He walked over, sat beside her, took her hand. "I've never told anyone I loved them before," he began.
"I never loved anyone. Not a woman, not family, not a friend."
"Jack." Swamped with emotion, she brushed the hair from his brow.
"You just never had a chance to."
Captive Star
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What had she expected? she asked herself.
No man would be comfortable around a woman after hearing a story like the one she'd told him. And why in God's name had she dumped out her past that way?
How could she have trusted him with pieces of herself that she'd never given anyone before?
Even Boyd, the person she considered her closest friend, knew only about the foster homes. As for the rest, she'd buried it-until last night. She didn't doubt that her tie to Liz had unlocked the door and let the nightmare back in.
But she should have been able to handle it, to hold back, to safeguard her privacy.
The fact that she hadn't could mean only one thing.
Indulging in a sigh, Althea pushed herself up and rested her brow on her knees. She was in love with Colt.
Ridiculous as it was, she had to face the truth. And, just as she'd always suspected, love made you stupid, vulnerable and unhappy. There ought to be a pill, she mused. A serum she could take. Like an antidote for snakebite.
The sound of footsteps had her whipping her head up.
Her eyes widened when Colt came to the doorway carrying a tray.
He had a split second to read her reaction before she closed it off. She'd thought he'd taken a hike, he realized grimly.
He was going to have to show the lady that he was sticking, no matter how hard she tried to shake him off.
Nightshade
