Page 82 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

‘To what?’

‘Follow you to all four corners of the earth... One touch from you and I’m willing to cast off all my plans and do whatever you want me to.’ She crumpled. ‘I don’t want to drown in this... and I already have. I left my brother in the lurch for two days straight—’

‘And you arranged for Tara to check up on him that whole time,’ Jack pointed out, holding her close.

‘It can’t be healthy...’ She frowned, wishing he could understand. ‘I can’t do that. I can’t be like my mum—giving everything up for a guy.’

‘But I’llneverask you to give up everything. I’d never ask you to leave Dan. Your blog. Your life. But it can’t be right to ignore what’s between us either. To walk away from something that could be so fantastic.’

He held her shoulders and looked into her face. ‘I’ve seen great love, Stephanie. My adoptive parents—they know how to love. And we have to give this a chance. We can work it out. We have to try. We’re both worth that. We could be everything.Haveeverything. Don’t you see?’

He gazed at her with those gorgeous, intense eyes.

‘I never knew how lonely I was until I had you. Then lost you.’ He stood, framing her face between his two strong hands. ‘Trust me. Trust yourself.’ He swallowed. ‘Are you willing to try?’

Her heart beat so fast. But she already knew the answer. She’d known it before he’d even knocked on her door. Because she’d already learned from him—and from Dan—that she couldn’t be a coward any more.

No matter how scared she was.

‘Yes.’

He swept her into his arms, kissing her with all the pent-up passion of three days’ absence.

She reached up and clung to him. ‘How is this ever going to work?’

‘I’ll stay here,’ he answered readily. ‘I like Australia.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t want to trap you here. Maybe we could compromise?’

‘Spend some time everywhere?’ He smiled as she nodded. ‘Do you want to make a list?’ he teased. ‘All the places you want to go?’

‘Actually...’ She sent him a look. ‘Right now I want to make a list of all the things I want todo.’

‘Got a pen handy?’

‘I don’t need a pen.’ She reached up on tiptoe and cooed at him—ultra-Steffi Leigh. ‘I’m going to write the list with my tongue.’

‘Huh?’ He pressed her closer. ‘Where are you going to write this list?’

‘Over every inch of your body.’

‘It’s a big list?’

‘Verybig.’

She caught his eye and laughed. But then he kissed her again and everything changed. All the heartache and insecurity and loss of the last few days surged. She gripped him close and gave herself over to his care—kissing and kissing andgiving.

He held her so deliciously tightly she could hardly breathe. It didn’t matter. Being in his arms was the only way to go.

Slowly the desperation in their kisses eased, then morphed from assuaging pain to celebrating pure happiness. . .to driving sensual need.

‘I need tobewith you,’ she begged. Utterly honest. Utterly undone. ‘I need you inside me.’

But he stepped back, turning to pull her down to the old sofa with him.

‘I have a list of my own, you know.’ He chuckled, that old wicked, provocative look in his eyes.

‘You do?’ Her damn toes curled at that look of his.

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