His Scandalous Love

by Anya Summers

  Carter backed her up until she had nowhere left to retreat. He caged her against the wall. Christ, he felt like he was possessed. Jenna glared up at him. Her blue eyes blazed in fury. He’d missed her spark of fire. Leaning his head down, he breathed in her scent, jasmine and vanilla. It was a sucker punch to the gut and fueled a desire that was for her alone. One of his hands caught a strand of her hair, the feel of the silken thread nearly bringing him to his knees.

  He lowered his head, yearning to feel her lips on his once more. Her delicate hands stopped him, pressing against his chest, pushing him away. Her hands upon him felt like brands and made his groin ache.

  “Carter, please leave. Please—” Her eyes widened. Horror crossed her expressive face, the gorgeous face that had haunted his dreams nightly. At the shrieking wail emitting from an unseen room, Carter rocked back on his heels. His world spun, and all the air vanished from his lungs.

  It was the high-pitched wail of an infant.

  Dazed didn’t even begin to cover the roiling mass of disbelief infiltrating his system. Jenna raced from the living room and left him standing there, reeling. She hurried back beyond the tiny, eat-in kitchen, with the bags from the market still sitting on the counter—likely because of his untimely disruption. Shaking himself from his stupor, Carter trailed her, unwilling to let her out of his sight now that she was back in his life.

  He blinked at the scene before him, wondering if he was hallucinating and had indeed gone off the deep end.

  “There, there, my love. It’s all right. I know you’re hungry. Hush now. I’ve got you,” Jenna murmured, her voice soft and infused with honeyed sweetness as she lifted a squalling bundle from a crib. Tiny fists waved angrily in the air from the swaddled blanket covered with tiny sailboats on them. Carter stood rooted to the spot.

  Jenna was a mother. She had a baby. Who was she with? Did Carter know him? Jackson Hole wasn’t that large a town, and he knew the majority of the residents. Anger clawed at his chest. It was irrational, to be sure, but he wanted to howl and shake his fists at the heavens at the unfairness of it. To finally find her again and see that she had moved on while he’d been stuck in a quagmire of their past…

  “Jenna, you have a baby? When?” he asked, his heart aching in a way he didn’t quite understand.

  “You’re still here? I thought I told you to leave.” She nodded toward the door in a dismissive gesture, her eyes blazing with self-righteous indignation. “Please go, Carter.”

  “Not until I get some answers.” He approached her with the infant cradled in her arms and was brought up short. His world didn’t merely spin but did an entire one eighty as he stared at the child.

  “That’s my baby,” he said with awe clouding his voice. Carter would know that face anywhere. There was an image of him, nearly identical at that age, in the living room at his house. Of all the things he’d expected to find when he followed her, this wasn’t it.

  Jenna winced, and moisture rimmed her dark blonde lashes. “Carter, listen to me, please. He’s hungry, he’s—”

  “Give him to me, Jenna. Let me see him,” Carter ordered, unable to quell the rising tide of emotions battering him. She didn’t fight him when he went to lift the child out of her arms. His son waved his fists and kicked his feet, his tiny face scrunched up in fury at being denied his meal. Carter laughed at the tiny wail. Euphoria infused him. Carter had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life.

  His son. He had a son. He was perfect; loud, and red-faced, but the most beautiful thing Carter had ever seen.

  I love you. I know this is the first time we’ve met, but I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything.

  “His name?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion. He was a father. He had a son.

  “It’s Liam,” Jenna said quietly.

  “Liam. It’s a good name. I’m your pa, Liam. That’s it.” Carter grinned as his son quieted and stared up at him with identical eyes to his own. It was a singularly unique experience; meeting his son, seeing himself—parts of himself—passed on. He and Liam stared at each other, Liam’s little hand curled around one of his fingers, his grip firm and strong. They studied one another intently, and the peace lasted for about two minutes. Then Liam’s face creased in fury and he howled again at being denied his meal.

