Dane's Storm

Audra turned away from him and wrapped her arms around her middle—the place where their baby grew, that tiny person they’d unknowingly created. She was scared . . . petrified. But she loved that little being already. Her body shook with both her own fear, and the panic she’d seen in his eyes.

She felt his warmth behind her, felt his arms slip around her waist to cover her own, and a small sob caught in her throat. He let go of her waist and turned her to face him. Her eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t do this on purpose, Dane.”

“Oh, Audra, baby.” He pulled her to him and held her, rubbing her back and kissing her forehead. “I know that. Jesus, I never thought for a minute you got pregnant on purpose.”

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “Your grandmother will.”

“Then I’ll tell her she’s wrong.” He took a deep breath. “We made this baby together, and we’re going to raise this baby together. I want you to marry me. We’re eighteen, and this is our decision, no one else’s—definitely not my grandmother’s.”

“What about Stanford?”

“Come with me. We’ll get an apartment together. I’ll go to classes during the day and be there to help with the baby at night.”

She released a breath. “I . . . can’t. My dad . . .”

He ran his hand through his hair, looking off into the distance for a moment. “Then I’ll transfer to a college close by—”

“No, Dane. You worked so hard to get into Stanford. You—”

“It doesn’t matter which college I go to. I’m going to run Townsend Robotics regardless. You’re more important to me than Stanford, Audra. Marry me,” he repeated, tipping her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

“You don’t have to marry me just because I’m pregnant. I don’t . . . expect that of you.” Her voice was a choked whisper.

Dane stared at her for a second, his eyes moving over her features. “I don’t want to marry you because you’re pregnant. I want to marry you because I’m in love with you. I was going to ask you after I graduated. This baby

just decided to alter our plans a little bit.” He smiled gently at her.

She gave a small half laugh, half sniffle. A tear spilled and fell down her cheek. Dane caught it with his thumb and then leaned in and kissed her. Her heart welled with love, overflowing, just as her eyes had done. “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “You and me, remember?”

He took her in his arms again. “You and me,” she whispered.

“So that’s settled then. You’ll be my wife?”

She nodded against his neck, smiling before she said, “Yes.” And though he held her, kissing her, soothing her, and whispering words of love, she could feel that his muscles were still tensed. And it made her feel that though she carried his child inside her, she’d lost a part of him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Dane

Now . . .

Audra had given me the address of the hotel where she was staying and I pulled up slowly in front of it, cursing when I saw the rattrap. Christ. No wonder she’d agreed to fly to Colorado with me. She probably needed the refund money she’d get for her plane ticket. Probably needed a meal too. Was business so bad that she had to stay somewhere she was likely to be raped and murdered? And why did I feel so fucking irrationally angry over it anyway? Her welfare was really none of my business anymore. And it still wouldn’t be after I’d straightened things out with my grandmother. What the hell was wrong with Luella anyway? Audra was obviously barely making ends meet and Luella was trying to take her livelihood—meager though it obviously was—away from her? What a cold bitch she could be. I wish I understood why she’d always been particularly cold with Audra.

I’d tried to insist that she take some money when we divorced despite that damn prenuptial agreement Audra had signed without so much as whispering a word about it to me. But she wouldn’t have any of it, and it wasn’t like I could force her to take my money. Maybe if I’d been in my right mind at the time, I would have found a way to do it.

As my mind wandered, I questioned if my actions last year—and what Luella knew of them—had unintentionally put this into motion. Even though I’d been shocked to see Audra today, something about it also felt . . . inevitable.

Wanted.

I swerved into an empty spot and a car blared its horn behind me, annoyed at my sudden maneuver. The guy flipped me off as he drove by, but I ignored him, hopping out and heading into the hotel.

It was just as dark and seedy-looking on the inside as I’d assumed it would be. I strolled past the clerk sleeping at the front desk and punched the up button for the single elevator. Minutes later I was rapping on Audra’s door. When it swung open, she took an immediate step back as if she hadn’t expected me to be quite so close. Her eyes swung to mine and she opened her mouth, then closed it again, took a deep breath and gave me a wobbly smile. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. This place is a hellhole.”

That little indignant chin came up and I almost smiled, then almost frowned, blowing out a breath and running my fingers through my hair.

“It wasn’t exactly in the budget to make a last-minute trip to San Francisco. I was trying to save a few dollars. And it’s not that bad.”