Harvey kept his fists in front of his face, still protecting himself incase Skylen threw a sucker punch.
Hailey rolled her eyes and re-crossed her legs. “Drop your hands, Harvey. Sky doesn’t have to beat you up just to satisfy me. I’m completely over the way you convinced my best friend to abandon me at my junior debutante rehearsal dinner to go play video games with you. I’m also over the way the kid I had to dance with called me “fat and disgusting” and humiliated me in front of the other junior debs.” Moisture glistened in her eyes. “I’m totally over it. It’s forgotten. It’s all in the past now.”
Skylen dropped his fists, walked back around the table and sunk down in his chair. “I’m sorry I hurt you all those years ago Hailey, but I won’t allow you to keep hurting and humiliating Stephanie in return. She’s innocent and doesn’t deserve your wrath.” Skylen spoke firmly, but gently enough to appeal to what was left of Hailey’s decency.
“Stephanie’s a sweet girl. Not so innocent, but sweet, I’ll agree with that. And you’re right, she doesn’t deserve my wrath.” Hailey unzipped her purse, pulled out a cupcake and took a bite. “Mmm…fuck that’s good.” She moaned into a mouthful of chocolate cake and frosting.
Terror gripped Skylen’s chest and his heart thumped insistently against his ribs. He hadn’t witnessed Hailey eat solid food in over 15 years. Since the night of her humiliation, all she’d ever consumed in his presence were weight loss meal replacement shakes. She’d never, ever allowed anything that could be considered actual food to pass through her lips. Watching her bite, chew and swallow something as decadent as a cupcake shot a bolt of fear straight through him. Her game had changed. She had changed. His thoughts scattered and his lips fell silent.
“Relax. It’s a cupcake, not a human brain.” She laughed and turned towards Harvey, offering him a bite of her dessert. “I’m not the monster you think I am. Believe it or not, it’s safe to take a bite. I’m not trying to poison you.”
Harvey clenched his lips closed and waved away the cupcake.
“Suit yourself, more for me.” Hailey lifted the cupcake to her lips again and took another bite.
She’s trying to mind fuck you. Don’t let her do this. Go on the offensive. Skylen knew he had to engage her and take back control of the conversation. “I want answers Hailey. You and I broke up three years ago, and now that you’ve discovered I’ve fallen for another woman, you decide you want me back. You said at the end of your speech in the conference room that you want me to marry you and father your child. Why do you want me? Why must you have me when absolutely any man of means will do? Why not marry your friend, Harvey, here? We all know he’s lusted after you for years and he has his own marriage deadline to meet. Why don’t you torture him for a change?”
“Classy, Sky. Way to keep the conversation classy.” Harvey stood up and walked to the back of the room.
Hailey tapped one long finger against her chin. “I don’t know. Maybe because I’d like to collect at least part of my inheritance before my time runs out. And maybe because there’s something seriously wrong with our parent’s generation. What kinds of sickos attach a clause to an inheritance that forces their daughter to marry and get pregnant by age thirty or forfeit her birthright?”
“You still haven’t explained what any of this has to do with me?” Skylen grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You already know most of the story. As you’re aware, ever since we were born our mothers have wanted us to marry. We were expected to live the life they’d planned for us and unite our family fortunes in marriage. When we both had the courage to end our decade-long relationship three years ago, we upended our mothers’ plans. I thought I would finally be free of the life sentence of having to marry you, but my mother had no intention of allowing me to pursue my freedom. She was furious that I’d allowed you to get away, and she went on the warpath, convincing my father that I was too flighty to be trusted with the family fortune. Dad nearly followed mom’s orders to disinherit me completely, but I pleaded for leniency and he gave me one last opportunity to win back my birthright.”
Hailey uncrossed then re-crossed her legs. “I can’t just marry any man, Skylen. I must marry you. Specifically, the new unbreakable terms of my inheritance state that I must marry you and become pregnant before my thirtieth birthday or I lose all rights to the family money. I must show proof of our marriage and submit to a pregnancy test, or my entire inheritance goes to charity.”
