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CHAPTER 9
Almost a week after making his pledge to his mother, the marriage license arrived and Damien was royally screwed. Oh, he would go through with it, that was for sure. In his gut, he knew this was the last thing he could do for his mother, one thing she could be proud of him for.
She’d made her home here, been highly involved in the community, and she’d want him to care for it, too. He couldn’t promise her he’d stay. But he could get her safely settled and make sure the town remained secure.
Still, his confrontation with Regina on the stairs taunted him. And the fire with which she’d argued with him in her bedroom, soon to be their bedroom, tempted him to enjoy everything she might have to offer.
Which made it imperati
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TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 10
Suddenly, Damien appeared in front of her, blocking everything from view but his silvery gaze.“Regina,” he murmured again, those moving, sexy lips drawing her attention down, making her wish this was all real, even though she knew she shouldn’t.“Are you okay with this? Do you still want to go through with it?” The furrow between his eyebrows deepened.“I mean, we don’t have to do this right now, if you don’t feel like it.” Oh yes, they did. Before the nausea in the pit of her stomach got the best of her. The slight hope in his eyes made her sad. His face wavered for just a moment. She knew she had to do it… It was Iris’s future in this house at stake. Regina closed her eyes for a moment and nodded.“No, Da
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 11
“Now, explain to me one more time why we’re at a bar on your wedding night?” Lucas might be a hotshot who had every woman in this bar sneaking a peek at what the tabloids described as his ‘dreamy’ eyes, but all Damien could think of at the moment was shipping him back to where he came from in his souped-up sports car.“Apparently, my wife thinks being here will keep her from having to face the new bed I moved into her room.”“Dude, if you’re having to track down your wife, then this is going to be one long, rough wedding night. Are you sure this marriage is real?”“Oh, it’s as real as your sorry ass being here, with me.” And more tempting than Damien wanted to acknowledge. “And it’s only temporary, but that doesn’t change the requirement
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 12
His little brother was right… It was time to solve this matter before starting to take care of the situation at the Kennedy Mill. He needed Regina and her influence over the people in town. Regina was still standing at her table, talking and trying to have a good time without him. She was behaving like nothing happened that day between them… like she wasn’t his wife. Damien couldn’t help feeling jealous of other people she was talking to, or laughing with… He wanted her to do that with him and only him. She hadn’t noticed him. He’d chosen this spot especially to watch her without detection. Give himself a feel for what she was really like, the side of herself she wouldn’t show him. Now Dam
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 13
Regina stared at the cabin she had completely forgotten existed. The last time she’d been this far from the house, shoulder-high weeds had curbed any exploration. But the adult Damien had been hard at work on the little cabin Iris had ordered built for him when he was a teenager. The immediate vicinity had been freshly cleared and lengths of unfinished two-by-fours had been used to replace the sagging porch. Old-school rock blared from inside. As she came around the corner, she saw a brand-new AC unit blocking the side window. So, this was what was holding Damien’s attention the past few days. Regina had been avoiding her husband, and memories of that embarrassing confrontation in the bar, for almost a week. Nights had been even more
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 14
By now, she was sampling the textures with both palms. She could imagine Damien working on it, chipping away, studying the angles until he found just the one that worked for him. Which was the same way he approached life. He wasn’t the type to listen and work with an outside element. She smirked, her hands stilling. Of course, this was an element he had ultimate control over. Suddenly, Regina was aware of that masculine heat at her back, blocking her in. Damien’s hands slid down her arms to cover her fingers where they curved around the rock. His breath accelerated, stirring the hair lying heavy against the back of her neck.“Damien…” she whispered, not sure if she was begging him to stop or to continue. He said nothing, his fingers caressing hers. Tingles of fear and e
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 15
Finally, they reached the glass door marked Management. Betty led them through an outer office into a bigger room with casual office decor.“Damien, Regina, thank you for coming,” Bateman said, shaking their hands. He watched as his wife was met with a warm hug, but his own greeting was more reserved.“Betty had someone inform me that you were walking the mill floor. What did you think?” Damien detected a note of pride, but also a concern in Bateman’s voice.“For now, everything looks good. I saw that the equipment has been updated.” Bateman smiled slightly.“In the long run, it’s more cost-effective to do so.”&nb
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 16
Regina had been so fascinated watching Damien work, seeing his mind process the problems, that she wasn’t prepared when he made excuses and motioned to the door. Her gears didn’t change quickly, but the quivering urgency beneath his polite facade propelled her out the door ahead of him. He turned the opposite direction from which they’d arrived, and his steps picked up speed.“Damien, wait!” she called. “Damien, where are you going?” She struggled to keep up with his pace, trailing behind by several feet. His steps were quick, and he never looked back. Her heart pounded. A seriously wrong vibe made the fine hairs on her arms stand on end. Regina followed him around twists and turns in the long hall
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD CHAPTER 17
Twisting her around, Damien pulled Regina off-balance to meet him like the last time. His breath hissed through his teeth as her cold clothes pressed to his bare chest, but he didn’t care. He was too busy anticipating her taste.“Chilly?” she teased, but it didn’t hide the way her body trembled beneath his hands. Then he was hit with her scent… Jasmine or maybe lavender… It was a scent so soft he could breathe her in forever. Every centimeter of his body stood up and took notice. He stared through the gloom. The wealth of hair, now curling in the humidity, hid the vulnerability of her neck. The thin shirt outlined the soft rounds of her breasts. The pale skin of her collarbone. The awareness he’d been fighting since that first night exploded like a sizzle b
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