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CHAPTER 18
Still in total shock and extremely hurt, Regina grasped the handrail extra hard to keep herself steady. She wanted to be anywhere else but in that house, with Damien. Or Theodore… Regina just felt the need to go downstairs, open the door and run as far away as possible from all the Kennedys… Even if she was now, at least officially, one of them.
But she knew she had to stay and pay her dues… Take care of Iris, June, Briar, Nicole… They all were her responsibility. They were depending on her to go through this ordeal…
“One year… Just one year. Take one day at a time, Reggie… Hangin’ tough, girl,” she whispered trying to motivate herself and then swallowed hard.
Walking with her head high down the main staircase, Regina forced one foot
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 19
“Oh, God! This is way too much, old man!” he said slowly and shook his head feeling a shiver up and down his spine. Damien stared at the monstrosity of a monument Theodore Kennedy had erected for himself before turning away in disgust. He walked away from the crypt and the bronze coffin, leaving Regina behind as she greeted those still lingering at the graveside. Practically the whole town had attended the funeral, which made sense. The Kennedys were known by everybody in the town and outside of it. Theodore would have expected the town to pay homage to him in his death. Damien just wished he could ignore the twinges of guilt Theodore’s death had given him. Those final words, spoken in anger, left him feeling lower than low. ‘I wasn’t better than him,’ Dam
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 20
Damien pushed open the study door with anticipation sizzling through his veins. An older man stood at the far window. When Briar had told him who was waiting, Damien had been surprised. Cliff Barnes’s background and business had been an obsession since the trip to the mill. His showing up at Kennedy Mansion and asking specifically to see Damien was a stroke of luck. Whether good or bad remained unclear. But it could give Damien a chance to face off with the competition on home turf. He observed Barnes for a moment. The man’s chubby hands curved around the carved wood borders of the shelves on each side as he surveyed the farmland as if he already owned it. ‘Well, old man, you’re in for a rude awakening,’
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 21
As Barnes’s gaze inventoried the room once more, Regina eased farther into the background. Damien’s libido kicked into gear as he saw the emotions shift on her face. The same wave that had washed over her when she was defending his helpless mother. She was so passionate when it came to protecting others. Or when she was so pissed off that she forgot to be a polite little lady. The temper churning in those chocolate eyes shouldn’t turn him on. Luckily, Barnes couldn’t see it.“But I understand Kennedy Mill is special,” the man said, a small grin stretching his full lips. “And this house would fit me just perfect. I figured, after everything I heard about Damien, we could come to some sort of… compromise.”“I see,” Damien said, not giving the other man any clues. “What sort of…
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 22
Regina stalled as she entered the study. She was the last to arrive, thanks to lingering with Iris and Nicole for longer than she planned. Avoiding the inevitable, as if that was possible. After all, will or not, Damien would leave. His smooth good looks and smoldering intensity had seduced her into forgetting that. Too bad his temperamental attitudes weren’t enough to cool her newly awakened libido. She paused beside Briar, whom she’d been worried about since Theodore’s death.“How are you holding up, Briar?” The butler rested his sad eyes on her.“I know it was his time, Mrs. Regina. I really understand that. But this will be a big change.”“Yes, Briar,” she replied and
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 23
Damien hated being at the local country club. Right now, he preferred solitude. But his brothers had insisted on a nice dinner before they both left. Lucas would be away for quite a while as he got ready for the racing season. Joshua was headed out to start preparations for moving back home. It would take him some time, but the move was a definite. The will said nothing about Damien hiring someone to run the plant, so he was still abiding by the letter of the law. Theodore’s law. The cause of all the tension, especially between him and Regina. The wife he’d tried at the first opportunity to get rid of after persuading her to have sex with him. Brilliant! How could one woman make him feel so out of control and alert at the same time? H
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 24
What was he doing…? Was he playing games with her again? Regina didn’t pull her hand back as quickly as she should have, but knowing that simple touch was the only thing she’d ever have from Damien made it hard. Still, watching her father walk toward her table evoked more emotions than she could handle. Nerves and resignation churned in her stomach, not mixing well with what she’d had for dinner. How, after all these years, could the man who was biologically responsible for her existence still make her want to shrivel up into a tiny ball to escape his notice? John Duquesne paused next to their table, drawing all eyes to him. His presence was commanding, much the same way as Theodore’s. Money, self-confidence, and a hard personality would do that for a man.&
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 25
Sad as that might be, it was the truth. From the time she was young, Regina had dreamed of having someone who would want her for herself. Not because she fulfilled a role as their daughter. Not because of the money she could provide. Not because of the services she had to offer. Someone who wanted Regina Duquesne… well, just because. Damien wanted her for a lot of reasons. But when he held her in his arms, she felt as if he wanted her for herself. She simply wanted to feel that one more time. There were too many reasons why she couldn’t have him forever. A knock sounded on the door to the outer hallway. Regina stared at it for a moment, a feeling of inevitability settling over her. Just as she rose up on her elbows, the door opened. Damien stepped inside, then closed the door with a firm click.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 26
After they made love, Damien lay spooned around Regina’s back. He had never been the cuddling type. But he’d been drawn here with no other explanation than that... And it felt so damn right to do it and to do it with her. The whole time they’d lain together, his hands had been moving like a slow, lazy river, stroking over whatever skin was within reach… her arms, back, hips, thighs, even demanding access to her breasts and stomach. Regina was addictive like she was his personal brand of drugs. He couldn’t stop. He had to touch her, to breathe her scent. Beneath his touch, a fine tremble ran through Regina. Like a purring kitten, her body showed its appreciation, maybe even without her permission. Damien knew he shou
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