“Answer the fucking question. Who told you I’m pregnant?” Not that it was really a question. Only two people in the world knew, and she had a feeling Lottie hadn’t gone blabbing to everyone.
“Your father is very worried about you. He’s tasked me with tracking down the father, making sure he doesn’t pose any kind of threat to you or yours.”
“Goddammit.” Fury pumped through her veins and she spun around, pacing away from him. “I told him I didn’t want to tell him who it was. He promised me he’d respect that.”
“I’m sure in his way he thinks he is respecting your decision by not pressuring you to tell him.”
“No, he just hired his fucking mafia lapdog to do his dirty work for him. I’m going to kill him.”
Slender fingers wrapped around her wrist, giving her only a split second of warning before she found herself yanked against his hard, lean body. “First of all, princess, I am nobody’s lapdog. Not yours, not your father’s. That is something you are going to want to keep in mind.”
Fear slid through her veins, slick and greasy and stomach-churning. And on its heels came arousal, so burning hot she wondered how it didn’t actually set her skin on fire.
“Let go of me.” Thankfully, her voice didn’t tremble, even though everything inside her currently was.
“As soon as you tell me the truth.”
“What truth?” But she knew. Before he even opened his mouth, she knew what he wanted from her.
“The baby. Is it mine?”
“It’s none of your business, is what it is.”
The hand on her wrist tightened and the green of his eyes burned with barely restrained fury. “Do not test me, princess.” His voice was soft, too soft, and she nearly whimpered at the sound of it. “The version of me you got that night at the club was me on my best behavior. The civilized, restrained version of myself. But that is not who I really am. And unless you want a taste of the true Killian O’Rourke tonight, I suggest you tell me the truth right fucking now.”
She didn’t want to tell him. Had somehow deluded herself into thinking he would never find out. But that had just been a ridiculous pipe dream. He was her father’s closest friend, so he would have eventually learned she was pregnant even if her dad hadn’t tasked him with tracking down the father. And from there it was, clearly, a short hop, skip, and jump to the truth.
Lying was an option. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it, not to his face. He might be comfortable with flaunting the rule and law of society, but she was not.
“Yes, the baby shares your DNA. But she is not yours. She’s mine, and only mine.”
“She…” Aria watched the wheels turn, watched him do the math in his head. “You already know it’s a girl?”
“No, I’ve just been thinking of her that way. But I hope it is a girl,” she added with a sneer. “I know how you mafia types feel about having sons.”
“I don’t give a fuck. Boy, girl, it doesn’t matter. That baby is mine, and so are you.”
“The fuck we are. I don’t want you anywhere near me or my child.”
“It’s far too late for that, princess.” Still holding her wrist hostage, he ducked his head, his lips a hair’s breadth from hers. “You and our baby both belong to me. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to tell your father everything, and then we can figure out the logistics of our… relationship.”
He stepped back and released her hand, and she hated herself for the stab of disappointment at the loss of his touch. “I will never belong to you. And I will do everything in my power to make sure you never so much as lay eyes on our child.”
“Keep telling yourself that, princess.” Shooting his arm out, he straightened the sleeves of his perfect suit before flashing her one of those devastating smiles. “I need to get going. But tomorrow, you and I are going to have our reckoning.”
“Fuck you and fuck your reckoning.”
The smile turned wolfish. “Oh, princess. I am very much hoping you’ll do exactly that.”
Chapter Seventeen
Killian
He was going to be a father.
Deep down, he’d known before he’d even set foot in her apartment building—they’d need to talk about moving her into his house sooner rather than later, given how ridiculously easy it had been for him to break in—but he’d wanted to hear her say it out loud.
It was a complication, and one he would be paying for in more ways than one. But first things first, he had an engagement to break off.
