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Seemed his fascination with Ruby hadn’t dimmed in the least, and his usual caution had deserted him.
CHAPTER TEN
RUBY frowned, not sure how she’d ended up talking about her mother to Cal of all people. It wasn’t as if what her mother had done was a big secret or anything. But she didn’t normally discuss this stuff, particularly with men she was dating. It was a total downer.
‘Cal, it’s okay, you don’t have to listen to my life story,’ she said, trying to deflect him.
‘I know that.’
‘You can’t be remotely interested.’
‘I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t,’ he said, not sounding deterred in the least. ‘Come on. Whatever she did, it can’t have been all that terrible.’
‘You think?’ Animosity scoured her throat. ‘How about she screwed another man just after she married my dad. Got pregnant. And then passed the baby off as his?’
The words spewed out, harsh and judgmental.
‘Okay, that’s pretty bad,’ Cal said beside her, the measured response making her suddenly feel ashamed. Not just for her anger, but for the bitterness behind it.
‘Actually, it wasn’t that bad.’ She huffed out a breath, studying Cal’s profile. ‘It was only one night, and Mum was barely nineteen. The guy in question was rich, handsome, sophisticated, by all accounts a total sex machine and he seduced her.’
Cal’s strong hand gripped the gear shift and she felt the pulse of heat at the memory of his fingers on her skin. Perhaps it was about time she forgave her mother. After last night, she had firsthand experience of just how irresistible spectacular sex could be.
‘You’re more forgiving than I would be,’ Cal said. Almost as if he had read her thoughts. ‘So your father was the one who rejected you, then? When he found out you were illegitimate?’
‘Sorry?’
‘You said you knew what it was like to be rejected by someone you love. When you got upset with me about Maddy.’
Colour hit her cheeks at the reminder. God, had she actually said that out loud? She really had lost the plot earlier.
‘The baby in question wasn’t me. It was my brother, Nick.’
‘I see,’ he said carefully, then glanced towards her, his emerald eyes narrowed. ‘So who was it, then? Who rejected you?’
He sounded annoyed, which didn’t make any sense.
‘I suppose I was referring to my brother, Nick. It has to do with what happened on the night my mum died.’ She paused, not sure how to explain it all. ‘When my dad found out he wasn’t Nick’s biological father.’ She stopped abruptly. Why was she talking about this? It was way too personal. ‘It’s a long story. And really boring actually,’ she finished.
‘Don’t forget we’ve still got five hours on the road. I can’t think of another way to pass the time.’ A smile tilted his lips. ‘That’s legal while I’m driving, that is.’
She smiled back, the teasing comment easing some of the tension.
‘It’s not just long, remember. It’s boring,’ she replied. ‘I wouldn’t want you lapsing into a coma while you have my life in your hands.’
He laughed, then put his hand on her knee, squeezed. ‘If you see me starting to nod off at the wheel, poke me in the ribs.’
The light words and gesture were so tender and so surprising she felt an odd constriction in her throat. She looked away, the weight of his palm having a strange effect on her.
She’d never talked about this before, but she couldn’t quite deny the urge to talk about it now. Maybe it was just that Cal’s logical, analytical, unemotional approach was seductive. Was it possible that he could shed some light on all the conflicting emotions from that long ago summer?
How often had she asked herself if she could have done more? Maybe if she’d been older, or more aware of what was going on sooner, she could have solved the problem before it had become so huge it had been insurmountable.
‘All right, but, just so you know, you can stop me any time if this gets tedious.’ She took a deep breath.
‘Start from the beginning.’ His hand stroked her thigh. ‘The night your mum died.’
‘Okay.’ She let go of the breath. This shouldn’t be that hard. Not after all this time. ‘It was sweltering that night. My dad had closed the restaurant the day before. Which felt so weird.’
