Page 16 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

Xander began to have flashes of images of their time together. He remembered how soft and smooth her skin was, how good it felt to touch it… to touch her. Even now, he could feel her skin on his palms and wished that he would have the opportunity to feel it again.

She was a lot more beautiful than before; her eyes were sparkling, shimmering in the sunlight. Her hair was piled up at the back of her head and clipped. Her lips were so enticing and he recalled the times that he used to freely kiss them at any time.

Flashes of them together in a deep tongue-twirling session hit him hard as he spent the next few seconds thinking about how great of a kisser she used to be. He remembered how they used to roll over the sheets while making love; the sounds of her soft moans, her facial expressions, and her smile all clouded his head, making him regret ever letting her go. He wondered if this little time together was having the same effect on her as it was on him.

There was no denying it; he was still in love with her, and he badly wanted her back.

“What are you doing here, Xander?” Rayla's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“You're welcome,” he said, referencing the fact that he had saved her from Squidward.

“I had that under control,” she replied with her arms across her chest. “And I definitely didn't need your intervention.”

She was rude, and it upset him a little, prompting a snarky and rather sarcastic response.

“Yeah, it definitely looked like that from where I was standing.” He chuckled annoyingly.

“What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that I wanted you away from me—and how the hell did you even find this place?” The words came out of her in a rush.

“Push me away all you want, Rayla, but I am not leaving here without getting some answers,” he replied.

She scoffed and shook her head.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she said keenly, obviously feigning ignorance as she looked away.

“Then why can't you look me in the eye?”

She shook her head, keeping her gaze across the street.

“Rayla,” he called her softly. “The boy who Shadow Jumped into my room…”

At this point, he listened to her heartbeat, and it was going crazy, beating faster than normal as she struggled to breathe. He could tell that the truth was weighing on her, and she was resisting the urge to confess it.

“He's mine, isn't he?” He stepped closer and turned her chin so she could face him.

She did, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes as she was starting to get emotional.

Rayla exhaled sharply and walked away from him before heading to the house.

“You coming or what?” She went inside and left the door open.

Xander, who had felt a hint of abandonment after she left, now gave a very faint grin and followed her. He was grateful that she was kind enough to invite him into her home even though she didn't have to.

Amidst his gratitude, he understood the gravity of this and knew that trouble lay ahead.

He walked in and quietly shut the door behind him. A few steps further, he admired the nice and cozy interior decor with walls adorned with framed photos of her and the boy. He walked over to the living room where she was standing, waiting for him.

“Nice apartment,” he said with a grin.

“Thank you,” she replied and sighed heavily.

“The kid is mine, isn't he?”

She paused and shut her eyes for a moment. With all this stalling, he already had his answer. However, he just wanted to hear her say it.

“Yes,” she admitted. “Abel is your son.”

The moment she said it, it hit him like a wave as though he hadn't known already. He was overwhelmed by a series of emotions but the most dominant was anger. Now, he could feel all that rage about her silence on a sensitive matter such as this.

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