  “Carter, please, he’s hungry. I was just about to feed him before you arrived. Please, he needs me,” Jenna pleaded, her hands on his arm attempting to gently remove Liam. He felt her touch to the marrow of his bones.

  He looked at her then. Tears streaked her lovely face, her lower lip trembled. She seemed to fear he would take him, take Liam and leave. She’d given him a son. The woman he’d never expected to care for had borne his child.

  With care, he handed Liam back to his mother. She instantly tried soothing the angry bundle as she sat in a corner chair that resembled a small, feminine lazy boy recliner in a paisley pink fabric.

  “I know, sweet boy. I’ve got you. I know, you’re so hungry. Carter, if you don’t mind…” She nodded toward the door, dismissing him. But he wasn’t missing a second more of his son’s life.

  Carter took a seat on the edge of her bed, as close to her and Liam as possible. When she opened her mouth, he stopped her, putting a hand up. “Jenna, I’m not leaving. I’ve already seen your charms. Feed our son.”

  He gestured for her to proceed. Liam’s angry wail pierced the air, Jenna harrumphed and then ignored him entirely. She directed all her focus toward Liam. It was an achingly private and intimate moment, watching his son’s tiny mouth latch on to Jenna’s nipple and begin to suckle.

  Liam’s furious cries diminished. His miniature fist rested against her breast and his eyes were focused on Jenna, his mouth working as he nursed.

  “There, that’s better isn’t it, my love? That’s it,” Jenna murmured, rocking him slightly, her gaze soft.

  “You love him,” Carter stated, a little amazed and awed by the expression on her face. Maybe he shouldn’t be, but in the days and weeks since their interlude on the island, he’d questioned what he’d seen in her eyes. Doubted the emotions she’d tried to hide from him. Doubted his own memory, if truth be told.

  “More than life itself,” she admitted, her gaze never wavering from Liam. And then she blushed; her cheeks pinkened beneath his gaze and some of the flush even spread over her exposed breast.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Jenna?” Carter asked, with more force and accusation in his voice than he intended. But she’d kept this from him. How could she do that? She’d hidden his son away from him. He wanted to pull her across his thighs and blister her hide. And he would, the moment the opportunity presented itself.

  Her eyes slid shut, a grimace crossed her features and then she said, “I meant to, Carter, please believe me when I say that. My life got complicated really quickly. I never meant to keep him from you. I swear I didn’t. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I left Pleasure Island and my life imploded.”

  She gazed at him then, regret swimming in her blue eyes. He hadn’t forgotten how beautiful her eyes were, but he hadn’t remembered the knockout punch to the gut a single look from her could give his composure. She continued, “But now you do know about Liam. And you can come see him and be a part of his life as much as you want. No pressure. If you don’t want to be in his life, I’ll understand, and I’m not asking or demanding that you do. But know this: if you decide to be in his life, then you are all in. I won’t accept half measures where my son is concerned, or allow you to yo-yo in and out of his existence. If you need to take some time to think about it, I’ll understand.”

  He hid his smile at her unexpected display of mama bear protective attitude. Carter’s mind had been made up the moment he realized the child was his; Jenna just didn’t know it. He said, “I’m all in. And I will be in his life on a daily basis from here on out. As soon as you have finished feeding him, I will help you pack your things and his, you’re both coming home with me tonight. You’ll
live on my ranch from now on.”

  She shook her head in refusal. “Carter, I can’t. I have responsibilities. I—”

  “Is it another man, Jenna? What? Tell me.” If it was another man, Carter would hide the body. He had a thousand or so acres of untamed wilderness. Plenty of places to hide one. Nothing was keeping him from his son—or his son’s mother, for that matter.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s my sister. She’s in the shower, getting ready for work tonight.”

  The gut clenching fear slackened, and he listened to the sounds in the apartment. He heard the water quietly running in an unseen bathroom. It was something he had missed entirely when he’d entered her place, but Jenna’s presence and reappearance had consumed him, given him blinders to everything else. Carter could deal with a sister. Another man, no.

