Heir To Scandal Part 2

Xander smiled and his elusive dimples appeared. Suddenly, she was seventeen again and his boyish charm melted away all her defenses. He stepped forward until her back was pressed against his SUV. He reached out to touch her face, cradling her cheek against his palm. Rose couldn't keep from closing her eyes and leaning into his touch.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, his lips centimeters from her own.

She could feel the featherlight caress of his breath as he spoke. A chill ran down her spine, making her s.h.i.+ver softly. He brought his palms to her upper arms, gently rubbing up and down to warm her skin. His hands were large and masculine. Not rough, but powerful as they held her. He closed his eyes for a moment. Rose wondered if he was reconsidering kissing her. She couldn't bear the thought.

"Xander?" she said, barely louder than a breath.

His eyes opened and then...contact. Xander's mouth pressed softly against hers. The moment their lips touched, it was as though they'd never been apart. The suppressed pa.s.sion reignited and the chaste first-date kiss quickly unraveled into the heated embrace of old lovers.

His tongue sought hers out, gliding like silk into her mouth. She drank him in, losing herself in the pleasurable buzz of the wine and the hum of desire moving through her nervous system.

It had been so long since she'd let herself indulge with a man. Any man, much less Xander. He was the one who knew her every hope and dream. The one she'd given her virginity to. Her heart to. And through some weird twist of fate, here she was, back in his arms again.

Xander broke away from their kiss, but only to move on to new, unexplored parts of her body. His hungry mouth traveled over the curve of her throat, tasting her skin and nipping gently with his teeth. Rose clutched at him, tilting her head back to give him better access. Her neck was always so sensitive and he remembered it. Every caress sent a s.h.i.+ver of pleasure down her spine that urged her to press against the hard wall of his body.

Xander moved his hands over the soft fabric of her dress. She could feel the heat of his skin penetrating her clothes and warming her body. His touch was electric, bringing to life each neglected part of her body as he caressed it. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tightened and ached painfully against the confines of her bra. Her stomach tensed and twitched under his fingertips, her center nearly boiling over with the need he quickly built in her.

Her blood raged through her veins as her heart pounded faster and faster. There was no denying that she wanted Xander. The moment he asked her to dinner, she'd known this was an eventuality. She couldn't tell him no and right now she didn't want to. She'd missed him. Missed his touch. And even if he would be disappearing back to D.C. in a short time, she would have these memories to keep her satiated.

Rose gasped as his hand cupped her breast and squeezed gently. She arched her body into his, pressing her stomach against the hard ridge of his desire. She drew her leg up, hooking it around his thigh. His hand moved to her exposed skin, gliding along the slit of her dress. They were in the middle of a parking lot, but she didn't care. He groaned against her throat, whispering her name into her ear.

It was the most erotic thing she'd ever heard. Giving herself to Xander might not be the right choice, but in that moment, she didn't care. She wanted him.

And then her cell phone rang.

It was her brother's ringtone. The pa.s.sionate haze she'd lost herself in quickly evaporated. Considering he knew she was on a date, there had to be something wrong. And if there wasn't, she was going to whip him good with her shoe the minute she got home.

"I'm sorry," she said, pus.h.i.+ng gently at the lapels of Xander's suit and reaching for her purse. "It's my brother, Craig. I've got to take this."

Xander nodded and took a step back to give her breathing room and some privacy. She pulled out the phone and answered, her voice still shaky with desire. "Yes?" she said, her tone pointed despite its breathy quality.

"I know," Craig said. "And I'm sorry. But I had to call. Joey fell off my trampoline in the backyard. I'm pretty sure he's broken his left arm. I'm on my way to the E.R. right now. I figured you would want to meet me there."

Rose could hear Joey's whimpers in the background. Her poor baby. He'd never broken any bones before, which was surprising considering how active he was. She'd told Craig about fifteen times that she didn't like those big trampolines. They were just made for breaking children. And now she'd proved her point. Her son was looking at a cast for weeks and it would probably mean that he'd miss out on the Little League champions.h.i.+p later this month. They had a five-round bracket to play through, then on to the regional play-offs in early August. They had the best team the area had seen in a long time and really had a shot at going all the way. Joey would be devastated.

And all so she could go on a stupid date she never should've said yes to in the first place. It was a horrible interruption, but now she was thankful for it. The call had given her a moment to gather herself and realize she was about to make a huge mistake with Xander. This was the man who'd left Cornwall and forgotten she'd ever existed. Eleven years and one charming smile later and she was on the verge of sleeping with him. What was wrong with her? Had she no self-respect?

"Yes, go. I'll meet you there as soon as I can. Tell him I'm on my way." Rose turned off her phone. "I've got to go."

Xander nodded, his fists shoved deep into his pockets. "I gathered that much. Is everything okay?"

"No. I have to go to the hospital to meet Craig." Her hands were shaking as she attempted to slip her phone into her purse and ended up dropping it onto the pavement.

Xander dipped down to pick it up and hand it to her. "Let me drive you. It's a long trip to the nearest hospital and you're too shaken up to drive yourself."

