Free Cape Cod Promises: Love on Rockwell Island by Bella Andre, Melissa Foster Page A

world with work. He’d left at the crack of dawn each morning and returned long after she was asleep. Weekends weren’t spent holding hands as they walked around the city or snuggled up together by the beautiful fireplace in their apartment the way she’d thought they’d be. Instead, they’d spent their days and their nights on separate planes.
    She should have learned her lesson by now, should be able to look back at history and easily keep the walls around her heart thick and strong. But the truth was that last night, while she’d craved Trent’s kisses, she’d craved so much more, too.
    She’d wanted back into the depths of his heart. Because she’d never met a man who knew how to love so completely.
    Only he didn’t, did he? Or, if he did know how to love completely, was it simply that he just hadn’t chosen to give his entire heart to her the way he’d promised?
    The day they’d said their vows, she’d thought they were supposed to become one in a way that would last forever.
    But forever had never come.
    The sound of footfalls on pavement pulled Reese from her reverie. She squinted against the morning sun as Trent jogged along the sidewalk, closing the short distance between them. His muscles glistened from his run. One look was all it took to send her whole body aflame.
    “Good morning, Reese.” He set his hands on his thighs and drew in several deep breaths.
    Her heart went a little crazy from being this close to him, when she could see so much delicious skin and hard muscle. She didn’t dare try to stand after how wobbly her legs had been last night. Instead, she tried to play it cool and remained sitting.
    “’Morning.”
    “I was wondering if you still enjoyed painting early in the day.” He glanced at her drawing. “Do you mind if I take a peek?” Before she knew it, he was reaching for her hand and pulling her to her feet. “You look beautiful today.”
    “I do?” Kiss me .
    No, no, no, the rational, protective side of her brain chimed in . Don’t do it .
    He moved closer. “You do. Even more beautiful than you used to be, Reese.”
    Why, oh why did he have to make her name sound like an invitation into his bed? Lust snaked through her insides, filling all of her empty places, just as it had when they’d first met.
    “You look good, too,” she said just above a whisper. Not only did her mouth have a mind of its own, but so did her hand. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch him. The feel of his taut abdominal muscles beneath his T-shirt made her brain hiccup...and her entire body explode with heat.
    He stepped closer again, and the toe of his sneaker moved between her feet. One hand held hers, and his free hand settled on her hip. “You’re everywhere I turn,” he said softly. “Even when you’re not physically there, I sense you around me.”
    It was true; she felt it, too. She was falling into him, getting lost in his scent, his words, and those sexy eyes. His deep voice was reeling her in, and there was nothing she wanted more in that moment than to go up on her toes and claim his mouth again.
    But after her mental trip down memory lane this morning, she couldn’t forget what a huge mistake giving in to those urges with Trent the first time around had been. She couldn’t make this mistake again, even if it— he —didn’t feel like a mistake.
    She forced herself to take a step back, as she had last night. And just like last night, she could see how much he wished she hadn’t.
    “Reese?” He began to reach for her again, and she clutched her sketch pad to her chest, even though she knew it wasn’t nearly a big enough barrier between her heart and the man who still seemed to own it. “Don’t you feel it? Just how good we are together? Just how good we could be again?”
    “Yes, I feel it. That was never our problem.”
    He stepped in close again, bringing a wave of heat along with him, but Reese held up her hand to stop him. “No closer.” She wasn’t dumb