by Kalia Lewis
“Hi, I’m…your…Tristan.” He smiled widely at her.
“Hi, I’m April,” she sang out merrily, as she walked down the hallway and stood next to her mother.
The similarity of seeing his eyes in hers knocked the breath out of him. It was like looking in the mirror and he couldn’t speak.
Regaining her composure, Annabelle placed her hand on April's shoulder. “Tristan is an old friend of your uncle Wade’s. He’s here to ask about some details for a wedding I’m working on and now he’s just leaving.” She raised an eyebrow at him with a ‘we’ll talk later’ look.
Ignoring her he spoke to April. “Are you having a party? I could hear music and singing from the doorstep.”
Two dimples appeared in her cheeks as April chuckled. “No, we were making lunch to our favourite music.”
“And what music would that be?”
“It’s the soundtrack from the Dirty Dancing movie.”
Looking into thin air, Tristan rubbed his chin. “Never heard of it?”
April burst out laughing. “Where are you from, the dinosaur age? Everyone has heard of the Dirty Dancing movie.”
He pulled a face and shook his head. “Nope, but I’ve heard of Jurassic Park though.”
She took his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.” And she led him into the front room.
Protesting, Annabelle tried to stop them, but Tristan threw her a threatening look and proceeded to step into the small living room, surveying the homely surroundings. Most of the space was taken up with a comfy looking red sofa, a low coffee table and scattered beanbags. Stylish framed pictures of Annabelle and April were on the white walls, no doubt done by Katie, and a TV was slotted in the corner.
April headed for the TV and Tristan sat down on the sofa.
Aghast at having Tristan fill her home with his powerful presence, Annabelle hung back in the doorway and restlessly shifted from foot to foot, biting her lip.
Looking up at her, he grimaced, “Why don’t you sit here?” Sarcasm dripped from him as he patted the seat next to him.
“No I…erm… am cooking lunch.” She was a bag of nerves.
Throwing herself onto a beanbag, April flicked on the movie. “Well, I could quickly show you the best bits and then you could stay for lunch if you like?”
“April!” Annabelle shot at her. “Tristan is a very busy man.”
Shrugging, April looked at Tristan who smiled sweetly. “I would love to stay for lunch.”
Annabelle marched out of the room.
In the kitchen she banged the pots and pans and cursed as she chopped the broccoli. How dare he just show up uninvited on the doorstep, demanding answers to questions she wasn’t yet ready to give? She held back the tears that were threatening to fall as she realised life would never be the same again. There was no doubt about it; he would want to be in their lives. Wincing at the thought of what changes that might bring, she nearly nicked her skin with the knife. Well, if he thinks he can just barge in here and demand to be a part of April’s life he has another think coming!
For forty minutes she mulled and cursed, burning her fingers as she took out the overdone pasta bake from the oven. Slamming it on the table she ran to the tap.
At that moment April burst in. “Mum, he loved it,” she gushed.
Tristan was leaning against the doorframe watching her suck her burnt thumb. Minus his jacket and rolled up shirt sleeves, he looked as if he’d always belonged here.
“It was the fastest movie I’ve ever watched,” he joked.
April grinned up at him. “That’s because you took charge of the remote!”
He grinned back. “And that’s because you kept rewinding the same part over and over.”
They laughed together and Annabelle felt a stab of jealousy at their shared natural bond. “Okay guys lunch is ready.”
They all sat around the table and apprehension settled in her stomach as Tristan chose the chair next to her. She was sure he was deliberately moving his leg so that it would brush against hers. Never had she felt so uncomfortable in all of her life. There was about an inch of space between them and she could feel the warmth of his body seeping into hers. The food was about as appetising as straw and she just kept chewing the same mouthful over and over.
Tristan however, tucked into the sorry state of the pasta bake and ate heartily. “This is erm…yummy,” he commented.
April burst out laughing. “Yeah, mum’s not known for her great cooking skills, although she makes a mean pancake.”
“That’s not totally true. I can bake a good cake as well,” she griped back.
Roaring with laughter, Tristan choked. “When your mum was thirteen she baked your uncle Wade and I some rocks buns. They were so hard that one bite would have broken your teeth!”
April fell about giggling
Feeling a little more relaxed, Annabelle elbowed him. “Yeah and you fed them to the donkey down the lane and he was constipated for days!”
More laughter burst forth and it felt so natural that Tristan almost forgot why he was here. Almost!
Annabelle had got out of making a pancake dessert by promising April that they would have them for supper. Desperately, she wanted to get Tristan away from April and onto neutral ground to sort out their problem. They were washing the dishes together and Tristan insisted on drying them. Every time he took a plate from her he purposely touched her fingers and it was driving her crazy. Goose bumps lined her arms and she felt a fizzle of electricity at his touch.
The sexual tension in the air was making her so on edge and just when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, the front door banged shut and Katie entered the kitchen. “Hi Ann…” She stopped in her tracks and looked from one to the other. “Tristan,” she said in an unnaturally high voice.
Smirking, he replied, “You just missed lunch.”