"I'm fine, really. I just need you to take me back to my car."

"No. You're upset. I don't want you getting in a wreck." His eyes were dark in the dim light of the parking lot, but their plea was unmistakable.

Then she remembered. His parents had died in a head-on collision when a teenage girl had swerved into their lane. She had survived and told the cops she'd been crying at the wheel because her boyfriend had dumped her. Of course he'd be concerned that she was too emotionally compromised to drive. "Okay. Thank you," she said without thinking through what she would do when they got to the hospital.

Xander helped her into the SUV and they immediately pulled out onto the highway. They were several miles down the road before either of them spoke again.

"May I ask what happened? Is there anything I can do?"

Rose clutched her purse tightly against her and softly shook her head. "Thank you, but there's not much to be done unless you're an orthopedist. It seems he broke his arm on the trampoline."

"Who? Craig?"

Rose took a deep breath. She could feel the threads of her deception start to unravel. Perhaps she could take a page from the politician's handbook and lie by omission. Tell what she had to but not all of it.

"No," she said. "My son."

Three.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence after Rose spoke. She kept waiting for Xander to say something, but he didn't. The car just kept steady and even, heading for the hospital. She supposed that she should say something, but she didn't want to lie to Xander. She'd only ever wanted to protect him from himself. He would've done the right thing, which would've been the wrong thing for him.

"His name is Joey. He's part of the reason I ended up dropping out of college."

She waited for him to push. To ask the big question, but he didn't. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were laser-focused on the road.

"Is he okay?"

Rose let the air she'd been holding out of her lungs. "My brother says he broke his arm. I won't know for sure until after he sees the doctor. Hopefully, it won't require surgery. As it is, he's going to end up missing the Little League regional champions.h.i.+p. He's going to be crushed."

"I saw on the news that one of the local teams was doing well."

"Yes. They won for our county, which made them eligible to play in the regional tournament in a few weeks. It probably won't be long enough for him to play. I feel so bad for him. He loves baseball."

"I played in Little League for several years, although we never came close to winning any tournaments. The summers of my childhood were always filled with night games and popcorn from the concession stands. I quit the league when my parents died. Playing in high school was never quite the same."

"I liked watching you play. And I like watching Joey play, too, when I can go. A lot of times, Craig has to take him because I'm working."

"That must be hard, missing out on things."

Rose shrugged away his concerns. Lots of things in life were hard, but you did what you had to do. "Someone has to pay for Little League. It's not cheap. Neither is clothing a boy that seems like he grows an inch a month. He's not even a teenager yet."

"You won't be able to keep enough food in the house," Xander said teasingly. "I remember when all the boys. .h.i.t their midteen growth spurts. Molly was having fits trying to keep us fed. It was impossible."

"Craig was like that. I think that was half the reason he ended up getting a job at a fast-food place. He ate most of his salary."

Rose could see the lights of the hospital in the distance. Xander slowed down and pulled into the parking lot near the emergency-room entrance. He found a spot and turned off the engine. She was anxious to get inside to Joey, but she could sense a hesitation in Xander. She waited a moment and at last he spoke.

"Rose, why didn't you mention that you had a son before? We've been talking for hours. I would think that would come up in the conversation."

Panic seized her, tightening her chest like a vise clamped on to her lungs. Her mind raced for an answer. "Honestly, tonight was about being back in high school again." These words were true, if not entirely so. "You were attracted to me, just like the old days. I didn't want to ruin the fantasy of our reunion by mentioning I was a single mother."

"Why would that ruin it?"

Rose shrugged. "Because then I'm not the s.e.xy girl from high school. I'm the single mother you used to date, complete with her own set of baggage."

"Everyone has baggage."

Boy, didn't she know it. Joey wasn't even the half of it. "I'm sorry not to bring him up. I'd better get inside. Thank you for driving me."

Rose reached for the handle of the door but realized as she climbed out that Xander was getting out, too. Was he coming in with her? Why would he do that? d.a.m.n it. He was too thoughtful.

She rounded the hood of the car and stepped into his path. "You don't need to go in with me."

"I know that." He ignored her protests and took her elbow, guiding her toward the building. "You're upset. I'm going to walk you inside."

With every step closer to the door, Rose could feel the noose tightening around her neck. There was no way that Xander would be able to look at her son and not realize the truth. Until he was about four, Joey had been a towhead and looked more like her sister than anyone. That and distance from Cornwall had bought her time from questions. But now Joey was so much the image of his father that sometimes it was painful for Rose to look at him. They had the same light brown hair, the same wide golden-hazel eyes. Joey had her nose and lighter complexion, but everything else was his father, especially as he got older. In a few years, he'd develop the same strong build and square jaw.

If Xander went into the patient area with her, there'd be no hiding it. Or denying it. As they pushed past the information desk into the E.R. waiting room, she wondered if she should stop and tell him the truth. Put an end to the hiding and the worries. At the very least, warn him before they got inside. They were in the middle of a crowded emergency room, surrounded by strangers with a variety of injuries and infectious diseases. It wasn't the ideal place or time, but when exactly was? She couldn't go back eleven years and change things. She either had to tell him or send him home. At least here there were too many witnesses for him to kill her.

