Heart on Fire (17 page)

“You still want me?”

Her head dipped in a slow nod, eagerness burning in her eyes.

Kyle leaned in to nuzzle her ear. “Do you still want to make love to me?”

“Mmhmm,” she murmured.

“Because I want you. I wanted you that night at the party. I was irresistibly drawn to you. I’ve wanted you since I heard you laughing outside my living room and heard Cherish giggle. I took one look at the two of you, and I knew I wanted to be with you. I want to see that little girl smile as much as possible.”

He heard her intake of breath, and felt her nod. He leaned back to see tears filling her eyes.

“Mila,” he whispered, “I love you.”

She stared into his soul for a long moment. “Okay. I believe you. Stop trying to convince me and show me.”

His heart sank when she didn’t say she loved him, but he knew things couldn’t be easy for her.

Six years on her own, thinking it would only ever be her and her daughter. She wound up pregnant after some asshole let her walk away when she wouldn’t give up her dreams.

Her mother didn’t support her decisions.

Now she thought he might crush her. Or worse, hurt her little girl when he walked away.

He finally found what he’d been searching for, and he wasn’t letting Mila, or Cherish, go. No way, no how. He wanted the whole package. Proving his intentions was his only goal.

For now, he would kiss away her tears, and show her how much he needed her in every way possible.

Kyle kissed her, as he removed the rest of her clothes, and then knelt down as he pushed her gently onto the edge of the bed.

He spread her wide and licked at her already slick folds. “Mmm, my favorite taste in the world.”

“Kyle,” she whispered in surprise, but he flicked his tongue over her clit as he held her open. “Oh please,” she whispered, “yes.”

When he sucked her clit into his mouth, she grasped his scalp, her nails digging in but it drove his need higher. One finger pressed into her tight body. “You’re going to kill me,” he murmured.

“Why?” she whispered brokenly.

“You are so damned tight.”

“Kegals,” she gasped, “A billion Kegals.”

He laughed, as he worked another finger into her, scissoring, stretching, until she fell back, writhing. He licked and sucked as he filled her up, until she clenched down on him as she came, dragging a pillow over her face to muffle the sexiest sounds he’d ever heard.

“I love the way you come,” he growled as he stood up and rolled a condom on.

Kyle crawled over her and pushed deep, making them one. Her back arched, her breasts bouncing as he stroked in and out of her. So exquisitely his.

“I love the way you love my body,” she moaned, as another orgasm took her, making her writhe, her legs flexing around his waist, holding him tight as she found her release.

Once she calmed, he started moving again, determined to bring her over once more. Knowing she was right there on the edge, and he was so close, it was a miracle he hadn’t come before now. And then they did, together. She was a part of him, a part of his heart.

A few weeks ago, if someone told him he would be falling for a woman, he would have laughed in their face. He’d had relationships, but never fell in love. He cared for women, enjoyed being with women, but this was so much more.

When she fell still, he dealt with the condom, then picked her up to hold her in her bed, wrapping her in his embrace and kissing her forehead sweetly. “I mean it, Mila, I love you.”

“It’s too soon. How can you be sure?” her voice trembled.

“I’ll find a way to prove it to you. I know words aren’t enough. I’m sorry someone hurt you, made you doubt, but I will find a way to make you see.”

“Please Kyle, give me time.”

“All right, now sleep. I know you must be tired. You were up late last night.”

“You’re too good to me,” she whispered, but snuggled deeper into his arms.

Chapter 18

The phone rang, waking her up. She glanced at the clock.

Who the hell is calling at five? On a Sunday.

Kyle was still there, holding her. Mila reached over and answered the phone with a groggy, “Hello?”

“Why didn’t you tell me we have a child?” Anger radiated through the tone.

Now she was awake, her heart thundering in her chest. “Who is this?”

“Paul,” he snapped into the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her hands shook so bad she nearly dropped the phone as her whole world threatened to come crashing down. She hadn’t heard from him once in six years. “Because she’s not yours. I left you before I got pregnant.”

“Your mother says she could be mine. Says she was born a month early according to you, yet was very healthy for being premature.”

