Marriage to the Second Degree - Part 1 Read Online Free PDF

wounds of past. 
    “The reason I never returned your calls was because I knew I hadn’t gotten over you.”  Another twinge of nerves brought her words to an abrupt halt.  She honestly hadn’t meant to tell him that, but the words were out there.  There was no taking them back.
    His subtle smile soothed some of her jitters, as did the gentle stroke of his hand against her cheek.  “I’m glad to hear you say that because I never got over you, either.”
    “But we can’t just jump back into things,” she felt inclined to point out, the pain of their parting spiking her memories, “we made such a mess of things, and –“
    “I know, believe me, I know,” he cut in, his touch whisper soft, “but we can make things right again that is if we’re both willing to try.”
    “But I don’t know if I can do this again.”  This was the portion of their conversation she had dreaded the most.  The portion with all the tears, and turmoil, and all sorts of other heart wrenching emotions she wanted ignore.  But if she wasn’t willing to tell him what he meant to her, she shouldn’t have driven out here.
    “Leaving you was just so hard.”  The words weren’t easy to force past the lump in her throat, and they were barely audible, but the medley of pain in his eyes said he had heard her.
    As tears spilled onto her cheeks, his arms eased around her, wrapping her against him.  Next to the refrigerator, a clock ticked away the passage of time, filling the silence.  Mckenzie willed herself to not cry.  She hated tears as they served little purpose other than to make her mascara run, and her eyes red.  She leaned into Sawyer, drawing comfort in his strength, and the knowledge that despite the things they had done to each other, he still wanted her.  Until she had seen him that night in Gabby’s, her main goal had been to hide from the mess they had made, but maybe it was time to stop hiding. 
    “Mckenzie, listen.”  The uneven timber of his voice said his emotions weren’t any steadier than hers.  “I’m not going to make you a bunch of promises I might not be able to keep, but I never stopped loving you.”
    Inside her something cru mbled as she absorbed his words .  “I never stopped loving you, either,” she said, knowing that sentiment was true despite the fact that she often wished it wasn’t.
    His smile chased away more of her uncertainty.  “Does that mean you’re willing to give things another chance?”
    Just wanted to say yes, but apparently a few crumbs of doubt still lingered.
    “I don’t want to rush into anything,” she said, as usual her feet growing cold before she had so much as dipped a toe into the pool.
    Her hesitation must have reminded him of days past and how she sometimes agonized over the simplest decision afraid of making the wrong choice, because his smile grew amused, tinged with relief, and something that she suspected was tenderness. 
    “Will you just tell me yes or no so I can kiss you?”
    His relief must be contagious as she found herself matching his smile, tenderness and all.  “Why would you kiss me if I told you no?”
    His amused smile didn’t dim as his arms tightened around her.  “ Still a brat, I see .”   
    “Hey, now,” she exclaimed, her hands sliding up his chest.  Apparently they wanted to be on him, not that she had any huge problems with that.  “I’m not a – “
    His mouth on hers silenced her, and unlike the other night when he had kissed her, this time she displayed no signs of hesitation as she pressed against him.  Thoughts of – was she giving in too easily – and – maybe she shouldn’t be letting him kiss her like this – swirled through her mind, not that she was going to let her thoughts talk her into stopping him.  She wanted Sawyer’s hands on her.  S_he wanted her hands on him.  If this was wrong, well, too damned bad.  There would be plenty of time for regrets later.
    Open mouthed his tongue moved with