His Tempest Read Online Free Page B

with a huge voice was belting out a sad ballad. After asking Noelle her beverage preference, Colin ordered bourbon for himself and a club soda with lime for her. They listened to the music of struggle and heartbreak, which seemed to send Colin deeper into the shadows that consumed him.
    Noelle watched the play of lights across his face, wishing she could calm the storm raging in his mind. But some things a man had to mull over before he settled on a solution.
    They had been so lighthearted before, and now…
    â€œHow did you get involved in the farm?” Noelle asked when she thought Colin had contemplated long enough.
    He scooted his chair closer to hers. “I started right after Grandpa bought in. I used to spend summers with him and some weekends. He put me to work right away, and I grew to love it. After I left school I bummed around a bit. Worked at the farm some for a year, then Granddad convinced me to go to college for a degree in equestrian science. Which I did.” He shrugged. “I graduated four years ago and returned to the farm. Granddad died two years after that. The farm was sinking pretty fast, except he and George had a stud whose offspring have been doing pretty well at the track. So we’re slowly pulling out of debt.”
    â€œYou’re going to make it, you know that?”
    â€œEven I know wishing doesn’t make it happen.”
    â€œNo, but you have to start somewhere. And I’ve got a good feeling about you.”
    For the first time since they entered the club, his eyes brightened. “You know, you’re good for me.”
    â€œAm I?” She didn’t know if it was him or the drink talking. Still, she couldn’t deny that she understood where he was coming from. She was striking off across country to follow a dream.
    She took his hand in hers and caressed it. There were layers to him she hadn’t begun to unravel.
    â€œSurely your father knows what this farm means to you.”
    He shrugged, giving her a sheepish glance. “I haven’t exactly lived the life of a saint.”
    â€œWhat young man has?”
    â€œYou’ve got a point there. I like you, Noelle Greenwood.”
    Without asking he pulled her onto the dance floor. They danced and listened to the music for an hour before they made it back to the car and he drove home.
    He’d planned to leave her at the door just as he had the night before. But, awareness had shimmered in the air all evening, and when the door closed behind them, it was as if they’d been given permission to surrender to their deep-seated desire. The moment Colin’s lips touched hers he felt as if a sunburst had exploded through his body. It shook him to the core. For a brief second he wondered if the same thing had happened to her. He drew his tongue over the seams of her lips and she opened to him like a flower spreading its petals to the sun.
    â€œSo sweet,” he whispered. Then he dipped his tongue into her mouth. Her moan opened the gates to the swell of emotions welling up inside him. He pressed her closer to him and ground his hips against hers. Their tongues dueled until he probed again. A feast was spread before him, yet he couldn’t get enough to fill him.
    It was crazy, Noelle thought. It was wild. What she felt was unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
    The trail of Colin’s finger on her cheek was intimate and unnerving. She smiled at him and he lowered his head and captured her lips once again. Time stood still as they lost themselves in new and exciting emotions.
    When she felt his hands on her breasts, reason reasserted itself. “We can’t,” she said on a shaky breath. “I don’t know you.”
    â€œYou know my hopes and dreams. You know everything that’s important,” he said as his lips grazed hers.
    Noelle had never even contemplated going to bed with him. Especially after seeing him just twice. That wasn’t like her. She