Two Doms for Christmas by Kat Barrett Page A

legs, and I think maybe the skin
on her arms that is starting to get a bit saggy bothers her. She has amazing
blue eyes and a smile that’s incredible. Once I got past her reserves, I found
a woman who was absolutely bubbly and sweet. Of course, she needs to be treated
with kid gloves right now because she is easily damaged. She retreats very
quickly into her herself and then lashes out in defense.”
    Med’s eyebrows almost collided with
his eyelashes as he furrowed them. “How did you find that out?”
    “We were talking and she was
telling me about her husband. It upset her and she ran to hide in the bathroom
with her feelings. That was heart-wrenching. I had a vision in my mind of her
sitting, alone on the toilet and crying because her husband didn’t want to see
it. There was no support system for her in the end, and when everything crashed
down around her, she was alone. She is so damaged.”
    He got the look again from Med,
that skeptical ‘do you know what the hell you are doing’ expression flashing on
his face and then slowly fading.
    “Yeah, I know. At least this time I
know what I’m getting into. Do you want in or not?”
    * * * *
    Haley sat at the computer, staring
at the blank page before her. The story she was working on had lost her
interest and she was trying to start something new. Unfortunately, the only
thing on her mind was Austin. He had called her a little while ago and they had
spoken briefly, but he had been busy. She wanted to see him, but it was not
going to happen tonight. His face was implanted in her mind, his dark brown,
slightly wavy hair and his beautiful blue eyes that had lost some of their
sadness.
    Did she really want to get into
this relationship with him? Was giving herself to another man the right thing
to do? It had been the right thing with Jack for years. She enjoyed pleasing
him and it gave her a sense of power to make him happy. Jack had been proud of
her, rewarding small accomplishments with gifts and praise. Every time one of
her books was released, he would take her to dinner and they would toast with
champagne. Of course that was before he started cheating on her. Then their
relationship had taken a nosedive into hell.
    How had she been so totally blindsided when he had
asked her for a divorce? It had been stunning, and she could still clearly feel
the rush of panic and horror that had accompanied his words. “What?” she had
asked as if not hearing him clearly. Her mouth had hung stupidly open, her eyes
filling with tears as he repeated the request.
    “ I’m giving you
the house. I have a great opportunity to take over my father’s business in
Colorado and I’m leaving as soon as the divorce goes through. You can have half
of what’s in the accounts, which you can supplement with the small amount you
make from your books. As long as you don’t go on shopping sprees, you should be
fine” , he had said with irritating calmness.
    Fine? She had wanted to
scream. What would be fine about being alone with no husband to cook for
or take care of? She was a housewife and mother who hadn’t worked in years.
    Jack had been wrong. She wasn’t
fine. She was lost, lonely, and unhappy. She felt worthless and even her books
gave her little joy anymore. To be independent and to be completely alone were
two different things. On more than one occasion, she had caught herself striking
up conversations with store clerks and at doctor’s offices just to have someone
to talk to. She was turning into that old lady down the street who hoarded animals
because she had no friends and had lost trust in the human race. It was a
downward spiral that she really needed to put an end to.
    Austin was amazing and she liked
him so much. Even after she badly hurt his feelings, he had been more worried
about her than himself. If she wanted this, then she had better go after it,
because this might be her last chance to find a man she could honestly be happy
with. After all, how often did a woman