Jayne Ann Krentz Dreams, Part 1 Harlequin Temptation, No. 229 Read Online Free PDF Page B

time.“
    “I see. It’s your hormones you have trouble controlling?“
    His eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “I can control those most of the time, too. But around you they seem to go a little
    crazy.“
    Diana gnawed briefly on her lower lip and then opted for total honesty. “I think a part of me was thrilled to know
    that,“ she admitted very softly. “Because I was having the same kind of trouble controlling my, uh, raging hormones
    around you.“ She looked away, unable to meet his steady gaze. “I don’t have that kind of problem normally. It’s been a
    very long time since I felt on the edge the way I do around you.“
    “So maybe we should take pity on ourselves,“ Colby said dryly. “Let’s go to bed together and work it out of our
    systems.“
    Diana gave a disgusted exclamation and leaned back on her elbows. “You’re such a flaming romantic,“ she
    complained sarcastically.
    “I write horror, not romance.“
    “That’s no excuse.“ she snapped.
    “It’s time both of us stopped behaving like a couple of teenagers and started acting our ages. Neither of us needs a
    repeat of last night.“
    “I’ll make another deal with you,“ Diana said. “If you don’t mention last night again, neither will I.“
    Colby shrugged. “Whatever you want, so long as you’re not trying to put an end to whatever it is we have going
    between us. Any more potato chips?“
    “I think Specter ate the last of them.“
    “Figures.“ Colby threw a disgruntled glance at the sleeping dog. “One of these days, that monster and I are going
    to have a serious talk.“
    “Speaking of a serious talk…“
    “Yeah?“
    “Tell me about Margaret Fulbrook.“
    “I did promise you a few answers, didn’t I?“
    “Yes, you did.“
    Colby took another swallow of beer. “There’s not all that much to tell. I was married to Cynthia Fulbrook.
    Technically, that made the old battle-ax my mother-in-law.“
    “What happened to Cynthia?“
    “She died.“
    “Oh. I’m sorry.“
    “Margaret Fulbrook has always blamed me for Cynthia’s death, among other things.“ Colby’s mouth tightened. “I
    should probably take this from the top.“
    “I’m listening.“
    He drew a breath and shifted his eyes back to the little town below the falls. “My mother and my Aunt Jesse were
    both born in Fulbrook Corners. They came from the wrong side of the falls, as folks around here like to say.“ He smiled
    grimly and indicated a handful of rooftops on the left-hand side of the river. “They were stuck here all of their lives.
    My mother worked in a local cafe and dreamed of marrying some man from the other side of the river.“
    “And your Aunt Jesse?“
    Colby’s eyes softened slightly. “Aunt Jesse dreamed a lot, too, but not about marrying and moving to the right
    side of town. She poured out her dreams in an endless stream of poems and short stories that almost never got
    published. She considered herself a writer, even if no one else did, and she felt obliged to live up to the image. She was
    eccentric, unpredictable and erratic. She seemed to be in another world most of the time. But after Mom died, she didn’
    t hesitate to take me in. Aunt Jesse was good to me in her own strange way. And she taught me things.“
    “What things?“
    “How to take care of myself, mainly. She did it by leaving me to my own devices most of the time. It worked. I grew
    up knowing the only person you can count on is yourself.“
    “What about your father?“ Diana asked cautiously.
    “What about him? I sure as hell never had the privilege of meeting him. He worked for a lumber mill near here for a
    while – just long enough to get my mother pregnant – and then he took off.“
    “Oh.“
    Colby looked at her. “Yeah, that’s about all you say about it. Oh. At any rate, to make an excruciatingly long,
    boring story short, I grew up with Aunt Jesse. And I guess I ran a little wild. I was the dangerous young hood from the
    other side of