One Wild Night: Magnate's Mistress...Accidentally Pregnant! / Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress / The Good, the Bad and the Wild. Heidi Rice

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      “And in all that time, it never occurred to you that you should tell me?” Agitated, he paced in front of the sofa she sat on, hoping the extra expense of energy would keep him from lashing out again as his temper built.

      “To what end? As far as I knew, you lived on a boat somewhere in the Caribbean and hooked up with a different girl every night of the week.”

      “And you assumed the swabbie wasn’t worth telling? He was good enough to sleep with on vacation, but not good enough to help you raise a child?”

      “Be reasonable, Chris. It’s not a matter of ‘good enough.’ I was just trying to be rational about this.”

      “When you found out differently, you didn’t call me because…”

      “I only found out about the great Chris Wells twenty minutes ago, so it didn’t affect my assessment of the situation.”

      “You expect me to believe that when you found out you were pregnant, you never once tried to find out more about me?”

      For the first time in this ridiculous conversation, Ally’s temper seemed to flare. “To be brutally honest, I had enough on my plate to figure out. I wasn’t all that worried about you.”

      “Oh, no. I can’t see why the father of the baby would have any impact whatsoever on your plans.”

      As fast as it had come, the heat fled from her voice and her tone became conciliatory. “Don’t take it personally. I loved every minute we spent together, but it was just a summer fling. It was over, as far as everything was concerned.”

      He gestured at her stomach. “I beg to differ.”

      Ally sighed and rubbed her face. “Look. My hormones are a mess right now, I cry at the drop of a hat, I’m so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open, and I haven’t been able to eat all day. I can’t deal with this level of hostility, and I don’t see much sense in continuing to shout at each other. Let’s just cut to the chase, okay?”

      Personally, he felt there was a lot of ground still to cover, but only a true jerk would continue to upset a pregnant woman. It wasn’t good for the baby.

      His baby.

      While anger had been driving him since Molly unwittingly dropped the news, the magnitude of the situation finally slammed into him. He was going to be a father. Hard on the heels of that realization was the even more shocking understanding that he wanted this baby.

      Now he needed to sit down. He chose a chair across from Ally and nodded for her to continue.

      Ally took a deep breath before she spoke. “I didn’t try to find you because I didn’t think it would matter. You didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who was looking to be tied down, so telling you about the baby—even if I’d been able to locate you—didn’t seem like a winning situation.” He started to interrupt, but she hurried ahead. “Obviously, Iwas mistaken with that assumption, and for that I apologize. I didn’t set out to get pregnant, but I know I want her. Or him. You don’t have to worry, though. I have a good job, plenty of friends and family, and I can handle this. I don’t expect anything from you.”

      Wringing Ally’s neck sounded very tempting at the moment. “What if I expect something? This is my child, too, remember.”

      Genuine shock at his statement sent Ally’s eyebrows upward. Had she never once considered that possibility while she was “handling” things?

      “Well, um, I’m sure we can work something out. Visitation arrangements or…”

      “That’s not good enough.”

      “Then what do you want?” There was a beat of silence before Ally laughed. “It’s not like we can get married or anything.”

      Actually, that was a possibility he hadn’t considered yet. He hadn’t had three weeks to make decisions. Hell, he’d barely had three hours. “Why not?”

      “Be serious.”

      “Maybe I am.”

      “I’m not looking to get married at the moment.” A shadow crossed her face but disappeared a second later.

      “Neither was I, now that you mention it, but the circumstances have changed.”

      That seemed to spark something, and her calm facade dropped. She stood and paced, and her hands moved agitatedly as she talked. “But the century hasn’t. We don’t have to get married because I’m pregnant. There are other—”

      “I’m not going to be delegated to the occasional weekend.” He’d had enough of that with his own parents in the early days after their divorce. Until his mother had decided not to bother anymore, at least.

      “Then what do you want?”

      Before he even realized what he was doing, he was on his feet and his hands were gripping her arms. “To be a part of my child’s life. To be his father!”

      Ally shook off his grip. “I’m offering you that. We’ll just have to figure something out that works for both of us. Charleston is only a couple of hours away…”

      As unbelievable as it sounded, Ally seemed to think he was really going to settle for whatever little plan she had turning in her head. Not likely. “Damn it, Ally—”

      She spun on him in a fury. “Don’t even look at me like that. How dare you come storming down here and start making demands? This is my baby, and I’ll be the one making the decisions.”

      He moved toward her, and she took a step backward. “Your baby? Hello, you didn’t get pregnant by yourself. That baby is just as much mine as it is yours.”

      She lifted her chin and tossed down the gauntlet. “Maybe not. Maybe I lied and it’s not yours after all.”

      So much for cutting to the chase and discussing this like adults. “Don’t try me, Ally. You won’t like the results.”

      Brown eyes narrowed and a flush rose on her chest. “Is that some kind of threat?”

      “I don’t make threats. Just promises.”

      The flush continued to rise up her neck, and Ally’s lips compressed into a thin line. “Get out,” she snapped. “Now.”

      He stood his ground. “This conversation is not over—”

      “Oh, yes, it is. Leave.” Stalking across the room, she picked up the phone. “Leave or I’ll call the police.”

      “Now who’s making threats?”

      “You’re not the only one who doesn’t make empty threats. Get out of my house.”

      He’d never had anyone try his temper the way Ally did, and he was moments from saying or doing something he might regret later. Maybe it was best he leave before then. As he opened the door, he warned her one last time. “This doesn’t end here. This is far from over.”

      “Oh, СКАЧАТЬ