Somewhere around two in the morning, I put away my work and forced myself to go to sleep. The alarm bludgeoned my head, and I flailed my arms to assault the offending noise with my forearm, and I found the space where Kylie was supposed to be empty. I opened my eyes to see her getting out of the bed. Panicked, I lunged across the mattress and grabbed her arm. She screamed and tried to wrench it back, but my hold was too strong.
“No, no, no, you are not walking out on me again.” I tried not to sound menacing.
Her breathing escalated as she stared at me, a little bird in the mouth of a vicious predator.
“Let me go,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes again.
What had her so sad? So on edge?
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said but didn’t let her go. “Just give me a chance.”
She stared at my hand and tried to twist out of my grasp.
“Please.” She struggled in earnest, and so I got up out of the bed.
Standing next to her, I towered above, so I let her arm go, knowing the threat my mere size implied, but I stayed close enough to grab her arm again if I had to.
“What are you so afraid of Kylie?” I was angry now … damn me.
“You! I’m afraid of you!” She stood strong but didn’t look me in the eye.
“Why? Because you want me to be real? You don’t like eating turkey off my cock? I’m a billionaire … I heard you. I’m willing to work something out, but I need to know this is going to be worth it. I don’t want to be another person on your agency’s list of people ‘Who Kylie has pretended to fuck this year.’ If I’m going to put myself out there, you will have to as well.”
There was an awkward moment of silence between us as she stared at the floor gathering her wits. She sniffled, and I almost offered her a tissue when she turned to me, shaking.
“I’m pregnant.” She looked up at me with big glossy eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Shit
“The baby is yours. I haven’t been with anyone in two years. I can get you proof if you need. I’ll take a DNA test. I don’t need anything from you,” she spoke as she bent her head back to the floor.
I’d never seen her confidence so low.
“Are you going to keep it?” As soon the words were out of my mouth, I knew how horrible they were.
“You don’t have to worry about the baby, and we’ll find another building. It’s fine. Just leave me alone, Alec …” At that point, she raced into the living space and grabbed her bag sobbing.
“You can’t get into a cab wearing my shirt and your underwear. Take a shower … get dressed, hold up a minute.”
She threw on a pair of jeans from her bag and stepped into her shoes.
“I’m fine.”
She raced to the front door, and if I wasn’t naked, I would have run after her, but she needed time.
My chasing her wasn’t going to help, and I had just been delivered a sucker punch to my heart and head. I had to take a minute too.Chapter 17
Kylie
I finally cried. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I hadn’t cried. I had just bottled up all of my emotions and kept them tightly inside. Seeing Alec again was bringing up all kinds of sad and unwanted feelings. I knew when he bid on me at the auction my life was about to blow up. I had to face the fact that my whole existence was about to change. I couldn’t hide it anymore. So, I went home to tell my roommates. They would give me strength, and from there, with their love, I could figure things out.
As soon as I walked in, Avery was on me immediately. Upon noticing my tears, which I couldn’t get to stop, she went ballistic.
“I’m going to kill him. Seriously, Kylie, give me that motherfucking asshole’s address. I’m going to razor blade his face.” I think she was serious.
“No, it’s not like that.” I tried to calm her down.
Madison heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening.
“Ah, Kyle … what happened?” She rushed to me and offered a warm hug. “We love you, you know that, right?” Her reassuring question was odd.
“I know,” I said through my sniffles.
“So, when I say this, you aren’t going to get mad and storm out?” She pulled away from the hug to look at me.
“Yeah,” I wondered where she was going with the line of questioning.
I hadn’t been out with a man for two years; she couldn’t be mad with me for wanting to date someone, could she?
“So, um … you’ve been pretty sick and not eating, but you’ve still gained a little weight. You’ve been emotional, pale, quiet. You hold your stomach, and I don’t think you even know you’re doing it, so … perhaps your tears are because Alec didn’t like the idea of being a father very much.”