Page 103 of Delinquent Daddy (Banks/Kincaid Family 2)

. It felt so fresh all of a sudden. Like she'd just walked into history class and heard Heather two seats over, bragging to her friends about tempting the hot Boston Kincaid back to her apartment.

"I couldn't do it," he said. He looked so beaten and defeated, she almost felt sorry for him. His voice cracked as he continued. "I had her shirt off and I wanted to get rid of her bra next, but...I don't know. It felt wrong. It just...it wasn't you."

He lifted his eyes to hers and looked so sincerely regretful her stomach began to burn.

"As soon as I thought about how it was so much better with you, I realized what I was doing, how I was comparing, and I stopped. I booked it out of there and went straight home. When you came by the next day, I couldn't even look at you. I felt so...shitty. And I resented you for that. You weren't supposed to have any kind of control over me. You weren't supposed to make me feel anything I didn't want to 240

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

feel. You weren't supposed to matter." He sighed and rubbed at a spot on the center of his forehead.

"So, that's what happened," she stated softly.

Turning away, she pressed a hand to her own forehead as the memories flashed through her...of his belligerent attitude when she'd finally confronted him and his cold flashing eyes as he'd spat back, " God, El. I never made you any promises.

What made you think this thing between us was exclusive?"

"I'm so sorry, Ellie," the adult Boston whispered. "I think...I think I acted like such an ass when you found out about her because I wanted you to break up with me. I was so confused. I just wasn't ready yet. We'd become a lot more serious than I was prepared to handle at that time. I took the coward's way out and made sure I was awful enough you'd dump me."

"I see," she murmured, knowing exactly what he meant when he'd said, I resented you for having that much control over me, because he had that exact kind of control over her right now. She didn't want to be affected by his story...but she was.

Refusing to let it show, she gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Well...it was a long time ago. Don't worry about it."

"It wouldn't have made a difference if I'd told you everything back then, anyway," he agreed softly. "I'd still done enough to—"

"Oh, it would've made a difference," she cut him off abruptly, rushing out the words, surprised she'd even said them.

He paused and eyed her intently. "It would've?"

241

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

She nodded stiffly.

"Are you saying you wouldn't have broken up with me if I'd only explained everything?"

Ellie's heartbeat thundered through her ears. "Yes." She blew out a breath. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Boston blew out a shaky breath as well. "Well..." he said.

"Hell."

He turned away as if to hide the regret in his eyes from her. But she caught a full glimpse of it anyway. She didn't know why that kind of regret caught her sympathies more strongly than anything else. But it made her weak toward him, kind of like she'd been ten years before.

"Boston," she whispered and lifted her hand to touch his back, but he spun toward her, not realizing she'd been reaching. Quickly she dropped her fingers.

His eyes looked a little glazed, almost crazed, as he stared at her. "I never should've messed with you," he said. "As soon as I learned how innocent you were, I should've just backed off and called it quits." Letting out a groan of misery, he glanced away. "Why did you let me go so far? Why'd you give me the tools to hurt you?"

Ellie shrugged helplessly. "Why do you think? I thought I'd fallen in love with you."

Boston looked down at his hands. "When you came back after we broke up. When you told me you were pregnant, I...I wasn't really mad at you, you know. I was mad at myself because I'd let you go, because I missed you. And to top that off, I was scared as hell. I was, in no way, ready to be a father. That doesn't excuse the way I acted. I never should've 242

---