Surrender Read Online Free Page B

wanted was to get married and tie myself down. So we broke up, our respective virginities intact.” He turned to the ocean, a faraway look on his face.
    â€œYou loved her,” I said softly.
    He turned back to me. “I guess. At least, at the time I was sure I did. But I don’t regret breaking up with her,” he said. “Last I heard, she’s married and now has two kids and a fulfilling career. So you see, her life wouldn’t be as good as it is now if I hadn’t broken up with her.”
    â€œSo you did her a favor by breaking her heart?” I asked with a teasing smile.
    â€œNot exactly. I’m just a big believer in things happening for a reason,” he said, giving me a pointed look.
    â€œWhy, Neal, you’re a romantic at heart,” I said, affecting a Southern Belle accent, trying to steer away from the serious turn in our conversation.
    He shook his head, a smile playing along his lips. “I just think there are no coincidences in life. That the universe put us in exactly the right place at the right time.”
    I broke away from his gaze. “I’m not so sure about that theory. What about people who die unexpectedly?”
    â€œI’d say it was just their time to go.”
    â€œThat’s a heartless way of seeing things.”
    â€œIt’s not heartless; just realistic. You can’t outrun or cheat death. When it comes for you, you can either go down with a smile on your face or go down fighting. Either way, you’re going down.”
    â€œI can’t believe that.” I wrapped my arms around myself, but they weren’t enough to keep the wind from seeping bone deep. Neal came to face me, shielding me from the wind. “I take it someone you loved died?” he asked, his face too earnest and intent for my liking.
    â€œMy fiancé.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head, reminding myself that this weekend was about fun, that it was only about two people having consensual, hopefully mind-blowing sex. “We don’t need to talk about it,” I said, reaching out and grabbing a handful of his sweater. “Let’s just keep this thing between us as uncomplicated as possible, okay? Talking is overrated.”
    â€œOkay, then.” He took a step closer, all traces of gloom wiped from his face. “If we can’t talk, then we’re going to dance.”
    I hooked my hands around his neck and he wound his arms around my waist, his hands a pleasant weight on the small of my back. I craned my neck to look up at him, tracing every curve and angle of his face with my gaze, from his strong nose to his square jaw.
    He bent down and whispered, “I thought about you all day.” One of his palms splayed on my back and pulled me closer so that our bodies touched. I shivered at the contrasts, from the warmth at my front and the cold at my back, at the softness in his expression and the hardness of his body, at the intensity of his views on death and the easygoing attitude that quickly took its place.
    I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I haven’t been held like this in so long,” I murmured, then realized belatedly what I’d said. I was only too glad that the darkness hid the blush that was no doubt coloring my face.
    â€œThat’s a damn shame,” he said, bowing his head to rest his cheek against my temple. “A woman like you should always be held like this.”
    I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, soaked up his words. He smelled like the sea after a storm, clean and cool, and his words were like rolling waves that lapped at the shore, smoothing out any imperfections in the sand.
    â€œLet’s get out of here.”
    I tipped my head to look up at him, considering his offer. Below the surface of my skin thrummed not just lust but something far more scary and complicated: genuine affection.
    I jolted out of his arms, holding a hand against his chest to keep