Page 215 of Wicked Fantasies

“I’m the one who is sorry, Meg.” Tucking her head in the crook of his neck, he rested his cheek on the top of her head. She felt her body give way to the fear permeating it as she began to shake.

“Oh no, sweetheart, please,” he implored. “Please don’t worry. You aren’t alone and you never will be. I would never leave you to deal with this by yourself.”

“My father--”

“Was a bastard,” Rob finished for her. “And he clearly doesn’t know what he missed. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want you, Meg? You’re perfect.”

His kind words went a long way to soothing her, yet she couldn’t help but ask the question haunting her. “If I’m pregnant?”

“If you are, we’ll deal with it. Together. I meant what I said. You aren’t alone, Meg. I promise.” Bending down, he sealed his vow with a gentle kiss that was nearly her undoing.

As he kissed her,Rob foolishly prayed his sperm would succeed. He’d started several times today to tell her the truth about his identity, but she had taken such delight in the day, he couldn’t bring himself to ruin it for her. Her enthusiasm when she realized they were going out on the water had been priceless. She’d never been in a boat. He had so many things to show her, to share with her. Rob felt himself wishing he could give her the world on a silver platter.

So, his plan to come clean hadn’t been successful and now he’d failed her again by forgetting to use protection. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, here he was silently hoping she was carrying his baby because for the first time in his life, Rob Madison was faced with the very real possibility that he might not get something he wanted. And as selfish as it sounded, he was willing to do anything to keep her. He wanted her—not just for this weekend—forever. Unfortunately, money wouldn’t buy Meg Williams. He suspected his wealth may actually be a liability and as the days passed, he found himself running out of options.

He had to tell her the truth. As he felt her small hands in his hair, he suddenly realized he couldn’t make any more excuses. Meg deserved the truth from him. Shaking himself for his uncharacteristic cowardice, he took a steadying breath. He was Rob Madison, for God’s sake. He never shirked from a challenge and he certainly never backed down from something that he wanted.

“Meg,” he began, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Rob cursed the timing of the person on the other side. “I suppose I should answer that.”

“I suppose you should.” Her voice was still a bit shaky. “While you do, I’ll slip up and take a shower. I must look like a wreck.” She ran her hand through her tangled curls.

“You look gorgeous. Meg,” he added, lifting her face up to his. “I meant what I said. Everything will be fine.”

The grateful smile she gave him with had him kicking himself again. She didn’t deserve his continued deception. He was determined to get rid of their unwanted company and put things to right. “Wear something pretty and I’ll take you out for a nice dinner. Maybe we can stroll down Lover’s Lane afterwards.”

At her blush, he knew she recalled all the things he promised they would buy at the marketplace. The very thought of it had him going hard as he considered all the ways he still wanted to make love to her. He watched as she walked to her room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Yet another knock, louder than the last came. “I’m coming,” Rob yelled as he opened the door.

“Finally,” a shrill, familiar voice chided and Rob barely had time to step aside before being run over by Shelly Thompson-Rhodes, her beleaguered husband, Seth, and her sister Tara.

“Shelly,” he said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“What kind of greeting is that for your dearest friend in the world?” she admonished. Rob attempted, yet suspected he failed, to paste on a pleased smile. Truth be told, Shelly was his oldest friend, although old is not a term that would ever cross her lips. Shelly’s parents and his had been fast friends forever and Rob knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, their hopes were dashed when Shelly chose to marry Seth Rhodes, an eminently prominent neuro-surgeon, rather than him. Despite Shelly’s numerous faults, she knew as well as he did a marriage between them would be nothing short of a disaster. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same would be true for him and Tara. She took every opportunity available to her to push the two of them together and much to his chagrin, Tara seemed to feel she owned some sort of territorial rights to him, regardless of the fact, he’d never expressed any interest in the shallow girl.

“I beg your forgiveness,” he answered. “Of course, I am delighted to see you. Simply surprised.”

“Well,” Shelly answered, “that’s better. We were cruising the islands on our yacht when we heard you were here. We simply had to dock and see you. It’s been far too long since you’ve come to stay on Martha’s Vineyard with us. Tara’s beginning to feel neglected.”

“I cannot imagine why,” Rob said through clinched teeth, unwilling to deal with Shelly’s matchmaking schemes when he was having the time of his life with Meg. Meg had changed him in some inexplicable way that left him with little patience for behavior he used to tolerate with nary a second thought.

Shelly was nothing if not exceedingly astute. “Are you feeling well, Robert? We’ve been here several minutes and you’ve yet to notice my new hairdo or remark on Tara’s lovely dress. We did go to special pains for you, darling.”

Ah, of course, Rob groaned. He’d committed a major faux pas, failing to follow the social niceties expected by the Thompson-Rhodes of the world. Without a thought, Rob slipped into the familiar character he played, noticing for the first time, how much it chafed.

“Forgive me, Shelly. It is simply that you’ve caught me totally unaware and then appearing so lovely, I’ve been left doubly-speechless.”

Obviously appeased, Shelly and Tara teetered at his insincere praise. “Seth, how are you?” he asked, anxious for an escape from the two women.

“Quite well,” Seth replied, “quite well. Managed to schedule a couple months of R and R from the practice. The girls were chomping at the bit to get out and about.”

Rob swallowed his sarcastic reply, well aware that Seth, since landing the very wealthy Shelly Thompson, was little more than a token figure head at his successful practice leaving the real work to his partners. Shelly kept him on a tight leash and would not accept more than his total attention and devotion. It was the main reason she and Rob would never have been a compatible match. He was far too independent for Shelly’s tastes. However, as far as Rob could tell, Tara would be perfectly content to share his name, homes, and money while making few demands on his time. Obviously, Shelly realized this as well and was quite anxious for the advantageous union, regardless of Rob’s feelings about it. He successfully evaded her maneuverings for the last two years. Meg’s appearance in his life had only managed to solidify his conviction that Tara was the last person on earth he wanted to marry.

“Well, you have always been a good man, keeping your girls happy,” Rob replied, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

“Robert Madison, I swear I don’t know where your manners are. We’ve been here ten full minutes and you’ve yet to offer us a drink,” Shelly said.

“And I do apologize for that,” Rob added quickly, suddenly anxious to get rid of his unexpected guests before Meg reappeared from her room. This heartless trio would blow his cover in a matter of seconds and Rob wasn’t willing to have his real identity revealed in such a fashion. “However, I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a very bad time. I was about to shower and head out to an important meeting,” he lied.

---