Free Hot as Sin by Bella Andre Page B

to get her back, huh?”
    She’d never completely shaken off her frustration from those endless months of battling with the state.
    “Every time I thought they were going to say yes, they found another reason to say no.”
    “But you got them to change their mind.”
    His clear admiration was surprising. She liked it far too much.
    How could it still matter what he thought about her after all these years? After all her success?
    “She must have been fourteen by the time she came to live with you,” he said, doing the math. “How was it, living with a teenager?”
    It was tempting to let everything pour out, to pretend that the past ten years hadn’t happened, that they were sitting together in his apartment talking at the end of a long day.
    Thankfully, she still had some sense of self-preservation, a little voice in the back of her head warning her not to say too much or let him in any closer.
    “It was hard at first,” she said honestly. “I don’t think adolescence is easy for anyone. It certainly wasn’t for me. I’m sure she’ll find her way eventually.”
    He raised an eyebrow as if to say he knew there was far more to the story than she was telling him, but fortunately, he let it go.
    “I’m glad it worked out for you. For both of you.”
    Despite her warnings to herself, Dianna couldn’t take her eyes off of his beautiful face. She wanted to stare at him for hours just to watch his expression change by degrees and admire the way his muscles flexed beneath his T-shirt.
    Her feelings scared her. Really scared her.
    All these years, she’d tried to convince herself that she’d fallen in love with a fantasy hero. That they were just kids fooling around. That the miscarriage had been a narrow escape.
    She wanted to believe that there had been nothing real between them.
    So then, why did it all feel so damn real?
    ———
    Sam couldn’t believe how much he wanted to stay with Dianna. She’d barely touched on April, but he also knew that she was right in keeping the details to herself. They were treading dangerous waters. Instead of keeping to the surface, they were diving down far deeper than they should.
    She’d barely had to push him for details about the Desolation Wilderness incident and he’d crumbled. And yet talking to her about it felt unbearably right, as did her touch, when she’d reached out in empathy and placed her hand on his arm.
    He couldn’t believe how hard it had been to keep from reaching out and pulling her against him.
    Hadn’t he learned a damn thing ten years ago?
    During their conversation, his brain had been working overtime to try to get used to her glossy veneer, to her perfectly white teeth and much blonder hair, to her perfectly manicured nails and soft, expensive-looking clothing. Interestingly, what helped most was watching her pop and crack her knuckles. He was thankful that at least one thing about her had stayed the same.
    The bad habit stood out in sharp relief against the backdrop of her perfect, shiny beauty.
    For the first time since he’d met her, he felt out of place, like the two of them didn’t belong in the same room. Ten years ago, she’d been a poor, embarrassed girl with a drunk mother. She’d needed him to save her.
    Hell, she’d needed him, period.
    But this woman sitting in front of him wasn’t the kind of person who needed saving.
    He’d rushed all the way to Colorado thinking things were going to be similar to that first day they met at the trailer park. Her needing, him saving.
    He couldn’t have been more off the mark.
    Of course he was happy for her success. What kind of asshole wouldn’t be? But at the same time, he found himself wondering if this was why she left him; because she wanted to reach for a bigger, brighter life than being a fireman’s wife.
    She shifted uncomfortably in the bed and he didn’t know if it was because of her accident—or his being in the room. Either way, he’d overstayed his welcome.
    And yet, Sam