AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Damon stilled, his eyes creasing at the corners. ‘Is that what you wish you had done?’
‘Yes.’
Because then her life wouldn’t be under attack for a second time by a horde of paparazzi. Nor would she be a burden to a man who didn’t want to spend time with her and whom she was loath to trust too much in case her trust was misplaced—again. On the other hand, if she had been honest with him they would probably not have shared that magical night together, and she wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. And she also wouldn’t be carrying his child.
The thought of that parallel world made her queasy.
‘No,’ she amended quickly, regretting her outburst and knowing that even if the chance was offered to go back in time and do it differently, she wouldn’t. ‘No, it’s not. I just wish everything wasn’t such a mess.’
‘It’s not a mess. The furore over this picture will die down. The press will find a new story to pick apart and they’ll forget all about us. And until then you’re safe here.’
‘And after that?’ she asked, hugging her arms around herself and wishing it washisarms tucked tight around her. But that only made her nerves feel more frazzled. ‘At some point it will get out that I’m pregnant, and that the baby’s yours, and when it does...’ Carrie couldn’t even complete the sentence without feeling overwhelmed.
‘We’ll figure it out,’ he was quick to assure her, injecting his voice with a steeliness that garnered her faith. ‘Whatever it takes, I will keep you and our baby safe. I won’t let you go through what you did as a child. I give you my word.’
With a single step he closed the space between them, and she felt a tug low in her stomach at his nearness.
‘We are in this together.’
She had to tip her head back to look at him, and the look in his eye set her heart pounding. ‘Do you really mean that?’ she asked, so badly wanting to believe in the promise contained within his words and his gaze, but so accustomed to words carrying no more weight than air.
‘Yes, I do.’
And then he made the most remarkable move, stunning her into stillness. Reaching out, Damon brushed a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, the tips of his fingers lingering against her cheek. Sparks cartwheeled though her as a dusting of gold exploded in his gaze. Scared to move or breathe, in case she broke the connection, she waited for his next move, willing him to make one, to offer some signal that he felt everything she did...that she wasn’t imagining these moments of pure physical, sensual connection.
But then her phone chirped from her bag, where she had dropped it on the floor, shattering the moment. Damon dropped his hand and with a sigh Carrie reached down to extract the offending item, her features growing taut as she checked the display.
After a brief hesitation, in which her finger hovered indecisively, she rejected the call.
‘Who was that?’ Damon enquired, eyes sharp.
‘Jonathan. My brother.’
The phone rang again. Carrie took one look and jabbed it so it fell silent.
‘And Wren. Obviously they’ve seen the headlines today. No doubt Xander will be next.’
Anxiety advancing once more, she collapsed onto the edge of the bed, dropping her head into her hands. She loved her half-brothers, but she wasn’t sure she had the energy to give them the fight they were calling to have. She already knew they’d be furious with her. As ardent followers of their father, anything that displeased him, displeased them.
The phone rang again. Xander, as predicted.
‘Exactly how big a problem are they going to have with this?’
Carrie raised her gaze to Damon. ‘With the rumours about you and I? A pretty big one.’
‘Which you knew would be the case,’ he ascertained from her expression. ‘And yet you still came to the party? To me?’
Carrie held her breath. She had risked her relationship with her brothers and her father that night in Paris, knowing that if they ever found out about any flirtation between her and Damon they would be uncompromising in their anger. But she’d been desperate to see him one more time.
Now Damon knew that too. And it caused her stomach to drop away. Because all she wanted was to protect herself, protect her heart, and yet he seemed to be accessing more and more of her.
A look so fleeting she had no time to decipher it shot across his eyes like a shooting star. He kept on looking at her, and she was powerless to do anything but gaze right back at him until her phone buzzed once again.
Not bothering to glance at the caller ID, she sighed. ‘I should answer. They won’t stop until I do.’
‘Do you want me to talk to them?’ Damon offered, making no move to leave.
‘I think that would be the equivalent of pouring oil onto a fire. It’s better if I deal with them.’
