that he just wanted a female athlete on his arm for his business and his ego. An Olympic champion. He owns a sports-equipment company, and when I couldn’t be that showpiece for him anymore, he dumped me.” She paused, remembering how she’d turned herself inside out to be the woman that Rick had wanted her to be, even before she’d gone deaf. She’d dressed, walked, and talked just the way he wanted her to, and she’d gone along with it, still amazed that a man as accomplished and wealthy as Richard Barlow wanted her.
In the beginning, Rick had bowled her over, wined and dined her until she was mesmerized by his larger-than-life presence. In the end, she’d found out just what he was really made of—a big pile of crap. Nothing about Rick had been real, and she hadn’t been the love of his life. She’d been his slave, molded into the perfect image of what he’d wanted. Unfortunately, the sculpted Theresa Sullivan had fallen apart, and her ex-fiancé hadn’t wanted any of part of Tessa. He’d only cared about the exceptional athlete.
His rejection had been a crushing blow to a woman who was still trying to accept the world in a whole new way. She’d moved back to Amesport with her parents and started to build a whole new life again as a deaf woman. But life had delivered several harder blows before she could even begin to cope with becoming deaf and losing the man who had seduced her into her first and only intimate relationship.
She briefly explained her thoughts to Micah, telling him that there hadn’t really been a guy who was interested in her since she’d lost her hearing and Rick had broken their engagement.
Really, no guy had ever taken the time to get to know her after she’d become deaf.
“Believe me, they’re interested. You’re too damn beautiful to pass any guy without him wanting you.”
Tessa heard his voice in her head.
In her mind, Micah was almost growling. The imagined tone was low and savage, matching his savage expression.
It wasn’t like she intended to be self-deprecating, but that she was at a disadvantage in the dating world was fact.
She shrugged. “I haven’t met any of those men,” she answered glumly, knowing that it could possibly be her standoffishness that kept men away. She didn’t want to go through the heartache she’d suffered in the past again. Right now, she was safe, and she liked it that way.
“Yes, you have met one,” Micah answered, jamming a finger into his chest. “Me. I want you.”
Micah was an exception. Tessa knew he wanted her, but she didn’t understand why. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt,” she confessed.
Micah could make her body burn with just a glance, like the dangerous look that he was wearing now.
Tessa let him lift her from the wall of the rink, breaking eye contact with him as he lowered her slowly to the ice. He held her hand as she stepped out of the rink and sat down on a bench to remove her skates.
Maybe he was uncomfortable with her confession, but they’d been in the process of becoming friends for the last few days. While she wasn’t always as forthcoming as she’d just been because of her past, she didn’t lie to friends, either. While it was obvious that Micah was lusting after her, she felt more than just lust.
When they were both ready to leave, Micah reached for her hand, but hesitated before leading her to the door.
“Why is it that you haven’t tried cochlear implants? Are you not a candidate?”
Tessa stiffened, pulling her hand from his. “I am. And I tried. It didn’t work.” He was broaching the last subject she wanted to discuss right now.
“Why?”
She sighed, knowing she wasn’t getting away with a partial explanation. “I was thrilled when I had the surgery for the first one and I started to hear again. The voices were kind of robotic and nothing like I remembered, but I got used to it, and the sounds started to sound more normal after a while.” She paused, remembering the
In the beginning, Rick had bowled her over, wined and dined her until she was mesmerized by his larger-than-life presence. In the end, she’d found out just what he was really made of—a big pile of crap. Nothing about Rick had been real, and she hadn’t been the love of his life. She’d been his slave, molded into the perfect image of what he’d wanted. Unfortunately, the sculpted Theresa Sullivan had fallen apart, and her ex-fiancé hadn’t wanted any of part of Tessa. He’d only cared about the exceptional athlete.
His rejection had been a crushing blow to a woman who was still trying to accept the world in a whole new way. She’d moved back to Amesport with her parents and started to build a whole new life again as a deaf woman. But life had delivered several harder blows before she could even begin to cope with becoming deaf and losing the man who had seduced her into her first and only intimate relationship.
She briefly explained her thoughts to Micah, telling him that there hadn’t really been a guy who was interested in her since she’d lost her hearing and Rick had broken their engagement.
Really, no guy had ever taken the time to get to know her after she’d become deaf.
“Believe me, they’re interested. You’re too damn beautiful to pass any guy without him wanting you.”
Tessa heard his voice in her head.
In her mind, Micah was almost growling. The imagined tone was low and savage, matching his savage expression.
It wasn’t like she intended to be self-deprecating, but that she was at a disadvantage in the dating world was fact.
She shrugged. “I haven’t met any of those men,” she answered glumly, knowing that it could possibly be her standoffishness that kept men away. She didn’t want to go through the heartache she’d suffered in the past again. Right now, she was safe, and she liked it that way.
“Yes, you have met one,” Micah answered, jamming a finger into his chest. “Me. I want you.”
Micah was an exception. Tessa knew he wanted her, but she didn’t understand why. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt,” she confessed.
Micah could make her body burn with just a glance, like the dangerous look that he was wearing now.
Tessa let him lift her from the wall of the rink, breaking eye contact with him as he lowered her slowly to the ice. He held her hand as she stepped out of the rink and sat down on a bench to remove her skates.
Maybe he was uncomfortable with her confession, but they’d been in the process of becoming friends for the last few days. While she wasn’t always as forthcoming as she’d just been because of her past, she didn’t lie to friends, either. While it was obvious that Micah was lusting after her, she felt more than just lust.
When they were both ready to leave, Micah reached for her hand, but hesitated before leading her to the door.
“Why is it that you haven’t tried cochlear implants? Are you not a candidate?”
Tessa stiffened, pulling her hand from his. “I am. And I tried. It didn’t work.” He was broaching the last subject she wanted to discuss right now.
“Why?”
She sighed, knowing she wasn’t getting away with a partial explanation. “I was thrilled when I had the surgery for the first one and I started to hear again. The voices were kind of robotic and nothing like I remembered, but I got used to it, and the sounds started to sound more normal after a while.” She paused, remembering the
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