  Jenna stated rather defiantly, a spark in her gaze, “I can’t leave her here by herself. And I have a job that I’m starting in a few days. Without transportation into the city, it will just be easier for us to live here.”

  “Well, your sister can come live at the ranch too. As for your job, that’s taking care of our son,” Carter replied. If she wanted to fight him on this, she could try. But she would lose. His son would live with him.

  “But, but…” she sputtered.

  “You kept him from me, Jenna—whether intentionally or not, the result of your actions kept me in the dark about his existence. I won’t miss more of my son’s life because of your misplaced sense of pride, or whatever other reason you’re trying to come up with to finagle a way out of coming with me. This is the most practical scenario for everyone. I can’t get into town frequently with my duties on the ranch. Hell, this is the first time I’ve left the ranch in a month. You will have your own room at my house, and I will get a nursery put together for Liam. But I’m not leaving here without you and Liam. Fight me if you want to but you won’t win on this. My son will live with me.”

  “So you would take my son from me? Just like that? Muscle in here, acting like a big bad Dom and—” Her voice rose an octave and she clamped her mouth shut.

  “No. I won’t take him away from you. How could you even think that of me? I never treated you poorly and that’s the truth, so don’t try to impose warped views of my character because you want to be a brat about the situation. But I will have my son under my roof. And it’s going to be that way because I’m bigger and stronger.”

  “Don’t pull that Dom bullshit with me, Carter. It won’t work,” she snapped.

  He almost smiled at her response. God, he’d missed that spark she had in her. He knelt before her and put an arm on either side of the chair, completely trapping her. Mindful of the baby with his eyes shut, his mouth still moving and drinking from her tit, he said in a low voice, “You and Liam are coming with me, Jenna. If I have to handcuff you to my pickup truck, I will. And I will do it, because I will have my son in my house. I’m not doing this to hurt you or Liam. This truly is what is best for everyone. When he’s done eating, pack your things. We’re moving you both to my house tonight. Understood?”

  She was rigid, but she nodded and then said, “On one condition.”

  “What’s that?” he asked, feeling downright testy over her attitude. This little sub had forgotten the way to behave, and he would take premiere pleasure in reminding her who was boss.

  “You don’t touch me. I’m not your submissive or a convenient screw because I’m in the same house as you. Liam and I will live there, but we’re roommates, nothing more,” Jenna replied, studying him.

  He stared at her, trying to decide how to answer. “I will agree that I won’t touch you unless you beg me to, and then all bets are off.”

  “I won’t beg you for anything,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “Then you’ve got nothing to lose or worry about. Are we agreed?” Carter asked, holding his breath, watching a myriad number of expressions as they flickered over her face while she decided. She was still so expressive, held nothing back. Everything she felt was in her eyes, and right now they were wary but resigned.

  “Yes. We’ll come with you,” Jenna replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Carter swallowed the momentary victory. She hadn’t established any parameters for their agreement. For instance, just because she’d said she wouldn’t beg him, that didn’t mean he couldn’t do everything in his power to change her mind by seducing her. Carter knew her body, knew how to drive her crazy and entice her into his bed. He wasn’t certain why she had erected barriers between them. Perhaps it was the year between their parting, or maybe she hadn’t felt anything more than a passing fancy for him. But he’d get to the bottom of it before long.

  Carter felt a sense of purpose and forward momentum for the first time since he had left Pleasure Island.

  She’d be under his roof and back in his bed by the month’s end. And this time, he wasn’t playing to own her merely for a week, but for keeps.

  Chapter 3

  Carter was here, in her apartment.

  His inky, dark chestnut hair peeked out from beneath his Stetson, the tousled length longer than the last time she’d seen him. His shoulders appeared broader. But that was Carter; big and alpha to the core, and larger than life. Jenna was shocked at the unexpected desire thrumming in her veins at being near him again. She shouldn’t be when it came to him. Carter’s presence, the energy that made him who he was, infused her small bedroom and overwhelmed her. He’d done that from the first moment on the docks of Pleasure Island. And in the time since they had parted, it seemed like none of that had changed—when everything else had.

