by Cat Schield
The behavior struck him as unnecessary, yet he couldn’t stop himself from dialing. He hated that she was on his mind all day long. He wasn’t in control of his actions or his thoughts, and fighting the need to connect with her a dozen times a day warned him he might be on the path to even more disastrous tendencies like skipping work to spend the day in bed with her or clearing his schedule so he could enjoy her company over a long lunch.
Her new job might have created a wall between them, but it was a flimsy barrier to Sebastian’s desires. A more formidable impediment was convincing her to trust him to keep her safe in his social circles.
It was a task he was up to. Tonight had demonstrated how much he wanted her in his life.
“Sorry about my husband,” Emma said with an apologetic shrug. “He’s become a little unreasonable since our last doctor visit.”
Sebastian was on the verge of telling his sister-in-law that her husband had a knack for being unreasonable when he realized that a certain woman had accused him of the exact same failing. Maybe all the Case men were cursed with a gene that made them more of a handful than the average man.
While Emma walked him to the front door, Sebastian cracked the lid on the box and stared at the contents. Diamonds shot sparks at him from their nest of black velvet.
“This is incredible,” he told her. “The sketches don’t do your work justice.”
Emma sagged into her smile. “Thank you. With all the success I’ve had you’d think I’d get used to people liking my work. But this piece is special. It’s going to sound silly but working on it felt magical.”
“Not silly at all. You are a true artist.” He leaned down and kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek. “Thanks, Emma. I hope my brother knows how lucky he is to have you.”
“I know.” Nathan stood just inside the foyer, arms crossed, eyes flashing with annoyance. “And as soon as you get the hell out of here, I’m going to give her a demonstration she won’t soon forget.”
Her new office as the director of communications gave Missy less square footage than the cubicle she’d had outside Sebastian’s executive suite. But it had a door. And a window.
At the moment, she was enjoying both.
Sipping the tea she’d picked up on the way in, Missy watched as the building next door turned to gold in the dawn light. Why was she at work at six-thirty in the morning? Because yesterday she’d left early to go to a doctor’s appointment and because she was worried about doing a good job in her new position.
A firm knock on her door warned her she had company. Only one man got to the office this early.
“Good morning, Missy.” Sebastian surveyed her with a toe-curling grin. “You’re in awfully early.”
For the past three days, he’d made an effort to pop by and say hello. In all the years she’d worked for him, she’d never seen him so chipper. It was unnerving.
“I had some things to catch up on.”
Shoulder propped against her doorframe, he eyed her cup. “You’re drinking tea?” Commenting on her daily caffeine jumpstart was a typical morning conversation opener for him. “That’s a change.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well so I’m cutting out caffeine.” Her eyes burned.
She hadn’t slept well since discovering she was pregnant. Too many worries crowded her. During the day she mastered anxiety by throwing herself into learning the ins and outs of her new job.
“What you need is some exercise before bedtime.” He’d also taken to flirting with her. “I could help you with that.”
“No.” Heavens. That was the last thing she needed. “It’s the new position. I have a lot to learn.”
“You were always a perfectionist.” He took a step into her office. “Max is very happy with what you’re doing. So relax.”
Some of her tension eased, but her dizziness remained. “Thanks, that’s good to know.”
“It’s my mother’s birthday on Friday. There’s a family get-together at their house. Will you come?”
It wasn’t an unusual request. She’d celebrated occasions with his family before. Nothing had changed except she no longer worked directly for him. Yet, her instincts told her to refuse.
“I’d like to, but it’s Memorial Day weekend and I’m heading home to check on my father.”
Not a complete fabrication. She’d told her family she’d try to make the annual Ward barbecue.
“She specifically asked me to invite you. She’ll be very disappointed if you aren’t there. My father has some big surprise planned. She’s worried it could end up being a disaster.”
Missy felt herself weakening. She really loved Susan. And Brandon had gone out of his way to make certain she took this job. “I guess it would be okay if I took off for Crusade early Saturday morning.”
“Excellent. I’ll pick you up around six. Dinner’s at seven.”
Dinner with his family might not be out of the ordinary, but having Sebastian pick her up was. “I can drive myself.”
“No need.” His tone told her she’d be wasting her breath by arguing. “See you Friday.”
“Friday,” she echoed, wondering what the hell she’d just gotten herself into.
About a dozen times in the two days that followed, Missy started an email to Sebastian or picked up the phone to tell him she’d changed her mind. Since she’d slept with him in Las Vegas, she was no longer his overworked executive assistant. Now she was an ex-lover. The dynamic between them had altered, trapping her between craving his affection and dreading disappointment.
As Friday night rolled around, nerves unsettled her stomach so she used chocolate ice cream to settle both. Maybe not the best choice for a queasy pregnant woman, but she’d taken the last of the crackers to nibble on at work.
When the doorbell rang, she set the unfinished ice cream on her nightstand and went to answer it. She smoothed her hands down her dress and told herself to calm down. It was just a routine dinner at the Cases’.
