Learning to Breathe Again by Kelli Heneghan Read Free Book Online Page A

up.
    A simple one piece with a modest style and in
her size. But could she do it? Could she prance around in front of
a man, wearing next to nothing? She stepped into the bathroom with
the swimwear clenched in her fist. The towels he had stocked in the
bathroom drew her attention. They were large, over-sized bath
towels, made for tall people. Wrapped around her, it would cover
her from just above her breasts all the way to her knees.
    She could do this. She’d make herself do
this. Besides, she wanted to get to know Jack. She wouldn’t deny
she was attracted to him, as much as that scared the crap out of
her right now. But she hadn’t felt this kind of spark with a guy
for a long time, long before she and Will had called it quits. And
after his treatment of her once she’d decided it was time to end it
for good, she hadn’t wanted to get involved with anyone else.
    One way to find out if the attraction was
mutual, she decided, tossing the bathing suit onto the bathroom
counter. Before she could talk herself out of it, she was changed,
a towel wrapped around herself and she was making her way out to
the hot tub.

    Jack was stretched out in his hot tub, head
back against the side, when he heard the patio door slide open and
close. Struggling to hide his grin and keep his eyes closed, he
listened to her feet shuffle across the deck and stop near the spa.
When he’d walked past her door on his way to the hot tub, he heard
her in her room, opening and closing dresser drawers. He had hoped
it had meant she was looking for that bathing suit he’d mentioned
but he also knew she could have been putting away her own
clothes.
    When he didn’t hear any other sounds coming
from the pool area, he cracked one eye open, turning his head
towards where he’d last heard her. “You getting in?”
    When she didn’t answer, he opened both eyes
to look at her. She’d found Nicole’s bathing suit and had wrapped
herself in a towel so that only the straps of the suit showed as
they crossed over her shoulders. He made a mental note to himself
to buy smaller towels in the future.
    Jesus, are you trying to get yourself killed
by your best friends? Stop with that line of thinking!
    “ Not sure yet,” she
muttered, looking down at the water.
    “ You should drop the towel,
if you are,” he told her with a smirk.
    “ Still not sure,” she
repeated, biting her bottom lip, looking between him and the water.
He laughed and stood up, offering her his hand.
    “ Come on, Bayleigh. You
won’t regret it. I promise,” he watched the emotions chase each
other across her features: the indecision, fear, shyness, courage
and determination. He cocked an eyebrow and grinned at her. “Trust
me.”

    Trust him. She could hear Jason’s voice
echoing in her head, telling her he trusted this man with his life.
Knowing she should and letting go of her fears and doing it were
two very different things. She swallowed hard and met his gaze,
allowing the towel to drop to her feet. She took those last few
steps to the edge of the hot tub, her eyes dropping to the water
once she was at the edge.

    Now, it was Jack’s turn to swallow hard.
Somehow, he managed to keep his eyes on her face. The modest
swimsuit was sexy as hell on her. He offered her his hand, helping
her step into the tub. She let out a hiss as the heat enveloped
her.
    “ You’ll get used to it,” he
assured her, as she eased onto one of the bench seats. He sat down
across from her and then reached over and activated the jets. His
head dropped back against the edge and he closed his eyes. “Just
relax, Bayleigh.”

    Bayleigh turned so she could lay her leg
across the bench and direct one of the jets at it as she massaged
her knee and thigh. Her eyes strayed over to him every few seconds,
as she took in the scars on his chest and abdomen. She hadn’t
allowed herself to stare as she got into the hot tub, but she was
pretty sure she’d seen some scars on his leg, too. Her fingers
traced over