[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
because he lived it up every chance he got?
No. He didn t think so. He worked hard when work beckoned. He just played harder.
Nothing wrong with that.
If anything, Libby was in the wrong here. Too uptight, too practical, too logical. Outside
the bedroom, she had no concept of fun as far as he could tell, which was a damn shame
because the girl he remembered knew how to have good time whenever, wherever, and
however she could. She d been shy, but adventurous and vivacious once he knocked
down all of her self-containing walls, and he couldn t assimilate the Libby of today with
the Libby of yesterday. They were two completely different people.
And he d made her this way.
Every ounce of irritation in Jude drained away at that sobering thought. He d lost his
shit after their split, diving headlong into his burn all bridges and take no prisoners
approach to life, but Libby must have done the opposite, withdrawing further into herself
and throwing all of her energy into earning her law degree.
Damn. He d destroyed her confidence, smothered that spark he d once found so
attractive. At this point, any kind of forgiveness or reconciliation was a pipe dream, but
he could give her some of her old self back. It d be a helluva challenge, but she deserved
it.
He drifted toward the patio doors and peeked outside. She d gone back to her book in
one of the loungers by the pool.
Perfect.
Backing up, he edged out the front door and stopped on the porch to scan the garden.
Didn t take long to find what he was looking for: a large, deep pink bloom that all but
sparkled with life and color exactly like the Libby he remembered. He leaned over the
railing and plucked it from its plant, tested its scent. Sweet, also like Libby.
Yes, he thought, twirled the stem between his fingers, and he went back into the
house. This definitely might take a while.
Good thing he had nothing but time on his hands.
Chapter Nine
Libby heard a splash and lowered her book. It was too small of a sound to have been
Jude jumping in for a swim and a sharp spike of worry made her set her book aside.
Sam?
Not that Sam would voluntarily go anywhere near the water s edge. In typical feline
fashion, he hated being wet, but there was always a chance he could ve fallen in& .
Nope, he still lay curled up at her feet, dozing contentedly in the sun. He lifted his head
at the sound of his name and blinked his big green eyes as if to say, Yes?
She scratched under his chin. Nothing, kitty cat. Go back to sleep.
So what had made the splash? She scanned the pool s surface and saw nothing. Okay,
maybe she imagined it. It was more than possible. She d been so absorbed in her book
that she didn t even realize how late it was getting. The sun had been high in the sky
when she came out here to get away from Jude, but now slanted across the patio at a
stark angle, casting shadows over the pool.
She really should go inside and face Jude. Couldn t avoid him forever. Besides, she was
getting hungry.
With a sigh, she crawled off the lounger and stretched her arms up over her head. Her
body felt loose and warm from the sun, her muscles more relaxed than they had been in
years, but she still couldn t shake the notion that she was shirking her responsibilities by
taking time off from work. Yes, it was time she d earned. And, yes, other people took
time off with no repercussions. It didn t make her less of a lawyer, somehow inferior to
her counterparts.
And still.
Maybe she could sneak some work in tomorrow. Jude usually swam laps for an hour or
so in the morning. She could do it without him knowing. A quick call to Noah for an
update, a couple emails& Really, what would it hurt? She highly doubted K-Bar had the
kind of technology needed to track her all the way down to Florida from one little phone
call to her office.
The idea of work cheered her as she turned around to gather her things and spotted a
huge green monster swimming across the pool toward her.
She shrieked and dropped both her book and towel. The book skidded across the
concrete deck and landed in the water with a soft plop. The towel disappeared from view,
but she didn t dare drop her gaze to look for it. Not with that& thing& swimming closer.
Closer. Closer.
Sam hissed and arched up onto his toes and she snatched him up in a hug, unmindful of
his extended claws.
Closer. Closer.
She couldn t move, her knees locked in terror. She imagined giant teeth clamping onto
her leg, pulling her under the surface until water filled her lungs and choked her. Powerful
jaws ripping through muscle and bone and dragging her dead body away. Nobody would
know what happened to her until the alligator died and someone cut it open and found
what was left of her in its belly.
Oh, God.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]