Raising the Stakes: Three of a Kind, Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

subjecting the man she loved to such…such…anguish? “So, so sorry. I never dreamed my feelings for him would impact our relationship.”
    Alex glowered at her. “If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re failing miserably.”
    Tears stung her eyes. She blinked them back. Alex was the one hurting. Not her. “I don’t want to lie to you, Al. I can’t. That wouldn’t be fair.” She’d never disrespect him like that. “The truth is I’ve loved Des for as long as I’ve known him.” The feeling was as instinctive as breathing. “But he’s never reciprocated my feelings. Ever. Never once given me any indication what he feels about me is anything more than friendship.” She swallowed. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to love someone who doesn’t love you back?” It had taken her forty-eight painfully long months to accept the truth.
    Alex gave a sarcastic snort. “I’m getting a pretty good idea of it right now.”
    “Then you’re getting the wrong idea,” she sobbed. “I do love you, Alex. More than I ever believed possible. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. It’s just not as simple as I’d like it to be.”
    “Yeah. I can see how loving two men could be a complex matter from your perspective.” His bitterness stung. “You should look at it from my side. That’d really knock you over sideways.”
    She absorbed his emotional punches as he struck out. She deserved every damn one of them. “Al.” She grabbed his knee. “I love you. You have to believe me. Regardless of how I feel about Des, I love you.”
    “How about you keep your hands to yourself?” He pulled his leg away, letting her hand drop on the chair.
    She stared at it, shocked at his rejection. No! No, no, no . She wouldn’t let him push her away. Not until he’d heard the full story. Not until she’d made it clear how deep her feelings ran for him.
    And then…then…if he still rejected her…
    Megan pulled her offending hand away and clasped it in her lap so Alex couldn’t see how shaken she was. “I’ve…I’ve…” Breathe. Get yourself together. “I’ve accepted the fact that Des doesn’t love me. It took a while, but I finally came to terms with it.” Her breath shuddered in her chest, and she forced her gaze up to his. “What I never expected was to fall in love with someone else, knowing how strongly I feel about him.”
    She stared up at him, hoping to God he could see the honesty in her eyes. “I fell in love with you, Alex.”
    His chest stilled, as if he were holding his breath.
    “When I saw you at Hunter’s party, something changed, like a gear shifting inside of me. I knew then it was time to move on. Time to give up on my fantasies of Des and me. I hadn’t been ready to do that—until I met you.”
    Alex had attracted her like a child to a lolly. She’d taken one look at him and known her world was about to change forever. “I couldn’t stop looking at you. Couldn’t stop my heart from pounding so loud I was sure Des could hear it too.”
    The dark eyes staring down at her softened slightly. “I couldn’t stop looking at you either.” His voice was a tense whisper.
    She remembered. Felt the heat of his gaze as it swept over her body before settling on her face.
    “I made Des introduce me to you.” She’d taken his arm and dragged him over to Alex, the beginnings of a fire smoldering in her stomach. “When you shook my hand and told me your name I knew I was in big trouble.” She flexed her hand now, the same hand he’d held as Des had made the necessary introductions. “I can still feel the imprint of your palm on mine,” she whispered. “Your touch burned me. It set me alight. Made me feel something I hadn’t felt for anyone but Des in a very long time.”
    She turned her hand over and stared at her palm. It tingled now with the same heat Alex’s simple handshake had inflicted the first time he touched her. With the same heat that flared when Des kissed it last