Walk on the Wild Side (7 page)

‘I already said you don't need to worry about it.' Kelsi looked away from the wild expression in his eyes ‘I can manage just fine on my own.' And she could. And she would.

‘Really.' He looked furious. ‘OK, let's say, for a second, that that's true.' He walked towards her, his anger surging ahead of him in an invisible cloud. ‘Let's say you can manage just fine on your own and you don't
need
me.'

Kelsi froze, despite her instinct screaming at her to run. And then it was too late. He swiftly pulled her into his arms—lifting her right off her feet. Her heart thundered at the feel of his hard strength pressed so close to her. And it almost beat right out of her chest as his mouth descended.

Her whole body convulsed as his lips pressed hard on hers. It was anger she tasted, but also passion. And she
couldn't do anything except put her hands around his neck and hold on. She tried so hard to stop the spinning inside but she couldn't contain her response, couldn't stop herself softening, opening for him and feeling the rush of desire for more. He was all strength, all heat. And all fury.

She shuddered deeply again as he ravaged, showing her no mercy, kissing her until she succumbed completely—not just to his desire, but to her own. Until suddenly she was kissing him back as keenly and as wildly. Until just as suddenly she panicked and pushed him away, hard.

He dropped her and she gasped.

‘What do we do about
that?
' he demanded.

Kelsi quickly took three paces away, her emotions tossed about like corks on a stormy sea. What was he
thinking
kissing her like that? ‘You think complicating this even more is a good idea?' she demanded shakily.

‘It's that complicated already. I don't think this is going to make much difference.'

‘You've got to be kidding.'

‘I still
want
you.'

Absolute fury overruled her. ‘
You
want
anything
that
moves
.'

His head jerked back, rigid with shock. Oh, she'd over-stepped it now. But she didn't care. She could hardly speak for the anger. So angry with him but even more angry with herself—that in this moment, when her life was about to go through the shredder, she was still turned on by him. She was breathless from one itty-bitty kiss, she was thinking about sex instead of the far more serious issue she had ahead of her. That anger made her even bitchier. ‘How often have you done it? You take many women there? Is it your usual modus operandi? Take them to the beach and seduce them stupid in the sand?'

‘If that was the case, don't you think I'd have had
the sense to carry more than one condom on me?' he shouted back. ‘Yes, I've had lovers, Kelsi, but I've never taken anyone else to that beach. I've never done that in the middle of the day like that before. I've never blown off meetings that I should have been in all afternoon just to spend a few more moments with some weird-looking woman who just tried to run me over. It was a first for me, too. These are all firsts.'

Weird-looking. Of course.

‘Why don't you just walk away, Jack?' she pleaded desperately. ‘I release you from any obligation. Walk away, forget about me. The baby and I will be fine.'

‘I can't do that, Kelsi,' he said furiously. ‘As much as I would like to take you up on that offer, I just can't do it.'

As much as he wanted to.

Now she hurt even more. ‘Why not? You need your freedom, Jack. You like going from season to season. You said yourself your lifestyle doesn't fit with family. And that's OK. This isn't about you. This is about what's best for the baby. Walking away now is the best thing you could do.'

He had to see that this wasn't going to work. That it wouldn't be fair on any of them if they tried to force something that hadn't been meant to be.

He froze, then took the three paces to tower over her again. ‘Walking away might be the best option for
you
Kelsi, but it is not for our child. And you will never get me to believe it is. A child deserves to have two parents who love it.'

What—as her father had ‘loved' her? Who'd let her down time after time? Her father, a player just like Jack, who'd always put fun before family. And who'd then found a more perfect daughter to replace her.

‘Are you capable of loving it, Jack?' she flung back at
him, ancient hurts making her shrill. ‘Are you capable of being there for it? Of being responsible?'

When the silence became too uncomfortable she finally looked up at him. He was pale, the energy barely contained in his rigid stance. Kelsi knew his anger before was nothing on the blazing fury he was feeling now.