“She’s not yours. I would have told you if I even thought it was possible.” She tried to climb out of bed, but Kyle wrapped his arms around her, reminding her he was there.

Tears leaked down her face. Kyle looked up at her, clearly concerned and pulled her closer.

Panicked, she held her finger to her mouth. Things were going so right. Of course Paul had to go and ruin it.

Mila swallowed hard and found her voice. “Look, we were over before I got pregnant. There was no chance I was pregnant when I left you.”

“That’s not what your Mom says. She wants you to come home. Wants you to have a paternity test. Don’t make me force the issue. You know I can.”

Nausea rolled through her with a wave of anger. This couldn’t be happening. He had no right.

Forcing the anger back enough to remain civil, she calmly replied, “Fine, have the test done. I don’t care. She’s not yours.”

“I don’t believe you. It’s all too damned convenient.”

Convenient? How in the hell was any of it convenient?

Mila wiped at her face. She knew without a doubt Paul couldn’t be her baby’s father. A thought occurred to her, and she gasped. “Why on Earth would you believe my mother?”

“Someone has to. You never listened to her.”

“Ha! And why should I? She called you for a month, trying to talk you into coming back to me when that was the last thing I wanted. After all this time, why would you do this now?”

“I think she’s mine. The timing is right. I want the test, and I want to be in her life.”

Her hand knotted in the blanket as she seethed. “Six years, and you think you can waltz in and take my daughter?”

“Our daughter.”

She barely contained the growl. “Not a chance in hell. Tell me what I need for the test. You’re paying for it though, because this is ridiculous. The timeframe is wrong, no matter what my mother says.”

“That’s just like you, holding yourself away from me, and now you’re keeping our daughter from me.”

Her chest heaved with every breath. She wanted to throw something. “Oh god, she’s not yours! Don’t you think I would have said something? I was never that cruel.”

“Yes you are. You never once let me all the way in, and you never would compromise.”

Her composure was crumbling, she was having trouble keeping the tremble from her voice. “Compromise? You didn’t want compromise. You wanted control. Look, if you really believe
my
daughter could be yours, send whatever I need to complete the test, but you’re going to look like an asshole when the results come back.”

Kyle sat up, letting her go. Confusion warred with the hurt in his expression. He probably doubted everything she’d said and done, doubted his own feelings. She couldn’t blame him.

God, why now?

Although, in that vein, she probably should do a test with Kyle to be sure. Not that it could be anyone else, but obviously her mother and now her ex seemed to believe otherwise. Her heart ached, thudding in her chest as her hope came tumbling down.

“What will it change, Paul? You were engaged to Leslie two weeks after I left you. So, why would you do this now?”

“Leslie can’t have children. I
know
I can. Cherish will fix my marital problems.” Total typical asshole male thinking the woman was the problem.

Reality finally sank in and Mila squeezed the phone tighter. The bastard wanted to take her little girl. When she finally found her voice, it came out hollow. “Send the paperwork. You’ll find yourself wrong.”

She hung up and got out of the bed to find something, anything to wear. “Oh god,” she whispered.

“Is there any chance you’re wrong about the timing?” Kyle asked sadly.

“No.” She shook her head but wouldn’t look. “Probably best for you to do the test as well, because no one believes me.” She let the tears fall, she didn’t even try to keep her emotions bottled up. Pulling on a robe, she wound her arms around herself and stared at the wall.

Kyle pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest as he put his chin on her shoulder. “I believe you. I don’t need a test.”

“No, we should,” she whispered. “My mother told Paul about Cherish. Probably hoping I would go home. That hasn’t been home since I left for college. This is my home now.”

His voice was full of tenderness. “We’ll fix this, Mila. It’s okay.”

“She’s not his, I swear. It was at least six, probably seven weeks, between the last time I had sex with him and you. We had problems with our relationship before I ever ended it. I don’t even know what I was waiting for.”

“Hey now, Mila, if you want to do the test, that’s fine. Means we should probably wait to tell Cherish, on the off chance he’s right.”

She nodded, her heart aching.

