World's Most Eligible Texan (8 page)

“How often have you been sick before?” he asked quietly,
and then she realized she had blurted out too much. Aaron paid attention to every little thing.

“It's nothing. I have a delicate stomach.”

“Since when?”

“You don't know what I have. I need to go home,” she said, avoiding answering him and aware she was being evasive, which stabbed at her conscience.

He turned and started the motor and backed out. They drove in silence, and she couldn't wait to get home and away from his scrutiny. She vowed that she would never accept another breakfast date again with him. No more dates with him, period.

He pulled up in front of her apartment complex and climbed out. At her front door she turned to him. “I'm sorry, but thanks for being so understanding.”

He took the key from her hand and unlocked her door, pushing it open and waiting for her to go inside.

“Aaron, I think I need to be alone.”

“I won't be here long,” he said, taking her arm and going inside. He kicked the door closed behind him and slipped her jacket off her shoulders, tossing it over a chair and leading her to her sofa. “Want anything?”

“No, thanks. Really, I'm fine.” She didn't want him coming in with her and she didn't like the way he was looking at her, studying her as if he were getting ready to dissect her.

“Want to sit down?” he asked her. Her uneasiness was growing with each second and the way he was staring.

She sat and moved back against the corner of the sofa, closing her eyes and wishing he would disappear. What was running through his mind?

She felt him sit close to her and she knew if she opened her eyes, she would find him still studying her. She said a small prayer that Aaron couldn't possibly guess what was really wrong with her.

“How many mornings have you been sick?” he asked quietly, and her eyes flew open.

Frightened that he had guessed her secret, she stood and
moved away from him, feeling as if he knew her every thought. “A few.”

She heard him move and then his hands settled on her shoulders. When he turned her to face him, his green eyes were stormy.

“You're pregnant.”

She couldn't lie and deny it. “I should never have gone to breakfast with you.” The words spilled out of her and she wrung her fingers together. She wanted to deny his accusation, to get him out of her apartment, but she couldn't lie to him, so she just kept talking in circles around his statement. “I felt queasy this morning. I never could take fried food early in the day very well,” she said, trying to twist away from him, but his hands held her firmly.

He bent his knees to lean down and look into her eyes with a gaze that pierced to her soul. “
Are
you pregnant, Pamela?”

S
he couldn't answer and she couldn't lie, so she merely nodded.

“You're pregnant with my baby.” His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face. “Lordy!” he whispered under his breath, looking incredibly shocked.

“Aaron, this isn't your problem. Just leave me alone and I'll take care of it.” Humiliation, anger, protectiveness, all three emotions churned in her like a stormy sea as she watched his shock grow.

“I thought you said you were protected,” he said.

A flush burned her cheeks. “Well, I wasn't. That's my mistake, and I'll take care of it.” Anger at herself and with him fueled the fires she was suffering. She just wanted him out of her house. “This isn't your problem, Aaron.” Closing her eyes, she bit her lip while all her worries about his discovery of the truth crashed in on her.

Staring at her, Aaron was shocked because, even though they were in the throes of passion, he had accepted her “yes,”
that night that she was protected. A baby.
Their baby.
He was stunned. Always methodical, he had planned his college years, planned his years with the State Department and, in the back of his mind, he had planned to someday marry and have a family. He had figured on a wedding before a baby.

He was shocked, but realized that this pregnancy was what had been disturbing her. He came out of his fog of surprise and looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed, tears brimmed in her eyes and she was wringing her hands together, and he realized in his momentary shock, he wasn't treating her the way he should.

“Aw, Pamela,” he said, tenderness and wonder filling him. They were going to have a baby! This pregnancy wasn't the way he had planned his future, but she had to be very early in her pregnancy. They could have a wedding, and everything would be right. “Darlin',” he said, stepping close to wrap her in his arms. “We'll have a wedding right away.”

“No!” she said, wriggling away from him, startling him again. She was stiff and unreceptive, and now when he looked at her, her blue eyes blazed.

“Look, I'm sorry,” he said gently. “I was just surprised. I want to get married—”

“No, Aaron. We're not having a wedding. I'm the one to blame for this—”

“Well, I sort of think it took two of us,” he drawled, frowning and seeing he would have to mend his fences quickly.

“No, I should have been responsible and I wasn't. This isn't your problem—”

“Pamela! Our baby isn't a
problem,
” he interrupted, suddenly terrified she was thinking of abortion. “You can't harm this baby!” he snapped, wondering if he knew her after all.

While all color drained from her face, she trembled, and with relief he knew he had been wrong on that score.

