Anything You Ask (14 page)
“Mark was afraid your father wouldn’t approve of him dating an employee. At least, that’s what he said at the time. Stupidly, I believed him.” Danielle crossed her arms, the action molding the blue t-shirt against her chest.
Hale tore his gaze off the pretty swell of her breasts and forced himself to look at her stone-faced expression. Seeing the hurt muffling her gaze made him flinch with regret. Desperation tore through him. A woman like this one deserved a man who wasn’t afraid of the truth.
“There’s another reason I couldn’t tell you what I knew,” he insisted.
“Yes, I know. There’s always a good reason to keep a secret.” When a ribbon of lightning wove through the sky, she looked out the window. “You Coopers are all alike.”
Hale almost laughed, but he knew doing so would drive Danielle farther away. The only option was to admit the awful truth. He squared his stance. “I’m not a Cooper. That’s why I had to let things happen the way they did.”
Her head jerked around and she frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Dad would’ve hated Mark for burning down the barn. Easier for me to take the blame, because Dad already detested me. He had good reason.” A shoulder shrugged. “I wasn’t his.”
Comprehension lit Danielle’s intelligent eyes. “Your mother had an affair. You were the result.”
“My father was a difficult man. For a time, she found comfort from someone else. Dad never would’ve found out if I hadn’t gone deaf. The genetic testing proved he wasn’t my biological father.” He tried to swallow past the shame plugging his throat, but admitting nobody wanted him made his mouth dry up. “I have no idea who my real father is. Mom never told me.”
Danielle’s gaze drifted up to the dark blond hair that was the dead giveaway he wasn’t Mark’s full brother. “Your father was looking for an excuse to send you away. You were living proof of his wife’s unfaithfulness.”
Lips drawn into a thin line, Hale nodded. “I still dream about the night he disowned me. The nightmare always starts off the same. I’m surrounded by flames, but manage to escape the barn. When the smoke clears, you run toward me just like you did that night. Whenever I dream about it, I try to get to the part when you’re holding me so I can remember what being in your arms felt like.”
He could tell she didn’t believe him, not after what she overheard a few moments ago. If he really cared about her, he would have told her Mark was cheating.
“Everyone in my family pushed me away,” he explained. “Mark was the only one I had left. I couldn’t betray him.”
A tear appeared on her lashes and rolled down her cheek. “In return, he sold you out.”
“What choice did he have? He wanted to stay on the farm. He wanted to be with you. So did I, but you deserved someone whole.” Hale opened his hands. “Not a deaf man with too many secrets.”
“You had nothing to do with the circumstances of your birth, but everyone punished you for it. They were so convincing, you still take the blame. No wonder you had to leave.” The tears began to fall in earnest from her glittering eyes.
For too long, Hale felt isolated in his grief. Now that she cried for him, he was no longer alone.
With reverent care, he touched the wet curve of her face. “You know two of my secrets. I might as well tell you the last one. I love you, Danielle. I’ve loved you ever since the summer we met, but I thought you deserved someone who could hear every word you said. That’s why I left you with Mark. I hoped he’d give you all the things I couldn’t. I figured the more miles I put between us, the better off you’d be.”
She looked away, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth.
A terrifying unsteadiness threatened to knock him off balance. He felt like the world lost its gravitational pull, threatening to fling him into the polar atmosphere. Not wanting to leave Danielle, he clamped his hands around her upper arms and fused his mouth to her slick cheek. The salty taste of her tears made his own sting behind his eyelids.
His misguided attempt to hide the truth had hurt the one person he wanted more than anything. What would he do if she couldn’t forgive him?
“I was wrong, Dani. I never should have left without telling you how I felt, but spilling my guts terrified me. My own family didn’t love me, so why would you?” He inhaled, bringing her sweet scent deep inside. “But things are different now. I’m stronger. I know I can offer you a good life. Let me prove it to you. Give me the chance to show how much I love you.”
He slid his hands under her t-shirt, seeking the softness of her skin. The slender curve of her back felt so good beneath his hands. He didn’t need anything else to be happy.
To his surprise, she put her arms around his neck and rubbed his shoulders as though she was grateful for every solid sinew forming him, no matter what his lineage. For a dazzling moment, he felt like he truly mattered.
“If you go to Virginia, let me come with you.” His voice cracked with emotion and he tightened his arms around her waist. “We’ll sell this place and start over. I can work anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”
Her succulent mouth touched his, imbuing him with purpose. He was back on earth, no longer an insignificant speck in the vast cosmos. His body thickened when her delicate fingers looped through his belt loops to pull his hips flush with hers.
As soon as she brought him close, he was strong again. The carnal ache in his groin intensified, making him want to take root inside her so she’d never leave him.
“I always suspected you weren’t like the rest of the men in your family.” Danielle kissed him again, her lips soft and forgiving. “Now I know why.”
Compelled to start showing her how much he adored her, he took her breasts in his hands and grunted in encouragement when she arched up to his touch. “I love you so much, Danielle. From now on, you’ll never have reason to doubt that.”
Cocoa nudged his thigh with her muzzle. When he ignored her, she pawed at his leg until he noticed the two small figures standing in the doorway.
“Are you hugging Mommy again?” Luke smiled sleepily at Hale.
“I can’t help it. I’m crazy about her.” The interruption made his body roar in protest. Hale slid his hands off Danielle’s chest and locked his arms behind the small of her back. “What are you boys doing up?”
“I heard thunder, so I woke Drew and told him to come with me to your room.” Luke rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Can we sleep with you?”
Danielle let out a startled laugh and shrugged with a shake of her head. “Luke won’t be able to go back to bed until the storm passes.”
“You boys can stay until the thunder stops.” Hale took a deep breath, tamping down his raging libido. He supposed he’d have to get used to these interruptions now that he was a parent of two little boys. As the twins vaulted across the room in joyful abandon, he smirked at his wife. “We need a bigger bed, Dani.”
“Anything you ask.”
Hale pressed a kiss against her temple and watched the boys scramble under the covers. A moment passed before he digested what he’d just heard. “Did you say what I think you said?”
“Yes. I just admitted I loved you.” Her delicate hands cupped his jaw. “Isn’t that what you’ve been telling us every time you said those words?”
“Every single time,” he admitted, jubilation kicking his heart into a rapid beat. He squeezed her, amazed to see her pretty green eyes beaming upward. The possibility of a happy future made his entire body tighten with want. His next words were a hoarse plea. “Tell me again.”
“I love you, Hale.” Her voice lowered to a sexy murmur for him only. “To prove it, I’m going to make love to you every night for the next fifty years. You’re the only one who makes me happy. I want to stay right here, with you.”
“You saved me from the people who were supposed to love me. I’m yours,” he pledged, directing his next words into her ear. “As soon as the thunder fades, I’m sending the boys back to their room so I can have you all to myself.”
She burst into a radiant smile. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Anything you ask, sweetheart. Anything at all.”
A word about the author...
When Lynn Kellan isn’t writing stories about men and women who adore each other, she loves to play tennis and golf—but not at the same time.
Her books always contain a hearty dose of love and humor, because those are necessary ingredients for a happily ever after.
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