“Maybe we can give this relationship thing a try.”
She smiles then, and of all the smiles I’ve ever seen on Skye’s face, this one is the most radiant.
She parts those lips—
“I love you, Braden.”
The words.
The words I’ve been feeling in my heart but was going to wait to say.
She said them.
Skye said them.
My heart fills with everything I never knew I wanted. She loves me. I love her and she loves me. We have a lot more to learn about each other, a lot more to experience together.
But in this moment—
“I love you, too, Skye.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
After a beautiful weekend together—a lot of time in the park playing with Sasha and Penny—I take Skye home, actually drive her in one of my cars rather than have Christopher drive us, on Monday morning before I head into the office.
“I’d like to see you tonight,” I tell her.
“I’d love that, Braden.”
“Are you ready to discover more about yourself in the dark?”
“Very ready.”
I kiss her lips. “See you tonight, then. I’ll text you the details.” I kiss her again. “I love you, Skye.”
“I love you, too.”
…
I text her a few hours later.
Be ready tonight. I’m going to take you where you’ve never gone before.
She replies instantly. Can’t wait!
Neither can I. Will she be ready for what I have in mind?
I rub my arms against a chill. Nerves? Damn. Braden Black doesn’t get nervous. Of course, Braden Black also doesn’t do relationships. Braden Black doesn’t fall in love.
Things change, apparently.
Things change where Skye Manning is involved.
A smile edges onto my lips.
I’m in love. Truly in love, and while I’m ecstatic about it, I’m also looking at tonight with a certain amount of trepidation.
I don’t want to drive Skye away by going too quickly too soon. I want tonight to bring us closer, so I must tread carefully.
I must think about things I’m not used to thinking about.
And it dawns on me…
Being in love is about giving up a little of my control.
I’ll make sure it’s damned little.
After an afternoon of grueling meetings, I make a few calls. Plans. For tonight.
I text Skye again.
Everything’s ready for tonight. Are you?
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Acknowledgments
My stories are normally written from both the hero’s and heroine’s points of view. Follow Me Darkly and its sequels, Follow Me Under and Follow Me Always, are written from Skye’s point of view only. When Follow Me Darkly was published, readers began clamoring for Braden’s side of the story...and Darkly was born!
Thanks to everyone at Entangled for allowing me to write Darkly for my readers. Liz Pelletier had to get through edits in record time, and Stacy Abrams was even quicker with copy edits. Thanks also to Bree Archer for the incredible cover art featuring Braden’s favorite bourbon, Wild Turkey. Thank you, Jessica Turner and Riki Cleveland, for getting the word out, and thanks also to Curtis, Greta, Meredith, and everyone else at Entangled for jumping on this project. I’m so happy to have all of you in my corner!
And thank you most of all to my readers. Without you, none of this would be possible. You wanted Braden, so here he is!
About the Author
#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of romantic fiction, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.
Don’t miss the Follow Me series…
Follow Me Darkly
Follow Me Under
Follow Me Always
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