“Won’t that open up your past every day?” He didn’t want her to have to relive that constantly, but he had to trust that she knew her own emotional limits.
“I’m sure it will from time to time, but it’s also what will make me good at it. I’ve talked with the director at Sarah’s Smile and she agreed to let me start there.”
“Have I told you that I think you’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met?” He released her hand and gestured toward the yard. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve got some pretty kickass women in my life. I’m sorry I treated you like anything less than that.”
“Why did you?”
He stared down into his mug, into the swirling chocolate that reminded him of Tessa’s eyes. “Initially? Because I felt like a fucking failure for not being able to protect you. I owed you something, Tessa. When Micki and I came back to that room and I realized you’d been raped again…I…I knew it was my fault.”
She placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “You were doing what you thought was right. What you thought would protect me.”
“I made the wrong choice, so later, I wanted to make it up to you in any way I could. I wanted every one of those bastards to have something taken from them the way you did.”
“You felt sorry for me. That’s why you brought me on board at Steele Trap.”
He wanted to pull her in, wrap her tight in his arms, and reassure her that he would never undermine her trust again. “I wanted you to have the best life possible. I could give you a little boost, but I had nothing to do with all the hard work it took you to get to where you are. The day you walked into the offices in Seattle, you were so put together, I couldn’t believe you’d ever been a victim. I think I fell in love with you then, when I realized you had healed.”
“But you didn’t know how to stop thinking I hadn’t. Which meant you wouldn’t allow yourself to acknowledge your feelings for me.”
“It felt wrong. Like I was just as bad as one of them. Because when I looked at you, I wanted you with a power that felt out of control. I fantasized about taking you… against the wall, in the stairwell, on my desk.”
“I wish you’d told me all this years ago. You’ve been torturing yourself, convincing yourself we couldn’t be together because you like to call the shots in the bedroom.”
“Is it too late for us now?”
“I think that depends on if you’ve truly changed the way you see me. I’ll always be a rape victim, but that doesn’t make me fragile. I don’t want or need to be taken care of like a child. I want to be treated like a woman, like an equal.”
“Which means sometimes you protect me.” It was really that simple and that damn complex. A real relationship was fluid and no one got to play the same role all the time.
“Does that bother you?”
“I’d be lying if I said it felt comfortable, but I will do anything to make this work. I didn’t fall in love with you out of pity, because you were a victim. I fell in love with you because I admire you, because you’re a survivor. I love you and I want you, as a partner, in my life every day from now until the end. I can’t promise I won’t screw up sometimes and try to protect you. But I won’t hide things from you anymore.”
With a small smile, she glanced out at his family, where Reid had just thrown Brynne over his shoulder and Britt was trying to keep their mom from climbing into the bucket of the cherry picker. “It’s obvious that you have a little caveman in your DNA.”
“That’s an understatement.” But that didn’t mean she could live with it. She still hadn’t answered his question. Had he ruined everything?
“I love you, Jonah. I love you and wouldn’t know how to stop if I tried. We’ll both screw things up from time to time. But I trust you. I trust that you’ll tell me the truth and listen when I tell you what I need, not what you think I need.” Then she wrapped her arms around his waist, and the feeling of contentment that streamed through Jonah was bone deep.
“I promise.” Jonah kissed her—a deep commitment to their future full of love, laughter, and unexpected visits from his family.
The whoops, hollers, and catcalls from the yard didn’t deter him one bit. Tessa was his. And he was hers.
When they finally parted, lips clinging, Tessa’s eyes were bright—with trust, happiness, and love.
“How would you feel about spending more time with the Steele family?” he asked her. “Maybe with a little less crime and a few more clothes? I’ll even throw in Clementine if you’re willing to go for it.”
She laughed, and it lit him up inside, brighter than the trillion lights his mom had wrapped around that tree. “I feel like it would be the adventure of a lifetime, one I want to share with the man I love. Jonah Steele, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
So with Tessa’s hand safely in his, he stepped off the porch and into the beautiful adventure of their life together.
