Bound Temptations: Stories of Temptation and Submission Read Online Free PDF

of the man in uniform. "Brant was a man who
loved life. He loved me. He loved his job and he loved his badge."
She smiled and it was all that much more beautiful because it
wobbled around the edges. "We weren't one of those marriages you
hear about—and a lot of those aren't always the normal. You hear
about the typical cop married to his job, the wife just getting the
scraps and leftovers. That wasn't our marriage. We were happy and I
know if he hadn't been shot in the line of duty, we'd still be
married...still be happy. Brant was my heart."
    The images started back up.
Images of him with a boy, walking around a mall. Playing baseball.
Fishing. Talking to kids at a school. "Brant touched a lot of
lives. Some of you are here because of that. Some of you are here
because you know how those men and women touch lives. Some of you
are here because you, like me, lost somebody. You know how hard it
is. You know the pain, you know the grief. And you know how
important it is to know you're not alone—my friends pulled me
through those early, awful days."
    She paused and looked down.
When she looked back up, she wasn't smiling. "You'll never know how
grateful I am to you for that. Words can't express it. But my way
of expressing my gratitude is through this...by honoring the memory
of Brant, and the other men and women like him who have fallen. The
Survivor's Fund is a charity that helps the families of officers
who've died or been injured in the line of duty. They provide a
network for grief counseling, for financial support, so many needed
things. Tonight's benefit is for that very worthy charity. I thank
all of you for being willing to help out."
    She nodded and then stepped
away from the stage.
    As she disappeared through a
small door, Cole found himself staring after her, his heart
breaking over the pain he'd heard in her voice.
     
     
     
    Don't grieve for too long,
Lush…
    She could still hear his
voice.
    "How long is too long,
Brant?" she whispered, resting one hand on her belly and staring
into nothingness while she waited for the ache in her chest to
fade. Although it wasn't just that she was grieving for him,
specifically. She missed him. She was lonely. Nobody else had ever
filled that empty ache in her heart.
    Usually, she was okay. But
on nights like tonight, that ache was more acute.
    One of the chairpersons for
the charity was out there speaking, wrapping things up. In a few
more minutes, it would be time for her to go back out there and
start the auction.
    Then, later, she'd go home.
Alone. She didn't want to still be alone.
    She was so tired of being
alone...
    The door opened with a soft
screech that had her jumping, clapping a hand over her mouth to
muffle her shriek. Her heart raced and for a long, long moment, she
forgot to breathe. It wasn't until black dots danced in front of
her eyes that she made herself suck in a desperate breath. She
swayed a little and a pair of hands came around her waist,
steadying her.
    "Hey, are you
okay?"
    That voice—
    Blinking, she found herself
staring up at Mr. Gorgeous. Cole. Cole Stanton. Mara O'Keily's
fiancé. Automatically, she lifted her hands and rested them on his
chest as she blinked the fog from her brain. "Ah..."
    "Hey, you should sit
down."
    "No." She shook her head,
feeling foolish. Easing back, she gave him a smile, one that she
hoped was a little more certain than she felt. "I'm just a little
off. Rough day." Rough day, rough night, rough week. She hadn't
eaten anything after the mail had arrived that morning,
either—she'd spotted that damn card right off the bat and it had
killed her appetite. Considering she'd let herself drink a glass of
champagne, and the lack of sleep lately...
    "Do you have that thing
laced too tight or what?"
    Despite herself, Rocki
laughed. "No. I promise you, I don't." Resting against the wall,
she smiled at him. "It's just been a rough day and I didn't eat
lunch. That, combined with champagne, and I'm a little punch
drunk."
    Cole