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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,’
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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
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 27
She’d seen it so often, Regina wished she could tell him he wasn’t the only one but didn’t want to risk scaring him off by getting too deep. Instead, she settled for something simpler, to help Damien ease up a little. “You haven’t spent much time in a sickroom.” His eyes widened slightly before his face resumed an emotionless mask.“Does it show that much?” Sighing, Regina sank into her chair on the opposite side of the bed. Why had she thought he would make this easy on either of them? She smiled down at Iris, the woman who’d become a surrogate mother to her before the older woman’s accident. Her heart ached with the guilt of her involvement.“It’s alright, you know… It’s often hard for family a
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 28
“We’re a little too early for a harvest festival, which is what we put together for the high school last year. How can we fine-tune this summer fair, ladies?” Regina asked. Surrounding her was a group of women who loved working together for the good of the community, and were known as the go-to choice for getting things done. They weren’t from the country club like Candy’s set, who simply threw money at a charity to be seen doing it. Just good women who worked hard and had fun.“I’m so excited,” Billie Walker said, clapping her hands together like a happy little kid. “It’s been a long time since we had a true country fair. Or anything more than that awful carnival set up in the high school parking lot.” Lana Simmons jumped in, too.“And the fairgrounds are still in really good
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