Here to Stay (17 page)

His hands tormented her breast, massaging and
stroking as her thrust rhythmically inside her. “I need you so
much,” he murmured against her lips.

She ran her hands over his back and down to
his waist urging him on. “I need you, Nathan,” she confessed, ready
to burst into tears of pain…of joy…of need…of desperation.

She felt a distant tingling. Sensations
flooded her mind and body. She matched his movements, thrust for
thrust. He gasped for breath when the tremors started to shake her.
His own movements became more urgent as her tightening began.
Harder he plunged into her.

Climax crashed through her at his final,
urgent thrusts. Tension still vibrated inside him when his body at
last rested against hers, the same tension that threatened to
suffocate her with its intensity.

“Please don’t leave me, Paige,” he whispered
in the darkness, his voice raw with emotion. “I can’t lose you
again.”

Paige held him tightly to her. How could she
ever have let this happen? She knew when she came that she couldn’t
allow herself to get involved with him. And look what she had
done.

Nathan drew back to look into her eyes. “I
love you, Paige. I never stopped.”

Chapter Ten

Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep
breath. Paige slid her arms around him from behind.

“I’m so glad you stayed the night,” she said
and planted a kiss on his shoulder. She reached for the brush she
had dropped on the bed and tugged it through his hair. “I love your
hair. Remember when we were kids and I used to braid it for
you?”

“How could I forget?” He smiled in spite of
the tremendous ache in his chest. “Every time I sat still for more
than five minutes you were twiddling with my hair.”

“You loved it and you know it.”

“I guess I did,” Nathan admitted as she
continued to smooth the long strands. Though they had made love
again during the night, still he wanted her now. He shifted, the
jeans he had pulled on becoming uncomfortably snug.

“I think we should call Bubba’s and see if he
would consider sending over a hot breakfast,” Paige suggested
playfully. “I’m starving. And after we eat, we need to talk.”

“Let’s talk now,” he said. His smile relaxed
into a frown when he considered that during their lovemaking he’d
told Paige how much he loved her and that he wanted her to stay;
each time she had remained silent. Nathan knew she loved him. He
could feel it. He could see it in her eyes.

“You mean you aren’t hungry?” Paige asked,
surprised.

“Tell me about the surgery.”

She blinked, uncertainty shoved aside the
surprise in her eyes. “That’s one of the things I’d planned to talk
to you about. I just keep putting it off.”

“So tell me.”

“Cancer. I have…had cancer.”

He hadn’t been prepared for that. The words
slammed into him with such force that Nathan couldn’t speak for a
long moment. “Cancer?” he repeated tightly.

She nodded.

“But you’re okay now?” He heard the
desperation in his own voice. He couldn’t lose her now. He’d only
just found her again.

“Yes, but,”—she lowered her gaze—“I can’t
have children now.” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “They
had to”—her gaze returned to his—“you know what they had to
do.”

He clutched her shoulders, fear gripping him.
“You’re sure you’re okay now? It won’t come back?”

“There’s no reason to believe it will.” She
took his hands in hers. “Nathan, facing this disease made me
realize the mistakes I’ve made. It made me see things more clearly.
I know I should have told you everything a long time ago, but I
thought—”

“Told me what?” he interrupted, fear and
concern clouding his ability to understand.

“When I found out, you had already married
someone else. I didn’t want to—”

He shook his head. “What are you talking
about?”

She took a deep breath. “Nathan—” A ring from
the telephone cut her off.

“Let it ring.”

“It might be important.” Paige released his
hands and answered the annoying instrument. She listened quietly
for a few moments.

Nathan could hear the caller speaking louder
than necessary. He hoped nothing had backfired for Calvin.

“Beatrice, I don’t understand. Slow down.”
Paige stood, clearly distressed.

Nathan got up and stood beside her, watching
her closely. Who the hell was Beatrice? What could she want?

“Jesse?” Paige paled as she uttered the name.
“Yes, I’m on my way. No!” She threaded her fingers nervously
through her hair. “I’ll be there in two hours. Just make sure
Jesse’s okay.”

