Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

reached around behind her, bending her back a little against the counter, and undid the clasp, she started, but had no where to go. “Shhhhhh, Angel.”

“What about Mandy?”

“She’s down at the barn.” He released her breasts from their bondage, and drew in a breath at their creamy beauty.

Meagan was growing uncomfortable under his heated stare.

“What about – “

“I’ll kill anyone who comes through the door,” he promised hoarsely, warm breath misting over her breast just before his lips opened to caress her vulnerable nipple. Her whole body jerked against him, pressing more of her flesh into his waiting mouth. A strong hand splayed over her bottom, lifting her more closely to him, crushing her against him.

Her world was spinning dizzily; she felt totally and utterly out of control, and it frightened her. “Barrett, no - stop, please.”

As much as he didn’t want to, he respected the word “no,”

from any woman, particularly her. He wouldn’t have frightened her intentionally for the world, and stepped back a few paces to remove himself from temptation. Meg said nothing further under Barrett’s intense, watchful gaze as she straightened her clothing,

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BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

covered the dough with a dish towel and put it on a heating pad to rise, then washed her hands.

She sat down at the table and looked at him, saying softly,

“We have got to stop doing this.”

“Why?” The word was a bullet of sound.

“Because I don’t like it.”

His snort was loud and boorish. “Bull.”

Meg colored, then revised, “Okay, I don’t like the way it makes me feel.”

“Bull,” he repeated, eyes boring into her, trying to understand what she meant, what she felt.

“Not that.” She was at a loss to explain it to him.

“Then what, because I don’t want to stop, Meg.” He took another chair, turned it

backwards and opposite her, to straddle it with his arms resting on the top, leaning intently toward her.

She started to say something, let her breath out, then started again. “I don’t drink, Barrett, and it’s not that I’ve never had a drink or never been drunk. It’s just that I learned from getting drunk my first time that I don’t like the feeling of not being in control of myself or of what’s going on around me.”

He nodded – he wasn’t much for drinking either, for roughly the same reasons. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “Did someone take advantage of you while you were drunk?”

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

“No, no. I’ve – The first time I got drunk was at a sleepover when I was 14.” His eyebrows rose.

“I take it your parents were,” he said the word with genuine distaste, “permissive?”

She almost smiled. “You could say that. They were very generous parents, and loving in their own way. They let me do pretty much as I pleased.” He frowned, unable to comprehend that type of parenting.

“Anyway, I was completely safe in a house with about 8

other girls of roughly the same age the first time I imbibed.

Nothing bad happened, and in a way, it was good because I knew really early on that I didn’t like the taste or the affects of alcohol.

Unlike most of the rest of my high school and college classes, I can honestly say I was entirely sober through the whole, long time –

never even did any drugs, for exactly the same reason. I don’t want to be out of control, and that’s what you do to me by just walking into a room. You said something to me once about how I always walk out of a room just as you’re walking in – well, I admit it. I have, I did, I do. I’ve successfully avoided being alone with you since I’ve known Mandy because I knew when I first met you what you had the power to do to me. And I won’t allow it.”

He was bulldozed. “What do I have the power to do?”

“Make me forget myself. Lose control. Throw caution to the wind. Be exactly the opposite of who I am. I don’t like it, and it will not happen.”

Barrett didn’t think he’d ever been so inadvertently complimented or so smugly pleased with himself when he truly hadn’t done a thing to deserve it. He grinned, just couldn’t help it.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

“Do you think I remain entirely unaffected by this attraction you feel?”

She took the question very seriously, when he hadn’t intended it that way. It should have been obvious to her that he was just as out of control around her. “Until I came down this time, I would have said that you didn’t even like me, much less want me sexually.”

He was taken aback. “You didn’t think I liked you?”

“You’re a gruff person with everyone but your family.

Friendly, you’re not. And all the times you came up to visit Mandy, you were nice enough to include me in most of what you did with her, but I could see it was grudging, and I felt your disapproval of me from across several states.”

“If I had disapproved of you, I’d’ve made Mandy change roommates.”

Meg sighed. “I’m only telling you how I perceived things.

That doesn’t make them right or wrong, they’re just my perceptions.” She twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. “I used to be so jealous of Mandy and her brothers. She was always getting a call from one of you. You were always coming up to visit. She got letters and care packages . . . “

“Didn’t your parents come visit you at all?” he frowned, becoming less and