Page 59 of Wade

“Okay.”

“She was carrying my seed for perhaps a couple of weeks. She was pregnant with my child.”

The silence stretched long enough to become strained.

“I never knew. I was always so careful that it never occurred to me-“ He tried to decipher her expression, but couldn’t. “She told me just before she died. She wanted me to know.” He took a deep breath. “She also made a request. She wants me to take her body back to India and I said yes.”

“I see.” Remi took off the robe and reached for the nightie she had been wearing when he came in. “When?”

“This weekend. I would like you to accompany me.”

“I have work and I do not think I am up to traveling all the way to India.” She got into bed and pulled the sheets over her.

“Remi, please talk to me.”

“I have no idea what to say.” She looked away from him and felt a wave of hurt and unreasonable jealousy for the dead woman who had carried inside her the seed of the man she was head over heels in love with. The man she was going to marry.

She felt when the bed sank down. “Argue, slap me, accuse me, do something. But talk to me, please don’t shut me out.”

She could not believe the tears, the damn tears! Why the hell was she crying? The woman was dead. A young woman whose life had been taken from her and all she could feel was a jealousy so sharp and biting that she could scarcely breathe.

“Look at me darling,” he pleaded and she did. “Sweetheart-“ He felt something hit him right in the chest at the tears on her cheeks. “Oh God, I did not mean to hurt you.

Please-“ He started to pull her into his arms, but she resisted, pushing him away.

“I can’t do this right now.” She started to slide off the bed, but he held onto her.

“I need a minute.”

“No,” he said fiercely, pushing her back against the pillows and trapping her body with his. His expression was strained, his heart beating wildly inside his chest. “No. We promised we would talk things through, no matter what.”

She pushed at his solid chest, eyes blazing. “You lied to me!”

“I never lied to you,” he bit out. “I did not want this mess to spill over on you, so I chose not to tell you. She came to me for help and there was little I could do to assist, even though I enlisted the aid of Andrei and Nickolai.

The bastard beat her to death and I –“ He bowed his forehead to hers. “I did not love her, Remi, I spent perhaps a month with her and after I left, I never gave her a second thought. And now she is dead.”

“She was pregnant with your child.”

He lifted his head to look at her, eyes haunted. “I never knew. It was not something I would have wanted. She said she loved me-“ He felt when she stiffened. “I have never loved anyone until you. I would hope you believe me. After all- “

“I need time to think.”

“You are not leaving me!” His harsh tone had her flinching slightly. His eyes blazed at her furiously. “Don’t even think that you can get away from me. I am not going to allow that.

You love me, damn you! You asked me to marry you and we are getting married in two weeks.” His hands gripped her face. “I cannot let you go and this is – Christ!” He closed his eyes briefly. “I – it happened a long time ago and has nothing to do with us.”

“Wade-“

“No. No.” He shook his head. “You are not leaving me.” He kissed her cheek, sipping at the wetness of her tears, before moving down to the sides of her lips.

“Wade-“

“No.” He kissed her lips desperately, fingers digging into her hair. “I love you so damn much.” His tongue traced the outline of her full bottom lip before darting into her mouth. She went weak, literally felt when her body just dissolved. Everything inside her turned to liquid.

Her hands came around his neck, fingers digging into his neck, his shoulders, the bunched of muscles of his back as he ravaged her mouth. Reaching between them, he dragged out his throbbing cock and drove into her.

He knew he was probably being too rough, but he could not help it. He wanted to get through to her. He had to.

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