Chapter Seven

Turning to Morgan in horror, she retorted, “Don’t you dare! I’m not about to watch you both get into some fight. And I’m sick and tired of being put in the middle—moved this way and that by the two of you.”

The street lamp’s orange-yellow glow shone into the car’s interior, casting deep shadows beneath his brows and across half of his face and obscuring his expression as he looked down at her. “Calm down, Kristen. I was only half serious. I’m not going to barge into your parents’ house. I might be a complete ass some times, but I’m not that insensitive.”

She exhaled and sank back against the seat, only to grow aware of her hand still on the warm flesh of his forearm. As she started to withdraw, he captured it beneath his palm.

Conscious of her hand engulfed in his, Kristen attempted to ignore the short distance between them and her quickening pulse. The air in the car’s interior warmed and thickened, heating her skin as sexual hunger coursed through her.

Leaning forward, he cupped his other hand against her cheek and brushed her lips with his thumb. “You completely fascinate me. I can’t seem to get you out of my thoughts.” He bent lower, replacing his thumb with warm, firm lips. With a soft, whispery sigh, she inched forward, wondering how his skin would taste against her mouth.

He eased his hand down to her neck below her jaw and gently arched her chin upward, deepening the kiss. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he drew away, teasing her lips one last time before he slipped his palm from her neck. Desire glittered in his eyes before he turned, and shadows yet again shielded his expression.

The power of Morgan’s kiss bound and entangled her in a silken net, made her forget everything but the craving of his touch that burned through her veins. Down the street, a car door slammed, bringing her back to her senses.

What was she doing kissing this man? She didn’t need complications right now. She couldn’t afford them. Not with Jeff still in her life. And even if Jeff didn’t factor into the situation, she suspected Morgan only wanted a fling after having been burned so deeply by his wife. Not that she could blame him, but, at the same time, Kristen could never see herself indulging in a superficial affair. Even if she did find him…

“Goodnight,” she choked out and slipped from the car.

“Kristen—”

She shut the door against his words, not having the stomach to hear what he had to say, and hurried up the walkway, thankful he didn’t follow. Only when she opened the front door and stepped into the lit hallway did he drive off. Yet, with Morgan’s departure, she felt no relief. She still had to face Jeff. Something she dreaded almost as much as a confrontation between the two men.

Strange, on the phone earlier, Jeff hadn’t mentioned going over to her parent’s house. It wasn’t like him to show up at their house, she thought, as she closed the door gently behind her. Hearing someone talking from the living room, she squared her shoulders and strode down the hall, her high-heels clicking against the wood floor. The voices abruptly ceased.

She rounded the corner and walked into the room, immediately sensing something wrong with the sudden silence. Her father and Jeff stood in the center of the room a few feet from each other. Eyes sparkling with an emotion she could only guess at, Jeff stepped away from her father.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked cautiously, looking around the room for her mother. The leather recliner and overstuffed couch and love seat sat empty.

“Of course not.” Jeff made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “We were just discussing work. Nothing important, isn’t that right, George?”

“Right.” Her father shoved his hands in his pants’ pockets and rocked back on his heels.

Kristen wasn’t fooled by her dad’s casualness. She’d caught that hunted look in his eyes before he’d managed to hide it, and the way he wouldn’t look directly at her only confirmed her suspicion that she’d walked in on an argument. She searched his face with concern, noting the deeper groves around his mouth and how his complexion lacked its usual healthy vigor.

“Where’s Mom?” she asked, wondering if her mother knew what was going on.

“She’s watching TV in bed,” George said, then mumbled under his breath as he fished in his pocket, “Here. You can use my Accord for the rest of the week.” Not meeting Kristen’s gaze, he dropped the car key in her outstretched palm. “I’ll let you two have a chance to catch up on things.”

With a frown, Kristen watched him hurry from the room. She could have sworn she’d seen perspiration dot his brow. The thought that her father might be that upset worried her.

She turned back to Jeff. “Were you fighting?”

