LITMIR.BIZ

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thought about him at night, after Emily had gone to sleep, when the TV was turned off and the house settled into deep silence. Sometimes lying in bed, unable to drift off, Tess would wonder about what might have been, but mostly she thought about what was never meant to be.

      She and Jared had come from two very different worlds—his one of wealth and privilege, hers one of hard work and sacrifice. Still, it might have worked, they might have made it work, if it hadn’t been for a series of events that summer that had changed Tess’s life—and Melanie’s—forever. The night Melanie had showed up at Tess’s door had only been a portent.

      But Jared had loved her once, Tess thought, her eyes misting. He’d once promised her there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.

      Would he feel that way now when he found out the truth…?

      “Promise me,” Tess whispered as she and Jared lay on his boat, watching the stars turn on one by one in an indigo sky. They were alone on the lake, drifting aimlessly, neither of them anxious to return to shore. To reality. “Promise you won’t say anything until I’m ready.”

      Jared rolled to his side and propped himself on his elbow, gazing down at her. “They’re going to find out about us sooner or later, Tess. They may even already know.” He trailed a finger down her bare stomach, making her shiver. “Why are you so afraid?”

      “You know why. I’m not the sort of girl your parents would want to see you bring home. They won’t approve of me and you know it.”

      He hesitated, frowning. “They will in time.”

      “But what if they don’t? What if my mother loses her job?”

      “You think she’d get fired because of us? I wouldn’t let that happen.”

      “Maybe you couldn’t stop it. Maybe they’d kick you out, too.”

      “I’m not a kid, Tess. I’ve got my own place. I’m not exactly worried about being homeless.”

      “But you’re destined to take over the company someday. It’s what you want. Your father could force you out because of me.”

      “Stop borrowing trouble. That’s not going to happen, either.”

      He was trying to reassure her, but Tess longed to hear him say that he didn’t care if it did happen. He could be happy without the Spencer money, without the prestige and power, so long as he had her.

      But he didn’t say it, and Tess was afraid his silence spoke volumes.

      She closed her eyes as his fingers whispered along her skin, barely touching her and yet eliciting a response so needy, so primal, she hardly recognized herself. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to her. She was too levelheaded. And she didn’t even like the Spencers.

      But Jared was different. He always had been, and Tess was only now starting to admit to herself that she’d nursed secret feelings for him for years. Maybe that was why she was so reluctant to bring their relationship out into the open. Jared Spencer was a fantasy come true. She didn’t want reality screwing up everything. When his family found out about them…if they made him choose…

      Tess shivered, and Jared pulled her even closer.

      “I’ve got an idea,” he murmured.

      “What?”

      “My family’s having a celebration here at the lake next week. It’s my parents’ anniversary. I want you to come as my date. Maybe once you get to know us, you’ll realize we aren’t the monsters you seem to think we are.”

      “I can’t,” Tess said in alarm. “My mother has to work that night, and I promised I’d help her.”

      Jared rolled to his back and stared at the sky. “You don’t have to do that.”

      “Why not?” she challenged. “I’m not ashamed of what my mother does for a living. If it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me.”

      “Still wearing that chip on your shoulder, Tess? Still think you’ve got something to prove?”

      “It’s not that.” She drew her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I just want you to see me for who I really am. Don’t expect me to change just because of us.”

      “Then why should I have to change?”

      “I never said you did.”

      “Not in so many words, but there’s always this underlying tension when we’re together,” he said. “I always feel as if I have to make excuses for who I am and for what my family has. You put up defenses that I don’t know how to break through.”

      “If I’m so much trouble, why do you even bother?” she asked, stung by his words.

      “Because no matter how hard you try to push me away, I can’t stop thinking about you.” He tugged her down beside him, holding her close, discarding her bathing-suit top in one fluid motion. “I can’t stop wanting you,” he whispered.

      The night air swept over Tess, cooling her, drawing an inevitable response. But Jared was there to keep her warm. Jared was there to cover her nakedness with his, making her want him so badly Tess could hardly believe that just a few short weeks ago, she’d never been with a man, never experienced the intense pleasure of lovemaking.

      But Jared had changed all that.

      He kissed her deeply, making her melt in his arms. Making her sigh his name.

      “Meet me,” he whispered in her ear.

      “When? Where?”

      “I’m going to New Orleans tomorrow, but I’ll be back next week for the party. Meet me down by the lake after dinner. I can’t spend the whole evening under the same roof with you and not touch you.”

      “Touch me now,” she begged.

      And he did. Over and over….

      As the memories spun away, Tess saw that Jared had turned from the window and was staring at her. Her face flushed hot, and she braced herself for his reaction. Her mouth dry, the muscles in her throat taut and aching, she stared back at him. And for the life of her, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

      But it didn’t matter because his first words said it all.

      “May I help you?” he asked in a tone that held not the slightest note of recognition.

      THE YOUNG WOMAN who stood in his doorway looked as if she might turn and bolt at any second. When Jared started across the room toward her, she did exactly that.

      “Wait!”

      She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. Uncertainty flickered in her eyes.

      “Are you lost?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he said, “Whose office are you trying to find? Maybe I can help you.”

      Resentment flashed in her hazel eyes. “I’m not lost. I came here to see you.”

      “Do we have an appointment?”

      “No.” Her chin lifted. “I slipped passed the receptionist in the lobby. And your secretary wasn’t at her desk.”

      He cocked his head slightly, studying her. “Do I know you?”

      “I’m Tess,” she said, and now it was annoyance that settled over her features, precisely the way it had six years ago when he’d failed to recognize her.

      Stunned, Jared could only stare at her. Back then her transformation from a gangly teenager to a striking young woman had taken him by surprise, but this new metamorphosis was even more shocking. And disturbing.

      He wouldn’t have recognized her. Not in a million years. Her face was pale and drawn, with dark circles underneath her eyes and deep pain within. And she was so thin! Not fashionably slender, but skin and bones, as if she’d

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