Stroke of Sapphire by N.J. Walters Read Free Book Online

businesswoman.
    But somehow she maintained an aura of innocence, of kindness. Her older sister Topaz came across as a tough lady with an iron will, covered with a veneer of sophistication. But with Sapphire, what you saw was what you got, honesty and kindness. Not that Topaz wasn’t that way too, or at least he thought she was, but Topaz was more guarded. Her sister Emerald he didn’t know as well, but she seemed bohemian and artsy, perfect for the New York scene even though she was now living in rural Maine. She’d survived a stalker so she had to be mentally tough.
    Sapphire, on the other hand, was an open book. Or at least she had been. She’d closed up over the past few weeks even though she’d expanded her social activities.
    “I think we’ve said all there is to say. You need to stay out of my life, Jake. I appreciate what you did tonight, but you need to leave me alone.” The rosy flush coloring her cheeks made her appear as though she’d shared a quick tumble with her lover. Wishful thinking on his part. It was all righteous anger aimed at him.
    He shook his head. “I can’t do that, babe.”
    “You wanted out and you got out. Don’t think for one second you can walk right back in and pick up where we left off. Not happening.” Sapphire walked to the front door and yanked it open. “You need to go.”
    Jake walked over to the door, tugged it out of her grip and quietly closed it. “I can’t.” And that was the honest truth. “I thought what I was doing was for you, but it was really for me. I was afraid my darkness would hurt you, would swallow you, that my demands in bed would overwhelm you. Hell, the night we spent together, I was barely getting started when you were all but passed out. I feared what might happen if I did the things I really wanted to. I never wanted to hurt you that way. But I was also protecting myself.”
    Talk about leaving your balls exposed. Jake had never felt so vulnerable in his entire life. He’d stripped back the cover on his soul, leaving it totally exposed to her. But if this is what it took in order to get Sapphire back, he was willing to do it. She had no idea just how much power he’d handed her.
    Or maybe she did.
    The smile she gave him was filled with sadness and a finality that made his balls shrivel. He feared what she was about to say, so he cut her off, not giving her time to speak. “No, don’t say it’s over. Give us another chance.” She had to give him another chance at getting this relationship thing right. He wasn’t sure he could live with the alternative.
    “I’m not sure I can, Jake. I’m not sure I can ever trust you again. You shredded my confidence as a woman, as a lover.”
    “And I’m sorry as hell for that. You were amazing that night, like a drug in my veins that I can’t live without.” He reached out and lightly rested his hands on her shoulders. “Let me prove to you I can change.” That was an offer he wouldn’t make to any other person on the face of the planet.
    “Oh, Jake. I don’t want you to change. Neither of us should have to change. If we’re not enough just the way we are then it won’t work.”
    “Then give us another chance to see if it will work.” She had to give them another shot. He gently squeezed her shoulders and she flinched. “Son of a bitch. He hurt you, didn’t he? I’ll kill the motherfucker.” Jake knew he should curb his language, but too many years in the military had given him a colorful vocabulary that came out whenever he was truly angry.
    “I’m fine. Really.” Sapphire tried to bat away his hands, but he wasn’t having any part of that. He made quick work of the buttons of her blouse and slipped the silky fabric off her shoulders. The bra she was wearing was the same color as her blouse, a chocolate, lacy delight that covered her exceptional breasts. His blood pressure shot through the roof, but plummeted again when he caught sight of her shoulders. Already, dark bruises were