“Damn. That’s awful. I never imagined your parents were so cruel.” Skylen lifted his large hands to his head and pulled his fingers through his hair in thought. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this sooner? I could have helped you convince your parents to change back the terms of your inheritance. Maybe I still can.”
“It’s no use. I’ve already spent three years searching for a lawyer who could find a way to break the new conditions of my inheritance trust. The language of the contract is unbreakable. My parents couldn’t change their minds now even if they wanted to. My fate is sealed. If I want to inherit my birthright I must marry you sometime in the next 22 months.”
“Okay, I understand, the contract’s unbreakable. What I don’t understand is why you’re approaching me about this now with such urgency. You’ve known about this change in your inheritance for the last three years. Why are you trying to convince me to marry you now?”
“Because, I’m ten weeks pregnant and I’ve run out of time.” Water flooded Hailey’s eyes and toppled down her cheeks with the force of a raging river.
Chapter 22
Skylen
Skylen knew Hailey well enough to know the tears streaming down her face were genuine. Her trembling shoulders and panting chest were authentic as well. Skylen wanted to rush up to her and throw his arms around her body like he used to do when they were toddlers and she’d been upset. His touch had always had a way of calming her. But, he stopped himself. The days of him comforting her were long gone.
He and Hailey were no longer friends and he had no right to console himself by offering her the comfort of his touch. He reached into his desk, pulled out a travel pack of tissue paper and handed it to her. Frustrated, he slumped back down in his chair and restrained his impatience, waiting while she wept into the thin sheets of tissue. His fingers clenched and unclenched against the leather arms of his chair while he steadied his nerves and resolved to wait for her to speak again. He wouldn’t press her to hurry up and finish her story; not when she was so upset.
As he listened to the sound of Hailey weeping, his mind wandered to thoughts of Stephanie and he wondered about her current emotional state. Before he’d entered his office the flight attendant had informed him that Stephanie took a Dramamine to help with air sickness. Skylen hoped that the medicine had put her to sleep and that she was currently out of emotional pain and resting comfortably in his bed.
His lips curled up into a smile as he pictured his pillow cradling the soft curves of her face. He wished he was lying in bed beside her, comforting her with the warmth of his body and placing soft kisses on her shoulder and neck. Please be resting. Stomach muscles clenched and twisted with his thought that she might not be asleep, but instead might be sitting awake and hurting, all alone inside his private bedroom while he wasted time arguing with Hailey.
The ugly fact was Hailey had humiliated his woman. No explanation or excuse she could give would change or justify what she’d done. Skylen already knew what he needed to do; steal Stephanie far away from his vengeful ex and the lecherous executives at Mountain Peak Enterprises. Even after what she’d done to his woman, he knew he would still help Hailey.
He could never completely abandon her or allow her to suffer. Mountain Peak Enterprises would make a good gift for her and it would partially compensate her for the loss of her inheritance. The company was his personal holding to keep or discard as he liked and it was the most profitable of all his privately held businesses. Hailey and her baby would be fine, actually bett
er than fine, they would be millionaires.
With Hailey taken care of, he would be free to start a new life with Stephanie. They could marry, move to Willow Glen, close to his little sister and live a happy life in the bright California sunshine. Only one week ago, he purchased a promising but poorly managed tech business in Silicon Valley and she could be his partner in turning it around.
Beautiful, kind, funny Stephanie, I can’t wait for us to be married and start our life together. He longed to wrap his arms around her and confess his love for her. If he could just hold her, everything would be okay. He knew the comfort of his loving embrace would melt away her pain, strengthen her and give her courage for their journey ahead.
“Please don’t touch me.”
The sound of Hailey pushing Harvey back yanked Skylen’s mind away from his thoughts of Stephanie.
“Stop!” Hailey banished an advancing Harvey to the back of the room with a push and a frantic shaking of her hands. “I can’t do this here. Stop. Please. Stop. I have to warn Sky about my mother.”