Jesse
. A knot twisted in Nathan’s gut
and a sense of foreboding settled over him. Who was Jesse? Paige
had not mentioned that name before. Nathan had a bad feeling about
this Jesse.

She pressed the disconnect button and placed
the receiver back on its base. “I have to go back to Memphis,” she
told him quickly without looking at him.

“What’s going on?” Nathan moved up behind
her. Fear gripped his heart. She was leaving and someone named
Jesse had something to do with it.

She blinked and shook her head. “I don’t have
time to explain. I’ll call you later.” She rushed to the dresser
and jerked out something to wear.

“Paige, tell me what’s going on,” he demanded
more firmly than he had intended, hands planted on his hips. She
wasn’t going anywhere until she told him the deal.

“Nathan, I don’t have time.” She tugged on
her jeans and slipped on a T-shirt.

“I’ll go with you then,” he offered.

“No,” she shot back, shaking her head
adamantly. “No. I’ll call you later.”

He knew true fear when he saw it. Paige was
scared. He watched as she pulled on her shoes and tied them with
trembling fingers. Something was very wrong. “What does this Jesse
character have to do with whatever’s going on?”

Paige leveled her gaze on his. “Nathan, I
promise I’ll explain everything later, but right now I have to go.
Tell Calvin I’ll come back for him later this evening.”

Nathan backed off when he saw the tears
brimming. He wouldn’t make things worse. Whatever she had to deal
with, he had no intention of adding to her anxiety.

“Bye,” she said hastily before dashing out
the door.

Nathan dropped back on the foot of the bed.
Helpless. He felt helpless to control any of this. He raked his
hands through his hair, pushed up from the bed and strode to the
window. He watched, his hopes sinking, as Paige sped away in a
cloud of dust and spraying gravel. She had said she would call. He
squeezed his eyes shut and considered his options once more. Stay
here and wait for her to call or come back. But he had done that
before and look where it had gotten him.

No
.

Nathan wasn’t going to let history to repeat
itself. He would go to Memphis and find out just exactly what the
deal was himself. Calvin was supposed to go home, Nathan could drop
him off and save Paige the trouble.

Yeah, he thought with a smile. And that would
be his excuse for following Paige to Memphis. He would be doing her
a favor.

~*~

Paige parked in the long, half-moon drive
that curved across the lawn of the Weston estate. She sighed,
trying to dispel some of the growing anxiety. Mercy, she dreaded
this encounter. Her father had returned home earlier than
anticipated and the man had flown into a rage upon hearing of
Paige’s whereabouts. It wasn’t like Beatrice could have lied. Why
else would her father’s housekeeper have Jesse? How could anyone
have known that he would have returned home unexpectedly?

Paige got out of her car and walked up the
sidewalk, past the elegant landscape and the bubbling fountain. She
climbed the steps and crossed the immaculately kept veranda. Paige
pressed the doorbell and held her breath.
Please, God,
she
prayed,
don’t let my father say anything that will hurt
Jesse
.

Raymond opened the door. He smiled with
sincere affection. “Miss Weston, so nice to see you.” He stepped
back, swinging the door wide open.

“Thank you, Raymond.” She produced a smile as
best she could and stepped into the richly decorated foyer. Raymond
had been the butler for the Westons for as long as she could
remember. “It’s nice to see you, too.”

“Your father is waiting for you in his
study.”

“Thank you,” she replied, not feeling
thankful at all.

Paige walked down the marble-floored entry
hall until she reached the door to her father’s study. She
moistened her lips and firmed her resolve. She could handle this
situation. She had to handle this situation. Paige turned the knob
and pushed the door open. Her eyes came immediately to rest on
Jesse, sitting quietly on the sofa beside Beatrice. Paige had
waited silently on that same couch many times as a child. Waited
for her father to give her one lecture or the other regarding
propriety. A term she had learned was synonymous with Elliott’s
Rules.

“Mommy,” Jesse cried, jumping down to run
into her embrace.

