Burned by Passion(35)

Kira looked down at her hands, wringing them uncertainly in her lap.

“Kira,” Bretton Carter prompted and she looked up at him, her eyes wide. For a moment he reminded her of Blake with his grey eyes deepening with intensity. “You’ve worked for me long enough to know you can trust me. At least that’s what I like to think. Anything troubling you is my concern, especially if it has to do with your life. Please, talk to me.”

Kira bit hard on her bottom lip, feeling her heart ache even as she realized where Blake got that persuasive and stirring tone of voice. At last she sighed and said, “Terry and I broke up.”

His eyebrows lifted at her. “That’s not enough to land you into the hospital, surely?” he asked gently.

Kira paused a few moments as she debated how to proceed. “Not exactly. What happened was...I told Terry I couldn’t marry him anymore. He lost it and then that’s when he beat me up.”

“Good grief,” Bretton muttered. “That maniac.”

“I knew you never really liked him...,” Kira began quietly.

“Yes, but I’d never have expected him to be crazy enough to beat you into a near-coma. I heard how for days you barely maintained consciousness. If I’d known it was because of that little son of a...” Mr. Carter cut off, shaking his head grimly. “And all because you called off the wedding?”

“That um...wasn’t the main reason,” Kira said reluctantly. She didn’t want to rat Blake out and neither did she want to make excuses for Terry, but her boss deserved to know.

“Terry mostly got mad because he got wind of the uh...present Blake had sent to me.”

“Blake? Sent you a present?” Bretton’s eyebrows lifted even higher.

“Yes. And Terry opened it and saw what it was as well as the note Blake wrote along with it. He didn’t find either content very amusing I’m afraid. The next thing I knew he was hitting me and...” She shook her head and sighed raggedly, knowing it might take a long time to remember the ordeal without shuddering.

“My goodness Kira; it all sounds like something from a soap opera,” Bretton said angrily. “Are you trying to tell me it was Blake’s fault your ex-fiancée physically assaulted you? Damn Blake! I warned him to never come near you again, especially after...”


Kira’s head shot up once more, but her boss didn’t look her way. With a sinking heart she suddenly knew what was coming next; it was what she’d feared the whole time.

“I found out about what happened with you and Blake the night of the party,” he went on quietly, facing the window and looking out into the gardens. “Purely by chance and mostly due to both your carelessness. The next morning I confronted Blake and he confirmed my suspicions.”

Kira gasped, her face hot with shame. Bretton swiveled to face her and regarded her dismayed expression. “If you’re bothered about what I think, don’t be. I was shocked at first, I’ll admit. I never saw you that way; only as a nice, career-driven girl. I soon understood that you’re a woman, with needs and choices to make. And besides, I know how Blake can turn on the charm when he chooses and he knows exactly how to get what he wants,” Bretton added stiffly.

“I’ll understand if you decide to fire me,” she said with difficulty, looking down at the carpet, eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“If I’d wanted to do that, I’d have done it ages ago. But that’s the last thing I’d consider. I needed to keep you around, make sure you were okay even though my instincts told me I needed to put you completely out of harm’s way by relieving you of your position. However, it also occurred to me that since you both acted so unpredictable and without forethought, other mistakes may have resulted. For all I knew, you may have gotten pregnant by him.”

Bretton Carter sent Kira a sharp look as she jumped unavoidably. “You are, aren’t you?” he asked slowly yet with firmness in his gaze and tone.

Kira shivered, arms closing around herself as she rocked slightly back and forth. All she could do was nod mutely, and she heard Mr. Carter sigh deeply.

Her shame couldn’t be any more complete. She wished the ground would swallow her up that minute. Her old self-hatred sprang up and the bleakness of it almost choked her.

“Does my son know about this?” Mr. Carter asked quietly.

Encouraged by his calm tone, she made herself reply as coherently as she could. “No. I haven’t told him. I wasn’t sure I...” She stopped, took a deep breath and tried again. “He asked me to marry him. He says he loves me. I don’t believe him.”

Shocked that she had spoken so plainly to her boss, Kira’s mouth clamped shut again. She was boiling to talk to someone and she’d always considered Mr. Carter like a father and maybe that was why she was opening up so much more than she’d intended to.

“And you, Kira? Do you love him?”

Kira wasn’t sure how well she could lie to her boss as she gulped and said. “I don’t know! My head’s all over the place. It all happened so fast and then went downhill. But now I’m carrying a baby – his baby. I’ve thought a lot about things and I realized it wasn’t about me anymore. I broke up with Terry because I’m pregnant by another man and didn’t want to cheat on Terry any more than I already have. And now I wouldn’t wish to cheat my unborn child out of a father. I’m going to marry Blake,” she finished, lifting her head to look at her boss as finally, she made the ultimate decision. She waited to see disgust or anger on his face, but instead saw a deep relief.