“Listen to me, Skylen!” Hailey shouted through tears. “I know you don’t want to marry me, and I don’t want to marry you either, but we must elope tonight. If we don’t take control of the situation and marry immediately, my portion of my family’s fortune will go to charity. Me losing my inheritance is completely my mother’s fault, but she won’t see it that way. She will blame you for the loss of the family fortune. She’s vindictive and she’ll punish both you and Stephanie by making sure you two never enjoy a moment of peace or comfort in your lives.”
Hailey crossed then uncrossed her legs and wiped her wet hands down her thighs. “You already know that as a member of the operating board of Carlisle Family brands, my mother has the power to hurt you. What you may not know is she’s already been spreading rumors about Stephanie distracting you from your responsibilities as CEO and about her being the reason why the company’s profits didn’t increase as much as expected last quarter. She’s also been spearheading the operating board’s recent push to control your personal schedule and activities. She may be your mother’s best friend, but she follows her own agenda. My mother won’t hesitate to punish you and Stephanie if you dare to defy her wishes.”
Damn it. I’ve been so distracted with the romance of finding a wife that I’ve been blind to the newest plot to destroy me. Skylen cracked his fist across his skull. You’ve been careless, Sky. You didn’t take the necessary steps to protect yourself or your woman and now a hawk is circling overhead, ready to strike and kill you both.
“Lucky for us, you haven’t asked Stephanie to marry you yet. I don’t see a ring on her finger. You haven’t asked for her hand in marriage yet, right?” Hailey held her breath.
“Yeah, lucky us,” Skylen grimaced. “No. I haven’t asked her to marry me yet.” He gritted his teeth, restraining himself from discussing his private plan to marry Stephanie. No, he wouldn’t make the mistake of dropping his guard with Hailey again. No matter how strong their friendship had once been, she was now a dangerous woman like her mother, and couldn’t be trusted not to attack Stephanie again and try to crush her under her heel. “What about you?” He countered. “Isn’t the father of your baby upset about your plans to marry another man?”
Hailey folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin in silence.
“Well...” Skylen pressed her. His throat lurched with his quick inhale and then he struck, spitting out his accusation. “You haven’t told the father of your baby that you're pregnant, have you?”
Silence.
Silence.
Harvey stepped up. “The father of her unborn child is furious, Sky. He's hurt and angry beyond words. He’s wounded she pushed him away, telling him that she hated him and insisting she never wanted to see him again.” Harvey’s lips quivered with the intensity of his emotion. “She never even intended to tell him about the pregnancy. The only reason he knows she’s pregnant is because her best friend came over to his apartment late last night and told him in person, like Hailey should have done—”
“He wants me to marry him and for us to raise our child together.” Hailey blurted out, still smoothing her hands down the fabric of her skirt. “He doesn’t understand that I don’t want to trap him into marrying me. He only wants me because I’m pregnant with his child. I refuse to be unwanted; a burden. And I refuse to depend on any man – no matter how much I may love him – for the rest of my life. I’m determined to support myself and my child all by myself.”
Harvey lifted his hand as if asking for permission to speak. Hailey ignored his plea. “I want my inheritance. I want it for me and for my baby. And I refuse to give up fighting for it. I can’t allow my parents’ whims to cheat me out of what’s rightfully mine. My inheritance didn’t even originally come from them; it’s been passed down for generations, and they have no right to take it away from me or my child.”
Skylen saw the honest determination in Hailey’s face and heard it in her voice. With the revelations both she and Harvey just made, his heart wouldn’t allow his brain to battle with her any longer. He would meet her honesty with an honesty of his own.
“I’m sorry Hailey, but I’m going to tell you the truth. I won’t marry you. I will try and repair the damage you’ve done to Stephanie, and when it’s time, I will ask her to be my wife. I will also devise a plan to fight your mother. I won’t allow her to hurt me or Stephanie any further.” He reached his hands towards Hailey but then allowed them to fall at his sides. “I suggest you marry the father of your child. He’s a good guy. He wouldn’t consider a wife and a child to be a trap. He knows you two would be the biggest treasures in his life. He would be lucky to have you and you and your unborn child would be lucky to have him.”