Jeff shook his head as if confused. “Fighting? What ever gave you that idea?”

“I don’t know,” she said, sensing the lie beneath his words. Yet, looking at him now, Kristen wondered briefly if she was letting her suspicions and imagination sway her judgment. But then again, how could she believe Jeff’s innocence when he’d slept with another man’s wife?

If Jeff was capable of that, what else might he do? If she severed their relationship and gave back his ring, would he in turn lash out and fire her father? From what she’d learned of Jeff’s secrets, Kristen was beginning to believe he might, and if dissention already existed between the two men, Jeff might need only one excuse to send her father into the unemployment lines. But, Kristen argued silently, this was all on the conclusion that Morgan had been telling her the truth.

Tension bit into her shoulders and back muscles as she closed her eyes against the pain that throbbed into her temples. She hated the doubts, the ceaseless questions. She didn’t want to think anymore, didn’t want to believe the worse, but if she valued her self-preservation she needed to.

She would have to ask her dad later. At least she could trust him to tell the truth, however displeasing it might be.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She opened her eyes. “Just a little headache.”

“How about a movie? That might help you forget about it.” Jeff smiled, though the effort looked strained. “I could use something to take my mind off work. I’ve had one hell of a day.”

Needing time to think this through, she hesitated, but on the other hand, she wanted answers to some important questions. “Sure. But first I have to get my Dad’s Accord home. My car’s in the shop. Plus, I want to change out of this dress.”

“Fine,” he said as they stepped outside and she closed the front door. “Where were you tonight? I called and got your machine.”

She seriously considered lying, but the last thing she wanted to do was to get into the habit—like Jeff. “I went out to dinner.”

“And?”

“And what?” Kristen returned, deliberately delaying the inevitable confrontation. Turning, she trotted down the stairs to the sidewalk and heard Jeff follow directly behind. She unlocked the Accord’s door.

“Well, if it’s not too much trouble, tell me who you went out with?”

Ignoring his tone and the urge to strike back with an equally snide comment, she watched with narrowed eyes as he opened the door for her. “I went to dinner with Morgan.”

The door slipped from Jeff’s grasp and swung out, knocking against his legs. He stumbled from the impact and grabbed the door to steady himself.

“Morgan?” The streetlight exposed his astonishment. “Did I hear right? You went out to dinner with Morgan when you know I can’t stand the sight of him? You must have had a nice cozy little chat.”

“You can cut the sarcasm.” Thankful the door stood between them, Kristen jerked on her purse strap, looped it around her hand and regarded Jeff uneasily.

He crossed his arms over the top of the door, rocking it with his weight. “May I ask why you went out with him? Or is that too much to ask?”

“We worked late, and since I hadn’t eaten, he’d offered dinner. A business dinner—may I add. Plus, it was probably his way of thanking me for putting in all those long hours.”

“I just bet he wanted to thank you!”

“That’s not what I meant.” Kristen retorted angrily, for some crazy reason compelled to defend Morgan. “Maybe he was trying to be nice. Have you ever thought of that?”

“Morgan nice?” he spat, hatred dripping from each word.

“Yes,” Kristen argued. “You know, he’s not at all like you’ve painted him. Everyone respects him at work. He’s kind and considerate and—”

“Spare me the details.” Slamming the door shut, he glared at her. “It sounds to me like you’re changing sides.”

“Why does it have to be sides?” She avoided his question with one of her own. “And why are you putting me in the middle, when it’s the two of you at each other’s throats?”

“I wouldn’t feel threatened, if I knew what was going on inside his head.” He sighed as if to rein in his emotions. “Which reminds me. Has he said anything that you can remember that might—”

“Forget it, Jeff,” she retorted, folding her arms in front of her.

“Forget what?”

He was trying hard to hide his anger. She saw it in his rigid posture and the tightness of his face illuminated by the street lamp overhead.

“I’m not going to spy on him, Jeff.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“So that means you’re turning in your notice.” His voice softened and he stepped toward her. “It’s just as well.”

