on. Now there’s a picture of us in the paper and people are going to start putting two and two together.”
“And?”
She drew in a shaky breath. She owed him the truth. “My mother … is the woman who had an affair with your grandfather. When their affair came out, it was all over the country. I imagine it created quite the scandal for your family. I doubt your parents want you to be seen with me. I can only imagine what people will say, what they’re already saying.”
Michael’s hands slipped from hers, both arms wrapping tightly around her, encompassing her in his powerful embrace.
He turned his head, his voice low in her ear. “Ask me if I give a damn what everyone thinks.”
A shiver raked the length of her spine, a sense of relief flooding her system. There was the bad boy she’d been so attracted to. She turned in his arms. Another rocket exploded in the night air, sending myriad colors washing across his features.
Another flash lit his face in blue, white, and red, illuminating his eyes. The intensity there made her tremble.
“You’re right. It was a scandal my folks spent a lot of money trying to smooth over. Life became all about putting out the right image. I didn’t help matters any. I’ve got things I’m not proud of, either, Cat. Demons that haunt me. That damn article outlined it all. It’s why I don’t come back to this town much.” His voice lowered, softened to a bare whisper. “I’ve spent years trying to forget, but here, in Crest Point, the memories are stronger. I can’t run from them here.”
There was that soft, vulnerable side of him. Once again, he opened himself up to her and, God help her, she couldn’t resist. No matter how much she knew she ought to. “What happened?”
He dropped his gaze to hers. “You didn’t read the article.”
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t want to know what it said. I didn’t care.” She knew firsthand what it was like to know people talked about you behind your back, accusing you of things that simply weren’t true.
He wrapped his arms tighter around her. Unable to resist, she pressed her cheek to his chest. For a long moment, they stood that way, the same need she remembered from their night together flowing between them as strongly as it had then. She closed her eyes and inhaled, filled her lungs with the scent of soap and leather, a scent she’d come to think of as his, and allowed herself to luxuriate in the moment.
“I was twenty.” His quiet voice rumbled through his chest. “I’d been dating this girl, Trish Hartman. We’d been going out for about a year when I found out she was seeing my best friend behind my back. Actually, I caught them in the act. So I ended it. A month later, she told me she was pregnant, and the baby was mine. I was hurt, angry. I knew damn well I wasn’t the only possible father, so I demanded a paternity test. Told her if the baby was mine, I’d support her all the way, but until she could prove it, she wasn’t getting a damn cent out of me. I never heard from her again.”
He paused and drew in a ragged breath, his body stiffening. The tone of his voice, quiet and etched with sorrow and regret, touched her heart. It was a wound for him, a deep scar he laid bare before her.
“A couple months went by and a new girl moved into town, Kaylee Johnson. She had coal black hair and pale skin, wore dark clothing, smoked, and wore rings on every finger. I can’t remember how many tattoos she had. Lord, that girl stood out like a blinking neon sign.”
Another rocket exploded above their heads, illuminating the night. The memory obviously played through his mind, and she was loath to intrude, to break the spell that held him bound. So she held her breath and simply waited for him to continue.
“She walked down the street and people turned, pointed, and whispered. You know how it goes, but she held her head up high and proud, daring people to judge her.”
Cat couldn’t help smiling at
“And?”
She drew in a shaky breath. She owed him the truth. “My mother … is the woman who had an affair with your grandfather. When their affair came out, it was all over the country. I imagine it created quite the scandal for your family. I doubt your parents want you to be seen with me. I can only imagine what people will say, what they’re already saying.”
Michael’s hands slipped from hers, both arms wrapping tightly around her, encompassing her in his powerful embrace.
He turned his head, his voice low in her ear. “Ask me if I give a damn what everyone thinks.”
A shiver raked the length of her spine, a sense of relief flooding her system. There was the bad boy she’d been so attracted to. She turned in his arms. Another rocket exploded in the night air, sending myriad colors washing across his features.
Another flash lit his face in blue, white, and red, illuminating his eyes. The intensity there made her tremble.
“You’re right. It was a scandal my folks spent a lot of money trying to smooth over. Life became all about putting out the right image. I didn’t help matters any. I’ve got things I’m not proud of, either, Cat. Demons that haunt me. That damn article outlined it all. It’s why I don’t come back to this town much.” His voice lowered, softened to a bare whisper. “I’ve spent years trying to forget, but here, in Crest Point, the memories are stronger. I can’t run from them here.”
There was that soft, vulnerable side of him. Once again, he opened himself up to her and, God help her, she couldn’t resist. No matter how much she knew she ought to. “What happened?”
He dropped his gaze to hers. “You didn’t read the article.”
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t want to know what it said. I didn’t care.” She knew firsthand what it was like to know people talked about you behind your back, accusing you of things that simply weren’t true.
He wrapped his arms tighter around her. Unable to resist, she pressed her cheek to his chest. For a long moment, they stood that way, the same need she remembered from their night together flowing between them as strongly as it had then. She closed her eyes and inhaled, filled her lungs with the scent of soap and leather, a scent she’d come to think of as his, and allowed herself to luxuriate in the moment.
“I was twenty.” His quiet voice rumbled through his chest. “I’d been dating this girl, Trish Hartman. We’d been going out for about a year when I found out she was seeing my best friend behind my back. Actually, I caught them in the act. So I ended it. A month later, she told me she was pregnant, and the baby was mine. I was hurt, angry. I knew damn well I wasn’t the only possible father, so I demanded a paternity test. Told her if the baby was mine, I’d support her all the way, but until she could prove it, she wasn’t getting a damn cent out of me. I never heard from her again.”
He paused and drew in a ragged breath, his body stiffening. The tone of his voice, quiet and etched with sorrow and regret, touched her heart. It was a wound for him, a deep scar he laid bare before her.
“A couple months went by and a new girl moved into town, Kaylee Johnson. She had coal black hair and pale skin, wore dark clothing, smoked, and wore rings on every finger. I can’t remember how many tattoos she had. Lord, that girl stood out like a blinking neon sign.”
Another rocket exploded above their heads, illuminating the night. The memory obviously played through his mind, and she was loath to intrude, to break the spell that held him bound. So she held her breath and simply waited for him to continue.
“She walked down the street and people turned, pointed, and whispered. You know how it goes, but she held her head up high and proud, daring people to judge her.”
Cat couldn’t help smiling at
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