“You can’t force me to marry you.”
Removing one hand from her hair, he cupped her chin, caressing the soft skin, his thumb brushing the side of her throat and resting where her pulse raced. “Would it be such a terrible thing?” he asked, softly, inquisitively.
She quivered underneath his touch, just as she had once before, inciting a wave of desire in him that he hadn’t expected.
At Andy and Hillary’s one-year anniversary party, he’d asked Sierra to dance, and she turned him down immediately. He’d bestowed his best smile upon her, talked softly and friendly, slowly getting her to come around. Then he’d led her to the dance floor where one dance became two.
Her response had been enticingly chaste and completely authentic. Or so it had seemed.
In actuality, she’d been neither, taking him for a bigger idiot than Leah ever had.
He’d had relationships since his marriage imploded, but he hadn’t allowed himself to be played for a fool again.
Sierra had thrown a rope and pulled him into her cunning scheme, deceiving him. He’d sworn to never be tricked again, and that’s exactly what she’d done. Her fun time was over.
“Sierra, Sierra.” He continued his soft caressing of her throat. “I’d like to drag your pretty little butt down to the courthouse right now. Allowing you to set the date is being a lot more charitable than I’m feeling.” Suddenly, he quit stroking her. “Want to try me?”
She remained quiet.
“So tell me. What sort of ceremony are we going to have? A small one with just immediate family and friends or a large one with the entire town invited? And what date works best for you? The choice is yours.”
Tears began to form in her eyes, but he didn’t back down. His moral code didn’t give him the option to relent on something this vital. Simply put, this child was his family.
He took care of what was his.
No matter the heartache it might cause.
“Choice?” she repeated. “What sort of options are those?”
“They are the only two you’re going to get.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Kaden. I can’t marry you.”
He removed his hand from her chin, placing it on her arm. “Okay.”
She released a breath in what sounded like relief. Too bad it wouldn’t last.
“I’ll see you in court,” he stated.
“In court?”
“That is the third option. I’ll sue you for full custody.”
“No,” she uttered on a gasp, struggling to push him away. He didn’t move. “Please...” Panic appeared in her voice. Her body stiffened and her chin began to quiver. “You can’t be serious.”
“You sure you want to take the chance?”
Chapter Two
Sierra struggled to breathe around the lump lodged in her throat. With the set of his jaw, the throbbing in his temple, the look in his eyes, Kaden challenged her.
“You’d really subject our child to this?” she asked, stunned.
“I’m doing what I know is right. And the right thing is for our child to have both parents in his or her life and for us to be married.”
“Then—”
“Considering that, unless you become my wife, I’ll do all that I can to ensure that I raise this child myself.”
“You’re trying to destroy my life.”
“No, Sierra. As I’ve stated before, this is not just about us.”
Her mind whirled as she struggled to sort through the implications. He would take her to court. And with the current legal system, he could very likely win partial custody at the least.
The thought of their child spending half its time with her, the other half with Kaden, made her heart ache. She had divorced friends, knew of the conflicts they faced. There would be Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays spent apart, summer vacations to divide between parents. And there was the fact that the child would be illegitimate. She told Kaden it didn’t matter, wanted to claim he was wrong, but he wasn’t.
Alberton was a small town, and while most people would be supportive of her and a child, some wouldn’t. Then there were the school years. Kids could be vicious, she knew. Like they had been to Kaden.
But at what expense to her?
It had taken years for her to build up the bravery to leave Tim and his incessant disparaging remarks. It had taken months for her to discover herself again, longer still for her to believe in herself.
Until this moment, she thought she’d done just that.
Kaden’s overwhelming scent of the outdoors, man, and convictions penetrated her senses. His touch made her ache. He was too close, too brazen, and she was losing everything she thought she’d found.
Battling a wave of lightheadedness, she released Kaden’s wrists only to grab his shoulders.
“Sierra?” he called, his voice muffled, as if it came from several miles away.
He’d taken her options.
He was bulldozing her, trying to dominate her. Kaden had control, and she was left with nothing.
Why did he have to do this to her?
Another wave of lightheadedness made her legs tremble.
“Sierra! Answer me.”
She struggled not to give into the dizziness, unable to think of anything except the child growing inside her.
In a motion so swift she barely noticed it, Kaden grabbed her and lifted her up into the safety of his arms.
Stars danced in front of her eyes, and her head lolled to the side against his firm chest. He held her carefully, but securely, and she knew she was safe.
This was the Kaden she recognized from their night together, gentle and kind, not the man commanding her complete submission.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, battling back from the edge of darkness.
“Is your cousin here with you?”
“She’s off today.”
He made his way around the counter and toward the entrance of the store.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m taking you to the doctor.”
Sierra grabbed hold of his shoulder for support, rattled by the feel of him beneath soft material.
Never breaking stride, he turned the Open sign to Closed and carried Sierra to his truck.
