Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (90 page)

Not trusting her voice, she gave her head a small shake.

He drained his coffee. "In that case, I'll be going."

His hand was reaching for the back door when she finally broke through the paralysis that held her in its grip. "I'm sorry about last night, Cole. I was upset. I've known all along you don't love me, and I have no right to expect anything more. Please don't—"

He stopped, then swung around, his face a study in cool indifference. She took a step back and hit the counter.

Memories of the way David had changed as soon as she'd moved into his condo crashed through her mind—memories of the way, almost overnight, a seemingly affectionate, considerate man had become the detestable bastard who'd flung biting, hurtful sarcasm at her every time she made a decision he didn't like. Which was nearly always.

Bracing herself for the ego-numbing abuse that was sure to follow, she recoiled from Cole's scrutiny. When he spoke, it was in a low voice, insinuating itself like a virus into her already frazzled nerves.

"No, Rini. You have every right to expect love from a husband. But don't ask me for it. I simply don't have it in me to give." His eyes seared her almost painfully. "Physically, I want you like crazy, and I'm going to continue to want you. I'll honor our agreement, Rini, but I'm only human. Do me a big favor, and from now on just stay out of my way. It'll be easier on both of us." He spun on a toe and stalked out the door, slamming it shut.

Rini's whole body reverberated with the weight of that slam. Her legs finally gave out and she slid down the cupboard to the floor, where she sat staring after him in a daze.

Clearly, she had been dreaming to think their life could be anywhere close to normal, given their platonic relationship.

She glanced around the neat, simple kitchen, battling the despair in her heart. It would look nice painted yellow, she thought bleakly. With pretty white, lacy curtains. And white trim, too. Yes, he'd like white trim.

She bit her lip, tasting copper.

He hadn't ripped her to shreds, but he hadn't given her a chance, either. She closed her eyes and ran a shaky hand over the baby as he moved inside her. What would she do? She'd lost Cole before she'd even had a fair shot at winning him.

He just didn't understand. She'd already shared the bed of one man who didn't love her. It was just too painful to expose herself to that kind of hurt again. She'd come too far to go back to that place.

For a long time she sat there on the floor, only her hand on the baby moving. Cole had been very, very angry. But still, he hadn't made her feel like she was a subhuman moron. In her misery, that thought nurtured a small seed of hope.

Finally, she roused herself. Shuddering out a sigh, she glanced up. Maybe she'd stencil a border around the walls up by the ceiling, too.

Yes. He'd like that.

* * *

Cole stumbled in after midnight, and the house was dark. The door to his bedroom stood wide open. Dog tired, he nearly collapsed into his bed, momentarily forgetting he no longer resided in the master bedroom. At the last minute he spied Rini there, ensconced in a pile of pillows and his Pendleton blanket.

He stood over her, torn between feelings of anger and frustration, and those of sadness and longing. He didn't know what had possessed him that morning. Maybe it had been the thought of having to live under the same roof with her, still furious with her—hell, with himself. Still wanting her. Unable to do anything about either. Knowing he had every right to. Knowing he had no right at all.

Damn, he was confused.

But he did feel a little better after a grueling day of self-punishment at the office, working through his feelings of being so thoroughly and unjustly rejected by her last night. After all, she'd known how he felt about love, long before letting him into that bed with her.

But Rini's apology this morning had told him loud and clear that she hadn't intended to hurt him. She was just trying to work through her own private horrors. She had no way of knowing about his sensitivity to rejection. And he wasn't about to talk about it. Maybe in twenty or thirty years…

She moved in her sleep, hugging the pillow she held to her chest even tighter, softly murmuring words he couldn't quite hear. He was still angry, but even so, he had to stop himself from climbing in with her. He sighed, wondering when his body would get the message.

He turned and trailed into the guest room, emptying his jacket pockets as he went. Tossing his wallet and change onto the dresser, he stripped off his shirt and headed to the bathroom. Suddenly, he caught the smell of fresh paint.

Frowning, he turned and followed the smell into the chilly kitchen. A cold breeze blew in through open windows. Flicking on the light, he was floored to see what Rini had done. Instead of dull beige, the walls were now a bright, cheerful yellow, with glossy white trim.

"Like it?" Rini's sleepy voice sounded behind him.

He turned to the sight of her tousled hair falling over the lapels of his old flannel robe. "It's never looked so good," he said, momentarily unsure of whether he meant the kitchen or the robe.

She smiled tentatively. "I'm glad you like it." He brought his wandering mind to heel. "But you shouldn't be painting."

She looked at her feet. "Dr. Morris said it was okay if I opened all the windows."

"That's not what I meant."

She didn't have to say a thing. The expression on her face said it all. She wanted to appease him.

He thought of his ex-wife's son, Jeff, who'd written him that heartbreaking letter, and of how things could have turned out just as badly with his own son and Rini, if he hadn't made the effort to gather them into a family. Silently, he thanked God for giving him the chance.

Guiltily, he shook his head. "Look, Rini, I'm sorry about this morning. I had no right coming down on you like a ton of bricks."

She bit her lip. "I didn't mean to make you angry last night. I just—"

"I know," he said, more gruffly than he intended. "Apology's not necessary. And you don't have to earn your keep." He cut her a look. "In any way."

Eyes still on the floor, she nodded.

He glanced around the kitchen. "I don't want you doing so much. Just take care of yourself and the baby."

She looked up at him imploringly. "I need to feel useful. Let me do a few things around the house, at least." She laid her hand on his arm. "Please, Cole."

