Burned by Passion(47)

“But he’ll be back,” Kira moaned. “He always comes back.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Blake said. His heart was still pounding fast. He’d been so scared of what might have happened to her. She looked so pale, but otherwise unhurt. He cupped a hand over her belly. “We need to get you to a hospital. You could have hurt yourself when you fell, or the baby.’’

She shook her head. “I feel fine except for being a little queasy. It’s just one of the dizzy spells I get a few times a day. Help me up on the couch where I can stretch out and then have a drink of water. I’ll be okay in a minute.”

Carefully, Blake lifted her in his arms and carried her into the living room, placing her gently so that she laid full length on the cushions. He would’ve pulled back once he had her settled but she hugged him around the neck. “Hold me, Blake,” she whispered. “I’m so scared.”

Blake’s arms closed around her tightly. “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”

“It’s not him I’m scared of,” she said, shaking her head

The terror in her voice reached to the depth of him. He unlinked her arms gently from his neck and drew back slightly so he could look into her eyes. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to worry. Now lean back and I’ll get you some water.”

Blake secured the front door and then poured her a glass of water, watching as she downed it slowly. He tucked some loose strands behind her ear. When she was done with the glass, he took it and placed it to the side.

“What are you doing home so soon?” she asked once he turned to her again. She still looked like she’d lost too much of her color and Blake’s worry deepened. He was furious, knowing her father had probably triggered Kira’s collapse. Blake was going to insist they visit the hospital for a checkup anyway. He was taking no chances with her wellbeing or the baby’s.


He sighed deeply. “It was Brittany. She came by today and started talking about how she became suspicious about your background. She decided to hire a private investigator who managed to track down your father. Then she told me he was already coming over here to see you. She made me almost homicidal. I came here as fast as I could. What happened, Kira? Why did you let him in?”

“I didn’t know what else to do. I was confused about him finally tracking me down – and then I was worried about him drawing attention. He wasn’t going to go away until I opened up. Besides, I knew all he ever wanted was money and I was right. He said some mean things and tried to belittle me as usual but all he needed was cash. I gave him all I had in the house which wasn’t much. He promised to return and said that I’d better have something more substantial next time. He wanted $25,000 and I knew I’d never be able to get my hands on that kind of money without you finding out he was extorting money from me. He threatened to cause trouble for me if I didn’t have his cash ready when he showed up next time. Said he’d drag me back down in the gutter where I belong...”

She shook her head and turned her face into the cushion. Blake felt a murderous rage but reined in his fury, rubbing her hands gently as he said, “You know that’s not going to happen. You’ve always known that nothing he ever said was true. But you have to promise me not to ever let him get so close to you again. If you want me to, I’ll get a restraining order on him. But if he truly needs help and you want to help him, then I don’t mind doing what I can to get him rehabilitated. He’s your flesh and blood after all. I’ll do whatever you think is best.”

To Blake’s shock, Kira burst into tears.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” he said in alarm, gathering her in his arms. “Please. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep crying like this in your condition.”

“I lied, Blake,” she said brokenly, turning her cheek into his chest. “All those months ago when I told you about my father. I made it sound like it was my father who disappeared. When the truth is, I was the one who ran away from him.”

She shuddered before continuing in the same shattered tone, “After the last time he showed up demanding money, I knew I couldn’t stay on in that situation where he always knew where I was and could torment me whenever he liked. So I decided to pack up and relocate; set up somewhere far enough away that I was sure he’d never find me. I moved here to New York, got the job working for your father and started my new life. I knew my father would keep looking for me and every day I woke up praying he’d never find me. And now he has.”

Kira clung to his arms as she lifted tear-stained eyes to his. “I’m sorry. I’m a bad person; filled with so much hate and an unforgiving spirit. How could you love someone like me? Someone who would desert their own father?”

Sobs racked her harder than ever and she didn’t struggle when Blake drew her gently into his arms, shushing her softly. “You’re not a bad person, Kira. You can’t help wanting to keep safe from things that can hurt you. Your father caused you a lot of pain and it’s understandable that you didn’t want to keep being put down or mistreated.”

“So you don’t hate me?” she whispered. “That’s what scared me the most. That you’d be disgusted when you found out I...”

Blake tipped her chin up and kissed her lips, effectively silencing her. He cradled the back of her head and swept into her mouth with his tongue, hot and demanding. She moaned, clutching to him as he deepened the fierceness of the kiss. The dread he’d felt coming home and finding her on the floor still lingered. He hated that anyone made her feel intimidated or small. He poured his strength into her through his kiss, clasping her to him as he ran his hand over her lush body. She trembled as his fingers palmed her breasts, and he felt the urgency rise within him as she kissed him back, making him so hard it hurt. Kira was already in her third trimester and still the sexiest woman in the world to him. He loved her desperately. How could she ever think there’d be anything about her that could disgust him in any way?