"Xander?" She hesitated outside the door that would lead to the pediatric triage area. "Before I go in there, I need to tell you something."

"Right now?" His brow knit together in concern. "Don't we need to get back there to Joey?"

"I do," she said. This was the moment. She could confess. The words were on the tip of her tongue. Then she chickened out. "But you don't. Please go home. It's late."

Xander frowned, his hazel eyes searching her face for answers. "Why do you-?"

"Rose!" The triage door opened and Craig came out.

"We're coming," Xander replied.

The expression on Craig's face was unmistakable. Her brother was not Xander's biggest fan. He'd been around all these years, acting as Joey's surrogate father. He probably blamed Xander for not being there, although it wasn't his fault. Rose hadn't told Xander about the pregnancy, because he deserved a better life. He would've walked away from his scholars.h.i.+p to stay in Cornwall and marry her. He would've given up his dreams of a life in politics to work some low-pay unskilled job and support his family.

She wouldn't ask that of him. And she certainly didn't want to ask him to take her back just for the sake of their child after she'd pushed him away. But maybe now that he was a success and Joey was older, the time had come. Fate seemed to be nudging her in that direction.

None of that mattered to Craig. As far as he was concerned, Xander was guilty of having s.e.x with his little sister and that was crime enough. "We?"

"Of course," Xander said. "I'm not just going to drop her on the curb and call our date done because her son is hurt."

"Her son," Craig repeated with a smirk. His gaze met Rose's and she felt the urge to shrivel up into herself and disappear. Craig had figured out that Xander didn't know the truth yet. Fireworks were about to fly in the E.R. and he would have a front-row seat. He shouldn't look so d.a.m.n smug about it, though.

"Shush, Craig. Come on." Resolved to her fate, she took Xander's hand and pulled him behind her. "Where's Joey?"

Craig pointed down the hallway. "He's in the fourth bed down on the pediatric side." He started down the corridor and they both followed.

"Mom!"

The minute her broken child came into view, everything else that was going on no longer mattered. She let go of Xander and rushed over to her son's bedside. They had his left arm in a sling to keep him from moving it.

She hugged him gently and brushed his damp hair back to press a kiss on his forehead. His skin was pale and moist from coping with the pain. "Hi, baby. How are you?"

"I'm doing a little better," he said with a weak smile. "They gave me some medicine and it doesn't hurt anymore. I also can't feel my lips."

Rose smiled. "That's good. Did they take X-rays yet?"

"No," Craig interrupted. "They're coming to do that in a minute."

Rose nodded but refused to turn and look at Xander. Not yet. She wanted to focus entirely on making sure her son was okay. That was the most important thing.

"Hey, everyone," one of the nurses said, parting the curtains around his bed. She pushed a wheelchair over to where Rose was standing. "I'm going to take Big Shot here over to X-ray to get a look at this arm."

Rose and the nurse helped Joey out of bed and got him settled into the chair. "Do I need to go with him?" She desperately hoped the answer would be yes.

"No, it's better for you all to stay out here. We'll be back in about fifteen or twenty minutes. Take a break. Get a drink. It will be a long night."

Rose watched the nurse roll Joey away. The minute the chair rounded the corner, she heard Xander's quiet, even voice from the other side of the hospital bed.

"I think we need to have a talk, Rose."

She took a deep breath. The moment had come. She had been waiting eleven long years to finally unburden herself of this secret. Unfortunately, it was the kind of secret that was harder to tell the longer you waited. Now she didn't have a choice. Rose nodded softly and shot a glance at her brother that said in no uncertain terms that he was to get out.

Craig gave her a disappointed look and started backing away. "I'm going to go see what they have in the gift shop. Text me if you need me." He disappeared down the hallway.

Now it was just the two of them. And the truth.

"Rose..." His voice trailed off in near disbelief. His palm rubbed over his face, then back over his hair. His hazel gaze was near penetrating as he focused it on her. "Do you have something you need to tell me?"

"I think you already know, Xander. Yes, Joey is your son."

The room felt as if it were spinning around him. Xander reached out and steadied himself on the footboard of the hospital bed. He tried to take a deep breath, but his chest was too tight to draw in the air.

He had a son. A ten-year-old son. And she'd never told him.

Rose sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. "I found out that I was pregnant about a week after you left for college. I was about to leave myself and I wasn't sure what to do. I had broken up with you. You were leaving to do great things.... I decided to just start school and figure it out later. I had time."

"You had a few months, not a few years, Rose." He couldn't keep the bitterness of betrayal from his voice.

"I know. I spent a lot of time at the hospital talking to my mother about my situation. It kept her mind off the treatments and how poorly she felt. She walked me through all my options, but I knew that I wanted to keep our baby. It might be all of you I ever had. She urged me to contact you. You know how moms are. She didn't have much time left and worried about me doing this on my own. She thought you would marry me if you knew."

"I would have."

Rose turned and looked him straight in the eye. "I know. That's why I didn't tell you."

Xander had a hard time processing what she was saying. "You didn't want to marry me?"