Page 9 of Seeking Salvation

All her life, she had marvelled at the structures of bridges and dams, and she knew, even as a young girl, that she wanted to design structures like that. And she’d done it. She’d landed her dream job at twenty-six. Then, a year in, everything had imploded.

Now, she was a single parent, alone and being forced to dance in a G-string for pervy old men with grabby hands. Exhaustion tugged at her eyes, and she closed them for just a moment, letting the responsibilities that dragged at her like tar go for just a minute.

The next thing she knew a loud noise startled her out of her slumber. Maya sat up suddenly, disorientated for a second as she took in the strange room, and her gaze looked for Tyrique until everything crashed back into her.

A pounding on the door was followed by the deep demand for her to open up. Dread and fear skittered up her spine and she wondered if the same drug-dealing asshole, who’d threatened her and Tyrique, had found her.

“Open the damn door, Miss Sharp.”

The deep voice made a shiver move over her skin, and it wasn’t an unpleasant one. That voice was deep and smooth, and she wondered what it would sound like first thing in the morning.

Pushing off the bed, she brushed her hand over her hair to smooth out some of the knots from sleeping on it and headed to the door. Sliding the chain across, because she wasn’t an idiot, she pulled open the door a few inches.

A gasp left her in an unladylike squeak as she encountered the furious face of her nephew’s father, and he did not look happy.

“Open the damn door before I break it down.”

Her initial surprise was quickly replaced with pissed-off indignation. Stepping back, she slammed the door, threw back the chain and yanked the door open, arms folded as she blocked the door and peered around him.

“How the hell did you find me?” She’d been careful, she was sure of it.

“You didn’t hide very well.”

She was insulted but then it struck her that something might be wrong with her nephew. “Is Tyrique okay?”

She saw his eye twitch as he mirrored her position, crossing his huge arms over his impressive chest. She angled her neck up, trying not to show how intimidating she found him. He was huge, well over six feet with wide shoulders, trim hips, and thighs that made her have all kinds of thoughts.

“The child is fine.”

Maya felt her anger bristle against her skin. “The child?”

“Yes, the child you abandoned is fine. Being cared for by responsible people, not some flake.”

“Me? A flake?” Maya pointed a finger at her chest and watched his eyes follow the movement before his hot gaze fell on her lips. Ignoring the heat that slid through her at his hungry look, she glared.

“Yes, you were the one who dumped a child with strangers.”

“I did not dump Tyrique with strangers. I left him with his notably absent father.”

He cocked his head, a mocking gaze on his arrogantly handsome face. “And who might that be, spitfire?”

Maya threw her hands up. “You, you dumb jerk.”

“Well, that remains to be seen. I have a DNA test being run right now, but regardless, you don’t know me and I sure as hell don’t know you.”

“But you knew Rose well enough to put a baby in her and then turn your back on her.”

His perfectly arched brows shifted into his hairline in indignation. “Firstly, I did not intentionally put a baby in Rose, and it remains to be seen if I did. Secondly, I did not turn my back on anyone.”

“So, what do you call it when a man finds out he is a father and says he wants nothing to do with the child?”

“I call it bullshit. I haven’t spoken to Rose since the night we spent together and she sure as shit never told me I had a son.”

Doubt crept in, mellowing her anger as she saw the truth in his face. She didn’t know this man, but she would bet her favourite trainers that he was telling the truth, which was clearly more than her sister had done.

Her fight left her making her shoulders sag. “Really?”

He shook his head as his lips pursed. “Yeah. Pretty sure I’d remember that conversation.”

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