Now that you’ve had your fun with the Steeles, get ready for the Kingston cousins.
Discover More Steele Ridge
The BEGINNING, A Short Prequel, Book 1
Going HARD, Book 2
Living FAST, Book 3
Loving DEEP, Book 4
Breaking FREE, Book 5
Roaming WILD, Book 6
Stripping BARE, Book 7
Don’t miss out on a single release—or sexy hero!
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Also by Kelsey Browning
PROPHECY OF LOVE SERIES
Sexy contemporary romance
Stay With Me
Hard to Love
TEXAS NIGHTS SERIES
Sexy contemporary romance
Personal Assets
Running the Red Light
Problems in Paradise
Designed for Love
BY INVITATION ONLY SERIES
Sexy contemporary romance
Amazed by You
G TEAM SERIES w/NANCY NAIGLE
Southern cozy mysteries
In For a Penny
Fit to Be Tied
In High Cotton
Under the Gun
Gimme Some Sugar
JENNY & TEAGUE NOVELLAS
Contemporary romance
Always on My Mind
Come a Little Closer
Acknowledgments
This book and the entire Steele Ridge Series would’ve never come about if Tracey Devlyn hadn’t said, “I have a crazy idea” to Adrienne Giordano and me one day over three years ago. I’m so thankful to these talented authors—for this amazing project, their love and support over the past nine years, and their friendship. Gals, we’re pretty damn good together, but if Adrienne and I ever decide again that our characters should be twins, someone needs to stop that shit. LOL
A sassy unicorn thank-you to Heather Machel. I would have absolutely lost my mind over the past few months without your amazing help and calm demeanor. I keep promising that you’ve seen me at my worst, but it’s possible I lied. ;-)
Donna Duffee, I’m not sure I can tell you how appreciative I am. You chase the numbers so that I can chase the words. I have but one word for you: priceless.
To my beta readers—Reva Benefiel, Amy Remus, and Kristen Humphry Johnson, thank you so much for raising your hand to help me troubleshoot this book. It’s been a tough one, so your feedback meant the world to me.
Big editing hugs to Deb Nemeth and Martha Trachtenberg. You ladies push for my best work even when I’m not sure I have it in me. For that, I’m so grateful.
The Steele Ridge series wouldn’t be what it is without our wonderful readers. Thank you to everyone who’s told us how much they love the Steele family and couldn’t wait for the next book. It’s been a pleasure to bring the Steeles to life for you!
This book would’ve never made it to the page if not for my two technical advisors, Sm
arty Boy and Tech Guy. SB, thanks for helping me plot the non-sexy bits. TG, I’ll try to stay away from tech topics for a book or two. That should save us a couple of…ahem…disagreements. I love you both more than you know!
TEAM STEELE RIDGE
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
Copyedited by Martha Trachtenberg
Cover Design by Killion Group, Inc.
Author Photo by Anne Yarbrough Photography
Copyright © Gwendolyn Brown Lucas
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented—except in the case of brief quotations—without permission in writing from Steele Ridge, LLC.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print Edition, September 2017, ISBN: 978-1-944898-17-5
Digital Edition, September 2017, ISBN: 978-1-944898-16-8
For more information contact: [email protected]
About the Author
Kelsey Browning is a USA Today bestselling author of sass kickin’ love stories and co-authors Southern cozy mysteries. She’s also a co-founder of Romance University blog, one of Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers. Originally from a Texas town smaller than the ones she writes about, Kelsey has also lived in the Middle East and Los Angeles, proving she’s either adventurous or downright nuts. These days, she hangs out in northeast Georgia with Tech Guy, Smarty Boy, Bad Dog and Pharaoh, a (fingers crossed) future therapy dog.
Don’t miss a new release! Join Kelsey’s New Release Newsletter list!
For more information on Kelsey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her at:
www.KelseyBrowning.com
[email protected]
Stripping Bare (Steele Ridge Book 7) Page 29