Explosive Memories by Sherri Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

affected her.
    “How could I forget the most fearless, open, passionate girl I’d ever met?”
    Ha. That girl was long gone. Life’s harsh lessons sucked the innocence right out of her…leaving barely a shell of a woman behind. She dropped her gaze. This time, she had to make the right decisions.
    He nudged the underside of her chin with a bent finger and gave a lopsided grin. “I’m kind of fond of the girl who stripped off every scrap of clothin’ and dove into the pond with my headlights lightin’ the way.”
    Again, that night flashed back…
    After Rachelle left and the bonfire died down, Trent offered to take her home, but not wanting to face her parents or end the fun, she declined and spent hours in the man’s arms, talking, laughing, learning his body.
    The next morning, she had him drop her off a few blocks away from her house, saying she needed to visit a friend before going home. When in truth, she didn’t want her parents to see her getting out of a man’s truck. Though he gave her his number, in all the confusion following that day, she wasn’t sure whatever happened to the slip of paper.
    A calloused thumb stroked her bottom lip, bringing her attention back to the present and his mouth hovering above hers. His breath caressed her skin.
    Energy radiated off him in waves. “We could pick up where we left off.”
    Trying desperately to disentangle herself from the trance he wrapped around her, she moved to put space between them. “N-no.”
    “You don’t sound so sure.” He moved closer, and large palms bracketed her face as his lips grazed hers in the barest contact. “This feels good. You feel good.” His fingers treaded into her hair as he crushed her mouth with raw passion and teased the seam of her sealed mouth with his tongue.
    Jordan’s knees threatened to buckle, and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. Shame and uncertainty melted into the heat of his kiss, sweeping her up. Shaking and lost in the need for comfort, she let him carry her back to those blissful hours. She wanted to be absorbed into his skin. To quiver with excitement the way he’d made her do in the past. To forget the heartache of seeing the pile of ashes where her home once sat. The tragedy in the following months. The guilt. The heartache. Even for a split second.
    She shoved aside the anguish flowing deep and reveled in the building passion. Strong hands roamed over her hips, up and down her back, guiding her closer until no air circulated between their bodies. He moaned and seized possession of her in every way.
    Terrified that dreadful morning would invade her mind, but also afraid he’d stop making her feel alive, she clung to him. He made her lose her head and want to be the wild girl he once knew.
    But she was an adult now, capable of controlling her hormones, and she refused to go back in time.
    Jordan flattened a hand on his chest. “I can’t do this,” she mumbled, tearing away and rushing to stare out the window into the night. God, his hot skin felt solid and strong. She rubbed her hands together to rid the feel of his body. “I’m not the same person. I can’t be her.” She was stronger now, which was why the panic attacks happened in the middle of the night when she was most vulnerable.
    “I’m not asking you to be anyone you’re not.”
    A bitter laugh slipped from her lips before she could stop it. How could he cause her to doubt everything she stood for in the span of two seconds? One touch and bam, she couldn’t remember her own name. “You’re asking a lot more than that.” Coldness enveloped her as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I’ve been someone I’m not for so long, I don’t know who I am anymore.”
    “I know the feeling.”
    She glanced over, and the compassion in his features shocked her. When was the last time someone listened? Really listened to her? Understood her? Held her? God, she wanted Trent to hold her in the worst way. For him to be all she made him to be