The way her eyes pleaded with him, he couldn't find it in his heart to refuse. Before he did something he'd regret, he moved his arm out from under her hand and started toward the living room. "Just be careful and don't overdo it, okay? Now, get back to bed. You'll catch your death with all these windows open."

* * *

When the office phone rang for the fifth time, Cole looked up irately from the papers he was working on. There weren't all that many days left to tie up loose ends before the birth. He'd wanted to finish this one last brief before going home, and the phone had been ringing nonstop since he'd gotten to his office three hours ago. A headache drilled into his brain.

"Lonetree," he snapped into the mouthpiece.

"Cole, sweetie, is that any way to greet your wife?"

He was in no mood for jokes. "No, but that's not a problem, since you're not my wife."

"Oh, but I am," the smug feminine voice purred. "This is Lindsay. I'm crushed you didn't recognize my voice."

Lindsay! That was just what he needed right now.
Not.

"What the hell do you want?" When he hadn't heard from her after getting the letter from Jeff a couple of weeks ago, he'd thought her silence was too good to be true.

"It's nice to hear your voice, too. How are you?"

"Lindsay, I'm very busy, so you'll excuse me if I hang up now."

"That wouldn't be a very good idea, sweetie. What would your pretty new wife say if she found out her husband has a thirteen-year-old son?"

He drilled a hand through his hair, scowling furiously. "Sorry, won't work. I never touched you and you know it."

"Yes, well. There's just your word on that, isn't there?"

"Ever heard of DNA testing?" Cole rubbed his aching temple. "You've got a screw loose, Lindsay. I've already talked to Jeff and he knows I'm not his father. Stop hassling me, and don't even think about contacting my wife."

She was silent for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Give me a break, okay? I gave the kid up for adoption, and now he's found me. He's 'looking for his roots,'" she mimicked, groaning. "He's only interested in his Native half. He can barely bring himself to speak to me. I remember what you went through when you were young. I just thought…"

Cole stifled his knee-jerk reaction to the subject of his own adoption. He had already told Jeff he'd take him to the next powwow and introduce him around the local Indian community. Teach him a few things. But Lindsay didn't need to know that. "What do you want from me?"

"Can't you call him back and tell him you're his father?"

"Are you out of your mind?" he shouted before getting hold of his temper. "Besides being immoral and an outright lie, it wouldn't be fair to the boy. He deserves to find his real father."

He heard a muffled female sniffle.
Great.

He turned and sat against his desk, massaging his neck. "Lindsay, I really don't need this bullshit right now."

"Help me, Cole. Daddy will disown me if he finds out. He thought I was away at college. I have no idea who the kid's father was, except he was obviously Indian. Help me find out. Please?"

Cole smoothed down his tie and let out a breath, cursing long and hard. Damn. Damn.
Damn
. This was way more involved than he wanted to get. But when he thought of the kid, his heart just wouldn't let him turn his back.

"Send me a list of potential candidates. No promises, but I'll see what I can find out."

* * *

Rini bit off the thread after finishing one last throw pillow, tossed it next to its mates on the sofa and stood back to admire her handiwork.

The worn area rug in the living room had been replaced with a new handmade one she had bought at a local weaving guild. She'd looked everywhere for coordinating fabric and, when she found the perfect match, in-between studying she had sewn curtains for all six windows. Today she had finished a dozen cozy throw pillows for the sofas and Cole's chair. The room looked even better than the guest room, which she'd redone last week. She smiled in satisfaction.

She checked the clock on the mantel. She had an hour to spare before she had to start dinner. Today she was trying her hand at fajitas—Cole had mentioned a few days ago how much he liked them. But they seemed pretty easy to make, so maybe she should get in some study time beforehand. Or maybe…

Her gaze skittered to the phone in the kitchen, and instantly she was deluged with uneasy emotions. She had put off this call as long as she could, but it couldn't be put off any longer. Her hand shook slightly at the thought of dialing the familiar number. But today, when she felt so good and had accomplished so much, surely, today she would be strong enough to do it.

Resolutely, she walked to the phone, picked it up and dialed. All too quickly a brisk, feminine voice said, "Hello," sounding like she was next door instead of three thousand miles away.

"Hi, Mama."

"Rini, is that you?"

"Yes, Mother."

"You'll have to make it fast, dear. I'm just on my way out the door. Frazer is taking me to the opening of that new show everyone's raving about. You've seen it, of course, since it was in L.A. last month. I have a fabulous new—"

"Mama, I got married a few weeks ago. I just thought you might like—"

"Married! Well, congratulations, dear, it's about time you came to your senses and married David. After all, you've been with him for years now—"

"I told you I left David last year. My husband's name is Colton Lonetree."

"Don't be ridiculous. David was perfect for you. He gave you direction. Left him? How could you? He was practically the most eligible bachelor in Los—"

"He didn't love me."

"Love?
Pshaw
. There are more important— Lord. This is just typical of you, Rini. You never think before you leap into something. So tell me, who is this man you've married? Hilton something? What does he do? And why wasn't your own mother invited?"

"It's Cole. Colton Lonetree. He's a—"

"Is he some sort of foreigner? Lonetree doesn't sound like an English name to me."

"You'd like him. He's very nice. Handsome, too. He's Native American, from down—"

"Native American! You mean a— a—"

"A lawyer, Mama. You always wanted me to marry a lawyer. And now I have."

"Well. Then I guess he must be—"

"I'm going to have a baby, too. Isn't that wonder—"

"A baby!?"

"—ful? It's a boy and he's due next week. We're so thrilled... Mother?"

"When did you say you got married?"