Her Secret, His Child

Taking off his glasses, Kyle rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, that's good to know," he said. "Now, do you mind telling me what I'm angry about?"

Jamie turned, glanced at him hesitantly, then sank on one arm of the couch. ' 'You know—'' she gestured between them. "That—stopping—wasn't very… nice."

"I'd hoped there was a lot more than 'nice' going on between us." Kyle moved over to her slowly, took her hand, led her to a seat beside him on the couch. "I think it's time we talked, don't you?"

Her gaze flew to his, her eyes filled with fear. Kyle bit back a groan of frustration. What had he done to bring that look to her face?

In that instant, another, horrifying, thought occurred to him. Could her reaction be something unrelated to him altogether? Had someone forced her—

' 'Talk about what?'' Her voice sounded strained.

TARA TAYLOR QUINN

"About why you don't want to share any kind of physical intimacy."

She'd been wearing jeans and sweaters all week. Today's jeans were black, the sweater a striking shade of gray that matched her eyes almost perfectly. He'd been fantasizing about getting his hands under that sweater the entire day. He almost wished he hadn't tried.

"We need to talk about it, Jamie," he said gently when she remained silent and still beside him.

"I…can't."

He hoped his suspicion was completely ludicrous. "I'll help you, honey, but we have to get this out."

Again she answered him silently, this time with an adamant shake of her head.

Dropping his glasses on the coffee table, Kyle continued to hold her hand. His mind continued to process possibilities—all of them untenable.

' 'Did something happen to you after I knew you five years ago?'' he asked carefully. ' 'Something to make you afraid of sexual relationships?" He strained to keep his voice calm as he asked the question; he could do nothing to control the churning inside him.

"No."

Thank God. He almost fainted with relief.

' 'Then does it have anything to do with that time we were together?''

She didn't respond. Just sat there. He took that for a yes. Okay, so he'd narrowed down the problem. It was him.

"Because we slept together the first night we

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

met?" He'd known all along he'd made a mistake there.

"Sort of." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

He'd do whatever was necessary to take that trapped, frightened expression off her face. Except walk away. He just didn't believe that was the answer. For any of them.

"But we've done it right this time, Jamie." He couldn't undo the past; he could only spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to her. "We've taken the time to get to know each other, to be sure that what we feel is more than passing lust."

She nodded agreement. But the haunted look in her eyes hadn't dimmed.

Kyle could feel the promise of their future slipping away and didn't know how to hang on, what to grab hold of. "Can you tell me what you're feeling?"

She laughed bitterly. "Like I'd give anything for a little dose of self-respect."

Stabbed by her words, Kyle had nothing to say. He'd been an idiot not to realize the far-reaching consequences of what he'd done that night. How humiliating Jamie must have found those ensuing months, pregnant, unmarried, alone. Thinking that he'd used her and then cavalierly paid for the privilege.

"I'm sorry isn't enough," he told her. He didn't know what was, but honesty was all he had. ' 'What I did five years ago, making love to you, it wasn't premeditated. I wasn't using you, Jamie. Or if I was,