Free Intimate Strangers by Danielle Taylor Page B

them. I don’t want to end up like that, hating the person who’s wonderful enough to love me and grant me a family, the way my father seemed to hate my mother. In turn, she despised him. And yet they remained together, for my sake, I can only assume.”
    Barely a fraction of a second passed when she blurted out, “You’re going to take him from me, aren’t you?”
    The look in his eyes was easily read; confusion and hurt, even a little disbelief. “Jesus, Chelsea… Why would you even think that?”
    She clamped her eyelids tightly together. “I don’t know. I-I…”
    “Hey.” A warm hand gripped her chin but she kept her eyes shut. “I would never dream of taking Ruan from you. He needs his mother, he needs you .”
    Still not trusting her voice – or her eyes – with the task of keeping her thoughts and fears private, Chelsea remained as she was. Tiaan continued to touch her, seeming to grow surer of himself the longer she allowed him to keep his hand at her chin. Where at first his fingers were unsteady, now they glided along the edge of her jaw with sure and practised confidence.
    “See here, Chelsea,” his soft, melodic voice murmured, “I don’t know what the future holds, so I can’t make many promises. But one I can make, and keep, is that I will never take Ruan from you. All I ask is that you try and give me some time with him. And, maybe…maybe with you, as well.”
    At that, Chelsea snapped her gaze to meet his, searching for a grain of verity in his statement. That, despite everything currently happening for both of them, he wanted to spend time with her. Of course he most likely didn’t mean in the way she secretly hoped for, but as she thought earlier, Ruan needed his father. Her dreams didn’t enter the equation.
    The past week alone, without help from Hannah or Kayla, was beginning to wear her down. She wanted to be strong, to be everything Ruan could need, but it seemed she wasn’t up to scratch. Tiaan wanted to know his son. What better way than in the safety of the Dunlop’s place? Plus, being back where she called home sounded perfect. She hadn’t gotten much sleep here, she’d been too frightened of waking someone up when Ruan cried at night.
    “I…I know you erm, must be upset–” He swiped his thumb across her cheek then dropped his hand from her face. “I owe you another apology.”
    “Um, what for?” She looked away from his intensely smouldering stare, knowing instantly what he meant.
    “The other day, in the shower. I…you’re addictive to me, Chelsea,” he sighed dejectedly. “I went to your room early that morning but you weren’t there, and then I heard the shower running…I had to see you, and when I saw you, I had to touch you. It’s not an excuse and I know it’s not a very good reason, but it’s the truth. It’s all I’ve got to give. Afterwards, I was so ashamed of myself for attacking you like I did and I thought that if you saw me, what I look like now, well,” he paused, collecting his thoughts. Tiaan touched his lips to Ruan’s forehead. “Do you remember what you said to me that first time we made love?”
    She felt her face prickling with heat. “I’m pretty sure I said a lot of things and most of them probably didn’t make much sense.”
    His laughter perked her spirits up. “Yes, as did I.” Then his expression turned serious. “You called me…perfect. Do you remember?”
    With her eyes shut, Chelsea pictured him in the elevator as he had looked to her that night. Instead of the confident man that kissed her as if he loved her, she saw the Christiaan who sat in front of her at this moment in time, and she smiled. Despite the scars, he was still the same person, just a little altered on the inside and out.
    “I remember,” she whispered.
    “And now, the tables have turned, hmm? Now you’re perfect and I’m…falling apart,” his laughter was sardonic now, piercing her heart.
    “No,” came her muted reply. “I’m not