‘I don't need you to lecture me on what kind of parent I should be,' he said, scarily quiet. ‘You know
nothing
about me, Kelsi, but I can promise you that's about to change.' He turned. ‘I'm leaving now before either of us says something else regrettable. I'll be in touch tomorrow.'

The heavy wooden door slammed, shaking the foundations of the building that had stood rock solid for the best part of a century.

S
HE
knew nothing? She knew enough. And Kelsi knew she was right. She didn't want to trap Jack. He had his life, his plans and they didn't fit with family. And she didn't want her child to have a father who wandered in and out of its life—who let the kid down time and time again. She knew how much that sucked. So many times as a girl she'd hoped that her dad would show up when he'd said he would. But he never had. She knew how bad it had felt when he'd found another family he'd rather be with. Rejection like that dug in so deep it was a part of you. A part that was impossible to shed.

Kelsi would do whatever it took to prevent that from happening to her baby. Her baby would be better off without a father at all than one who hurt it like that. And while Jack's intentions might be good, it was only a matter of time before he let them down. So she had to convince him it was fine for him to go—somehow.

But he rang first thing.

‘How can I help?' she asked, as if she were a receptionist taking a customer service call.

‘Kelsi, don't act dumb. We have to talk.' How could he sound so good-humoured again?

‘Actually we don't, Jack.' She braced herself and made
her move. ‘In fact I think it's better if we don't see each other again.'

‘You what?'

‘We should end it all here and now.' She held her breath, waiting for the bomb to explode.

All he did was laugh. ‘You actually think that's possible?'

‘Sure.' She was so glad he couldn't see her shaking.

‘You're not doing this on your own, Kelsi.'

‘Watch me,' she said. ‘My mother managed. Millions of women manage.'

‘You don't have to just manage.'

She gripped the phone harder. Oh, yes, she did. And she would.

The silence curdled.

‘I'll be seeking joint custody,' he said, all good humour gone.

Kelsi gaped. The temperature plummeted fifteen degrees with just those few words. ‘You're kidding.' He had to be. It would totally ruin his social life. Not to mention all his overseas adventures. This was just him not used to losing, right?

‘Not at all. I'm going to be involved, Kelsi.'

She shivered. The temperature was free-falling now—global warming was a myth, the ice age was back.

‘Well, OK.' She inhaled. ‘You can try to do that.' And if he actually did try, she'd fight him every inch of the way. But she rallied—sure that in nine months' time he'd have lost interest—he'd be consumed by another competition, and another ten or so women to seduce into his bed. ‘But until this baby is born we don't need to see each other again. You can contact me through your lawyer after the baby arrives.'

The silence was so long she wondered if he'd hung up. She looked at the phone.

‘Kelsi?' He spoke with that sub-zero, too-controlled tone.

‘What?' Her nerves snapped one by one, like the strands of a rope being rubbed over a sharp knife.

‘Don't think about running away.'

She hung up on him and made herself get ready for work. She went with black contacts—reflecting her funereal mood. Leaving was not an option for her. She didn't want to give up the life she was building here—the reputation for superb performance at work. More than that, she didn't want to go home and confess all to her mother—she'd been so proud of Kelsi's achievements. And Kelsi had done everything her mother had wanted—she'd got out of the small home town, gone to university, gone on to get a great job and rented the tiny-but-cute flat in a fantastic part of the city. She'd done everything the snobs her mother cleaned for had thought she'd never do. And her mother had been pleased and proud of her.

But Kelsi didn't want to face the disappointment now she'd done the one thing her mother had warned her about most strongly. Kelsi knew it wasn't that her mother regretted having her, but that she wanted her to have the freedom and opportunities she'd lost because she'd had an unplanned baby. Kelsi was supposed to do everything she hadn't, not make the same mistake.

