Marriage: Impossible (Voretti Family Book 1) (13 page)

Her heart pounded like she was poised on the edge of a cliff, about to jump. But then she looked at Sean.

She had nothing to be afraid of. He wasn’t ever going to let her fall.

“I’m so sorry that I lied to you. I justified it to myself so many different ways, but none of that matters because I lost your trust. I hate that I did that, and I’ll do anything to get it back.”

“Anything?” The word sounded dark and silky. Dangerous.

“What do you want?”

He moved toward her. She didn’t step back, and his chest met hers, pushing her those last few inches until the back of her thighs came up against the edge of the pool table.

He took her hand. “I want my ring on your finger. For real, this time.”

His thumb and index finger curved around the wedding band she still wore, and her whole body strained toward him. “Yes.”

“Yes? Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

His lips finally curved into a smile, but his eyes lost none of their heat. “There are a few other conditions you should know about.”

“Oh really?”

Without taking his eyes off her, he reached back and flipped the lock on the door. “Yeah.”

His hands tunneled through her hair. He held her where he wanted her, and then he kissed her.

She melted. Her muscles surrendered without a fight, and Sean was there, the conquering hero. He set her on the edge of the pool table. Stepped between her thighs, where she was wet and needy.

“Wait,” she managed. “I still have to tell you something.”

He went still. “You have thirty seconds.”

“What I said before about being sorry? That was only half of what I needed to say. The other half is that I love you. I’ve had a crush on you forever, but after spending this past week with you, I knew it was more.”

“I have a question.”

“Anything. You can ask me anything.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Exactly how long have you had this crush?”

“Uh…” It was hard to concentrate with Sean brushing kisses against her jawline, but she did her best. “It was the day you hit that home run to win the CIF finals. Ty was so excited. Everyone was. Except you.”

Sean pulled back just enough so that she could see his eyes. The love. The strength.

“I could see the tension in you all the way from the bleachers. I ran down to the field and asked you what was wrong. I didn’t think you’d actually tell me. No one ever told me anything worth hearing. But you did. You sat with me on that field for hours while your friends were out partying. It was the first time anyone had talked to me like they cared what I had to say. You probably don’t remember, but I was wearing this sundress with daisies, and—”

“And I told you that you looked beautiful.”

“You do remember.”

“Of course.” His words were so soft she felt them like a caress. “I remember everything about that day.”

“You barely looked at me the next time you came around to see Ty.”

“Honey.” He shook his head, laughing in that way that meant his memories weren’t funny at all. “I couldn’t. I knew if I let myself…” He cleared his throat. “You were barely thirteen. So damned sweet and innocent. And I wanted to do a whole lot more than talk to you.”

“So it wasn’t only in my dreams that you wanted me.”

“You dreamed about—” He cut himself off. Pinched his eyes closed. “Don’t tell me that right now.”

“Or what?”

He blew out a curse. “Or we’re going to be done talking for the night.”

She gave him a saucy smile as she wound her arms around his neck. “I think we’re done for now.”

“No.” He held her securely, not letting her get as close as she wanted, but being careful not to hurt her. “I’ve got one more thing I need to say. I’m sorry about this morning. I had no right to be angry at you. Because you were right. I was in trouble, and I didn’t even know it. And maybe you didn’t go about rescuing me in the best way. But you did what you thought you had to do. And, really, I was mad at myself. I didn’t want to be the kind of guy who needed help to get his head on straight.”

“Everyone needs some help now and then.”

He nodded. “After I left this morning, I went to see a therapist. It was…” He blew out a breath. “It was hard talking about all the bad shit I’ve seen. But I can’t keep it inside anymore. I won’t let it poison our relationship.”

She threw her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.”

“It was you. I don’t think I ever would have done it if you hadn’t asked me to.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Can I ask you to do one more thing?”

“Anything.”

“If you start feeling overwhelmed or angry or depressed, I want to know about it. Because I want to help you—the right way.”