But instead of Sebastian, Tim stood outside her door, a large cardboard box in his hands. He seemed shorter than she remembered. His blond hair thinner. And that crooked front tooth she’d always thought gave him character made her long for Sebastian’s perfect smile.
“Wow.” His eyes widened. “You look incredible.”
“Thanks.” She’d put on one of the new outfits she’d bought in Las Vegas, hoping to see Sebastian’s eyes light up with that special glow that told her he appreciated what she was wearing if only so he could have the pleasure of taking it off. “What are you doing here?”
“I mean it.” Tim stared at her as if he’d never really seen her before. “You look hot.”
She glanced at the clock. It was five minutes to six. She had to make Tim leave and fast. “It’s just a dress.”
“It’s more than the dress. You look completely different. Like wow.”
The old her would have been thrilled by his enthusiasm. Tim wasn’t much for compliments. Most of the time, he’d given her the impression he could do better. And since she’d worried that he was right, she’d never complained.
“Why weren’t you like this when we were together?”
She refused to give him credit for her transformation, although she’d still be plain old Missy if he hadn’t dumped her. “What’s in there?” She gestured at the box he held.
“It’s some of the stuff you left at my place. One of those shawls you knit. One of those books you read.”
“It’s a biography on John Adams. I left it for you. It was very good. I thought you would like it.”
“That’s okay. You know I don’t read much.” He used the box like a battering ram as he made his way into her condo. “Can I come in?”
“This isn’t a great time.” Knowing she’d never win a shoving match with Tim, Missy reluctantly gave ground. Anxiety hummed as he moved to the center of the living room and looked around. “You really need to go.”
He shot her an exasperated look. “It’ll just take a second for m
e to grab my anime DVDs.”
“They’re where you left them.”
They’d never spent much time at Tim’s house. He had a black Lab with no manners that Missy couldn’t stand being around. Being unable to spend the night meant their sex life was sporadic. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time they’d been together. Unlike with Sebastian, where she felt each second without him as if an eternity had passed.
Had she seriously considered marrying Tim?
He dropped the box on her couch and turned toward her. “I broke up with Candy.”
That explained his visit. He’d come by because he was alone once more, and if there was anything Tim hated, it was flying solo.
“That’s too bad. You two seemed perfect for each other.” A trace of bitterness entered her voice. Being dumped still stung even if her heart was no longer vulnerable to him.
“So did I until she left me.” Tim looked ready to lay the whole sob story on her.
Missy edged toward Tim’s anime collection. Sebastian was due to arrive any second. The sooner she got rid of Tim, the better.
“It was then I realized I should never have broken up with you.” He’d gotten that right at least. Too bad for him it was too little and way too late.
“That’s sweet of you to say, but now you really have to go. I’m expecting someone…”
“I was hoping we could get back together.”
He’d crushed her dreams without mercy, and now he wanted her to take him back? She almost laughed.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” He really thought she’d still be pining over him.
And maybe he was right to. She’d let him treat her as if she wasn’t good enough for him.
“Because I’m not the girl you dumped. More has happened to me in the last six weeks than new clothes and a better haircut.” For one thing she was pregnant. For another, she’d fallen in love with the baby’s father. Missy gathered a shaky breath as the hopelessness of her situation battered her. “I’m in love with someone else.”
“In six weeks?” Tim scoffed, his eyes and mouth hardening. “That’s not like you. It took a dozen dates before you’d let me kiss you. Is this your way of getting back at me?”
“No. It’s true.”
“Who is it?”
Missy hesitated. Tim had no right to any answer. It was none of his business.
“You’re making this up,” Tim cried, misinterpreting her pause. He grabbed her arms and pulled her close to his body. “You still love me. How could you not? We were together for three years. We talked about getting married.”
Alarmed by her sudden predicament, she braced her hands on Tim’s chest and pushed. Yes, they’d talked about it, but that’s all they’d done. He hadn’t proposed. Three years she waited for him, and he’d fallen in love with someone else and left her.
“Am I interrupting something?” A voice spoke from the front door.
Tim looked toward Sebastian and his expression darkened. He let her go. Missy stumbled back and caught herself on the rocking chair her grandfather had carved for her grandmother.
“I see the score now,” Tim snarled. “He’s what you want. He’s all you ever wanted.” Grabbing the videos he’d come for, Tim headed for the front door. He tried to muscle Sebastian out of the way and ended up bouncing off him like a pinball. “She’s all yours. Not that it was ever in doubt.”
Missy watched him go, her heart hammering at the expression on Sebastian’s face. He didn’t look overjoyed to find her in Tim’s arms. Not that she’d been participating in the embrace.
“Was that your boyfriend?” His tone was neither conversational nor friendly.
“My ex-boyfriend.”
“He didn’t look very ex to me.”
“He left me for his soul mate.” She tried to keep the hurt from her voice. She didn’t succeed. “I guess it didn’t work out between them.”
“And now he wants you back.” Not a question, a statement. Sebastian’s flat expression gave away none of his thoughts on the subject, but in his gray eyes, storm clouds gathered.
“He doesn’t know what he wants.”
