Fearless (11 page)

He grimaced but didn’t disagree. Instead, Luke handed her one of the glasses of wine, then tilted his head for her to continue.

“But we were more than sex. There was a connection. The way we talked, the way we shared. I felt closer to you than I’ve ever felt to anyone else.”

Words of love trembled on her lips, but Gia couldn’t say them. Not yet. She would, though. Soon. Just as soon as she knew they were so solidly enmeshed in reality that neither of them could claim fantasy fogged their emotions.

“I felt the same. I feel the same,” he corrected. “I’ve never gone to this much trouble, cared this much, for another woman before.”

She’d hoped. She’d wanted to believe. And as much as she hoped for sweeping declarations of love, Gia knew it was too soon. If she heard them now, she’d have trouble believing them She’d figure it was all fantasy.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t do everything possible to cement their new reality so they could share those words soon.

“I want more,” she told him.

“How much more?”

She wet her lips, then straightened her spine and met his gaze with a determined look.

“I want it all. I want to see what we can make of this.” She gestured between them with her glass, the pale gold liquid sloshing. “I want a relationship. A com—”

She broke off on the word
commitment
.

Not because she was afraid of making that demand of Luke. But because she was afraid of being worthy of it. Then, realizing she was done with that crap, she lifted her chin and said again, “I want a commitment.”

Luke’s smile was wide.

Sexy and sweet, his full lips curved as he gave a contemplative nod. Then, his gaze intense, he clinked his glass against hers.

“You’re on.”

“I am?”

Love, intense and powerful, poured through her. She didn’t know if it was real yet. She wasn’t sure if it would last. But she knew he was feeling the same thing and that he wanted to see where it went. And that was everything.

“But I have a couple of conditions,” he told her, his words slow and contemplative.

Giddy, Gia took a sip of her wine before offering him an arch look. “And those would be?”

“Fantasies. Lots of fantasies.”

She set her glass aside so she could slide her hands behind his neck, pulling his head down for a delighted kiss.

“Babe, I’m going to make your reality so hot, so sexy, so wild, that you won’t have room for fantasies.”

Then, to seal the promise, she set out to do just that.

USA TODAY
bestselling author Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze book was published in 2007. A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook.

Come by and visit her website, at
www.tawnyweber.com
, for hunky contests, delicious recipes and lots of fun.

ISBN: 9781743643693

TITLE: FEARLESS

First Australian Publication 2013

Copyright © 2013 Tawny Weber

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