The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress. Michelle Celmer

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      Her words hit Ben like a sucker punch.

      For months now he’d considered going back to the resort bar in the hopes that she would be there. That they could reconnect. Something inside him had changed that night with her. He’d begun living again.

      But this he’d never expected.

      She may have acted as if she hadn’t known who he was that night in the resort, but clearly he’d been set up.

      How could he have been so stupid?

      He knew exactly how, and why now, months later, he still felt that tug of longing when she stood in his foyer. She’d been the first woman he’d connected with since the crash. The only one who had been able to make him forget the pain.

      He used to believe that his heart had died along with his wife and unborn son, but something had clicked between himself and Tess that night.

      Maybe it was because she was so different from Jeanette. Slim and angular and schoolgirl pretty to his wife’s lush figure and exotic beauty. She’d looked so petite and nymphlike. Sweet and innocent.

      What a joke.

      He never should have left the house that night, but the idea of spending the holidays in solitude had forced him out of his self-imposed isolation. He should have known what was up when he woke the next morning alone. Yes, it was true he told her he wasn’t looking for a relationship, but he hadn’t asked her to leave, either. He thought there had been a connection.

      Apparently, he’d thought wrong.

      He wondered how many other men she’d picked up in that bar. How many she’d used. And why she’d picked him to seal the deal. Because he was vulnerable? Or was it his bank balance?

      And to think that he’d been this close to falling in love with her.

      “You neglected to mention that you worked at the resort,” he said. She hadn’t told him much of anything about herself. Not that he’d asked. He hadn’t been looking for conversation, just a sweet, warm body to lose himself in. Kind of like a Christmas present to himself. By the time he realized he wanted more, she’d already disappeared.

      She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “We didn’t spend a whole lot of time getting to know each other.”

      “Actually, I thought we got to know each other rather…intimately.”

      Tess bit her lip and her cheeks flushed bright pink. It would have been charming if he believed it were anything but an act.

      “Maybe you don’t remember, but we used protection,” he said, sure that she would come up with some creative excuse why the condom had failed. All three of them, or had it been four?

      She didn’t. “Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are. I didn’t plan this, either.”

      “Let’s say it is mine. What do you want from me?” Like he didn’t already know. She probably had a long list of demands. Would she expect him to marry her? Did she think they would settle down together and play house? Or maybe she was looking for a break into acting.

      She wouldn’t be the first who’d tried to use him for his connections.

      She lowered her eyes to the floor, looking genuinely humbled. Give the girl an Oscar, she was one hell of an actress. “I need your help. I thought I could do this alone, but with the doctor bills and all the things I need for the baby…”

      Just as he suspected.

      “I want a paternity test,” he told her. “Before I give you a penny, I need to know if this really is my baby.”

      Tess nodded, thankful he wasn’t going to make her beg. Her mother had struggled for years to make Tess’s wealthy father own up to his responsibility and pay child support. Tess had been sure Ben would fight her tooth and nail.

      “I figured you would. I’ve already talked to my doctor about it. She said they can do the test next week, when I go in for my ultrasound.”

      “Fine. I’ll contact my attorney.”

      “If you want, you could come with me,” she said, figuring it was the least she could do. It was his baby as much as hers. Maybe they could reach some sort of accord, find some middle ground and maybe even learn not to resent each other.

      Maybe they could even be friends.

      “Come where?” he asked.

      “To the appointment. To see the baby.”

      Something dark and unsettling flashed across his face. He closed in on her, his eyes sparking with anger. “Let’s СКАЧАТЬ