Free Blackmailed Into Bed by Lynda Chance Page A

her hands off and
adjusted her clothing. She was through with begging him for
forgiveness. She tossed the rag back at him and almost lost it when
she saw the comical look on his face when faced with his own
mess.
    "Whatever." She brushed passed him.
    He grabbed her arm. "What the hell do you
mean by that?"
    "What the hell do you mean by treating me
like a whore?"
    "A whore?" He roared. "When did I do
that?"
    "I quote. That was fun. I'll see you Monday."
She pulled on her arm. "How was that supposed to make me feel? Like
you respect and care for me?"
    He dropped her arm and stepped away from her.
"Fuck. I do respect and care for you. Too goddamn much. What do you
expect from me Amy? How exactly do you want me to treat you? You
give me so much as a nod in the right direction, and I'll lay it
all out for you, sweetheart." He began to shout. "You already
know." He grabbed his hair with his hands. "Fuck it. You already
know. I love you. Goddamn it. I love you.
    She stared at him as her heart melted around
her.
    He continued his rant. "I fell for you. Bad.
I've got it bad for you, Amy. You've got to decide. This is going
to kill me. I can let you go. Probably. If I have to. But I can't
keep doing this. I can't keep sleeping with you. Having you, but
not having you. I'm not going to quit being a cop. Not anytime
soon, anyway. I love it. It's my life. You've got to make a
decision. You can either handle it, or you can't. You either want
in, or you want out. You either love me, or you don't."
    He stopped talking and looked at her. Amy
stared back, her eyes swimming in tears. She walked toward him. She
put her hands on his chest and whispered, "I'm in."
    Jake felt his heart slam against his ribcage.
"Don't mess with me, Amy. Just rip the goddamn bandage off with one
sharp pull."
    Her hand moved up to his cheek. "I love you,
Jake. I'm crazy about you. I can handle it, I promise. I don't want
to lose you." She smiled weakly at him.
    "You love me? Did you just say you love me?"
His voice was hoarse.
    "Yes, I love you. I've probably loved you
from the beginning. I've been in denial a long time. God knows it
started out as lust, but I knew right away you were going to be
trouble. You've been right all along, I was running from you from
the very beginning." Her voice was soft, her eyes softer.
    "Come here, babe." He took her by the hand
and pulled her down on the couch. He placed her on his lap, and her
head fell against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her so she
couldn't run.
    "There's something you've got to understand.
Something you've got to agree to. I don't care where we live. My
house, your house, or a new house altogether. But we're going to
have to get married. I don't want short term. This is it.
Commitment time. Real commitment. I want to live with you. Every
day. I want you to sleep in my bed, every night. We can live
wherever you think we will have enough room for me, you, and Kayla.
Okay?"
    "Yes." Her voice was soft.
    "Yes, you'll marry me?" This was it. He held
his breath.
    "Yes, I'll live with you every day, and sleep
with you every night. Yes, Jake, I'll marry you." She reached for
his mouth with hers.
    Jake felt a surge of relief hit him. The
tension left his body. He opened his mouth for her and his tongue
tangled with hers. He put his hand to the back of her head and
lifted her for a deeper penetration. They shared kisses and
caresses and whispered words of lust and love.
    When her breathing deepened, he lifted his
head and said, "You're going to tell that son of a bitch that
you're never going out with him."
    She smiled into his eyes and said,
"Absolutely."
    ###
Other books by Lynda Chance
    The Mobster and the Soccer Mom
    Under the Cowboy's Control