Kristen backed away from him and the car. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then kindly tell me what the hell you mean!”

Impatiently, she wiped perspiration from her brow and pulled at the belt of her dress. The damp material clung uncomfortably to her skin. The temperature was probably still hovering over one-hundred degrees and bound to effect already heated tempers.

“I’m going to continue working there, because I want to,” she said through gritted teeth. “It’s a great job with excellent benefits. I have a wonderful insurance plan. The people are nice, and I’m not having a problem with the boss. It’s as simple as that.”

As they stared at each other, Kristen realized that nothing was getting resolved. She shook her head. “All this arguing is pointless. And you can forget the movie. It’s gotten late. Plus, I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re not the only one.”

This was the perfect opportunity to tell him she was giving back his ring, but Kristen held back from speaking the words aloud, remembering the argument she’d walked in on earlier. She didn’t want to provoke Jeff any further tonight. No matter how slight, she didn’t want to instigate problems between him and her father.

“It might be best for everyone if we talk this out when we’re both not so tired. And my headache isn’t helping matters. Goodnight,” she said softly, determinedly opening the car door, slipping inside and shutting it behind her, and equally determined not to look out at Jeff’s reaction as she started the ignition and drove off.

Once home, she closed her front door and sank against the cool wood. She licked dry, painfully chapped lips and tasted salt. It was then she realized she was crying. She wiped the tears from her face, but they continued to seep past her lashes and roll hotly down her cheeks.

In dismay, she hurried to her bedroom and grabbed a tissue from on top of the dresser. After she wiped at her eyes, she glanced over to the wall where pink ballet slippers she’d worn at ten hung on the wall along with framed certificates and awards from school and her dance classes. Then she glanced over at her dresser where a ballerina danced the Nutcracker atop a music box her father had given her. So many memories. So many regrets. She’d had such dreams once.

At this point in her life, other than a good, stable career, all she’d wanted was a loving and caring man to share her life with and one or two children to raise together. It was obvious now, it would never happen with Jeff. It saddened her, but surprisingly not as much as she expected. Maybe she’d never really loved him. Maybe she’d fallen for the image, his success and self-assured manner, the unattainable hero she could fantasize about. She’d mistakenly placed Jeff above every other man she’d met, and in that process, had blinded herself to the real man.

When had everything started falling apart? Of course. The moment Morgan walked into her life. But she couldn’t blame Morgan for her disillusionment. He’d only forced her to see the truth.

Morgan. Unlike Jeff, she would never mistake Morgan for anything but a man with faults and needs like everyone else. Oh, but she did fantasize about him. Ever since that kiss in his kitchen, there’d never been a day she hadn’t wondered what would have happened if she’d stayed and let the sexual tension consume them both.

She shivered at the memories of Morgan’s lips on hers, his hand… It would never happen. She wasn’t about to let herself get carried away with another man right now, even one as physically appealing as Morgan.

***

The next morning, cup of coffee in hand, she booted up her computer and sat behind her desk. Morgan walked past her door, catching her eye. He then paused, retraced his steps and walked into her office.

“How’d it go last night with loverboy?” He cocked a brow. “From that look on your face, not too good, huh?”

She ignored his knowing grin. How he loved to get a rise from her, and every time she took the bait, no matter how hard she tried to remain indifferent. But not this time.

“Loverboy was fine,” she lied. “Thanks for asking.”

Taking a sip of hot coffee, she wrinkled her nose at his widening smile. Then she stilled at something in his expression. Something that pulled at her memories. Something…

His smile.

She looked at Morgan’s face. Really looked. The square jaw, the full, sensual mouth, the elegant sweep of his cheek and brow. His cheek. He had no dimple.

A picture of Jeff flashed in her mind’s eye. Jeff’s smile. Jeff’s dimple. Katie’s dimple.

Full understanding hit her from all sides, rocking her with its force. She dragged in a mouthful of coffee by accident, scalding her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

The teasing light in Morgan’s eyes turned to concern as he crossed the room. “Hey, are you all right?”