Kyle turned her gently and brought her gaze to his. “But I don’t believe him for a second. He sounds like an asshole. Only interested now that his wife can’t have a kid. Seriously? He never cared before, and probably knew about Cherish all this time. Now, when it suits his marriage, he would come and try to take her away from you? That’s not going to happen. I won’t let it.”

“Kyle, he’s a lawyer. If he believes she’s his, then he can force the issue. I don’t know what to do…”

“No problem. This is easy. We’ll do the test, and get it as quickly as we can. You can let him have the test done and it won’t make a difference, especially when the results come back that I’m Cherish’s father.”

All her doubt about Kyle evaporated, but now, with this lingering, she couldn’t say the words. More than ever, she didn’t want to trap him. The what-ifs reared their ugly head, sending her mind reeling.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, gently sweeping his hand up and down her arm. “Do you need to call your mother? Explain the situation. Maybe she hoped you would go back home and wind up with him. You said she wanted that before.”

“Paul is married. The ceremony happened before Cherish was even born.”

He growled, “Like I said, he’s an asshole.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I should call Mom, but I don’t want to talk to her. God, why would she do this?”

Mila tried to move away, but Kyle pulled her back and held her tighter. “Mila, call her and explain. Maybe she can talk to him.”

“You don’t know Paul. It won’t stop him from pursuing this. I honestly believe if he thinks there is a chance in hell Cherish is his, he will do everything in his power to take my daughter from me.”

“He has no ground to stand on. We’ll figure it out.”

“He’s not listed as her father. No one is because I didn’t know, and that makes me a whore, but damn it.”

Kyle caught her chin, bringing her eyes to his. “You are not a whore, Mila. You are not the first woman to have a one-night stand, and you are anything but a whore,” he told her adamantly. “Don’t ever let me hear you say that again.”

Tears fell down her face as she chewed her lip. “But…”

“Shh. Don’t.” He dried her face, gentling his tone. “Mila, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I love you.”

How could she believe that when she didn’t deserve him? This was all her fault. With a sigh, she stepped back. “I’ll call my mom.”

Nodding, he let her move away but never took his eyes off her.

She took her phone, moving to the window to stare into the yard below. Pressing speed dial she put the phone to her ear and held her breath.

One ring and Mom answered, not waiting for her to say anything, she started in, “What do you think you’re doing? Telling him he can’t possibly be the father?” Her mother had the audacity to be outraged.

She felt like she was pregnant all over again. This was the reason she went to live with her brother instead of staying with her mother. They could go round and round and never get anywhere because neither would budge.

Holding her anger in check, she shored up her courage, and stated facts. “I know who Cherish’s father is. I recently found out. And no, Paul is not him. It’s not even feasible for Paul to be her dad. It was almost two months between the last time I was with Paul and Kyle. It can’t be Paul.”

“And how do you know his name after all these years? Are you making up a story to appease me? I still think Cherish is Paul’s—that you had a moment of weakness and let him in your bed again, winding up pregnant.”

“Mom!” The air left her lungs on an exhale and she sucked in a breath. That her mother could think that hurt and pissed her off. Mila didn’t bother holding back her temper. “He was engaged to another woman two weeks after I left him. That should tell you something. He’s not the father, and you had no right to talk to him. He hasn’t been a part of my life for years. Never showed any interest in me, or in Cherish. Now he wants to take her away from me because his wife can’t get pregnant. Do you realize what that means? You would let him take away my little girl, and for what?”

“Now honey, it would make things easier on you. He would have to share custody. It won’t be all bad,” her mother cooed.

Mila slammed her hand against the wall. “She. Is. Not. His!” Her voice was forceful, though she tried to fight back the scream. “I know who the father is. I’m with him now.”

“You are?” she whispered. “How is that possible? You didn’t know his name. Didn’t even know his face. How can you be so sure?”

“It’s him, Mom. Actually, he’s my neighbor, but we didn’t figure out our previous connection until Friday. The point is, you didn’t have a right to even bring her up to Paul, who never had a claim to Cherish. It’s not even possible, so thank you for starting a legal battle.”