His voice came out husky and made heat pool between her thighs.
“To be free.”
“I’ll give you that. I used to want nothing more than freedom. To do what I want, with whom I wanted, when I wanted. But I’ve also had a tumultuous four months. And I’ve found that I want something else besides freedom. Something you’ve just handed me.”
Warning pricked the back of her neck. “What?”
He stepped back, tucking his hands in his pockets and shooting her his thousand-watt grin. “I want to be a part of our child’s life.”
What?Her mouth dropped open, but no words came out. For once, she was speechless.
“Is that acceptable to you?”
“Um... I...”
He laughed, the rich sound breaking through the shock and drifting over her skin with disturbing sensuality.
“I need to mark this on my calendar. The first time you didn’t have a snappy comeback.”
“No, because I...” At last she found her voice. “You hate commitment.”
The smile disappeared. The sight of him, lips tight, shoulders tense, jaw clenched, made her uneasy. What had happened to him? It wasn’t just this moment, but something had been off all night, a darkness lurking behind the smile.
“Used to. People change, Calandra.”
People did change. And other times, you thought they’d changed, only to have them take your trust and rip it into tiny shreds.
“I don’t think I’m comfortable with that.”
“Because of my past?”
“I’ve seen enough pictures of what you’ve been up to the past four months. It’s not your past that concerns me, but your present.” Somehow her voice came out collected and cool. “My own father was like that. My childhood was a living hell. I won’t have that for my child.”
“Our child.”
“Mychild,” she repeated heatedly. “I’m going to be the one raising it, loving it, paying for it—”
“One million dollars.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Or two million. Whatever you and the child need to live comfortably.”
“You can’t buy our child,” she snapped.
“I’m not.” Annoyance laced his voice. “I’m doing the right thing forourchild, Calandra. The one I have a right to see.”
Threads of fear tightened her chest into a fearful knot. She knew just how easily a man of Alejandro’s resources and power could crush her, could use his wealth and lawyers to get shared or even sole custody. The reminder of who he was behind the charm only exacerbated the worry she’d been carrying since she’d decided to tell him about the baby.
Finally, she closed her eyes and let her head drop. Defeat sucked the energy from her limbs. Like it or not, it would be far easier to meet Alejandro halfway than fight him. Fighting could lead to a legal battle she couldn’t even begin to afford.
“What do you want?”
The wooden floor creaked beneath his feet. A warm hand cupped her face. Startled, her eyes flew open and she looked up.
“I would like to be a part of our child’s life.” He held up a hand as she started to speak. “You have misgivings. Our relationship up until now has been...tempestuous.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, amusement lightened her mood. “Fancy word for ‘barely didn’t kill each other.’”