Free Gone (Sons of Judah MC Book 1) by Kathryn Thomas

could afford; the choicest of summer schools, they gave me more than what they should have. Both of them came from poverty and made a good life, but they wanted to give me the best of all worlds.”
     
    “And you’re of course grateful for it, but they also took joy in it. There is no need for you to feel guilty because they did it out of love, and I am sure if they were alive, they would have been happy that you are so independent and doing well.”
     
    She glanced at him, and he could see that she was caught by surprise. “You…have this uncanny ability to peek into my heart and read my emotions.”
     
    “It’s a gift.” He held her hand. “I try not to boast about it.”
     
    She laughed, and the sound of it lightened his heart. “You’re the soul of humility. But yes, you’re right. I do feel that…the sacrifices they made weren’t worth it. What have I done with my life? I have a failed marriage behind me and really…nothing is going the way I envisioned. When I graduated from college, I had such big dreams and ambitions…and now look at me. I wish they had used all that money to live their lives, to travel, and to enjoy.”
     
    He halted, and since he held her hand, she stopped too. “Look at me,” he commanded.
     
    Startled, she glanced at him. He saw a web of fear coast through her eyes, and it made his temper flare. Not at her, but for the man who managed to break the wonderful spirit and turned her into a woman who was constantly questioning her abilities. “Don’t you love your job?”
     
    She cocked her head. “I do. It’s great. I am due for a promotion soon, and my boss is happy with me.”
     
    “And you’re also excited about the work you do?”
     
    “Of course, yes. I always wanted to go into the hospitality industry.”
     
    “So you’re successful in your career, you’re beautiful, and you have this great relationship that is just beginning to bloom. From where I am looking at you, you’re doing great for yourself.”
     
    “Ah! The famed humility of yours.” She laughed, but seeing that he was serious, she became quiet. “Ok. I guess I’m doing well.”
     
    “Not well. You’re doing great. One broken marriage doesn’t make you a failure, and I bet the reason why your marriage didn’t work was because that man cheated on you.” He raised his hand before she could say anything. “Ok. I don’t want to know the details, but believe me, I know Ned and men like him. They’re never happy, never satisfied with what they have. What they want is more and more, and in order to feel that they are on top of the world, they want the woman who is with them to feel that she is less, that she is nothing. He not only cheated on you, but also he made you feel that everything he did wrong was your fault. If you were prettier, smarter, more amiable, he wouldn’t have needed to look outside for pleasure.”
     
    To his horror, tears sprang into her eyes. She wiped them away with her hand. “Sorry. You’re right, as always. He did cheat on me, the bastard. And he did give hints that it was because I…wasn’t good in bed, that I didn’t quite meet his needs, and that I was…”
     
    She stopped and took a breath. He couldn’t stop himself. Marco leaned forward and kissed her. His lips roamed over hers with passion. His tongue darted in to taste her, and her mouth was as sweet as he remembered. When he stepped away, his hand still held hers, and the connection between them was strong, steady. “If you were any better at sex, I would be dead by now.”
     
    The laughter that sputtered out of her made him smile. “Maybe I just wasn’t good with him.”
     
    “I’m glad that you weren’t. You belong only with me.” He walked, and she followed him. Whenever he thought of her with Ned, a hot fountain of jealousy exploded in his gut. Marco banished the thought. She wasn’t with her ex-husband now. That chapter was over, and they were starting a new one, a better