Winning Dawn Read Online Free

special to me, Reggie.”
    “Okay, damn, we’ll get married. Get the calendar. Let’s pick out a date.”
    “No.”
    “You made your point. Don’t be stubborn.”
    “I’ll keep the townhouse if you can’t afford the rent. You can move back in with your mother.”
    His eyes widened. “Come on, girl. You’re being spiteful. Here.” He took her hand and tried to put the ring on her finger.
    Dawn pulled away from him. “No,” she said firmly. “We don’t want the same things. This isn’t about tonight only.”
    He shook his head. “No. I know what this is. You found out about that thing with Tanika. Look, that’s over now. You know I love you. She didn’t mean anything.”
    Dawn covered her face with her hands. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She’d heard those words from him more times than she cared to count. Reggie always said they didn’t mean anything, but that wasn’t true. Those women signified how little he cared about hurting her. “How long?”
    “Not long. Four or five months, maybe.”
    She dropped her hands. “Have you been working any overtime at all or have you been seeing her?” At his shrug, she had her answer. She also knew now that her overtime wasn’t the only reason they hadn’t been having sex. She should have suspected something sooner. But she’d been too preoccupied feeling guilty over a simple kiss. Her conscience yelled that the kiss had been too significant to call “simple,” but she ignored it.
    “Look, baby, I can end it with her. She’s nothing. I only want you.”
    She was so tired of playing this scene over and over with him. He didn’t seem to notice his slip. Minutes ago, he’d said it was over with Tanika. Now he was promising to end it. “The phone number in your pocket with the lipstick on it that you told me belonged to your cousin, was that her number?”
    He looked wary. “Yes,” he said slowly.
    “Don’t worry. I’m not going to call her.” She’d confronted his flings in the past, but no more. “Reggie, I didn’t know about Tanika until you told me. I want out because this isn’t healthy for us.”
    He pulled her to him. “Come on, baby. You don’t mean that.” He tried to kiss her, but she resisted and twisted out of his embrace. “What do you want? You want me to beg? Fine. I’ll beg.” He dropped to his knees. His green eyes darkened with emotion. “Please, baby. You mean everything to me.”
    “It’s not going to work this time. You don’t get it. I’m done.”
    He clung to her, tears filling his beautiful eyes. “I love you. I’m so sorry. It won’t ever happen again.”
    Dawn fought to break his embrace but couldn’t. She didn’t believe his words or his tears. They’d been down this road so many times before. The difference was that this was the first time she’d had a clear head. She could see the pattern of their past of break ups and make ups. Their relationship had cost her the friendships of women that he’d been attracted to. She’d left school to come back to him because he’d said the separation was too difficult. That decision had caused a strain on her relationship with her mother and the rest of her family that still wasn’t repaired. She’d chosen to put him and his feelings first time after time. “Reggie, stop it. It’s over.”
    “Never. You still love me. Why else would you be crying?”
    She ran her hand over her cheeks, surprised to find fresh tears. Dashing them away with the back of her hand, she made another attempt to get away from him. “I don’t know.” She shoved at his shoulders, almost losing her balance. “Let me go, damn it!”
    “Not until you tell me that you love me and that you’ll marry me.”
    “This is ridiculous. You don’t want to marry me!”
    “I know. But I’ll do it for you.”
    “Don’t do me any favors. I don’t want to marry you anymore.”
    His eyes narrowed. He released her legs and slowly stood. “You fucking around on me?”
    “No!”