For once, she didn’t care about him being in charge. The lightheadedness scared her, and she knew it frightened him, too. Strength dwelled in that thought, encasing her insecurity.
He carefully placed her onto the bench seat, then reached around her for the seatbelt.
His arm brushed the tip of one of her sensitive breasts, and she inhaled sharply.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“It’s fine. I’m just...”
He stiffened. His gaze sought hers. “Just what?”
“Tender.” Awkwardness swamped her. With him near, it was a struggle not to recall how she’d shared herself with him, not holding back anything.
His gaze slanted toward her breasts, and she felt them fill, throbbing with something she hoped wasn’t need.
Her hands trembling, she reached for the seat belt and fastened it herself.
After sliding in beside her, he drove toward Main Street. With each moment that passed, she felt better. By the time they arrived at the doctor’s office, the blurred vision and lightheadedness had disappeared.
Her declaration that she was okay didn’t prevent Kaden from focusing all of his attention on her. Even when she told him she could walk, he insisted on carrying her.
The nurse held open the door to a room, and Kaden entered it.
“You shouldn’t be back here with me,” Sierra complained. He disregarded her.
In the patient room, the nurse examined Sierra’s temperature and blood pressure, then smiled.
“Is everything okay?” Kaden asked. “Sierra, the baby...”
“Does he always hover like this?” the woman asked.
“I hope not,” Sierra responded as heat began to crawl up her throat.
“The doct
or will let you know for certain,” the nurse replied. “However, I can let you know that her temperature’s normal and so is her blood pressure. You can relax, Daddy.”
The door closed behind the woman, and Kaden’s gaze met Sierra’s.
Daddy.
And in that moment, she saw Kaden’s point, very clearly. There was no justification for
her to deny him the opportunity to be in his child’s life, despite her apprehension, despite her uncertainty. He’d participated in the making of this baby just as she had.
Where that left her, she hadn’t the slightest. If he’d just be more open to meeting her halfway, less commanding, less inflexible.
But as he paced the small area of the examination room, emitting an anxious energy, she realized he was none of those things.
A few moments later, the doctor knocked, then entered. “Sierra,” she called in greeting. “heard you had a little dizzy spell. She took comfort from the doctor’s relaxed aura, knowing that if anything were truly wrong, she wouldn’t be so at ease. Sierra exhaled in relief.
“Kaden Stasso,” the doctor said. “Haven’t seen you here since you brought your mother in.”
“Sierra and the baby—they’re both going to be fine?”
“And what is your relation to Sierra?”
“Sierra’s soon-to-be-husband.”
Her heart skipped several beat as Kaden’s gaze locked with hers.
“And the father of my child.”
“Good news,” the doctor said. “I’d like to offer my congratulations on both counts.”
Kaden stood so close to her, she could feel his heat. In her peripheral vision she could see him, arms crossed over his chest, observing as the doctor examined her. She attempted to look away—focus on anything except the man who was the main reason for all of this.
“Did you fall?”
“No. Kaden caught me.”
“And I’ll make certain I always will,” Kaden added softly.
“Wonderful then.”
A few moments later, the doctor adjusted the stethoscope. “Well, Ms. Sierra, it seems as though you fainted.”
“Why is that?” Kaden asked.
“It can be attributed to several things—the strain of pregnancy on the body, getting up too quickly, not eating properly.” Turning her attention to Sierra, she added, “You’ll be okay, but some extra rest over the next few days won’t hurt you.”
Reassured, she nodded.
“Is there someone that can keep an eye on you?”
“I can,” Kaden offered.
“Okay then. As soon as you are feeling like yourself again, you can resume all of your regular activities, including intimacy.”
Sierra’s stomach did somersaults, comprehending exactly what that meant. Judging by the look in his eyes, Kaden knew, too.
“I’ll see you in a few weeks, Sierra, unless you have any issues or questions, in which case, call me immediately.”
“We will,” Kaden affirmed.
Several months too late, she wondered if there was a drug she could have taken to shield herself against Kaden and the potent effect he’d had on her one unexpected night, when she’d gotten lost in the magic and romance, and by the look of infatuation Hillary had for her husband, Andy.
Until that night, Sierra had never experienced forlornness so wretched it made her heart ache. Others had partners to dance with, boyfriends and husbands to hold and love. She’d had no one. Until Kaden.
That one night had been pure magic. A night like no other. She couldn’t be labeled the sort of woman who looked for satisfaction anywhere she could get it. The way she’d been swept away had been totally out of the ordinary for her. Then again, Kaden Stasso wasn’t like any other man she’d ever known.
She’d been standing by the dessert table, feeling very much alone, when Kaden had come up to her. He’d been dressed in a dark suit and was wearing a wickedly seductive smile.
When he’d asked her to dance, her opposition has vanished. Intuitively, she’d known he was too disastrous, too hazardous for her. Trying to keep herself isolated—and secure—she’d kindly refused his first offer. But Kaden had been determined. Then before she became conscious of what was happening, she’d succumbed.
