Free In Blood and Worth Loving 3 Kiss Cover by Marilyn Lee

her shoulder. “ I need to take a quick shower and dress. ”
    He arched a brow. ” There ’ s no need to make the effort on my account, ” he said.
    “ I ’ m not going to have breakfast with you in my nightgown. ”
    “ Why not? We ’ re practically family and we have no romantic interest in each other. If it will make you feel more comfortable, I ’ ll strip down to my briefs and we ’ ll be on an even footing. ”
    She stared at him and then laughed. “ I doubt Brandi would approve of that. ”
    He shook his head. “ Not to worry. Brandi knows she owns my heart and my complete romantic interest and attention. ”
    She sighed. What she wouldn ’ t give to have Conner speak of her with such passion. She took herself to task. Given. Not give. It ’ s over between you two. There ’ s no way in hell you ’ re giving him a pass for last night. “ She ’ s a lucky woman. ”
    “ I consider myself equally lucky to have her .” He shrugged. “E specially after all the shit I put her through when we first met. ”
    Intrigued, she walked into the kitchen and sat at the table which contained two place settings. One had a single dessert plate alon g with a fork and knife. The other had a plate, a glass of orange juice, and a coffee cup. “ You almost sound as if you ’ re in love with her. ”
    He poured her a cup of coffee before returning to the stove with her plate, which he filled with bacon and eggs. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “ Toast? ”
    “ No thanks. ”
    He returned to the table and set the plate in front of her. She then watched as he opened her refrigerator and cut a large slice of a chocolate cake she ’ d made two days earlier before sitting across from her. He lifted a forkful to his mouth and chewed in silence for a moment.
    “ Damn, this is almost as good as Brandi ’ s chocolate cake. ”
    The Redwolfe brothers were all fond of chocolate cake for reasons even they didn ’ t understand. Rayna had once joked that the way to her uncles ’ hearts was knowing how to bake a great chocolate cake. Unfortunately, it hadn ’ t helped her with Conner.
    But her days of caring about him were over. She smiled. “ I ’ m glad you like it. ”
    He ate another forkful before he spoke again. “ Would it surprise you to know that I am in love with Brandi? ”
    Even though she ’ d long suspected he was, the words sent a jolt of despair through her. She wrapped both hands around her coffee cup. “ It does shock me since I ’ m told that full - bloods don ’ t do romantic love. ”
    “ Generally we don ’ t or a t least that ’ s what we ’ ve always said and believed. ” He shrugged. “ But I ’ ve discovered that I can still do romantic love. I ’ m as much in love with Brandi as any human male could be. ”
    She took a sip of her coffee and found it milky and very sweet; just as she liked it. “ Conner doesn ’ t do romantic love. ”
    “ That ’ s what he tells me, but I ’ m in a position to know better. In fact, with sufficient love and patience the right woman can help reshape a man ’ s once strongly held beliefs. ”
    She put her coffee cup down and curled her hand into a fist. “ Well, as you probably know, he made it crystal clear to me last night that I have absolutely no hope in hell of being that woman. ”
    He reached across the table to place his hand over hers. “ He was angry and confused last night, honey. He didn ’ t mean half of what he said or implied. Surely you must know that. ”
    She eased her hand from his and picked up her fork to spare a piece of fluffy egg whites. “ Before last night I would have believed that but not anymore. ”
    “ Honey – ”
    She put her fork down as her throat tightened with the effort to hold back tears. “ He talked of rape and murder as if I meant less than nothing to him. ”
    Adrian ’ s sighed. “ I know he frightened you, but please consider that it only happened because he was out of control. ”
    “