Paige almost winced. Her father had never
allowed running in his house. Jesse’s arms flew around her as she
crouched down to meet him. She hugged him tightly and inhaled his
little-boy scent. How she had missed him. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Beatrice, would you take Paige’s son into
the kitchen for refreshments,” Elliott Weston directed. Elliott
never asked people to do things, he directed.

Her son
. Anger shot through Paige at
her father’s avoidance of Jesse’s name. The calm, holier-than-thou
sound of Elliott Weston’s voice made her bristle. She and Beatrice
exchanged worried looks. She pulled free of Jesse’s loving arms and
allowed Beatrice to lead him from the room. He didn’t need to hear
or see any of this. The door closed with an audible click behind
them and Paige finally allowed her gaze to meet her father’s.

His disapproving gaze swept over her. Paige
knew she looked a mess. Worn jeans and T-shirt hastily pulled on.
Nathan’s scent sill lingered on her skin.

“Please sit down, Paige,” her father issued
the command softly, but firmly nonetheless.

“I think I’ll stand,” she replied without
flinching. She wouldn’t feel quite so vulnerable standing.

“Fine,” he acquiesced. He studied her for a
long while before he began. “Would you care to explain to me what
fascination Trinity has held for you the past few days?”

“Actually, no.”

“I believe I have the right to an
explanation, especially since I arrived this morning to find your
son in Beatrice’s care.”

Ever the lawyer, Paige mused. “Jesse is his
name and he’s
your
grandson,” she stated defiantly.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t consider that
fact.”

“It’s nice to know you think of us often,
Father.” Paige pasted a smile across her lips. How could he be so
cold?

She took a deep, steadying breath. She
wouldn’t lose it, because that’s what he wanted. She had his
number. Paige held her tongue.

“You are my daughter. Of course I think of
you often. Especially since…” His voice trailed off. He
straightened in his luxurious chair, “And, as you say, Jesse is my
grandson. How could I not think of him?”

“If it were only that simple with you,” she
said ruefully.

“Since you have no intention of telling me
why you went to Trinity, why don’t I hazard a guess?”

“Uncle Robert is on his honeymoon. I went to
oversee the renovations in his house,” Paige told him in a tone
just a degree short of scathing.

“Beatrice has already provided that cover
story.”

“Cover story?” Paige was a grown woman,
thirty years old. She didn’t have to answer to him. “Do I have to
remind you that I’m well past the age of needing your consent?”

“I know how old you are. Even if you don’t
act it.”

“This conversation is over, Father,” Paige
retorted. Enough was enough. She didn’t have to stand here and take
this. Why did she? Because he was her father and Paige wanted to
give him every opportunity to change his mind.

Elliott stood, rage blazing in his blue eyes.
“I know why you went to Trinity, Paige.” He rounded his desk and
moved closer to her. He shook his aristocratic head in disgust.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson five years ago? Nathan Blackrope is
no good. He wouldn’t have anything if Amos Collins hadn’t been
foolish enough to marry his mother.”

“I won’t listen to this,” Paige said through
clenched teeth.

“He’s nothing. A parasite living on the
misguided good intentions of a wealthy man. I can’t believe you
would lower yourself by crawling back to him. I raised you better
than that. Your uncle filled your head with ridiculous notions all
those years. I should never have allowed you to spend one summer
with Robert.”

“Stop it!” Paige shouted. “You’re wrong. Why
can’t you see how wrong you are? Are you that blind?” Her entire
body shook with rage. How could this man be her father?

“You’ve thrown your whole life away over that
damned man,” he bellowed. “I’ll treat the child fairly since Weston
blood runs through his veins, but if you insist on cavorting with
the likes of Nathan Blackrope, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Disown me? Disinherit me?”
Paige spat vehemently. “Take your pick. I stopped caring long
ago.”

“This has gone on too long, Paige,” he
shouted. “You’re my daughter and I’m entitled to your respect. I
will not have you ignore me or my wishes!”

“Respect is something you earn, Father. You
don’t own me.” Paige shook her head. “I’m not a piece of
property.”

“You’re my daughter, Paige. I won’t lose you
over the likes of Nathan Blackrope.”

Beatrice burst into the room. “I can hear you
two shouting clear in the kitchen. And so can Jesse.”