Arrested By Love (6 page)

When she told him again that she'd met his requirement, he drew her into his arms. "I'm so proud of you, Tiff. I thought it would be much harder for you than it was, but I had every faith that you would try your best. So much so, I got you this."

Dropping down on one knee, he held up a small velvet box for her to open. Tiffany winced. Pretty sure she knew what she would find inside, she opened the box and looked down at the most gorgeous engagement ring she had ever seen, because he had bought it for her. Feeling more miserable than ever, Tiffany handed the box back to him and promptly burst into tears.

Chapter Four

Kyle immediately rose to his feet and drew Tiffany into his arms. He was being so romantically sweet and understanding that she couldn't help sobbing out her misery against his chest.

"Shh, Tiffany. What is it that's upset you so badly, honey? If you don't like the ring, we can exchange it, but don't cry so hard, sweetheart. You'll make yourself sick.

Feeling like a treacherous, lying bitch, she sobbed out, "It's not that. It's a beautiful ring, and I love it."

"Then what is it, darling? Did your period come early this month?"

Oh God, he even kept track of that? Tiffany was so tempted to use the excuse, she actually nodded. However, vowing to never lie again, she wailed "No." He'd been so generous with his praise and clearly loved her enough to propose, which made her feel like a total cheat, and a failure. Almost like she'd been unfaithful to him.

As her sobbing grew worse, he lifted her into his arms and carried her outside where he held her on his lap on their backyard swing. It was big enough for three grown men to sit on each side and had a gentle rocking sway to it. So, she just clung to him and sobbed her heart out.

* * *

Kyle had no idea what brought on this deluge of unhappy tears, but knew he needed to get Tiffany calmed down soon, or she would vomit from the pure stress of it all. So, he rubbed her back and talked softly to her.

"Tiffany, whatever it is, honey, it can't be that bad. Nothing is worth all these tears. Now calm down, sweetie, and just listen to me. I love you. So, if you're worried you've done something that will change that, I can assure you it won't. Nothing will change what I feel for you, even if I get angry about what you did."

Her crying subsided some then, so he gathered he'd come close to the problem. She was worried she'd done something that was going to make him push her away, and only one thing would make him do that. So he began a process of elimination through a series of carefully worded questions once her sobbing had lessened to an occasional catch for breath.

Placing his chin on top of her head, he said, "So what is it? Did someone upset you by hurting you in some way?"

"No." A sniffle.

"Did you do something that has upset you?"

"Yes." Another sniffle.

"Can you tell me what it was that you did?"

A sob. "No."

"Shh. Now that's enough of that, Tiffany Anne," he said, trying to be firm with her. "You just settle down and talk to me. You know you can tell me anything, so why are you afraid to tell me what it was you did?"

"Because you'll never forgive me, and you'll hate me forever."

Though she was being a little overdramatic about it, Kyle was beginning to suspect the worst. Bending his head down, he confessed, "Unless you've actually murdered someone, sweetie, there isn't much else I wouldn't forgive. And I'd probably forgive that too, if the homicide was justified."

He thought that would make her laugh, and was confused when it only made her sob even harder than before.

"Shh. I was only teasing, Tiff. This is way beyond any crying you've done with me before. Even when I paddled your fanny. I hate to say it, Tiff, but I'm beginning to suspect you've been untruthful with me about something."

When she didn't deny it, he was convinced she'd been seeing someone else. His heart lurched at the thought of losing her, but he refused to make things even more difficult by giving vent to his hurt pride. Unable to totally hide his feeling of betrayal, however, he asked more than a little grimly, "When did it happen, Tiffany Anne?"

She winced. "Four weeks ago, when we first started our test. I'm so sorry, Kyle."

With a nod, he lifted her off his lap, but looked at her when she clutched desperately at his arm. "Please. Don't hate me."

He ran a calming hand through her hair. "I could never hate you, Tiffany."

When she continued to cling to his arm and sob, he finally pulled free to wrap it back around her. "Can you at least tell me who he is?"

