Stone Cold Surrender (29 page)

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Authors: Brenda Jackson

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Arts&Photography

BOOK: Stone Cold Surrender
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Dare
had
gotten
zapped.
Stone
and
Shelly
were
friends
in
high
school
and
working
on
a
project
together
when
Dare
had
come
home
unexpectedly
from
college
and
walked
into
the
living
room.
He
had
taken
one
look
at
the
sixteen-year-
old
Shelly
Brockman
and
fallen
in
love
with
her
then
and

there.

Then
there
was
Thorn.
Tara
had
been
his
challenge,
as
well
as
the
love
of
his
life
from
the
moment
she
had
stormed
out
of
their
sister
Delaney’s
kitchen
one
night
to
give
the

unsuspecting
Thorn
hell
about
something.
She
had
taken

him
aback
and
had
also
taken
his
heart
in
that
same

minute.
Again,
love
at
first
sight.

He
released
a
deep
sigh.
That
may
have
been
the
way
things
had
happened
for
his
sister
and
two
brothers
but
it
wouldn’t
happen
that
way
for
him.
He
wouldn’t
let
it.

“Your
parents
like
touching,
Stone?”

Madison’s
question
interrupted
Stone’s
thoughts
and
he

couldn’t
help
but
chuckle
again
when
he
thought
of
the
many
times
he’d
seen
his
father
playfully
pat
his
mother
on
her

behind.
“Yes,
and
they
also
occasionally
kiss
in
front
of
us.
Always
have.
We’re
used
to
it.
Nothing
real
passionate
but
enough
to
let
anyone
know
that
they
still
love
each
other.
I’m
sure
they
leave
the
heavy-duty
hanky-panky
stuff
in
the

bedroom,”
he
said
grinning,
not
at
all
bothered
by
the
fact

that
his
parents
might
still
have
an
active
sex
life.
He
pulled

Madison
closer
to
him.
“Didn’t
your
parents
ever
touch?”

After
a
brief
moment
she
shrugged.
“I’d
never
seen
them
touch.
And
I’d
never
thought
anything
about
it
until
I
went

away
for
the
weekend
to
spend
some
time
at
a
friend’s

house.
Her
parents
were
like
the
Quinns…and
probably
a
lot
like
your
parents.
It
was
easy
to
see
they
loved
and

respected
each
other
and
it
suddenly
hit
me
what
was

missing
at
my
house,
between
my
parents.
Then
I
started
watching
them
closely
and
I
began
to
realize
that,
although
they
liked
and
respected
each
other,
they
were
two
people
who
were
not
in
love
but
locked
in
a
marriage
anyway.”

Stone
lifted
a
brow.
“Why
would
they
stay
married
if
they
didn’t
love
each
other?”

She
sighed
deeply.
“I
can
think
of
several
reasons.
Me
for
one.
They
would
have
stayed
together
just
for
me.
I
know
in
my
heart
that
my
parents
loved
me.
I
was
my
daddy’s
girl
and
my
mother’s
daughter.
I
had
a
great
relationship
with
them
both.
My
father’s
death
was
hard
on
me.”

Silence
stretched
between
them;
then
she
said,
“Another
reason
they
would
have
possibly
stayed
together
is
for

religious
reasons.
They
were
both
devout
Catholics
who
didn’t
believe
in
divorce.
It
was
til-death-do-you-part.”

Stone
nodded,
taking
in
everything
she’d
said.
“Didn’t
you
say
that
your
father
has
been
dead
for
ten
years?”

“Yes,
he
died
when
I
was
fifteen.”

“And
during
that
time,
since
his
death,
your
mother
has
never
been
romantically
involved
with
anyone?”

“No.”

“Don’t
you
think
that’s
odd?”

She
heaved
a
sigh.
“I
never
thought
about
it
before.
I
always
assumed
she
just
wanted
to
bury
herself
in
her
work
after

my
father’s
death.
I
never
assumed
she
was
lonely
and
in

need
of
companionship.”

“Well,
that
might
be
the
reason
she
took
off
with
Uncle

Corey.
There
are
some
things
a
man
or
woman
can’t

control
at
times.
Passion.
Especially
if
they
haven’t
shared
it
with
anyone
in
a
while.
Hormones
are
known
to
get
the
best
of
you
if
you
aren’t
careful.”

Madison
wondered
if
he
was
speaking
from
experience?
She
hadn’t
slept
with
anyone
since
Cedric
and
she

definitely
didn’t
feel
like
she
was
missing
out
on
anything.
He
had
been
her
first
lover
and
she
really
didn’t
care
if
he
was
her
last.

But
then,
standing
so
close
to
Stone
with
the
feel
of
his

warm
breath
on
her
cheek,
she
knew
she
had
to
rethink
that
declaration.
Any
time
he
had
held
her
in
his
arms
against

his
broad
chest,
her
temperature
had
had
a
tendency
to
go

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