Eyes watering, she blinked rapidly and swallowed. “Fine,” she gasped out, placing her cup down on her desk before she spilled the rest of its contents. “Coffee’s a little hotter than I expected,” she explained, hoping the shock didn’t show on her face as she waved his concern aside. “Nothing to worry about. But I do need to worry about this report I have to get done.”

He took the hint. “I’ll let you get to it then.”

Swallowing, she nodded, and once he disappeared around the corner to his own office, she slumped back in her chair.

Caroline and Katie were one and the same. It explained everything. Somehow, she’d managed to get herself stuck in between what looked like a custody battle between the two men.

Was all this animosity because of one, innocent child? She’d gotten the impression Morgan had raised his daughter from birth. But what if Morgan didn’t have the legal right? What if Jeff was the girl’s rightful guardian? So many questions. She could always ask Jeff, but she suspected she wouldn’t get a straight answer.

And Morgan? Would he tell her the truth? She rubbed her forehead, her mind filled with a mirage of thoughts as the remnants of last night’s headache throbbed anew. Even after working through the rest of the morning, her mind kept returning to Jeff, Morgan and Katie.

The phone at her elbow rang. To her dismay, it was Jeff. Just her luck—or lack of.

“I’m calling to apologize for last night,” he said.

She closed her eyes against the pain now stabbing into her temples. “I’m not concerned about last night. I’m more interested in you’re behavior years ago, and a certain woman—named Marla.”

The silence was so thick, that for a moment she thought he’d hung up. But eventually he asked in a guarded voice, “What has Morgan been talking about?”

“He hasn’t said anything.”

“I knew you shouldn’t have taken this stupid job. Who would have guessed the two of you would have gotten so damn chummy—”

“I’m not talking about Morgan. I’m talking about Marla and Caroline…your daughter.”

Another thick, silent pause. Even though she couldn’t see him, she could feel his confusion and anger on the other end of the line. She was equally angry. All this time Jeff had been lying to her, treating her like a fool and probably laughing because of it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jeff finally said. “As for Marla, she’s the girlfriend I mentioned to you a while back. What has Morgan been trying to tell you?”

“His wife, Jeff,” she said through gritted teeth. “She was his wife. That would be adultery. A big difference between fighting over some girl and a married woman.”

“We need to talk.”

At least they finally agreed on something.

“How about tonight?” She drummed her nails against the desk, the noise matching the wild beat of her pulse. Fool that she was, she wanted to see the truth in his eyes and have all her doubts confirmed.

“Sorry, the auditors are coming tomorrow, and I’m going to be working late. Too much is riding on this meeting. I don’t want any mistakes. I’ll pick you up Friday, and we’ll talk over at my place.”

“Fine.” She hung up with an abrupt good-bye. Massaging her neck failed to ease the tension. For Jeff to keep something of that magnitude from her told her how much he valued their relationship. He didn’t. Or value her for that matter, which made her wonder if he even cared.

Her headache forced her into the lunchroom for a glass of water and some aspirin. On the way back to her office, she slowed and glanced down the hall to Morgan’s opened door. She’d thought of keeping silent about Katie’s parentage, but she couldn’t hold off any longer. She wanted explanations, and she had a good idea the only truthful ones were waiting just a few steps away.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Morgan’s office and knocked on the door jam. “Hello.”

He looked up from the papers strewn across his desk, a question in his eyes. She cleared her throat. How did one begin such a topic?

He must have sensed her anxiety, for he asked, “What’s up? Is anything wrong?”

“Do you have a minute?” When he nodded, she warned, “It’s personal.”

His face visibly tightened. “You’d better close the door.”

She did, then walked into the center of the room and, too restless to sit down in one of the gray leather chairs, stood with her hands clasped in front of her. “I know.”

Dread sank into his gut at those two words. “What do you mean?” he hedged, fearing yet all ready knowing the answer.

“About Jeff being Katie’s father.”

