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When they returned, he bathed her, then gently tucked her into his bed and pulled up a chair next to her. The last things she saw were dawn breaking over the tops of the trees and Jason’s silhouette as hecontinued to sit next to her and stroke her hair.
Then she gave up and closed her eyes, letting the bliss of sleep overtake her.
* * * * *
Kelsey sat in front of the laptop, staring at a blank page.
After what happened last night, Jason had let her sleep. When she woke, she dressed while he waitedsilently, then made arrangements for his limo to take her home. Before she walked out the door, hereached for her hand.
“I never meant for this to happen. I won’t apologize for who and what I am, because I was born this way. But you have all the choices here. What you decide to do with the information you have is up to you. What you choose to do with the fact that I love you is also up to you.”
She’d walked away without giving him an answer, because frankly, she didn’t know what to do.
She loved him. But she loved Jason the man, not Jason the werewolf.
Didn’t she? Right now she was having a hard time separating the two.
This whole thing was simply too bizarre to comprehend. She had what amounted to the story of thecentury. Revealing the fact that werewolves were not the subject of folklore and cinema, but in fact livedamong humans, had to be a Pulitzer Prize winning story in the making
She’d be rich. And famous.
And Jason would be ruined. No doubt hunted down and used for research. And what of the others? The ones who looked like normal people before they changed. People she ran into at the grocery storyor at work. Hell, she could work with some of them for all she knew.
Frustrated, she closed the laptop and paced her apartment, her mind no clearer now than it had beenwhen the limo had brought her home.
What would happen if she exposed Jason and the others? She would be responsible for not only thedownfall of his political career, but no doubt the rounding up and persecution of his entire family.
Face it, Kelsey. The world just isn’t ready for people who fall outside the norm.
The man she loved was a werewolf. But he was also a wonderful senator, a passionate man and she wascrazy in love with him.
She knew what she had to do.
* * * * *
Jason refused to get the newspaper. It had been two days since Kelsey had left his house. No one hadarrived yesterday morning to take him away. No reporters hounded him for proof that he was awerewolf.
Maybe she’d needed a day to get it together and it would be in this morning’s paper. How could shewalk away from a story like this?
He stared down into his coffee, hoping the black brew would provide the answers he sought. When thedoorbell rang, he jumped and glanced at the clock.
Christ, it was five a.m. Dread filled him. The newspapers were out now. He felt incredible sorrow forwhat was about to happen to his family, to the people who’d loved him and protected the family secretfor centuries. He’d let them down. He’d ruined them.
With a sigh, he rose from the table and went to face his accusers.
But when he opened the door, there were no reporters.
Just Kelsey, holding out his morning paper. “It’s a little wet. Your sprinklers just came on.”
He took it from her hands, too dumbfounded to even speak.
“You gonna let me in?”
“Yeah. Sorry.” He watched her walk into the kitchen and grab a cup, pouring herself some coffee and
sliding into a chair.
“Mmm, I needed this,” she said, holding the cup with both hands.
“Kelsey, why are you here?”
“I have questions. Lots of them.”
“Okay.” What did that mean? That she was going to wait to write her story until she got more details?
“Like what it means when I become lupine. And pups. Do we really have pups or will our kids be
human?”
“Huh?”
“Jason! Wake up! I have too many questions for you to have your head in the clouds.”
“Did you just say ‘when’ you become lupine?” He had to be dreaming this.
“Yes. And don’t forget the part about pups. That I really want to know about because I love kids.”
“Me too.” He stepped toward her and kneeled, almost afraid to touch her in case she was an
hallucination. “I love you, Kelsey.”
He didn’t misread the warmth in her eyes. “I love you too, Jason. Werewolf or not, I can’t live withoutyou.”
His heart nearly burst from his chest at the realization that she was not only going to keep his secret, butthat she wanted to be with him. He stood and pulled her up, then kissed her with all the love he felt. Andwhat he received in return convinced him that he’d made the right choice in his mate.
Her eyes had darkened and her lips curled into a sexy smile. “Now, about my questions.”
“Later. Right now, I need to properly propose to you. In bed.” He swooped her into his arms and took
the stairs two at a time.
“Someday, Jason, I’m going to write this story,” she said as he laid her on the bed and began to peel her
clothes off.
“Someday Kelsey, we’ll
want
the world to know all about it.”
But not today. Today, it was enough that she knew, that she accepted, and that she loved him.
About the author:
Jaci Burton has been a dreamer and lover of romance her entire life. Consumed with stories of passion,love and happily ever afters, she finally pulled her fantasy characters out of her head and put them onpaper. Writing allows her to showcase the rainbow of emotions that result from falling in love.
Jaci lives in Oklahoma with her husband (her fiercest writing critic and sexy inspiration), stepdaughterand three wild and crazy dogs. Her sons are grown and live on opposite coasts and don’t bother hernearly as often as she’d like them to. When she isn’t writing stories of passion and romance, she canusually be found at the gym, reading a great book, or working on her computer, trying to figure out howshe can pull more than twenty-four hours out of a single day.
Jaci welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at P.O. Box 787,
Hudson, Ohio 44236-0787.
Also available Jaci Burton:
A Storm For All Seasons 1: Summer Heat
League of 7 Seas: Dolphin’s Playground
Mesmerized
Passion In Paradise 1: Paradise Awakening
Passion In Paradise 2: Paradise Revival
Passion In Paradise 3: Paradise Discovery
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web atwww.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.