Fool for Love by Marie Force Read Free Book Online Page A

on the island's northern coast emerge from the fog.
    Joe took a deep breath and told her about
Mac's call.
    Janey winced. "I can't believe David
called my mother. That's just what I need."
    "I guess he was worried when he
couldn't reach you."
    Her snort was loaded with sarcasm.
"Should I feel honored he cares enough to worry?"
    "You'll have to talk to him at some
point."
    "Not until I'm good and ready."
    "I'm sure your mother told him you'd
gone to surprise him. He may have figured out why you disappeared."
    "Good. Let him wonder."
    At some point in the last few days, her
disappointment had turned to anger. Joe supposed that was healthy, but he
wouldn't be satisfied until she'd officially ended it with David. He didn't
expect her longtime fiancé to go without a fight and couldn't bear the idea of
him causing her any more pain than he already had.
    As the ferry steamed toward South Harbor,
Joe wanted to stop time, to go back to this morning when he'd held her naked in
his arms, to when they'd had a whole day to spend in bed together. A tremendous
sense of foreboding came over him as they got closer to the island. He wanted
to howl and rage and grab hold of her and never let her go.
    "Janey."
    She looked up at him with those bottomless
blue eyes, and he lost the words he'd been prepared to say. All he could do was
stare at her and drink her in.
    Mindless of the prying eyes that
surrounded them, she dropped her head to his chest and rested her hands on his
hips. "I never would've survived this without you."
    Joe ached. How could he tell her he'd
never survive the rest of his life without her ? He couldn't. It would be
so unfair to add to her burden.
    He drew her into his embrace. "You
know where I am. You know how I feel. You know what I want."
    He felt her nod.
    "No time limit, no statute of
limitations, no pressure."
    She looked up at him again, slaying him
with the array of emotions that danced across her expressive face. "Thank
you."
    Gratitude was the least of what he wanted
from her, but being the needy fool he was, he took what he could get. He kissed
her forehead, and even though it cost him more than he could bear, he let her
go.

Chapter 6
     
    With Joe's steady presence giving her courage, Janey
stepped off the ferry onto Gansett Island. She immediately noticed her brother
pacing back and forth, filled with restless energy.
    He looked up, saw them coming and rushed
over, stopping short in front of them, his hands opening and closing into
fists.
    Janey smiled at his restraint and
uncertainty. No doubt he wanted to toss her over his shoulder, carry her off
and hide her away until he'd disposed of David's dead body. She put him out of
his misery by reaching for him.
    Mac put his arms around her and lifted her
right off her feet. "Hey, brat."
    "Don't call me that," she said
as she always did.
    He set her back down and took a good long
look at her face. "What can I do? Tell me what you need."
    Joe placed her bag at her feet and took a
step back.
    Mac finally seemed to register that his
friend was there, too. He reached out to shake Joe's hand. "Thanks,
man."
    Joe shook Mac's hand. "Sure."
    Janey turned to Mac. "Will you give
us a minute? Please?"
    Mac's sharp eyes shifted from Janey to Joe
and then back to his sister. "Okay. I'll wait for you in the truck."
With one more wary glance at Joe, Mac picked up her bag and took it with him.
    "You'll make him suspicious,"
Joe said when they were alone.
    "Because I want to say a proper thank
you to my good friend?"
    "He knows, Janey. Don't forget
that."
    "I won't forget anything. That's all
I wanted to say."
    His eyes went soft. "Neither will I.
Take care of yourself, you hear me? It's all about you and whatever you want
and need. That's the only thing that matters."
    Overcome by his softly spoken words and
the emotion behind them, Janey nodded and hugged him one last time.
    "I'll send your car over as soon as
it's ready."
    "Thanks. Would it be okay if I called
you?"
    "Yes, Janey,"