“I promise, Ker Bear. If I need help, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Before you start cliff diving?”

“You don’t have to worry about cliff diving anymore. I think…the reason I was so into extreme sports is that the adrenaline rush was the only way I could get those voices inside my head—the ones that kept saying it was my fault Ty was hurt—to shut up. But when I’m with you…” He cleared his throat. “You bring me peace.”

His words filled her with lightness. Warmth.

He kissed her again. “I want you. Right now.”

She couldn’t respond. She had forgotten how to form words. But when she tugged his shirt free of his pants, he seemed to get the message.

He undid the top two buttons of his shirt, then lost patience and tugged it over his head with one hand. His other hand stayed on her—her face, her back, the curve of her thigh—holding her against him like he couldn’t bear to let her go for even a second.

Her dress was too tight, the fabric too warm and constricting.

“Please,” she said, and somehow Sean knew what she needed.

His fingers found the hook closure of her dress. He worked it open slowly, pressing a hot kiss to the place where her neck met her shoulders.

He slid the zipper down a few centimeters. Another kiss. Another slow slide of the zipper.

He was
teasing
her.

“Now, Sean.” She slid her palm down the center of his bare chest, following the trail of hair that led below his waistline.

He unzipped the dress all the way. The fabric slid over her hips and pooled on the floor.

She pulled him over her, needing the firm pressure of his chest. His thighs.

He groaned. “You’re so damn responsive. Sometimes all I have to do is look at you, and I can tell you’re wet.”

“
Now
, Sean.” She unzipped his pants.

He was hard, and she was ready. Beyond ready.

He fumbled with the condom, almost dropping the package as he tried to rip it open. And then he was on top of her. Inside her. One with her.

He hissed in a breath. Colors, thoughts, feelings—they all exploded inside her head. He was all she wanted. All she had ever wanted. And he was hers.

“Mine,” he said.

“Mine,” she echoed.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading
Marriage: Impossible
! If you liked it, please help other readers discover it by leaving a review at the site where you bought it.

Want a sneak peek into Sean and Keri’s wedding? It’s time to say I do, but the bride is MIA. A simple case of cold feet or something more complicated? Get your
FREE bonus chapter
to find out.
 

When I started writing Sean and Keri’s story, I didn’t intend for it to be the beginning of a series. Then Keri’s brother Ty announced his engagement, and I couldn’t help wondering how he’d gone from pining over his ex-fiancée to in love with another woman. I had to write Ty and Annabelle’s story,
LOVE AND LEARN
.

As you might expect, the timeline of
Marriage: Impossible
overlaps with that of
Love and Learn
. You’ll get another perspective on Sean and Keri’s relationship as well as all the juicy details of how Ty and Annabelle rekindle their high-school romance. And you’ll also meet Annabelle’s big, loud, opinionated Italian family. Turn the page for an excerpt.

Thanks for reading, and keep in touch. You can contact me via my website:
http://avablackstone.com
.

All the best,

Ava

BOOK 2: LOVE AND LEARN

Navy SEAL Tyler MacKinnon is that guy. The one who pitches a no-hitter in the big game even though he skipped practice. The one who can get any girl into bed with a funny story and a grin. But when Ty is hit by an IED, his charmed life is blown straight to hell.

Though his leg heals, that naive certainty that the universe is on his side is gone forever. And it’s like everyone knows it. Everyone except Annabelle Voretti, the sweet, studious girl Ty left when he made the spur-of-the-moment decision to join the Navy right out of high school. When Ty is with her, he feels like himself again. But winning Annabelle back is going to take a fight, and Ty is used to going with the flow instead of battling the current.

Annabelle has only ever taken one risk in her life—and it sent the most popular boy in school running straight from her arms to the Navy, leaving her with a raging case of sexual insecurity. Now Ty wants a second chance, but Annabelle has learned her lesson. Except what if? What if the only way for Annabelle to heal her sexual scars is to go back to the source? Some one-on-one tutoring from Ty might be just what she needs—if only she can find the courage to take one more crazy risk.

