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His eyes revealed his shock.
Candy wiped the hair away from her face. She was confident her cheeks were candy apple red. “I can’t.”
He groaned and closed his eyes. “We’ve been all through that. I’ll be good to you, sweetheart.”
“Good? Define good. You’ll seduce me in the laundry room? Is that good?”
He looked bewildered and confused. “I never intended for this to happen. It just did, but it was great. It’s always great with us. You can’t deny that.”
As embarrassing as it was to admit, he was right.
“I want you to move in with me,” he ordered, leaving no room for argument. “I’m moving into the Gaudette place this weekend. We’ve talked about it so often, it’s only right that you be there with me.” He reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles. “The house needs a woman’s touch…Forget the house! I need you.”
He was offering her a place in his life, which was something she’d never thought he’d do. It was a step, but not in the right direction.
“I’ve never asked a woman to move in with me. I want you to know that.” He wrapped her in his arms. “If you don’t want that, then fine. But, sweetheart, I’ve got to have you. You’re driving me crazy. I don’t sleep nights. I’ve lost my appetite. If it bothers you that people will talk…well, we can be discreet. Only, I can’t play these games any longer…It’s not good for either of us.”
Candy braced her forehead against his shoulder. “What…what if I were to…you know…get pregnant? Would you be willing to marry me then?”
He broke away from her so abruptly, she nearly collapsed.
“Pregnant?” He said the word and gave a short laugh. “No way. Okay, okay, you want to talk about kids. Fine, we can do that, but not for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Years. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you can convince me to marry you because you’re pregnant. That might work with another man, but not me.
All at once, Candy was so furious that it was impossible to see beyond the red haze of her anger. “You’re an idiot.” Her rage made the words nearly unintelligible. “Do you think I got pregnant on purpose?” she shouted. “It takes two, you know.”
He glared at her as if she were speaking in another language.
“Get out of my house.”
“You’re pregnant?”
She shoved his shoulders, steering him toward the front door.
Carl’s mouth hung halfway to his knees. “Are you telling me you’re already pregnant?”
“Get out before I phone the police, and don’t think I won’t, Carl Saks. Don’t make the mistake of believing I wouldn’t derive a great deal of pleasure throwing your sorry butt in jail.”
The front door was open and she gave him one last shove. His shoulders hit the screen door with enough force for him to wince.
She started to close the door, and would have taken a good deal of pleasure in slamming it in his face. But at the last moment, he moved.
The door shut hard enough to rattle the windows.
Candy leaned against the wood frame and wrapped her arms around herself. The only person who could reduce her to this was Carl Saks. The sooner he was completely out of her life, the better.
* * *
“I wish I knew what it was you and Carl argued about,” Lesley told her husband. They sat in the study, drinking coffee. Lesley noticed that Zane seemed less communicative this evening. She suspected it had something to do with the confrontation with his friend.
“Zane?” she probed when he didn’t immediately respond.
“That’s between me and Carl.”
Lesley felt a tightness take hold of her chest at his words. Zane shared so little of himself with her.