Ignoring his sarcasm she turned to April and tousled her hair. “Hi Bambi.” It was Katie’s pet name for her as she was so tall and lanky.
Beaming, she replied, “This is Wade’s friend and we watched Dirty Dancing together.”
“That’s nice.” Her eyebrows shot up and the air now cackled with anxiety. “Annabelle have you got a moment to spare in the hallway?”
“Sure.” Purposely not glancing at Tristan, she left the room.
Katie closed the door behind them and rapidly whispered, “I’ve been trying to ring you?”
“I turned the machine down. Why, what’s wrong?”
“Last night you said that you didn’t want Tristan to find out about April and I return less than twenty-four hours later to find him drying the dishes! What’s going on?”
Feeling almost insane, she muffled a laugh at the ludicrousness of it all. “He found out.”
“How?”
“From some photos, but I haven’t got the full details yet. I need to speak to him without little ears listening.”
Katie bit her nails nervously, was it from her pictures? Oh God, things were getting very serious. “Okay, so you obviously don’t want me to phone the police and report an intruder. Do you want me to entertain April while you have a chat?”
“That might be an idea.” Her stomach jolted at the thought of being alone with him. “But don’t be gone any longer than an hour.”
“Okay, but promise me, any funny business and you’ll ring me on my mobile.”
“I promise.”
They re-entered the kitchen.
“Hey Bambi, do you want to go to the park?”
“Can I?” She glanced at her mother who nodded in consent. “Yes! Let’s go!” She pulled on Katie’s hand and dragged her through the door.
Katie shot Annabelle a parting look and spoke loudly for Tristan’s benefit. “We’ll be no longer than an hour. If you need me just call my mobile.”
The front door slammed shut and Annabelle walked to the table to put some distance between them. The room was filled with his size and something else, lethal danger. He appeared to be
relaxed as he leaned against the sink with his legs crossed and his arms folded, but she could see the tension of the muscles in his arms. It was just a ruse and to step anywhere within his field of reach would give him an advantage over her. There was no way she was going to end up crushed against him again. This time she needed to be alert, as this could become a verbal sparring match.
Silence penetrated the air as they stared at each other. Finally, Tristan quietly spoke, “April is phenomenal, a real credit to you.”
A sense of foreboding hung around her shoulders and she pursed her lips. What, no barrage of anger, questions or even demands? No, he was after something. With an open mouth she continued to stare at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Pain flickered across his face.
“And what would you have done Tristan? Left Texas and come back?” Her voice was hoarse.
He ran a hand through his hair and she could see the dam inside of him on the verge of collapsing. “Shit Annabelle, I don’t know, but didn’t you think for one moment that I might have had rights?”
Here we go, right to the crux of it. “Rights!” she spat out the word. “That night you walked away after humiliating me and then you had the cheek to move on to another woman. Even when I called Wade the next morning, you never said anything.” She pointed her finger at him. “In fact, you never even bothered contacting any of us for the last ten years, so don’t give me your ‘I’ve got rights’ speech!”
“Look, I was angry with you and I was angry with myself. I should have known better and said no, but I didn’t.” He thrust out his hands in desperation. “I took your virginity that night and I let Wade down at the same time. I’ve felt so guilty ever since. It was easier to shut myself off from both of you, than it was to face you.” He sighed. “I can’t change the past.”
Heat rose up her neck and infused her cheeks. “You hurt Wade so badly.”
“I know.” His gut twisted inside. “What about you. Did I hurt you?”
Annabelle paused, not wanting to make herself vulnerable in the presence of the one that scarred her the most, and yet, her heart was screaming at her to tell the truth and end the torment after all these years. “Yes,” she whispered, finally relieved to admit it. “When I found out I was pregnant I didn’t know what to do, so I went to see your Gramps and he helped me with everything. I asked him not to tell you. I’d hoped that somehow you would have realised that I was worth something.” Tears welled at the back of her eyes. “But when you didn’t call, that confirmed everything.”
“What was I to do? I was leaving the next day and guilt stopped me from reaching out to either of you.” His nerves were beginning to fray.
“Yes, and as I recall, you told me that you had nothing to offer me, so how could you have offered anything to April?” Bitterness rose up from her stomach.
“Christ Annabelle, I was barely a man!”
“Well, you were man enough to father a child!” Now she was angry.
Pushing himself off the sink, he strode to the table, but she moved around the opposite side. His eyes darkened. “I want her in my life.”
“Oh no, no you don’t!” She pounded her fist on the table. “You have no right to make any demands on me! I have lived for nearly ten years with April and I have worked damn hard to give her the best life possible.”
“And you believe that it should be a life without her father?” The rage he felt earlier was beginning to return.
“Yes! She has other male role models around her that can provide her with what she needs. There’s your Gramps, Wade and Daniel. She doesn’t need any confusion in her life.”
“So, you will marry Daniel and play happy families is that it?” he spat furiously at her.
“Yes!” What was she thinking, feeling like she could be vulnerable in front of this man? She’d just lied to save herself, but now she didn’t care. The most important person in her world was in threat of slipping through her fingers. Visibly shaking and with pure adrenalin cursing through her veins, she yelled back at him, “Just like you will marry that piranha Boone woman and have lots of heirs to add to your companies!”
