End Zone: Texas Titans 2 by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online Page B

Kristen? On
the cold side of an empty bed while her lover chased his dream.
    “You know me, Kristen. You know I’m a
decent guy.”
    She knew the boy he used to be, but she had
no idea about the man he’d become. He chased thrills with extreme sports, had
his heart broken by a beautiful model, made a fortune as a business mogul, and
rode in the back of limos wearing designer suits and diamond watches.
    “I can’t stay,” she said, struggling to get
up.
    “Look at me,” he whispered, touching her
face gently. “What are you running from?”

Chapter Four
     
    Matt felt like a man on the verge of
drowning, struggling for a life preserver he couldn’t quite reach. Even though
he hadn’t seen Kristen in years, her image had drifted in and out of his
fantasies. Then she was in his arms, and he didn’t want to let her go.
    “I’m not running from anything.”
    He saw the heartbreak in her eyes, and he
wanted to knock some sense into the man who’d put it there. Robert Channing
didn’t have the right to occupy the same space as Kristen, much less call her
his fiancée. He didn’t know what Robert had done to hurt her, but it must have
done a number on her if the thought of loving again filled her with such fear.
    “I just want us to try.” Matt was pushing
too hard, but he wasn’t used to giving up without a fight. “One date, let’s
just see how it goes.”
    “I’m not ready to date”—her eyes fell to
his open shirt—“someone like you, Matt.”
    “‘Someone like me’? What does that mean?”
    “I need safety and security. You don’t seem
like the kind of guy who thrives on those things.”
    She was asking for a guarantee he couldn’t
give her. He had no idea where their relationship could go, but he knew he’d
spend the rest of his life wondering if he didn’t coax her into giving him a
chance.
    “You were my fantasy girl in high school,”
he said, trying to draw a smile from her, to lighten the mood and make her
forget about leaving. Maybe if he reminded her of the guy he used to be, the
friend she’d enjoyed spending time with, she wouldn’t see him as a threat to
her fragile heart.
    Instead of smiling, the anguished look in
her eyes intensified. “This isn’t high school. We’ve both suffered through our
share of battle scars. We’re too old to waste time on a relationship that could
never work.”
    “How do you know we couldn’t work?” Matt
knew his frustration was evident in his voice. He wasn’t used to working so
hard to make his case. He wasn’t a bad guy, and most people sensed that without
having to be convinced.
    “You live your life one way. I live my life
a completely different way.”
    “What the hell does that mean?” He leaned
back, giving her some space. If she was still determined to leave, nothing he
could say or do would convince her to stay. “You haven’t even asked me about my
life. How do you know whether we have things in common?”
    “Fine.” She looked prepared to indulge him.
“What do you do for fun?”
    Matt winced inwardly, knowing his answer
wouldn’t help his case. “I go sky-diving. I love taking my boat out on the
water for deep sea fishing and water skiing. I ride my bike across the country
when…” He stopped speaking when her face lost color. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” She shook her head. “You know
what I do for fun? Curl up with a cup of herbal tea and a good book. Watch
re-runs of seventies and eighties sitcoms. Go out for dinner or a movie with my
girlfriends. Shop or go to the spa. That’s it. When I’m not working, that’s my
life.”
    She was trying to make him see that they
were all wrong for each other, but her case would have to be a lot more
convincing if she wanted him to lose interest in her. “I like to read, watch
TV, and go out for dinner or a beer with friends.” He grinned. “Okay, so I’m
not all that big on shopping, and I’ve never set foot inside a spa, but you
might be able to talk me into