Second Chances Read Online Free PDF Page B

Brian had married and divorced in the meantime. And didn't that thought bring a smile to his face.
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    He'd hated her back then. Hated Brian, too. But the emotions then were nothing to what he felt now.
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    But it wasn't enough.
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    Brian had taken Mary, his wife of seven years, away from him. There's no way Ian could let Brian have Karina too. Not again.
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Chapter 3
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    K arina pressed the elevator button to head up to her room for the night. Warm, mellow and flushed from good wine and great company, the world looked bright and rosy.
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    "Karina?"
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    She stilled as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Brian. Turning to look at him, she couldn't help the intimate smile from blossoming forth. Why not? They were alone. Maybe now was a good time to pick up their previous conversation.
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    "Are you going up?" Brian pointed to the open elevator door.
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    Flustered, she watched as the doors closed in front of them. She shrugged, tongue-tied.
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    "Actually I thought maybe we could talk? Catch up on the last decade." A slow, sexy smile formed on his lips. "Come have a drink with me in the bar."
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    His words reminded her of the last time they were together. Did she want to go for a drink? Hell, yes. The silky tone of his voice and barely hidden suggestiveness slid into her blood, heating and speeding it as it thrummed through her system. She wanted to breathe. She would breathe. In a minute. When her world righted and her imagination calmed. Christ, he could always send her sideways like none other. Whatever they'd had in the past had nothing on what was happening now.
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    If she let it.
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    She nodded and watched Brian's smile widen.
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    He led the way to the bar, choosing a quiet, discreet corner at the back. They chose seats across from each other. He studied her quietly for a long moment. "It's really good to see you."
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    She managed a lopsided smile. "Is it?"
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    His gaze warmed, making her insides shiver. "Yes," he whispered, "it is."
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    The heat in his gaze became unbearable to resist. She closed her eyes briefly, breaking the contact. She took a deep breath and asked the burning question of the day. "Why did you really ask me down to the bar?"
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    "To apologize."
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    The answer flew back so fast she couldn't do more than stare.
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    Swallowing heavily, hating the anxiety and fear that clutched at her insides, she sent up a silent prayer to the universe. Please don't let him apologize for the best night of my life .
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    "For what?" She couldn't manage more than a whisper.
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    "For not being there in the morning. And…" he frowned, staring down at the black marble tabletop, "for not contacting you afterwards."
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    She shuddered. Painful memories extinguished the all-consuming heat. After a moment, she managed to get out the words choking her throat. "Why didn't you?"
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    His regretful sigh reached across deep into her psyche. "I was scared."
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    She blinked. Not at all what she expected. Looking at him straight on, she asked, "Really? Why?"
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    He slouched back in his seat, his hands folded together on the table.
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    She narrowed her eyes. He seemed so casual, unaffected. Unlike her. Then she saw it. He was squeezing his hands together so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Good. He wasn't in control. She sat back to listen.
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    "I'd just come out of a bad breakup of a relationship I thought was strong and steady. Then out of the blue you were there. I knew you, but…I didn't really know you. I hadn't seen you…really seen you, until that night. And that night was so strong, so passionate…" he stopped. He ran a hand over his hair, sighed deeply, then said, "It's as if everything I'd known and believed had been tossed upside down. I didn't know what was real and what was fantasy." He took a deep breath and added, "Then you said you loved me. And that was too far, too fast…and way too deep for me at that moment." He