His Southern Temptation - By Robin Covington Page 0,62

lifetime together. She needed to believe.

She just couldn’t take the final leap of faith. The price for a mistake was just too damn high.

“What do you want me to do?” Her words were barely above a whisper, her chest was tight, and she couldn’t get a deep enough breath to fully vent her frustration and anger. She wanted to break something, to take one of those ugly-ass plates her mother collected off the wall and bash it to pieces on the hardwood floor.

“I want you to stay, baby. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I want you to stay.”

His words, delivered simply and with sincerity, made her want to scream. He made it sound so damn easy. But it wasn’t.

He continued, “In case I haven’t been perfectly clear, let me spell it out. I love you. I want you to stay here and build a life with me. I’m direct—not romantic like you deserve. I say what I want, and that is what I want.”

His words spoke to something deep inside her, a place of drought dying for a long season of rain. But she couldn’t let his words sink in and fill her up. This was a decision to be made with her head, not her heart.

“I’m sorry, Lucky. I can’t.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“What are you so afraid of, Taylor?”

Her chin jutted out like all the damn Elliotts’ when they were up against a wall. She shook the hair out of her eyes, their fire daring him to challenge her. She might leave, but not without facing some truth.

“Well, how about this for starters?” He advanced two steps forward, coming nose-to-nose with her defiance. “For such a kick-ass woman you’re a total coward. You’re scared we’re going to be a statistic and end up like your parents. Am I right?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Well, sweetheart, you’re out of luck because there are no guarantees. This is scary shit and you might get hurt, but you’ve gotta get over it.”

That woke her up. “You think it’s that easy? You can just spout some Dr. Phil bullshit and suddenly everything is okay? Well, fuck you.”

“Nice. I must be getting pretty close to the mark if you’re cussing me out already.”

“You act like it’s nothing for me to stay here and start over.” Taylor choked on the last word, her fist covering her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes and hung on her lashes.

She turned from him, hiding her face and heading for the stairs. Lucky followed her, unable to watch her walk away like this. She was hurting—hell, he felt like someone had taken a chainsaw to his chest—but if she was this upset that meant she cared. As long as she was here in Elliott, he had a chance to make sure she stayed.

“Taylor, baby.” He caught up with her at the stairs, looping his arm around her waist and pulling her up against his body. She fought him a little, her body tense and refusing to yield to him. Lucky nuzzled along her neck, kissing the sensitive flesh behind her ear, biting at the taut muscle underneath, making her moan and arch against him.

“Stay,” he growled against her skin and felt her shiver under his touch.

“Lucky. I can’t.”

He turned her, cupping her face in his hands. His heart breaking with the sadness on her face. “Don’t you feel this? Can you really walk away?”

With a groan, she pulled him down to her, capturing his mouth in a kiss, more tender than carnal. Her fingers wove through his hair, holding him in place as if she thought he could possibly walk away from her right now. He wanted this to last, wanted them to stay in this moment before she blew them apart.

“Lucky. Make love to me,” she murmured against his mouth.

He should say no. He should push her away and walk away before he created a moment he knew would haunt him until the day he died.

He didn’t.

His hands roamed, cupping her breasts, playing with her hard nipples under the fabric of her dress, caressing the silken length of her thigh. He ground against the sweet cleft of her body with his cock, groaning himself at the shocks of pleasure reverberating up and down his spine. The momentum of their movement propelled them forward until she was leaning against the stairs and he was curved over her.

“Stay.” Lucky’s demand was repeated against the sweet skin of her shoulder as he trailed fingers along the inside of