Guilty Pleasures: A Collection Read Online Free PDF

understood how he was ready to take the next step with her. Especially after what they'd shared last night, which had been far more than casual sex or just a fun do-over of their first time together.
    Being with Renee had exceeded his expectations, not just sexually, but emotionally. This was a woman he loved talking to at night and sharing the events of his day with. A woman who made him laugh and want things he hadn't desired in a very long time. But emails, Skype, and on-line chats were no longer enough for him. He wanted a real relationship with Renee, and that included introducing her to the most important person to him, his daughter, and see all the different and wonderful ways Renee complimented their daily lives.
    In a nutshell, he'd fallen in love with Renee when he'd least expected it. And he had no idea if she'd even forgive him for withholding something so important and personal when he should have been upfront and honest before everything that happened between them last night.
    But he had to try. Because leaving this resort without Renee in his life wasn't an option for him.
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    Renee spent the day ignoring Jakes calls and texts. Still hurt by his deception, she wasn't ready to see or talk to him, though she knew at some point she would be forced to—if even to just end their on-line relationship. The thought made her heart ache.
    The fact that he'd withheld something so important after everything they'd shared stung deeply. Yes, she was shocked to discover he was a father, but had he been open and honest with her beforehand she knew it wouldn't have changed the way she felt about him . In fact, it probably would have made her care for him even more, especially after hearing how he'd talked to his daughter on the phone. He was clearly a devoted dad who put his little girl's well being first.
    But even witnessing all that, she'd be naïve to think him having a kid didn't change anything about the two of them. If they had a future as a couple, and that was clearly in doubt given that his glaring omission indicated Renee wasn't as important to him as she'd hoped, now there was a child involved. And that meant if Renee wanted to salvage things with Jake, she had to take stock of how she felt about being part of the little girl's life.
    Spending most of her adult life traveling, Renee hadn't given much thought to children, though she did want them one day, with the right person. And since she'd been thinking that Jake was that person, she knew deep in her heart that she'd love any child of his.
    Her own feelings aside, there was the issue of Jake's daughter—a living, breathing person with her own set of needs and feelings about her father—and any woman he brought home. What if she resented Renee? The possibility existed, but what if she needed a female figure in her life and actually liked Renee? She shivered at the prospect, knowing it was scary on so many levels, but if asked, she'd have wanted the opportunity to know about Jake's daughter. To meet her. To find out for herself if she fit into the young girl's life.
    Instead, he'd hid it from her, and that stung more than she cared to admit.
    Not wanting to burden Allie with her problems when she knew her friend was reconnecting with Will, Renee made herself scarce for the afternoon. She didn't want to put a damper on Allie's good mood, and there would be plenty of time later, when she and Allie were back home, to tell her friend what a fool she'd made of herself.
    There were plenty of options and activities at the resort to keep her busy, but she had no desire to spend the day making small talk with old classmates. So, she took a long walk to a secluded part of the resort, found a shady spot with a lounge chair and a waiter who served complimentary strawberry daiquiris, and finished reading the romance novel she'd started a few days ago.
    It was as good as her day was going to get.
    Later that afternoon, when she received a text from Allie informing her that she