He forced himself to stand ramrod straight, his shoulders rigid. He drew on the discipline hammered into him over the course of his military career. He would complete his mission.
“My mother was raped...just after my father met her.” Jason ignored Kara’s horrified gasp and kept going, or he’d never get it all out. “I was the consequence of her rape. My dad is not my biological father. Some unidentified monster brutally attacked my mother and...” His voice cracked and died in his throat.
In an instant Kara was standing in front of him. Her arms wrapped around his shaking body, pulling him close. The self-loathing and pain surfaced. In her embrace, he let himself feel everything he’d kept bottled up for years.
Kara held on to him, whispering words of comfort. He desperately wanted to believe it’d be all right, but it wouldn’t be. It couldn’t be. There was no way to rip that bastard’s DNA from his body.
But now it was all out there. In the open. Kara knew he was damaged goods, inside and out. Jason pulled back and turned away to swipe his flannel shirtsleeve over his cheeks. Now it was time to face the moment he’d been dreading for years, seeing the repulsion in her beautiful eyes.
Suck it up, soldier. Facing her can’t be avoided. Get it over with and move on.
He lifted his head, pulled his shoulders back and turned. With him towering above her five-foot frame, his gaze shot over her head.
Look down, soldier. One glance and it’ll be done. The damage will be evident.
He forced his eyes down over her rumpled hair—hair he’d only moments ago been running his fingers through. The air became caught in his lungs. His gaze skimmed her forehead, passed her gathered brows and settled on her eyes, which held no hint of repulsion or disgust.
How could that be?
Kara stood there, returning his stare, as though he was the same man she’d always thought him to be.
“Say something,” he ordered. He wanted this over. It’d already dragged on for too many years.
“I’m sorry...”
“Sorry? For what?” This wasn’t making any sense.
“For your father being so horrible to you. Obviously you were never meant to know any of that. I’m sorry that in a drunken rage he’d say such hateful words.”
Jason’s gaze bored deeply into hers. He had to be missing something. “Do you understand what I said? My biological father is a rapist. A monster. And I have his blood pumping through my veins.”
Empathy glistened in her eyes. “You’re nothing like that man. You’re the son of a very wonderful and loving woman.”
He recalled his mother and her eternal smile. She had always been an upbeat person. His dad used to refer to her as a Mary Poppins wannabe. Always looking for the good in people. And she’d most definitely loved him.
“Can you honestly say you don’t see me differently?”
“You had no control over your conception. And your mother loved you. She never held the past against you. So why should I? You’re nothing like your biological father.”
Jason took a hesitant step toward Kara, watching for any sign of fear in her. She didn’t budge. Her steady gaze continued to hold his.
“You really believe I’m a good guy, inside and out?” His breathing stopped as he waited for her ultimate decision.
She stepped up to him. Her gaze never wavered as her hand reached out and caressed his cheek. “Absolutely.”
With a smile, he swept her up into his arms and held her tight. With her feet suspended, he swung her round and round. In that instance, he knew what he wanted—what he’d al
ways wanted.
“Jason, there’s more we need to talk about.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KARA NEEDED TO get this over with as soon as possible. But before she could utter another word, Jason’s lips were pressed to hers. She should pull away so they could finish talking, but after what he’d just told her, she didn’t have the heart. He needed to know without a doubt that he was still worthy of love.
As the kiss intensified, desire flooded her body and short-circuited her best intentions. For so long now she’d been holding herself back from him, but no longer. She met his kiss with a burning heat of her own. Her arms wrapped around his trim waist, pulling him to her. His body was hard and solid against hers. She could barely believe this was happening, that he was holding her close again.
She’d dreamed of this moment for years, never believing it’d happen. Perhaps her fairy godmother was lurking in the shadows of the Christmas tree, waving her magic wand.