Free Heartless by Cheryl Douglas Page B

he
touched her now, she would still be putty in his hands, in spite of her
reservations. “Please, don’t do this,” she whispered.
    He traced her
cheekbone with his index finger as her eyes drifted closed. “I could walk away
and let your kids win, or I could stay and convince you that I’m the man you’ve
always thought I was.” He brushed her hair off her face. “What do you want me
to do, sweetheart?”

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Derek had no
intention of walking away from her again. Her son could show up wielding his
weapon like a madman, threatening his life if he didn’t start walking, and
Derek would invite him to take his best shot. That’s how committed he was to
seeing this through. He’d walked away from her once before, but this time, they
were going to stay and face their fears together.
    It would take some
time, but he would win Jay and Mike over eventually. He knew they were good
guys. They loved their mama and just wanted to protect her. Derek would have
felt the same way in their position, but he was determined to prove to them
that no one would ever love Ashley as much as he did.
    “That’s not a fair
question,” she said, pressing her palms to his chest.
    He’d missed the
little things, the feel of her hands on his skin, her husky voice rousing him
from a deep sleep, the smooth slide of intimacy when they finally connected. He
wanted her back, and this time, he wanted it to last forever.
    “It’s the only
question that matters right now, honey. What do you want? Don’t think about
what your kids want, or what your ex wants, or even what I might want. The
question is… what do you want?”
    She bowed her head
so he couldn’t see her face. “I want the same thing I’ve always wanted… you.”
    Her quiet
admission sent him reeling. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d
fantasized about her saying those words to him over the years. There were too
many nights when he’d taken the wrong woman to bed, imagining she was Ashley.
But no matter how beautiful, smart, or sexy his date was, she didn’t have a
prayer of measuring up to his memories of the woman who stole his heart when he
wasn’t old enough to realize that a love like theirs only came along once in a
lifetime… if you were lucky.
    “I want you too,
sweetheart.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I want to be your lover, your
best friend, your rock. Do you remember what that was like when I was your
everything and you were mine?”
    He felt the slight
tremor move through her, and like always, they were able to communicate without
words. He knew she was feeling it too, but her fear of the unknown was still
standing in their way.
    “You have a life
in Arkansas.”
    Arkansas was never
his home. It was a place to escape when living without her became impossible to
endure one more day. “What if I told you I’m ready to rebuild my life here,
with you?”
    She wrapped her
arms around his waist and leaned into his chest. “I want that, I do, but we’d
have a long and difficult road ahead of us, trying to convince Jay and Mike to
forgive us.”
    He clenched his
teeth in frustration. Everything he ever wanted was so close he could almost
reach out and grab it, but she was still just out of his reach. “I don’t need
their forgiveness or their approval. All I need is you.”
    She sighed. “You
may not need it, but I do. As much as I care for you, I’m not going to do
anything to jeopardize my relationship with my kids. If I did and it didn’t
work out between us, I’d have nothing left. I’d be completely alone, and I’m
not going to lie; that scares me.”
    He couldn’t
comprehend her position. He wasn’t a parent, but he was no stranger to
loneliness. Even when he was in a committed relationship with a woman, he still
felt alone. He knew Ashley was the only person who could fill the hole in his
life… and his heart. “Do you want me to try and talk to them again?”
    She stepped out of
his arms and