Free Fatal Wild Child by Tracy Cooper-Posey

sensation that her father had planned this from the outset. The coming snowstorm was a convenient excuse, but in this family of manipulators, he was a master. For some unstated reason, he wanted Seth to marry her and was willing to pay a million dollars to ensure the nuptials took place. Stepping inside would just adhere to her father's plans, wouldn't it? What about her own?
    What were her own plans?
    "Seth, can I be honest?" she said.
    He shut the door again and put his hands in his pockets. "I'd give anything for honesty." His voice was low, a deep rumble and it made her shiver.
    "Even if you don't like the answer?"
    "Even then." His eyes glittered in the low light under the verandah roof. His gaze was watchful.
    "Okay." She took a breath. "You have to know, Seth O'Connor, you're the only man that's ever walked away from me. No one's ever done that before."
    "Ever?"
    "No. It was quite a lesson for me."
    "It wasn't supposed to be a lesson."
    "It was anyway, Seth. I didn't like what it told me about myself. 'Selfish' was the least of it. 'Ego' was in there, too."
    Seth held up his hand. "You don't have to do this, Gabrielle."
    "Yes, I do," she said quickly. "I'm trying to tell you why I'm not going to go inside."
    "You're not?"
    She shook her head. "I can't, Seth. It's not just the memories. They're rotten, gut-churning things that make me ashamed. But they're just memories and when I'm with you, they're nothing. That's why I needed to explain all the rest. You make me feel...god, Seth, you make me feel young again. Do you know how precious that is?" She smiled. "And you make me feel like if I stepped inside with you and took off my coat, I wouldn't be able to stop at just my coat...or yours. I know it's probably wicked, Seth, but I can't keep what I saw of your body during the accident out of my mind. I keep replaying it over and over and I want to see you naked again. Properly naked. And I want to be free this time to run my hands over you."
    Her voice was shaking, but she needed to get the rest of it out, so she took another deep breath and pushed on. "I want to do all that, but I don't even know you. I know your military record, but I don't even know if you like coffee or tea, or if you prefer the left or the right side of the bed, or your favorite music, or slow dancing or if we're totally and one hundred percent incompatible."
    "Gabrielle—"
    "No, let me finish!" she said quickly.
    He nodded.
    She could feel the buildup of hot, hard tears in the back of her eyes. This was harder than she thought, this truth-telling. "On top of all of this, there's my father's one million dollars," she said bitterly. "I know he hasn't retracted it, has he?"
    There was a heartbeat of silence. "No," Seth said at last.
    "And finally," Gabrielle finished, feeling the first of her tears flow, "There's the still-to-be-explained reason you came back." She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Damn, I didn't want to do that." Her voice was hoarse.
    He gave a low curse and pulled her into his arms and just like that she was where she had fantasized about being only a few minutes ago, tucked inside his coat and cuddled up against his chest, his arms around her.
    "You're an impossible woman," he said.
    "I've heard worse."
    "Gabrielle, if you had any idea..." He sighed. "You think you've got the ultimate dilemma?" He lifted her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "I have a proposal," he said. "It's five-thirty, thereabouts. Have dinner with me in the main building—you and me in one of the restaurants."
    "A date?"
    "Yes."
    "In public?"
    "You're with me. You're perfectly safe, I guarantee it."
    There was something in the way he said it that made the small hairs on the back of her neck try to stand up. "Seth...do you...are you armed?" she asked softly.
    "Not that you'd notice just looking at me, but yes."
    Her heart thudded. "It's against the law to carry arms in Canada," she said. Her gut clenched. "Seth, are you on active