She figured Jack's threat was just talk—it didn't really scare her. What really scared her were the feelings
she
had for him. Too long in his presence and she lost her ability to say no. It was those mesmerising blue eyes, the charming smile, the made-for-pleasure body. His magnetism overwhelmed her, causing an undeniable, intrinsic reaction. From the marrow of her bones to the softness of her skin,
desire rode in every cell—pushing her to get closer to him. But he lived on the edge, to the max, embracing the thrill…and he liked a lot of thrills.

That
was why she didn't want to see him again. She didn't want to be hurt by him the way her dad hurt her mother—with infidelities and broken promises. She
knew
Jack was a playboy—which was fine for a one-night stand, or even a short fling. But he was not for having a family with.

But her own stupid lust confused her and could only make the situation even more complicated. So she had to avoid him. Maybe in a few months she'd be able to handle seeing him again. Surely when she was the size of a house and horribly uncomfortable she'd be totally over wanting him.

 

Jack's day took a while to improve after his wretched call first thing to Kelsi. He'd hoped she'd have calmed down overnight. He'd tried to, but it had taken him hours to cool off after those last bitter words, but within two seconds of punching her number he was back to viciously angry and threatening things he didn't even know if he meant.
Joint custody?
Where the hell had that come from? How did he think it could even work when he was out of the country for half the year? But all he knew was that he wasn't going to be shut out. She needed his help, whether she liked it or not, and he'd insist she accept it—somehow.

He made himself breathe through the red-rage moment. Because he knew what was driving her anger, what it was that was turning her into such a damn stubborn fool.

She was scared. He didn't blame her. Because so was he.

This was absolutely the wrong thing to have happened. The timing couldn't be worse. He had to focus on getting
optimum fitness back if he wanted to compete in the next lot of Southern Hemisphere comps—and he wanted to compete. Like most sports, snowboarding was a younger man's game. If he was going to really pull out something new to take Olympic gold, it had to be now. Hell, he should be in Whistler working on the moves already. So he had to sort this out with Kelsi now.

Kelsi didn't trust him. He didn't blame her for that either. But while she barely knew him, she thought she knew enough to judge him—and that he did have a problem with. Because her judgement was all bad. She'd probably looked him up on Google—didn't she know not to believe everything that was put up there? The injustice of it burned deep. He meant it when he said he'd support her. He already had a good idea about how to begin.

As for that lust? Yeah, it was still there. The rock solid hard-on he got every time he so much as thought of her pretty much proved it. But she thought he was some slut—that he had no standards and would sleep with anyone who offered. OK, so he had some fun but he wasn't completely indiscriminate. More to the point, he
liked
his lovers—he valued friendship. He didn't use people like that—he liked to give as much as take. Sure he didn't—
couldn't
—offer commitment, but he did do respect. And it wasn't as if she hadn't had a good time with him—he very clearly remembered her screaming for him.

Truth now was he hadn't had any for weeks. Four weeks to be exact—since that hot day in the sun. The irony of it all was that she had no idea how badly she'd screwed up his ability to have fun. She wasn't going to know either. He wasn't about to tell her how deeply she affected him—not while she had such a sucksville opinion of him. He'd get over this bone-aching want for her all on his own. But while he cursed the weakness that had brought him back
to her, he was grateful for it, too. Now he was here to make sure she would be OK.

He was just going to have to forget the want. Thing was, he was sure she still wanted him, too. For a few, too-short moments, she'd answered the kiss that he never should have taken.

Yeah, it was too bad for both of them.

She was right about not complicating their situation even more but, added to that, her physical well-being was paramount—as much as he wanted her, he didn't want to do anything that might hurt her or the baby. And while he knew sex was OK in pregnancy, he wasn't going to risk it. No complications—physical or emotional.

But he did want her to get to know him better and realise she'd misjudged him. He wasn't going to let her get away with thinking she was the only one who could sort this situation out. He had more to contribute than a couple of chromosomes. Jack
never
walked away from a challenge—and her trying to deny him had made this so much more of a challenge. And he was damn well going to keep his humour, too—he was all for keeping it fun. That was the whole point of life, wasn't it?

