Read Can't Get Enough of You Online
Authors: Bette Ford
Can't Get Enough of You (32 page)
She nearly shook her aching head but stopped just in time. “Yes, including me. I had so many doubts about my ability to hold on to your love that it was downright easy for me to assume that you were attracted to my vivacious, prettier twin.”
“Prettier? No way!”
She smiled. “My lack of trust wasn't all about you. I lacked faith in me.”
Scott said firmly, “When I look at you, I see all I want or need in a woman. It's more than your physical appearance.” He placed his palm over her heart. “It's the beauty on the inside that shows through. I love who you are, how you think and feel. Your unconditional loyalty to those you care about. In short, I love everything about you that makes you you, Jenna. There's no one like you.”
Jenna blinked away sudden tears. “That's so sweet. Unfortunately, because of my doubts, it wasn't hard for me to believe that you picked Leah over me.”
“But why? I don't get it.” His brow creased. “You're a beautiful, well-educated, classy lady.”
“Thank you, but it goes deeper than how I present myself to the world. You have to remember a lot has changed in the years we were apart. You weren't the same nineteen-year-old jock that fell in love with a twenty-year-old studious college student. We have both changed in countless ways. While I gained confidence in my intellectual abilities in the financial and academic arenas, I also knew I wasn't like the worldly, glamorous women you dated. Scott, you have traveled the globe, and have dealt with all kinds of challenges over the years.”
“For those women, the attraction was the sport and the glamour of being in the spotlightâit wasn't me.”
“You, gorgeous man, are a huge part of the attraction. I accepted that. Things were cool until you asked me to marry you. It forced me to face the fact that we were not the two people who fell in love years earlier. I wondered if I could hold on to you, especially considering my very ordinary, mundane life. I'm a college professor, for heaven's sake.”
“But sweetâ”
She pressed her fingertips against his lips to stop him and said, “Let me say this. It's important.” When he nodded, she said, “I'd reached many of my personal goals. After we broke up, I concentrated on school. Emotionally, I was empty. I didn't feel as if I had anything to offer a man beyond friendship. I would pull back the instant things got even remotely serious, forget about being intimate with a man.” She kissed his cheek while inhaling his scent. “The first time we made love again I didn't want you to know that I hadn't been with another man.”
“Jenna.” He cupped her face lovingly, then said in a throaty whisper, “I knew or suspected. Your body told your secret. I was just as overwhelmed from being with you again. I realized I was in danger of falling in love with you, all over again. Even though you wouldn't talk about it, knowing you'd held back gave me hope that you might still have feelings for me. I was desperate for any little crumbs I could get.”
Jenna confessed, “I did have feelings for you, but I held them inside. I used our past as a shield to keep my feelings at bay. I was scared. I kept remembering the promise you broke when you left school and me. I was afraid you'd walk away again. Only weeks later, when I realized you wanted to get married, I thought of all the rumors and stories I'd heard about you and those beautiful women. Scott, you dated Darah Michelle for months. I saw the pictures of the two of you at one of her Hollywood premieres, for heaven's sake. You took her to one of those big awards shows. Then there was that
Sports Illustrated
swimsuit cover model.”
“But sweetheartâ”
She interrupted, “If you can leave someone as gorgeous as Darah Michelle, how was I supposed to hang on to you? So when I saw you with my sexy, outgoing twin, naturally I believed you preferred her.”
“I got it, baby. You couldn't help what you felt any more than I could help my body's reaction to waking up with what I thought was you in my arms. Both responses were inevitable. We have to accept that so we can put this whole incident behind us.”
He brushed her soft lips with his tongue. “Yeah, I've dated famous women. I also dated several businesswomen, as well as an attorney and a doctor. At the time, I was busy living my life. I didn't love any of them. They didn't make me feel what you make me feel, Jenna, my sweet love. I gave my heart to you a long time ago. I may have tried to get it back a time or two, but it never worked. No matter how angry or hurt I was, it didn't stop me from loving you.” His gaze locked with hers when he said, “Even as I told you it was over, if you think back, I never said I'd stopped loving you.”
“Oh, honey.” Jenna sighed with happiness.
He whispered into her ear, “I gave my heart to you a long time ago. Maybe the first moment I looked into your eyes that day at the computer lab. I'd just left basketball practice, so I was hot, sweaty, hungry, and broke. I'd stopped in to borrow a couple of bucks from my sister. I forgot all of that when I looked at you.
“Do you remember, babe? You were working on one of the computers, so engrossed in what you were doing that you didn't even look at me.” He chuckled huskily. “I thought you were the most gorgeous female I'd ever seen. I couldn't take my eyes off you. And when you walked over to where Taylor was working at the desk, I was hooked. You had it allâshapely, long legs and dangerous feminine curves. No way was I leaving that room without finding out your name and digits.”
She laughed, her heart filled with love.
“Let's get it right this time, Jenna. Let's not leave room for mistakes, doubts, misunderstandings, or outside interferences. We've proven that time and distance can't stop our love. Let's prove we aren't about to let anyone or anything keep us apart. Please, be my wife, so I can be your husband. I can't get enough of you, my love. I want to see you grow round with my babies.”
“I want that, too,” she whispered.
“Marry me?”
“Absolutely!” Jenna beamed.
“Absolutely,” he echoed. “How soon? We've already wasted enough time.”
“As soon as the cast is off my arm and the bruises are gone. I plan to be a beautiful bride.”
“You will be.” He kissed her. “Now close your beautiful eyes and get some sleep so you can go about the business of healing. Not to worry, I'll take care of all the arrangements while you recover.”
“You?”
“That's right. All you have to do is pick your dress and tell me when, where, and how you want it. I'll get it all done. I promise that from this moment on, I will never give you reason to doubt my love and devotion to you. There won't be any regrets for either one of us. I've always been yours, just as you've always been mine. We've got a lifetime to look forward to . . . together.”
“Together . . . always,” she confirmed softly, closing her eyes.
Jenna quickly slipped into a deep, restorative sleep, wrapped in Scott's protective, loving arms.
BETTE FORD
grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where she continues to live. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Bette began her teaching career in Detroit and completed her master's degree at Wayne State University. She has retired from teaching and is writing full-time.
She has received several awards for writing, including the
Romantic Times
Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Multicultural for
When a Man Loves a Woman
and the
Romantic Times
Career Achievement Award.
She is the author of eleven books, including
Can't Say No
and
An Everlasting Love
. She enjoys hearing from readers. Write her in care of HarperCollins Publishers or at PO Box 944, Saginaw, MI 48606.
This book is a work of fiction. The
characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination
and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU
. Copyright © 2010 by Bette Ford. All rights
reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By
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EPub Edition July 2010 ISBN:
9780062000095
Version 12282012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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