His eyes spit forth fire. “Ah, but April is already my heiress. Once we change her surname she will become a proper Hemsley-Ford.”
Total fear clawed at her. “That’s exactly why you can’t have her Tristan. You will have her shipped off to some boarding school, tutored to deal with billions and be an empty shell inside just like you!”
Tristan sucked in his breath.
They were circling the table now, each getting ready for a battle of wills.
Flushed and primed to win at all costs, he leisurely followed the contours of her body. Barefoot and barely reaching his chin, she looked like a spitfire with hair fighting itself loose from that morning’s chignon. Bringing his gaze to her bottom lip, he noticed it was swollen from the constant biting she seemed to do. Was it only this morning when he thought he was childless and marrying someone else? He shook his head disbelievingly. Going back to Texas without having her in his life was not an option. The thought of her marrying Daniel and him touching that creamy skin and kissing those adorable lips made his veins want to explode and he couldn’t comprehend April calling any other man, ‘dad’.
Looking into those feisty emerald green eyes of hers, he smiled lazily, revealing his dimples. “There’s only one solution Ma Belle.”
“Oh, and what’s that?” A ball of fear uncurled in the pit of her stomach.
“You’re going to marry me and become my wife.”
Was that her stomach that had just dropped to her feet? A tingle of fear ran down her spine. “Are you nuts?” She stopped dead in her tracks.
That moment of weakness was all he needed to advance on her from around the table and lock his arm through her waist, pulling her into his arms. “At any cost, I will have you and April in my life.”
Damn! She couldn’t move. Where were her stilettos when she needed them? “You can’t force me Tristan. I’m not some young girl that can be toyed with.” The top of her head reached just under his chin and she tilted her head back to look directly into his eyes, which had gone from cobalt blue to virtually black. Anticipation flooded her veins as she felt his bodily heat against her breasts which were crushed against his chest.
Just who does he think he is! Unconsciously, she moved her gaze to his lips and then back up to his eyes and her tongue darted out and caught her bottom lip.
Watching her dampen those delicious lips was his final undoing. “Bloody hell,” he murmured, as he lowered his lips to hers to claim them.
Deciding to be stubborn and prove that she couldn’t be pushed about, she kept her lips firmly closed and refused to co-operate.
Not easily deterred, he smiled hotly against her lips and sensuously kissed her from the corner of her mouth, down her jaw and into the hollow of her neck and back up again.
Sumptuous wisps of delight pulsated down her body and she closed her eyes, slightly parting her softening lips, feeling his tongue as he ran it along her bottom lip, enticing her open. Shyly she allowed her tongue to come out and greet his. Feeling bolder, she pulled back her tongue and lightly nipped his bottom lip with her teeth.
Jumping with electric fire, he loosened his grip and she reached up around his neck and drove her hands into his hair, urging him closer. She had to have more of him.
Answering her desire, he sank his tongue into her mouth and played provocatively with hers, taking her higher and higher until a fire spread through her legs, making her sway with weakness. Caressing his hand down her back, she moaned and he pulled her further into his groin. The length of his erection grated into her abdomen and she wriggled against it.
“You’re driving me crazy,” he groaned as he ran his other hand up to her breast, massaging its fullness and drawing his thumb over her nipple and teasing it as it protruded through the thin material.
Floating in a mist, she let go to the sheer wonder of it and pulling away fro
m his lips she leaned into his neck and nipped at his velvety skin tracing a path with little kisses up his neck. She could hear his breath catch in his throat and a throb of excitement raged through her body at the power of his response and she could hardly contain herself.
“Marry me Ma Belle,” he whispered huskily.
The blow of his words caused her to freeze and she pushed away from him. “This was just one of your games, wasn’t it?”
He looked flushed and his eyes were heavily lidded with passion. “I want you Annabelle.”
“No, no, that’s not true. You want April and you think you can control me and bully me into getting what you want.”
It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over him. Stepping closer, menace lit up his eyes and he rose to his full height, exuding power. “There are others ways of getting April,” he sneered.
Jolting backwards, she blindly felt for the kitchen unit behind her. “What are you saying?” Her whole nervous system stood on alert.
“I am a very wealthy man and I have a lot of political power available to me. I could have you steamrollered through the courts within weeks and before you know it, I will have shared custody of April, and if needed, I could push it further.”
“You wouldn’t?” Her heart shattered into tiny pieces and she felt her lungs seize up. In that moment she knew he could do exactly what he wanted and she was powerless to stop him. She was just a mouse to his cat.
His gazed softened. “If you won’t marry me Annabelle, then at least give me some time to get to know my daughter? I have missed out on so much.”
“How much time?” she choked, she knew an ultimatum when she saw one.
“I want you both to leave with me tomorrow for my ranch in Mount Vernon, Texas.”
Shock poured through her veins and she could have been knocked over by a feather. “I can’t just leave! What about my work? What about April’s school?”