He talked to his lawyer for a while—applying the wax to speed up the ride. It was amazing how money could lubricate deals. They got into the building before lunchtime. The other three apartments were untenanted. As soon as he saw that he knew he needed to move immediately. Kelsi was vulnerable. He wasn't having her stay alone in this big barn in the middle of the city for another night. It wasn't safe.

She wasn't like the other women he'd known: the ones who could throw 920s in the air and laugh about crashing
out—strong, survivor types. Kelsi was petite and fragile. And she was carrying his child.

Shudders thudded down his spine every time he thought of that. He—a man for whom a dare was a delight. For whom nothing was worth doing if there wasn't some risk involved. For whom the extreme was the pleasure. He was terrified of her being hurt by something supposedly more natural than any of the tricks he pulled. But then he had good reason to worry, and it was reason in itself to keep his mouth shut. She didn't need anything to freak her out more. Not yet. So long as she saw the best doctor. Team of doctors. Bells, whistles, everything. He'd ensure she was OK, the baby was OK and that they had everything they needed to stay that way.

His lawyer tried to advise an overnight cool-down period, but his mind was made up. He wanted the paperwork signed and the process under way today. The sooner the place was fixed up, the sooner he could feel halfway to free again.

 

Kelsi took the morning off to see her GP but went to work in the afternoon, sporting the rose-coloured contacts again. Anything to keep some positive in her perspective. Thank heavens for her overflowing inbox. Keeping busy was the only way to cope. She'd manage. She could totally manage all this—somehow—and keeping her job was a key element in her managing.

But when she got back to her home late in the day she saw a big new red Sold sticker slapped across the For Sale sign outside the building. The one she'd been ignoring for weeks now—hoping the building would be on the market for ages yet. Now she was going to have to move? Great.

She checked her box to see if there was a letter from the rental agency. There wasn't. She got to the big door
and saw it was ajar. Her pulse accelerated when she heard voices coming from inside. She pushed the door wider and walked to the stairs. There were four men at the top talking. One broke from the group and came down towards where she'd frozen, third step up.

‘What are you doing here?' Her pulse just broke the sound barrier with its speed.

‘I live here now,' Jack answered, as if it were nothing.

‘What?' She managed to look past him and saw one of the men busy staring at the walls and writing things on a notebook.

‘I've bought the building.'

‘You've
what?
'

‘It was for sale. I bought it.'

‘Just like that?'

‘Cash buyer.' He suddenly grinned. ‘Can move things fast.'

She swallowed, trying not to stare, because now his eyes were twinkling and hers were starved for the sight of him. ‘What are you going to do with four flats?'

‘I'm reconverting it into the one house.'

She gripped the banister to stop herself tumbling back down. ‘So you're evicting me.'

He laughed and moved a couple more steps down towards her. ‘No.'

Oh, now he'd got close. Too close.

‘I'm converting the other three apartments and keeping yours. When the baby arrives you can move into the big space and when I'm here I'll go into the flat. That way I'll be near you both. You can work from home, and I'll be involved with the baby. It's the perfect solution.'

It sounded far from perfect to her. They were going to be under the same roof? He was going to
move in
and be
some kind of flatmate? How was she supposed to get over the raunch feelings then?

‘Your rent payments cease immediately.'

Kelsi put both hands on the banister.

‘It's going to be noisy round here for a while, but I want the conversion done as soon as possible.' He took another step down so he was only one away from her. ‘The house will be vulnerable with the renovations going on. Can I move you to a hotel for the next few weeks?'

‘No. I'm staying here,' she said firmly. So much was changing in her life. So much was out of her control. And she didn't want him to suddenly be calling
all
the shots like this. This was crazy.

‘Yeah, I thought you'd say that.' His lazy smile appeared again. ‘I've moved into the one next door.'

‘You've
what
?'

‘I'm in the flat next to yours.'

He was going to be through the wall? Now? No way.

‘You don't need to stay here.' She clamped down on the wayward lick of pleasure curling through her lower belly.