“What about what you want?”
She was completely sure that she wanted Sebastian. He stirred her like no other man. The thought of waking up every morning to his handsome face made her blissful beyond words. But none of that changed the fact that she didn’t fit into his world and never would.
When she didn’t answer his question, Sebastian prowled toward her. “What do you want, Missy?”
“Nothing.” She couldn’t tell him the truth.
Sebastian captured her face in his hands, compelling her to meet his gaze. “Do you want him back? Because if you do, I’ll chase him down.”
“You would?” Missy regarded him in confusion. “Really?”
“No.” His voice smiled, but his expression remained tense and watchful. “Maybe you need me to give you some help.”
Her knees wobbled. “What sort of help?”
“I could tell you what I want.”
“You’ve been pretty clear about that,” she retorted dryly, but her banter didn’t rouse a smile.
“No, I don’t think I have. I want you. In my life. For as long as you’ll have me.”
Her breath caught.
She marveled at how his eyes glowed in the seconds before he captured her lips in the softest kiss imaginable. She remembered how his lovemaking had helped her overcome her fear of heights. Maybe it could help her overcome her fear of not fitting into his world.
“I’d like that, too,” she breathed when he let her come up for air.
And between one exhalation and a gasp, he’d swung her off her feet and moved toward her bedroom.
“Wait. What about your mother’s birthday party?”
“We’ll be late.”
He set her on her feet beside her bed, reached around her and grasped her zipper. His lips coasted along her neck as the dress came undone. Missy smiled, dazzled by the realization that she’d admitted her feelings to Sebastian and the sky hadn’t fallen.
She was getting ready to shimmy out of her dress when Sebastian stilled all movement.
“How long after you two broke up did we make love?”
Every cell in her body froze solid. “A day.” Lightheaded with dismay, she nevertheless forced herself to ask, “Where are you going with this?”
He grabbed her upper arms and turned her toward her nightstand. Her throat trapped a small cry as she spied the pregnancy book she’d been reading before bed the previous night.
“Are you pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Were you planning on telling me?”
Misery engulfed her. “Yes.” But she’d hesitated too long before answering.
His body vibrated with suppressed fury. “You set me up from the beginning, didn’t you?”
“What?” She flinched away from the suspicion in his eyes. “No.”
But he didn’t hear her denial. Or if he had, he didn’t believe her. His fingers bit into her flesh, keeping her pinned beneath his merciless stare.
“You found out you were pregnant. Your boyfriend dumped you. You seduced me so I’d believe the baby was mine.”
His accusation came at her like a tire iron. Missy was too stunned to protect herself. Reeling from the impact, she struggled to breathe.
She wasn’t surprised he’d jumped to that conclusion. His first wife had used a pregnancy lie to first get and then stay married to Sebastian. Why would he trust any woman after what he’d been through?
But that he believed it of her aligned all her defensives against him. She stiffened her muscles and straightened her spine. Digging the heel of her palms into his chest, she gave him back glare for glare.
But beneath her outrage, her heart had been gutted. The pain made trying to be strong so much harder. She thought she’d be better prepared for this moment. Hadn’t she seen it coming the first morning after they’d made love? But
knowing he’d eventually reject her and the reality of the experience were vastly different.
And deep down, she’d wanted to trust him. She’d even started to. After the casino night fundraiser, a seed of hope had sprouted. She’d fought to keep it from taking root, but with every fiber of her being she’d wanted things to work out between them. He’d sure done a good job convincing her she’d fit into his world. That he’d be by her side, protecting her.
Look how long that had lasted.
“Answer me, damn you,” he ground out, looking ready to shake her unless she spilled everything. “Is the baby your boyfriend’s?”
The lie she’d promised she’d tell him hovered on her tongue. It would be so easy to claim the baby was Tim’s because it was clear that’s what he was expecting to hear. She’d lose him. But isn’t that what she’d decided was best for all concerned?
She lifted her arm and broke his hold. “This baby is mine. And no one else’s.”
“Stop evading the truth.” He expelled the words through tight lips. His eyes blazed with fury and despair. “Who’s the father?”
“What’s the point in telling you? You’re already convinced it’s Tim’s.” Her head spun. At the moment, the only thing keeping her upright was her stubborn pride. “You need to go.”
By some miracle she kept her voice steady. Telling herself this was for the best didn’t make the loathing in Sebastian’s gaze any easier to stomach. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She couldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.
Sebastian gathered in an enormous amount of air. His chest swelled with it. The condo was so silent Missy could hear the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. Her heart thumped in her ears. At last, he released his breath. His next words shocked her to her toes.
“I’m not going anywhere without you,” he intoned. He’d regained control of his emotions. “My family is waiting for us at my parents’ house. We’re supposed to be celebrating my mother’s birthday.”
“Your family is waiting for you.” Faint with confusion, Missy shook her head. “I’m not going.”
Why would he want to have anything to do with her after what they’d just been through? The answer jumped into her mind a second later. For the same reason he’d stayed married to Chandra despite all her craziness. He was a man who honored his commitments.