Sarah's Surrender (Novella) Read Online Free

feelings of safety and warmth. If only she could close her eyes and return to that moment, return to that feeling.
    “Did you wish to speak with me?” His voice was cool and sharp, piercing the darkness.
    “Yes.” She said the single word and then could not find another to follow it. Her tongue seemed to swell until it filled her entire mouth, blocking all ability to speak.
    He waited. She could feel him, feel his impatience, his desire to know what she wanted, why she had led him into the dark.
    And still she could not speak.
    He seemed so big, so broad, so foreign—and yet so desirable.
    From across the room she had not felt it, but now it was unmistakable.
    Her body remembered his, cried for his. She wanted to lean forward, to press her lips to him, to his cheek, his chin, to the curve of his shoulders, to the flat planes of his chest and abdomen, to…
    She was older now, wiser and more knowledgable. At nineteen she’d known the feel of Jonathan’s body, the strength, the hardness, but not how it all actually worked. Now she knew far more, at least in a technical sense. Though some of the things she’d been told seemed nigh impossible.
    Her fingers reached out a few inches. She wanted to stroke him again, to try and…
    His head jerked, his eyes following the movement of her hand.
    She froze. She did not have the right to touch him. Not yet.
    A great swallow.
    With some trepidation, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. This should not be so hard.
    Another swallow.
    She had to find a way to speak. “You look well.” And wasn’t that true.
    “You do not.”
    Her gaze dropped. Her feet moved back a step. That might also be true, but did he need to be so blunt? She did not remember him being cruel. Perhaps she should just go. It was clear he no longer found her attractive. “I am sorry. This was a foolish idea.” She tried to keep her voice from trembling.
    “What was a foolish idea?”
    “Never mind. It does not matter.” She took another step back, and then moved to the side trying to get around him.
    “No.” His long fingers reached out and grabbed her arm, the heat of his hand warming her cold flesh.
    “Please,” she said, trying to pull away.
    “No. Tell me what you wanted, what would make you lure me to a dark garden after all these years.”
    “It was not I who went away.”
    He released a long sigh. “No, but that hardly matters. I doubt we would have spoken anyway after those last words.”
    “And whose fault was that?” She could not hold back the bitterness that filled her tone.
    “Yes, whose was it? It was not I who backed away and said I would find another.”
    Had she said that? She remembered so little save her hurt and fury, fury that began to return. She could find strength in quiet fury. “How could you expect me to…?”
    “To deliver what you had promised?”
    “But you made promises too.”
    “I believe the whole crux of the matter was that I did not make promises and wanted to be most clear about that.” His voice held an eerie calm.
    She pressed her lips tight. “That is not fair. It was never fair.”
    “I am not worried about being fair.” Even in the dark she could feel the heat of his gaze as it swept over her face, seeking, searching.
    Just what did he want? And did she care? She’d given her whole heart to him, her whole being to him, once and he’d tossed it away without a care. Now it was time for her to take what she wanted.
    Her heart was still beating fast; she could feel it pounding against her breast. Was it her anger? Was it nerves? Or simply being close to him? She hoped it was anger or nerves. It was unnerving to think that he still might have that much power over her.
    “Then what were you worried about?” she asked. “What changed my friend and almost lover into…I don’t even know how to describe how different you seemed. All I know is that suddenly everything changed.”
    “It is you who changed. You who refused me.” His voice grew