She straightened at that question and gave him a puzzled look. "Who who is?" she asked, using the facial tissue he'd handed her so she could dry her eyes and blow her nose.

"The guy you want to be with now instead of me."

She scrunched her cute little nose up and shook her head, so he turned and faced her. "You've met someone else, and now you want to break up with me. Right?"

"No!" she denied vehemently.

"No? Then what's this all about? What happened four weeks ago to cause all this flooding if it isn't another guy?"

Her expression suddenly cleared with understanding. "Oh. You think...." Then with a swallow and a wince, she said, "There's no one else, Kyle. Just you."

He let out a sigh of relief, unaware that he'd even been holding his breath. "You have no idea just how happy I am to hear that, sweetie. Except now I'm more confused than ever."

Her shoulders dropping slightly, she laid her head on his arm. "It was stupid of me to cry over nothing. Just forget it."

Kyle shook his head and lifted up her chin. "Unacceptable, Tiff. I refuse to start out our life together in this way. Just a few seconds ago, you were absolutely devastated by something and sobbing in my arms. And now you're trying to tell me it was over nothing. Sorry, honey. Not buying it."

She drew away from him slightly as though she needed the distance to tell him. "Promise you won't get mad?"

He shook his head. "No, I can't promise that." When she stubbornly clamped her lips together, he added, "All right. I've had quite enough of this, Tiffany Anne. I want you to tell me what happened, and right now!" It wasn't a request, and she grimaced at the use of her full name, knowing it meant she was in it up to her chin as far as he was concerned.

"It's not what you think. Really," she assured him.

"I believe we have already established that, Miss Morgan. Now, I want to know what it was you did that even the thought of telling me got you so upset you dissolved into tears.

Kyle watched as she slunk down a little more, as if she wanted to make herself smaller. Less of a target, he supposed. She'd done something really bad, and she knew he wasn't going to like it.

"Can I plead the fifth?" she asked in a very small voice.

He shook his head, though a part of him wanted to jump up and laugh with the relief he felt. If there wasn't anyone else, they could work this out--somehow. But only if she was willing to be completely honest with him going forward. Keeping his expression stern, he lowered his voice a notch so she'd know if she didn't tell him soon he was going to get really pissed with her. "Tell me what you did, Tiffany."

She winced, then softly admitted, "I lied."

"So, I gathered. About what?"

She pointed to the back door of her home. He mentally retraced their steps and determined she was indicating their weekly reconciliation sheets that he'd set aside to carry her outside. Okay, this was serious. He still would have proposed, after giving her a sternly-worded lecture. The fact that she repeatedly lied to him had him thinking she needed something a little more memorable than a mere "talking-to.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared down at her with open disapproval. "Tell me," he ordered.

Then, very haltingly at first, she finally confessed everything she'd done, even going to her father to help make up the difference. "I'm sorry, Kyle. I really did try hard, and I promise I'll try even harder in the future."

Though she looked so small and pitiful as she stared up at him with wide green eyes, he still shook his head. "Not good enough. I think you and I need to take a short ride in the car together. Now." He spoke the words sharply, so she would immediately understand his intentions.

Her eyes widened with obvious dismay as she shook her head and shrank back from him. Kyle didn't want her to be afraid of him. A little apprehensive, perhaps. But not scared. However, he also wanted her to understand that there were serious consequences for lying, and he intended to see she paid them--in full.

He unfolded his arms then turned to face her. "Very well. It would appear that this is choice time again for you, Miss Morgan. Either you come with me now, quietly, and without fuss, or I walk away and we don't see each other for awhile."

"How long?" she asked with a slight cringe.

He raised an eyebrow, then gave a time frame he certainly hoped she would reject. "A year."

She jerked to her feet with a gasp of pure outrage. "You would refuse to see me for a year because I overspent my budget?"

"No," he refuted evenly. "I would refuse to see you for a year because you lied to me, and declined to accept the consequences for your deceit."