“I would never knowingly harm my baby,” she said fiercely, placing her hands in front of her flat tummy.

“Hell, I'm going about this all wrong,” he said. “It's my baby, too, and I want to marry you.”

When she closed her eyes as if he had struck her, he felt at a loss. “No.”

“What am I doing wrong here?” he asked, puzzled and realizing something was terribly amiss between them. Yet she had gone out with him and she had responded to his kisses. He glanced past her at the small clock on her mantel. He had an appointment to meet his friends at the Texas Cattleman's Club soon. They'd just have to go on without him, though, because this was more important.

Her blue eyes opened and were as fiery as ever. If looks could have flattened him or sent him running, hers would have. “You're not doing anything wrong. You just need to realize that you don't have to marry me. I did this and I want my baby and I'll give this baby all the love possible, but you're not part of this.”

“The hell I'm not,” he said, realizing she was in earnest.

“That's my baby, too.”

“Aaron, did you think you'd get married someday?”

“Yes, of course.”

“And you imagined a big wedding with your family and friends, didn't you?”

“Yes, I did,” he said evenly. “But it's not too late for that. With the money I have we can pull a big wedding together quickly,” he said, for one of the few times in his life mentioning the wealth he had inherited.

“No. You go on with your life the way you planned it. You'll find a woman who is your type, who lives the lifestyle you do and has your family's approval. When you find her, you'll marry and have your own family and you'll be very happy. I appreciate your asking me to marry you, but I knew you would do that because you're a good person. I want love in my marriage and we don't share love. No, I won't marry you.”

“That's bull, Pamela,” he said. “I'm back here in Royal because I wanted to be with you.”

“The night we had was magic, but it was sex, and sex turns men's heads. You're not thinking about this clearly. Your
goodness and your emotions are running away with you. When you calm down and get accustomed to the idea, you'll agree with me.”

“The hell I will,” he said quietly. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but she had put invisible barriers between them and he could see the stiffness in her shoulders. Her chin was in the air as if she were getting ready to go into a fight, and her eyes still blazed with anger.

“I saw your first reaction,” she accused.

“I was just shocked. And I wasn't thinking.”

“Oh, yes, you were. Those were your true feelings.”

“I'd like to kiss all those foolish notions about me right out of your head.” As he moved closer, she stepped back and held up her hand.

“You're not going to! Don't you kiss me.”

“Darlin',” he said gently, “you're upset and emotional and reading my feelings all wrong. This won't be a shotgun wedding.”

She waved her hand. “Aaron, look around you. We're totally different. I rent this little apartment. I've hardly traveled away from Royal. You have homes all over the world—Washington, D.C., Spain, here. The women you date are sophisticated and from your world.”

“I don't want to date them, and you're selling yourself short. The women I know are sophisticated and some of them want things I don't want and value things I don't value. Some of them are tough and ambitious to the point of putting that first in their lives.”

“Haven't you done exactly that with your work? Aren't you very ambitious?”

“Yes, I am,” he admitted, “but I don't want to marry someone who is ambitious above all else.”

“You can't tell me you've never been attracted to any of the women you've known!” she snapped, sounding more annoyed with him.

“Of course, I have, but I've never found anyone who
wouldn't get out of my thoughts or who seemed so right to be with or who made me feel like a human being again.”

She drew a deep breath and looked shaken, and he felt a degree better until she shook her head. “No. I think you're getting desire and lust all mixed up. Men are driven by what their bodies want. Your heart has little to do with what is going on between us.”

“I don't—”

As the doorbell jangled, Aaron swore under his breath. “Ignore it and they'll go away,” he said, but she was already walking away from him. Trailing after her, he clenched his fists and knew he was going to have a fight on his hands. He wanted to kick himself for not hiding his shock. He knew better, and no matter how shocking the news had been, never in his career had he let his feelings be exposed like that. But this was different. The realization that he would be a father ran much deeper than diplomacy and politics. His relationship with Pamela involved his whole heart and life.

He wished to hell he could take back the first moment he'd found out. He suspected his lady had already made her mind up about their baby and no matter what he had done, it would have been the wrong thing.

When she swung open the front door, three little girls faced her.

“Hi, girls.”

“Can you play, Mellie?” the oldest one asked.

Pamela glanced over her shoulder at him. “Yes, I can,” she said coolly. “Come inside, and I'll introduce you to my friend.”

“Pamela!” a woman called.

She stepped outside, and Aaron could hear a woman's voice and guessed it was their mother. “Do you mind? Is this a bad time for them to come over?”