  What had she just agreed to? Live with him? See him night and day?

  Jenna couldn’t stop the tremors that seized her at the satisfied glimmer in his eyes.

  She did her best to hide her trepidation from Carter as Liam nursed. His intrusion into her room and back into her life left her dazed. She couldn’t deny the apprehension she experienced at seeing him again. Before, when they’d been together on the island, he had dominated her world. It had been the best week she’d ever had, and had given her a renewed purpose in life when her own had become so bleak. Looking down at her son still rootling for more milk, she switched Liam from one breast to the other. Her little man was a hungry boy.

  Probably because he took after his father. She didn’t know how Carter had known Liam was his son—although, now that the two were side by side, she could see they had similar physical traits. Liam’s eye color had already begun to shift toward hazel, just like Carter’s. And he’d already had a mop of dark hair when he was born.

  Carter knew about Liam and wanted him—wanted to be a father to him.

  That was something, at least. Jenna had to look at this new development positively. Carter knew he was a father and appeared ready to pick up the gauntlet. Jenna could attempt to release the guilt and remorse at keeping Liam a secret, and move forward with her life. While having the news of Liam’s existence sprung on Carter inadvertently wasn’t ideal, or the way she’d wanted him to find out, the fact that he knew was good.

  She had been working on building up her courage to drive out to his ranch with Liam for weeks now, but she’d chickened out each time, using her son and his tender age as an excuse not to, telling herself to wait just another week or two so he was older and then she’d make the trek. That driving for an hour with an infant was silly and she should wait. What if her sister’s car broke down? What if Liam needed his diaper changed or got fussy?

  She couldn’t deny the relief flowing through her that it was no longer a secret. It certainly was one she’d never intended to keep.

  The whys of her secret didn’t matter now. Carter was justified in his angry accusations. It was guilt more than anything that made her agree to go with him. The man was stubborn as a mule and would get his way regardless. She didn’t want to deny him access to Liam, either. And that was guilt. If Carter truly wanted to be a part of Liam’s life and help her raise him
, maybe it would be for the best if they lived at his ranch. At least for a little while so Carter could get to know him. As uncomfortable as she was with Carter in her room, his gaze was all for their son and didn’t carry a hint of heat.

  Unlike before, when Liam had suddenly made his presence known. Would he have kissed her if Liam hadn’t intervened with his cries?

  She’d been weak-kneed and flummoxed at being near him again. His scent, that woodsy spicy scent of his she loved so much had wafted over her. She’d waged an internal battle not to surrender to the overwhelming flash of desire flooding her system.

  Jenna was hopeless when it came to Carter. He’d enjoyed her, cared for her, but it had been a week-long fantasy. Still, that didn’t curtail the disappointment she felt that his gaze no longer held any heat. Becoming a father and learning about her inadvertent betrayal would do that. What had she expected? That he would see her again, learn about Liam and declare his love for her? While that might have been a secret fantasy she’d entertained over the long months of her pregnancy, she knew it wasn’t the reality of their situation.

  He was moving her to his ranch because of Liam.

  With the condition she’d requested firmly in place, she didn’t have to worry about any potential advances from him. Surely that would make life easier. She could ignore the constant sexual tension that seemed to always be present.

  What they’d had on Pleasure Island had been a little slice of heaven in her life. And it had brought her the best thing in her life: her son. She didn’t regret a moment she’d spent with Carter, even the unconventional way she’d ended up in his bed.

  There was no remorse over her week with him. Just sorrow that so much had occurred in her life since then that she wasn’t the same person she’d been on the island. Her dad had succumbed to his illness shortly before Christmas. Between her dad’s funeral arrangements and then finding out she was pregnant while dealing with his estate, Jenna had barely kept her head above water.