him thrusting
against her thighs, to experience that euphoric release and
the unparalleled pleasure of lying in his arms afterwards.
175
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
"Stuff. Expectations. Circumstances. The whole strange
business of binding yourself to another person."
He nodded. "It's absurd to think a person can promise his
or her feelings won't change over the course of a lifetime."
He sounded so bitter. She stopped and laid her palm
against his chest. His heart thrummed in a comforting beat.
"It's not absurd. You'll feel that way again." She struggled
with the next words but she knew she had to say them.
"Maybe even with your ex-wife."
He shook his head. "Even if I were interested she's not.
She made that pretty clear in her 'Dear John' e-mail."
Jessie's heart ached for him. "Then she's a fool."
Luke smoothed his thumb over her bottom lip. "Does that
make you a fool, too?"
She didn't reply. It wasn't the same and he knew it.
Maybe it was the still afternoon or the confused state of his
senses, or maybe it was just a perverse reaction to her
refusal to marry him but he couldn't shake the feeling he was
missing out on something great. Jessie Maynard was full of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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