She placed her hands on her small round hips and scowled at him. "Yeah? Well what if our situation was reversed? What would your consequences be, Mr. I'm-a-police-officer-so-don't-mess-with-me Sinclair?"

"Since that is hardly the case, I don't believe the question is relevant, and--"

"Maybe not. All the same, I'd like to hear your answer. You are eager enough to use your strength against me, what could I ever do if you were the one in the wrong?"

He smoothly rose to his feet and stood over her. "You could do exactly what I'm about to do. Walk away."

"No!" she cried, clutching at his arm.

Keeping his expression stern, he looked down at her. "I believe you are not really sorry for what you did, Tiffany Anne. If you were, you would be doing your best to make amends to me rather than argue as if you were the injured party. Perhaps it is best we separate for awhile, after all." Then yanking his arm free of her grasp, he started to walk away, only to stop when she cried, "All right! I'll go with you."

He turned back to glare at her. "That's nice, darling. Except I'm not sure I really want you with me right now." He gave her a nod. "I'll see you later, when I'm not quite so angry with you."

Fully intending to leave her standing in her back yard, he still stopped when she cried out, "Kyle!"

Taking a deep breath, he turned back. Seeing her miserable, frightened expression, he extended his hand against his better judgment. She ran to him without hesitation. Better, he supposed. But they still had a long way to go before this would be settled between them.

Kyle drove for over a half-hour, taking them to an excluded spot where he parked and just sat looking out the windshield for a few minutes. Tiffany was totally silent. She was stiff and wary, though no longer crying. Unfortunately, he knew that wasn't going to last long.

Wanting to be alone to get his thoughts and emotions together, he turned to her and said, "I want you to get out of the car and go over to that willow and select and prepare an appropriate switch that I can use. It needs to be about a half-inch thick and flexible. Once you have done that, I want you stand by that log and wait for me. Do you understand what I am asking?" At her small nod, he said, "Then go now, please."

She very slowly opened the door of the car, shut it quietly then walked over to the tree he'd indicated. He watched her run her fingers along each branch testing for the one she'd choose and knew she'd started crying again. He shook his head. He loved her with all his heart, but he couldn't let her get away with lying to him. Not if he ever hoped to be able to trust her again.

He waited until she'd selected her branch, and watched her delicately pick off all the leaves then try it out. He could hear the whip sound and saw her wince, then close her eyes. She took a deep breath then walked over to the log he'd indicated, stood with her back to him and waited. He knew from experience that the waiting was the worst, and he also knew she was crying as much from guilt as from fear. Her slumped body posture told him that. He wasn't making her wait to be cruel. He wanted to make sure he was fully under control before he punished her. Whether or not he chose to use the branch she'd prepared was another matter. He had no wish to cause her injury, only to teach her a lesson. So, he still needed to decide on the best way to accomplish that. What would make the most indelible impression on that devious little butt of hers? What would make her truly regret what she did, and ensure she never did it again?

Grabbing the bottle of lotion he kept in the car, he shoved it deep inside his pocket. He knew she hated it, except it helped reduce the impact of his chosen punishment, so she would have to accept it. It also meant he could do nothing to break her skin. Not that he wanted to, but if he tried to rub that stuff on an open wound, she'd be screaming through next week. Opening his car door, he got out and walked over to where she stood.

"Remove your skirt and underwear now, please," he ordered taking a seat on the log.

She looked at him, and then handed him the switch she'd made. He tested it a couple of times while she undressed. Even though he'd decided against using it, he wasn't above scaring her a little before he discarded it. She stood before him in her blouse and shoes, and he could see her tremble. He could also see the small patch of red hair that guarded her femininity and felt a surge of lust, which merely served to increase his anger. He had hoped to finally make love to her this evening, but it looked like that would be off the agenda tonight as well.

He placed the switch on the ground and crooked an index finger at her. She winced, but walked over to stand beside him until her knees touched his with barely a moment's hesitation. He patted his lap. "You should know the drill by now, Tiffany. Take your position, please."