“Oh, Sky. You don’t understand.” Hailey leaned to the side and rested her head on her open palm. “I haven’t proposed we marry just for my own benefit. This needs to happen for you and for Stephanie too. My mother views you rejecting me as a personal slight to her. If we don’t marry soon she’s going to destroy you and everything you love. I know that I’ve been ruthless with, well, with everyone and that you don’t owe me anything; but you do owe yourself a fighting chance.
Please marry me. We only have to stay married for a few days, plenty of time for me to prove to the trust that I’m pregnant. The bank must release my inheritance as soon as the marriage and pregnancy are confirmed. Then we can move to Nevada for two months and get a quickie divorce. News of the marriage and baby should distract my mother from her fury long enough to buy you the time you need to stop her from destroying both you and Stephanie.”
Chapter 23
Skylen
Skylen saw that Stephanie needed comfort, so he ordered her a baked mac and cheese appetizer. It had already rested on the linen tablecloth between them, uneaten for nearly ten minutes. It would likely still be sitting there untouched when the first course of their tasting meal arrived unless he encouraged her to eat it.
“Eat, Stephanie,” Skylen pleaded with her.
She lifted her spoon and sunk it into the center of the baked cheese and noodle casserole, but she didn’t lift a bit of it to her mouth. Instead, she turned her face to the side and stared out the window as a line of women wearing tight Lycra and pushing baby strollers ran by.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom,” She said under her breath as she scooped up a hot steaming spoonful of comfort and stuffed it inside her mouth.
Skylen hadn’t wanted their first meal at his favorite restaurant in San Jose to be so melancholy. He hoped to eat here with her frequently once they moved to the Silicon Valley. He wanted this place to hold only happy and romantic memories for her. He wanted her to remember this dinner forever, but only in the best possible way.
“Thanks for catching that missed page in the report before the tech meeting today. It would have been embarrassing for me to submit an incomplete report to my new business associates. Thanks for helping. I needed you.”
&n
bsp; “No problem, I’m glad I could help you.” She shoveled another scoop of mac and cheese inside her mouth, chewed it and swallowed.
Her eyes looked far away as she stared out the window. Skylen didn’t want her far away, he wanted her close. He wanted to keep her here with him, so he reached out and stole her attention away from the San Jose sunset the only way he knew how.
He scooted his chair close to hers. The commotion caused some of the other diners to glance his way, but he ignored their judging looks. Instead, he scooped up a spoonful of macaroni and cheese and held it in front of her lips. “Here, let me feed you,” he said with loving concern.
“We have an agreement. You have to allow me to feed you,” he added when she hesitated to open her mouth. He could see reluctance flash behind her eyes, but she acquiesced, opening her mouth so he could slide the spoonful of mac and cheese between her lips. She closed her full lips as he removed the empty spoon from her mouth. She chewed then swallowed, and Skylen repeated the process, scooping spoonful after spoonful of the cheesy dish inside her mouth until her bowl lay on the white tablecloth, empty of its contents. “It’s good to see you enjoying your food.” Skylen crooned. “It’s easy when my food and my feeder are so delicious,” Stephanie replied.
**Stephanie**
Eating macaroni and cheese out of Skylen’s hand felt comfortable and right. Her man feeding her dinner felt like the most natural thing in the world. And he was her man. Skylen’s my man. She wanted to say the words out loud, but she refrained because he would hear her and then he would know her true heart. She loved him. She had loved him with her full heart for every second of the last twenty-four hours.
At first, when she’d overheard him speaking to Hailey and Harvey on the plane saying he loved her too, she was overjoyed. She’d made immediate mental plans to reveal her love for him tonight over dinner. She’d rehearsed in her head how she would wrap her arms around him when he asked for her hand in marriage and scream “Yes, I’ll marry you” and plant kisses on his mouth. She’d planned to do it just like the characters in her favorite Lifetime TV movies did. She’d planned to shower him with all the love in her heart that she’d been holding back for years; give him everything she’d been saving up over her lifetime for her true love. She’d have given him all of her; every single loving pound.
Taboo Desires: Dirty Forbidden Secrets Bundle (The Complete Miranda Cougar Collection) Page 52