“No, it's fine. I'll bring them home in about an hour.”

“Sure?”

“Yes, I'm sure,” she answered firmly, and Aaron knew she was getting rid of him. Three towheaded little girls with large
brown eyes stared at him as if he had dropped from Mars. He tried to smile at them, but he wished they would come back in an hour and let him finish talking to Pamela.

She closed the door and turned to face him, looking satisfied that she had found a quick end to their conversation. “Aaron, these are my neighbors, Hannah, Rachel and Ellen Colworth. Girls, this is Mr. Black.”

“Hi,” he said, and they solemnly said hi to him and then the oldest turned to Pamela.

“Can you read to us?”

“I surely can. Mr. Black was just leaving. Unless you want to stay around and listen to
Peter Rabbit
and
Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

“We'll get the books,” Hannah said, and the three of them scampered toward her bedroom.

“You do this often?” he asked, realizing she was good with children.

“They're my preschool neighbors and they like to come play. They have a new baby in the family, and it gives their mother a break.”

“Mellie?”

“They can't pronounce Pamela.”

“Okay, you get out of this conversation for now, but I'm not finished.”

“We are finished, Aaron,” she answered so solemnly that his heart clenched.

“No, we're not. I want to take you to dinner tonight.”

“No—”

He was tired of the foolish arguments when he knew from her kisses and responses that there was something good and true between them. He stepped forward swiftly, wrapped his arms around her and kissed away her negative reply.

She pushed against him, but he leaned over her and kissed her hard and deep and with all the hunger, conviction and longing he had pent up in him. As their tongues tangled and clashed, she yielded to him and then responded. Knowing that
at any minute the children could return and interrupt them, he raised his head.

“I'll pick you up at half past seven. All right?” He could see her coming out of her daze. Her lips were red from his kisses, her eyes burned now with different fires. His pulse jumped because there had to be more than a strong attraction between them for her to react so swiftly and intensely to him. “Say yes or I'll kiss you senseless, girls or no girls.”

Pamela stared at him, knowing she had to refuse, yet knowing he was going to win this argument. “Arguing more tonight won't do you any good.”

“Don't care. Is half past seven all right?” As he leaned down and his mouth touched hers, his tongue touching her lips, she twisted away.

“Yes! You know what you can do to me,” she accused as he straightened and stepped away, but he kept his hand on her waist. With his other hand he touched her cheek.

“Has it occurred to you that maybe your reaction to my kisses is because of the depth of feelings between us?”

“We don't know each other that well. That first night we were together had to be physical attraction, pure and simple.”

He wound his fingers in her hair and stared at her while he shook his head. “It went deeper than that or I'd be in Spain right now.”

“Mellie!” Hannah called, and he glanced around to see the little girls standing a few yards behind him with books in their arms.

“I'll go now, but I'll see you tonight.”

“A dinner date won't change a thing.”

“We'll see, darlin',” he drawled and leaned forward to kiss her lightly.

“Now your kiss will raise questions from the girls.”

He turned to go out the back door and paused when he reached the little girls who were staring at him. “What books will she read to you?” he asked, hunkering down in front of the oldest child.

“We want her to read all these. I like
The Three Little Pigs
and Rachel likes
Goldilocks
and Ellen likes
Billy Goats.
”

“Good choices. It was nice to meet all of you. I'm going now, and Mellie can read to you. Have fun.”

Hannah nodded solemnly as he stood and turned to Pamela. “I'll let myself out. See you tonight.”

She watched him stride through the house and she wanted to let go the tears she fought to hold back, but she couldn't cry in front of the girls. Instead, she tried to close her mind to Aaron and his proposal and his arguments. She smiled at the girls. “Ready to read?”

“Are you crying?” Hannah asked bluntly.

Pamela swiped at her eyes. “Not really. Let's sit on the sofa.” She sat down and let Ellen climb into her lap while Hannah and Rachel crowded close beside her, and she picked up the first book to start to read. She was going out with him again tonight. Why couldn't she just say no and stick with it? She knew why—she thought of his hot kisses that drove every rational thought from her head. The chemistry between them was incredible, no denying that. Her mouth still tingled, and she ached with longing to just let go and give herself to him again. She longed to accept his proposal—

She stopped her thoughts from continuing down that track because she knew that kind of forced marriage would never work. Not when they were so different and knew each other so little. No matter how painful it had been, she had done the right thing. And she had to make him see that he wasn't being realistic about marriage. When the town found out about her pregnancy, gossip would begin linking her to her mother's behavior and she didn't want Aaron pulled into that ugliness.