Broken Resolutions Read Online Free PDF

sense of connection between Jane and Rochester, I guess. The longing. The pain. The joy in having found someone who understands you, who delights in you, who sees you. Even when no one else does.”
    She understood completely. He’d listed the same reasons she loved that scene in Jane Eyre . He’d used the same words she’d have chosen.
    In doing so, he’d also confirmed how entirely dangerous he was to her peace of mind. Being seen as less than enough by her previous boyfriends had hurt her badly. But they’d never truly understood her heart or mind. Being seen as less than enough by a man who did . . . it would destroy her. Utterly.
    So she would avoid him the rest of the night. No more pairing up with him for the games. No more glances across the room. No more temptation to break the most important New Year’s resolution of her life.

4
    “S o Penny and Jack will be a pair for this game,” Brenda said. God bless you, Mom , Jack thought. Have all the horrifyingly kinky sex you want. I won’t say a word, as long as you’re safe and happy.
    He stared across the room, willing Penelope to meet his eyes. She glanced at him for a brief moment before she turned to her papers, shuffling them. It was the first time she’d looked at him in over an hour. He knew. He’d been watching her the entire time.
    What exactly had happened during that reading of Jane Eyre ? As they’d spoken Charlotte Brontë’s words together, he’d felt somehow tied to her. Connected. At one point, he’d looked up from the book to see Penelope, a woman who’d seemed inconsequential upon first glance. Small. Quiet. Unassuming. But her lovely eyes had blazed with intelligence, stubbornness, and passion, especially as she’d read Jane’s words.
    Those eyes had bored into him like nothing he’d ever known. When they’d finished his passage and she’d begun to reach for the book he’d written, he’d found himself caught between fear and exhilaration. He didn’t want her to recognize him. He couldn’t stand the thought of being put through the media wringer yet again. At the same time, though, he wanted her to know him through his own words. He wanted her to see him as no one outside his family had done for years. Not since his marriage. Maybe not even during his marriage.
    So when she’d set the book aside, he’d breathed a sigh of relief even as a pang shot through his heart. Since then, she’d chatted and made eye contact with everyone. Obviously shy, she’d still managed to keep the group on track and in good spirits. Even Red Tie, asshole extraordinaire. Even Pretend Pirate Clarence. Even Skintight Dress, whose outfit appeared to shrink still further each hour they spent in the library. By the end of the evening, he fully expected the woman to be wearing nothing but a thong and a set of pasties.
    Yes, Penelope quietly charmed everyone. Everyone but Jack.
    Him, she crossed the room to avoid.
    Him, she refused to look at.
    Him, she didn’t address. Didn’t touch. Didn’t acknowledge.
    It was beginning to piss him off. Big time. He’d actually looked forward to the goddamn speed dating activity, figuring it would force her to interact with him. But she’d bowed out, noting that only one man would sit without a partner for each four-minute interval. “I’m sure you guys wouldn’t mind one short breather in the middle of the game, right?” she’d said, smiling at all the men. All the men except him, that is.
    Much to his disgust, he’d found himself talking with ten or so perfectly nice women about nothing of consequence. Yeah, a couple of them had tried to get him to answer the stupid question about the weirdest place he’d had sex, but no way was he giving out that information. He’d found that an unamused expression and a few seconds of silence shut down that line of inquiry quickly. So they ended up talking about the weather and their plans for the New Year.
    He suspected a conversation with Penelope would proceed very