New Beginnings by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online

would always belong to him, just as he would always belong to her. Now he just had to make her believe that.
    His chest constricted when he saw her making her way to the stage. He loved her now more than ever. It terrified him how much he still wanted her, needed her in his life.
    She climbed the stairs leading up to the stage and caught him off guard with a brilliant smile, all bright white teeth and dimples.
    “You ready to do this, hotshot?”
    He grinned. “Bring it on, baby.”
    He’d taken a few minutes to bring the band up to speed on his song choices and, since he hadn’t briefed her, she would have no choice but to follow his lead. He’d purposely chosen songs that she would know. Some of their old favourites, including a song he’d written for her on his debut album.
    He addressed the crowd and got them fired up, before singing the first few bars of their song. He saw the silent protest in her eyes as realization dawned. He knew he was hitting below the belt, but if this was his only chance, he was determined to make it count.
    She was a professional and didn’t miss a beat. She sang his words back to him with the angst of a woman fighting to hold on to a lost love. He knew her too well to think she was putting on a show for the benefit of the crowd. She still felt something for him and that gave him something he hadn’t had in a long time: hope.
     
    ***
     
    By the time their last song ended, Sierra was desperate to escape the haunting memories he evoked. He was like her drug of choice, dangerous, just a heartbeat away from dragging her into that destructive, old pattern that had nearly destroyed her.
    He was systematically lowering her defences, drawing her in with familiar words, bone-melting perusals, and intimate caresses. Whatever his proposition, she knew she would have to stay strong to resist him. She wasn’t willing to jeopardize her hard-fought peace of mind for a few all-consuming nights of passion.
    She knew he wanted to prove a point. He wanted her to believe that Eric wasn’t the man for her because he wasn’t able to satisfy her in the bedroom. He may have been able to convince the naïve girl he’d married that sex was the foundation of a good relationship, but the battle-weary woman he divorced knew better than to believe that sex, no matter how good, could obliterate all of the problems in a relationship. She and Trey were able to relate on a carnal level up until their last night together, but the emotional connection had died months before. That’s why she now chose friendship before love and passion. She loved her fiancé, not in the same foolhardy way she’d loved Trey, but with the maturity of a woman who’d been married and divorced and now realized that love didn’t have the power to conquer all.
    She let him take her hand as they took their last bow for the crowd and tried to ignore the tingling sensation skittering up her arm. She had to get out of here now, before she did or said something she would never be able to forget.
    She tried to pull away, but he kept a firm grip on her hand as he led her through the throngs of people pleading with him for an autograph. Fortunately, Josh and several bouncers were there to control the crowd and give them the space they needed to make their way to the dressing room.
    Trey closed the door and turned the lock before turning to face her. “We still have that magic. Don’t tell me you couldn’t feel it.”
    She was still reeling from the music, the fans, and their adoration for this man who had once been her whole world. She wanted to pretend she wasn’t affected by him, but it was futile.  He was too sexy, too virile, and it had been too long.
    She took a shaky breath and tried to reclaim her composure. “Whether we do or not is irrelevant. Look, Trey, I did what I came here to do. I reconnected with some old friends, made some money for my charity, and kept my word to your sister. Now, I’d just like to go back to my hotel