Steele 05 - Irresistible Forces

recognize him and melted against him. And she couldn’t help but take note that although he was holding her decently, he was doing so with such familiarity that made anyone who was watching aware that they were either past or present lovers.
    “I miss you,” he whispered in her ear.
    Those three words lifted her spirit, revived her hope. She was about to respond by telling him that she had missed him, as well, but stopped herself from doing so. She and Dominic needed to reach an understanding. It would be better if they stuck with their original plan. Once she got pregnant, they were to go back to executing business as usual.
    So she didn’t say anything, didn’t bother acknowledging his words. Instead she kept her head resting on his chest with her eyes closed as she remembered better times between them: the seven days they had been on the island and how she had felt a connection to him in a way that even now heated her blood just thinking about it.
    “Come on, let’s go for a walk outside,” he leaned down and whispered against her ear. It was then she noted the music had stopped playing. She pulled back and nodded. And then she allowed him to lead her out of the doors that led to the terrace.
    For a few moments they didn’t say anything as they walked side by side along the stone walkway. It was a beautiful night in May. Stars were dotting the sky and a half moon sat in their wake.
    “Why did you change your phone number, Taylor?”
    His question intruded into her thoughts. “I thought, considering everything, it was best. You had my business number if you needed to contact me.”
    He nodded. “And how have you been doing?” he asked in a tone that let her know he truly wanted to know.
    “Fine.”
    “And the baby?”
    “Fine, as well. I went to the doctor last week and she said everything appears as it should be.”
    “Good.” Then he stopped walking and turned to her. “I want to apologize for all those things I said that night to you. I had no right.”
    No, he hadn’t. She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
    “Yes, it does. In order for us to move forward I think it does matter. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past two weeks, and you were right. I can’t hold a grudge against my grandfather forever. He’s done more than enough over the years to let me know that he regretted the position he’d taken with my parents. I guess it was so easy just to dislike him rather than admit how much I actually wanted him in my life.”
    He didn’t say anything for a moment and then, “I can vividly recall a kidnapping attempt when I was fourteen.”
    Ignoring her flinch of surprise, he continued. “Luckily it wasn’t successful but soon after that Ryder appeared on the scene as my bodyguard and he’s been with me ever since, nearly twenty years now. It wasn’t until I was in college that I learned that Ryder had been sent by my grandfather to protect me, keep me out of harm’s way. Even then, I was too stubborn to admit that my grandfather had to have cared about me to do such a thing. I’ve suddenly come to realize that life is too short and that we should cherish each day that comes, along with the people who are there. My grandfather is seventy today, so many years have been wasted already and I don’t want to waste others. You were right. I shouldn’t deny him the chance to know his great-grandchild…or the woman whom his grandson has fallen in love with.”
    Taylor went completely still with his words. “What did you say?” she whispered softly, absolutely sure she hadn’t heard him correctly.
    “I said,” he muttered, leaning down closer to her lips, “that I don’t want to deny my grandfather the chance of getting to know his great-grandchild, or you, the woman I’ve fallen in love with. And I do love you, chérie. I’ve known it for some time now. I just realized how much over the past two weeks.”
    Taylor inhaled sharply, held the air in her lungs and then released it to ask, “Are you sure?”
    He smiled. “That’s the one thing I am sure about. What I’m not sure about is how you feel about me.”
    She took a step closer to him. Reached up and cupped his face in her hands while tears glittered in her eyes. “I love you, too, Dominic. I thought I only wanted your baby, but then I discovered I wanted your love, as well.”
    “Now you have both. But there is one more thing I want you to have. My name.”
    Reaching into the back pocket of his pants, he