Risky Business

his.
    “All right. I wanted you. Now—”
    “Now,” he interrupted. “Will you listen?”
    “There’s no need to say anything.”
    “Yes, there is.” He walked with her to the bed and drew her down to sit. Moonlight played over their hands as he took hers. “I came to Cozumel for one reason. My feelings on that haven’t changed but other things have. When I first met you I thought you knew something, were hiding something. I linked everything about you to Jerry. It didn’t take long for me to see there was something else. I wanted to know about you, for myself.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know. It’s impossible not to care about you.” At her look of surprise, he smiled. “You project this image of pure self-sufficiency and still manage to look like a waif. Tonight, I purposely maneuvered you into talking about Faith and what had brought you here. When you told me I couldn’t handle it.”
    She drew her hand from his. “That’s understandable. Most people have trouble handling unwed mothers.”
    Anger bubbled as he grabbed her hand again. “Stop putting words in my mouth. You stood in the kitchen talking and I could see you, young, eager and trusting, being betrayed and hurt. I could see what it had done to you, how it had closed you off from things you wanted to do.”
    “I told you I don’t have any regrets.”
    “I know.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “I guess for a moment I needed to have them for you.”
    “Jonas, do you think anyone’s life turns out the way they plan it as children?”
    He laughed a little as he slipped an arm around her and drew her against him. Liz sat still a moment, unsure how to react to the casual show of affection. Then she leaned her headagainst his shoulder and closed her eyes. “Jerry and I were going to be partners.”
    “In what?”
    “In anything.”
    She touched the coin on the end of his chain. “He had one of these.”
    “Our grandparents gave them to us when we were kids. They’re identical five-dollar gold pieces. Funny, I always wore mine heads up. Jerry wore his heads down.” He closed his fingers over the coin. “He stole his first car when we were sixteen.”
    Her fingers crept up to his. “I’m sorry.”
    “The thing was he didn’t need to—we had access to any car in the garage. He told me he just wanted to see if he could get away with it.”
    “He didn’t make life easy for you.”
    “No, he didn’t make life easy. Especially for himself. But he never did anything out of meanness. There were times I hated him, but I never stopped loving him.”
    Liz drew closer. “Love hurts more than hate.”
    He kissed the top of her head. “Liz, I don’t suppose you’ve ever talked to a lawyer about Faith.”
    “Why should I?”
    “Marcus has a responsibility, a financial responsibility at the least, to you and Faith.”
    “I took money from Marcus once. Not again.”
    “Child support payments could be set up very quietly. You could stop working seven days a week.”
    Liz took a deep breath and pulled away until she could see his face. “Faith is my child, has been my child only since the moment Marcus handed me a check. I could have had the abortion and gone back to my life as I’d planned it. I chose not to. I chose to have the baby, to raise the baby, to support thebaby. She’s never given me anything but pleasure from the moment she was born, and I have no intention of sharing her.”
    “One day she’s going to ask you for his name.”
    Liz moistened her lips, but nodded. “Then one day I’ll tell her. She’ll have her own choice to make.”
    He wouldn’t press her now, but there was no reason he couldn’t have his law clerk begin to investigate child support laws and paternity cases. “Are you going to let me meet her? I know the deal is for me to be out of the house and out of your life when she gets back. I will, but I’d like the chance to meet her.”
    “If you’re still in Mexico.”
    “One more question.”
    The smile came more easily. “One more.”
    “There haven’t been any other men, have there?”
    The smile faded. “No.”
    He felt twin surges of gratitude and guilt. “Then let me show you how it should be.”
    “There’s no need—”
    Gently, he brushed the hair back from her face. “Yes, there is. For both of us.” He kissed her eyes closed. “I’ve wanted you from the first.” His mouth on hers was as sweet as spring rain and just as gentle. Slowly, he slipped the robe from her