EXCERPT

With several minutes remaining before class started, the lecture hall was only half full. Annabelle chose the middle seat in the completely empty front row.

Professor Diamon looked up from the laptop he was setting up on the podium. “Anna? Christian told me you’d taken a different teaching assignment.”

“I’m afraid that was a miscommunication. I’m really looking forward to TAing for this class.”

“And you’re certain you’re…comfortable with the material?”

“Of course.” She ignored the pulse fluttering way up in her throat. Probably, Diamon asked all his new TAs that same question. There was no way Christian had shared the details of their disastrous sexual encounter with his research advisor.

“And you’ve reviewed those supplementary papers I passed along?”

“Absolutely.” Not only had she read every single one, she’d highlighted the key passages and taken color-coded notes.

“Good.” He pressed a button on his laptop, and the title of his lecture blinked to life on the giant screen at the front of the room.
The Evolution of Recreational Sex
. “That should get their attention, don’t you think?”

Her cheeks warmed.

She held her breath, trying to reverse her body’s automatic response, but it was no use. Heat spread from her scalp, moving inexorably down her body until even her toes had to be bright pink. Thank God Diamon had the lights set to presentation mode, leaving the seating area in shadows.

She glanced to either side. None of the students were close enough to notice her freak-out; in the time-honored manner of the hung-over, the undergrads were filling in seats starting in the back. Diamon was tapping at his smartphone, oblivious to her blush.

Finally, the fire blazing over her skin died down. She cleared her throat. “You’re right. That will keep everyone awake.”

She sounded almost normal.

So she’d blushed a little. A year ago, when her advisor had first suggested she TA for the class, she’d run out of his office, then sent him an email begging for a reassignment.

Now she was here. She wasn’t dizzy or nauseous. She’d already confronted Christian, which meant the worst was behind her. She was finally making progress. Finally ready to put the past behind her.

She swiveled around, taking the opportunity to survey the students she was soon to be teaching. Hunkered in their seats, mainlining coffee, they looked young and impressionable and much too worried about their own lives to question her qualifications as a teaching assistant. They’d happily absorb her insights about the material without even considering that it came from detailed study of the textbook rather than hands-on experience with the source material.

Though the back two-thirds of the lecture hall was nearly full, the stragglers charged toward the few remaining seats, scrambling over backpacks and messenger bags. All except one student, who ambled down the center aisle toward the front.

He scanned the room. Though Annabelle was too far away to get more than the vaguest impression of broad shoulders and dark eyes, she knew the minute he saw her.

He went totally still, like the sight of her was so overwhelming he couldn’t handle anything else.

Awareness slammed into her. Her skin flushed and her knees went weak.

She forced her gaze away. Dragged in a breath.

Get a grip, Annabelle. Yes, TAing for this class is scary, but better to deal with that fear head on than to manufacture some ridiculous lust-at-first-sight distraction.

That stern mental voice was usually enough to set her back on the right path, but today her rebellious body tuned it out like the rest of the conversations around her. Though her gaze was now safely focused on the screen, she saw the dark-eyed student instead of Diamon’s slides. His close-cropped dark hair. That hint of stubble she must have imagined, because she couldn’t possibly have seen it all the way across the dim lecture hall.

He was watching her. She could feel it.

You’re being ridiculous.

But she must have been even more stressed about the class than she thought, because her brain was in full-on distraction mode, even manufacturing the sound of the dark-eyed student’s footsteps. He was coming toward her. Closer. Closer.

The footsteps stopped.

He was right next to her. There was no other way to explain why she was having so much trouble with instinctive bodily functions, like swallowing and breathing.

Turn around, and you’ll see he’s still half way across the room.

She finally found enough muscle control to turn her head. And there he was, not two feet from her, watching her intently.

Almost like he knew her. Like he was waiting for her to recognize him.