Her words slapped him with such force that he closed his eyes against the pain. Clenching his jaw, he pushed away from his desk and stood. His secret was finally out, the one thing he’d been afraid of from the day Katie was born. “You know, I never thought Jeff would say anything. For some crazy reason, a part of me believed—no hoped—Jeff’s words were empty threats. Just his sick way of tormenting me.”

“He didn’t tell me,” she murmured, edging forward. “I guessed.”

He frowned at the pity in her eyes, while the idea that she might have known for days ate at his insides. “When?”

She looked at Katie’s picture on his desk. “Earlier this morning.”

“I knew it was only a matter of time.” A heavy weight of sadness pressed against his chest. “What tipped you off?”

She walked over to one of the two chairs in front of his desk and sat down on its edge. “Her dimple. Jeff also has one. When they both smile, the similarities are obvious.”

“She’s not at all like him,” he retorted, needing to convince Kristen as well as himself. “He might have planted the seed, but he’s not her father. He hasn’t a clue as to what it means.”

She put a hand on Katie’s picture. “May I?”

When he nodded, she lifted the picture from the desk and placed it on her lap. He moved up behind her to look past her shoulder. Seeing her run a hand along the gold frame, he knew she was searching for the resemblance and would eventually see it in the gray eyes, the smile, and the oval shape of their faces.

“Is this what’s it been all about? This animosity between you and Jeff?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “In the beginning, I was afraid he’d tell you about Katie. But he never did, which I guess tells me he hasn’t really changed. He was always one to hold his cards close to his chest. It looks like your relationship with him is no different than anyone else’s.”

From behind, he saw her hands tighten on the gold frame before she whispered, “That’s between Jeff and me.”

“Well, it’s a damn shame he never mentioned something of such importance.”

“I don’t want to discuss our relationship with you.” She fingered the geometric pattern along the frame’s length. “What is her real name? Katie or Caroline?”

“Caroline Katherine Stone is on her birth certificate. At three, she used to have a devil of a time pronouncing Caroline so we started calling her Katie. Somehow it stuck. It suits her. She’s so rambunctious and full of energy.” He couldn’t help but smile. “And cheeky, always having an opinion.”

“You love her very much.”

“She’s all I’ve got,” he stated, unable to keep the huskiness from his voice.

She put the picture back on his desk. “I take it you haven’t told her.”

“No.”

“But you will.” When he didn’t answer, she looked over her shoulder, surprise flaring in her eyes. “You’ve got to let her know. What if she ever finds out?”

Kristen was right. Katie did deserve the truth, but the idea of Katie even having a tentative relationship with Jeff singed his soul. Jeff would ruin his little girl. He didn’t have the patience, or the empathy for a young child. Eventually, Morgan knew Jeff, who loved control, would one day resort to abuse in order to dominate his daughter. Maybe not by force, but he could cut Katie with words more painful than any hand.

Humbled by the love in Morgan’s eyes, Kristen rose and almost reached out a comforting hand, but caught herself in time. Instead, she walked around the chair to lengthen the distance between them. She couldn’t allow her feelings to cloud her judgment. “I want you to know that I’m keeping out of your battles with Jeff. I know you hired me to keep tabs on Jeff—don’t deny it because I know it’s the truth—but I’m not spying on anyone, you or Jeff, and I plan on keeping it that way. If you don’t like it, then you might as well fire me now.”

A flush stained his cheeks, and his eyes narrowed. If Kristen didn’t know any better, heal most looked offended. “These last couple of weeks,” Morgan coolly replied, “you haven’t really learned anything about me, have you? I thought maybe you might have—” Morgan shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that. I’ve come to realize that you’re doing a fine job here. Henry seems to think so, and I value his opinion.”

She nodded, caught beneath Morgan’s gaze. “Then I guess I better get back to work.”

“That might be smart for the both of us.”

She escaped his office and retreated to her own. She left work that day feeling more confused than ever. The only way to put a halt to that confusion was to confront Jeff. And she wasn’t going to wait until Friday. No. Tonight they were going to have a little talk.