Page 7 of Million Dollar High

His fingers tightened around his coffee cup. “Oursituation? How much choice did you give me in this, Ashley? Oh, and by the way, don’t think I’m not calling my lawyers within the hour to bring charges against you.”

A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “You’re not a monster, Noah. You won’t send the mother of your child to jail, no matter what your lawyers recommend.”

He froze. “You really had this all planned out, didn’t you?” Noah was surprised at how even his voice sounded considering he wanted to roar his anger to the heavens. “The first and last time I mentioned children back when we were together, you didn’t even want them. So why this? Why now?”

“I told you. I want you back. And I know you want children eventually.”

His gaze strayed to the NYPD file opened on the table. “I haven’t changed, Ashley. I’m still the guy who slapped your tits, tied your hands behind your back and forced you on your knees so I could fuck your mouth for as long as I wanted. I’m still the guy who made you pay for snapping his control by tying you to the bed and making you come for eight hours straight. Have you forgotten how I spanked your conniving little ass till you were black and blue? How I left bite marks all over your body? You called the cops on me and had me arrested for assault for that, remember? Remember how much you hated being bound, that you couldn’t call the shots, that you couldn’t dictate when I could let my nasty little traits come out and play? Is that the sort of father you want for your child?”

She paled a little, then shrugged. “So I thought there was a time and place for… that sort of behavior. So what?”

“So I can’t turn it on and off at will! It’s part of who I am. It’s woven into my fucking DNA! How can you not see that?”

“Is that what your little Leia likes?” Her voice came as close to a sneer as he’d ever heard it.

“I’m hanging on by a thread here, Ashley, so do yourself a favor and don’t speak her name.” His warning was whisper soft.

She flicked her hair, glanced off to the side then back at him. “Fine. You say you haven’t changed. Well, I have. I can accommodate whatever proclivities you insist on indulging in, once our baby is born, of course. After that, between us I’m sure we can work something?—”

He slammed his coffee cup down so hard it split in two. “Jesus. There is no fucking us or we! There never will be. Get that through your thick skull right now, or so help me God…” He stopped and took a breath, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles cracked. “And the only place you’ll be after this child is born is in jail, so think carefully how you want to spend your last months as a free woman.”

Her audacious laugh set his teeth on edge. “I won’t be going to jail. Trust me on that.”

Her tone reeked with too much confidence for him to put it down to bravado. His eyes narrowed. Before he could ask the question burning on his tongue, his buzzer beeped.

He frowned. Maddie must have dropped everything to get the pregnancy kits.

Even still, that was super quick.

His stomach lurched at the thought of what could change his life in the next half hour.

He answered the concierge and listened with growing incredulity. “What the fuck are you talking about? Hell no, do not send them up. You can throw them out onto the streets for all I care.” Replacing the handset, he turned, a stunned laugh escaping his throat. “You really should’ve been born a man, Ashley. You certainly have the balls to carry it off.”

While he’d been speaking to the concierge, she’d fetched herself a glass and was now sipping the water. “What are you talking about?”

“You had your suitcases messengered over here?”

She smiled. “Oh, that. Yes, I thought I could stay here while we sort things out between us. You know how much I hate hotel rooms. The air conditioning messes up my sinuses. And the morning sickness has been a killer. Besides, you have more than enough room here.” She looked around, and he could almost see her mentally redecorating.

“Sorry, sweetheart, you won’t be staying here. If you want to rescue your stuff, you need to hustle yourself downstairs because they’re about to be thrown out onto the street. Anddon’t bother trying to talk Miguel into letting you bring them up. He has instructions not to allow the cases anywhere in this building.”

Her hand fluttered up to her throat. “I have nowhere to go, Noah.”

His jaw clenched. “You should’ve thought of that before trying to manipulate your way back into my life. And what do you mean you have nowhere to go? If I remember correctly, the lease on the New York apartment isn’t up for another three years.”

“I’ve given up my apartment in New York and my job at the art gallery. I gave up everything to be with you. Are you really going to toss me out onto the street?” She pouted.

“You’re hardly destitute. My lighter bank account after your damages claim two years ago bears witness to that fact.”

“The money’s all gone. Implanting the embryos took a few tries.” She gave a little laugh. “I made myself broke trying to have your baby. The least you can do is help me keep a roof over my head.”

Noah whirled away and stalked to the French windows. He closed his eyes. He couldn’t stand to look at her for another second. Had he really thought he loved this woman once upon a time? Had he asked her to marry him, contemplated spending the rest of his life with her? God, how fucking desperate had he been to have fallen into her poisonous web?

He’d been thinking with his dick and not his head. Fresh out of a series of relationships that had started out great, but then tailed off into vanilla dullness because inevitably each of the women had tried to change him, he’d been ripe for the plucking.

He’d resigned himself to his Catch, Fuck, Release program by the time he’d met Ashley. When she hadn’t flinched from hisattempts to drive her away by testing her boundaries, he’d thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

Noah shook his head. He’d long accepted how well Ashley had played him during their relationship. She’d nearly cost him everything two years ago. Was costing him everything now…

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