The doctor left, and reality kicked in with a reverberating thump.
“Are you ready?”
“Um, Kaden, I’m grateful for your willingness to help—” She almost gagged on the words, but she knew she had a better chance of reasoning with him if she didn’t quarrel with him. “But Eve can stay with me.” Her pesky cousin would love the chance to fuss over her.
And the idea of Eve nurturing her wasn’t nearly as nerve-wrecking as the thought of Kaden making himself at home in her house.
“She probably can,” he responded.
With relief, she felt the anxiety melt away.
“But she won’t have to. I’ll be there.”
“I don’t want to bicker,” she stated.
“Then don’t.”
“Kaden—”
“I’m taking care of the mother of my child. End of discussion.”
She exhaled with annoyance, but she didn’t want to quibble further. To be completely honest, she’d been scared out of her mind and wanted someone to take care of her. But dang it, why did he have to be so gorgeous?
“Do you feel up to walking or do you want me to carry you?”
He held out his hand, and she grudgingly allowed him to assist her down from the table. “I’m okay to walk,” she murmured, pulling away.
That didn’t prevent him from enclosing his hand protectively around her elbow. And they were even official yet.
Outside the doctor’s office, in the warmth of the early summer sunshine, goose bumps broke out on her arms—not from the cool breeze either, but from the way his touch made her memory come alive full force.
She’d run away from him the morning after they’d shared their magical night.
In the blinding light of the morning sun, she’d realized her error for just that. Seeing that she was awake, Kaden had gently pulled her against him, his fingers threading in her bed-ragged hair. In a low, sexy voice, he’d stated they were good together, that he wanted to get to know her better. He’d asked her to go to dinner with him.
Even then, she’d seen how dynamic he was. Mumbling a weak excuse to put him off, she’d willed him to go and take a shower. Once he had, she’d raced from his home. The conviction that she wouldn’t come out on the winning side of a relationship with him had eaten at her.
Now a relationship was just what she had.
He shut the truck door, then slid in beside her. Thank the heavens he didn’t try to assist her with her seatbelt this time.
Now that a little of her panic had dissipated and Kaden was no longer overwhelming her, she became aware of him as the man she’d met at Andy and Hillary’s anniversary party, the man who’d embraced her with his powerful arms and swept her off her feet.
She inhaled the masculine scent of man, the same aroma that had cloaked her when he danced with her.
Instead of turning east toward then town’s residential area, where she lived, he headed south. Her heart began to race and thoughts of their night together vanished.
Turning to him, she tried not to let her agitation show. “Where are you taking me?”
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Home.”
“Then you’re going in the wrong direction.”
“My home,” he responded. “The ranch. It will be easier for me to care for you at my place.”
He was a strong gale force wind, and she was getting dragged into it, into him. “Kaden, you...what...you can’t do this.”
He returned his stare back to the road, as if the discussion were concluded. “You heard the doctor’s instructions.”
“Yes I did, which is why I won’t allow you to manipulate the situation to meet your desires.”
“You shouldn’t be getting upset.”
“Then stop upsetting me,” she demanded, looking at the sharp angles of his profile.
He turned down a dirt driveway, parking in front of his ranch house.
Shutting off the engine, he turned to face her, resting his arm across the back of the seat, his hand mere inches from her shoulder.
“Sierra, the doctor wants someone to be with you. I will soon be your husband and you are the mother of my child. I am the only rational choice as the person who should take care of you. I want to do this.”
“I’ve gotten used to taking care of myself.”
“I know.” He gently touched her arm. “But you don’t have to be strong all the time.”
“I never said I was.”
“Then allow me to help you and our baby.”
Even through her shirt, she felt his warmth. And in his gaze, she saw that this wasn’t a command, it was an appeal. He knew how to break down her walls, she realized. “Kaden, I’ll be fine on my own.”
“You snuck out of my bed that morning.”
“Stop.”
“You took pleasure in our night together.”
She was unable to reply, not with the way her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest and the way memories heated her from within. Warmth rushed through her and crept up toward her face. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does,” he retorted.
Frantically, she moved to the door only to have Kaden slide his hand up behind her neck, his thumb brushing across the emotions she wanted—had—concealed from him.
“Was my mind just playing tricks on me or did you react to my touch and come apart in my embrace?”
“Kaden, let it be. That night is done. It was a mistake.”
He continued the unhurried, exasperating motion. “Did you get the same kind of pleasure that I did, Sierra?”
“Why are—”
“Did I make you feel things, make your body ache with need?”
“Kaden, please. Why do we have to talk about this?”
“Your response to me wasn’t part of your deception, was it? A ploy to hold my attention and get me to lose myself deep inside you more than once?”
God save her from him, his knowing caress, his seductive questions.
The Price of Passion Page 2