The Black Sheep's Secret Child. Cat Schield

as his for her.

      That didn’t make this a reunion between lovers. Not in the traditional sense. Sixteen months of bitter silence lay between them. Part of him didn’t want to open the door to her. The part of him that did was in charge at the moment. Maybe what they were doing was saying goodbye. But as her teeth nipped at his lower lip, driving him closer to orgasm, he knew this brief taste of her had only revived his unquenchable desire.

      Trent fought to make the moment last. But he was only able to hold on until he could determine that she hovered on the brink of a climax.

      Her soft keening and the accelerated rhythm of her hips pushed him over the edge and they came together. Heart thundering, Trent sat perfectly still, his body drained, his heart twisted wreckage. Damn her. She’d made him do what he promised he wouldn’t. He’d let her back in. His first instinct as he labored to breathe was to kiss her long and deep and never let her go. His second instinct was to remove her from his lap and kick her out of his office.

      He did neither.

      Instead, he sank his fingers into his hair, let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. It was the pose of a man wondering what the hell he’d done.

      Displaying no regret, Savannah pushed off the couch and got to her feet. Hips swaying in unconscious allure, she crossed to the bar and found a towel, bringing it back to him. By the time Trent had cleaned up and disposed of the condom, she was putting the last hairpin into her impromptu updo. The only signs of how she’d spent the last ten minutes were her flushed cheeks and smeared lipstick.

      He glanced up and down the length of her as she stepped back into her tall heels, and all he saw was a tranquil, confident woman. Gone was the femme fatale. Trent couldn’t decide if he was glad or sorry.

      “This doesn’t change anything.” His tone was brusque, his words more clipped than he’d intended. “I’m not going back to LA to bail out West Coast Records.”

      She looked at him askance, her eyebrows lifted in disbelief. “That’s not what this was about.”

      “No?” But he knew she wasn’t lying. Savannah frequently ended up in trouble because she wasn’t calculating. The fact that he’d just accused her of unscrupulous behavior demonstrated that their unexpected sexual encounter had thrown him off his game. He hated that. It was time to take the situation back in his hands. “Where are you staying?”

      His question surprised her. Something flickered in her eyes. “I’m not taking you to my hotel suite, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

      It wasn’t what he’d been thinking, but now that she’d mentioned it, that sounded like a great idea. He’d like to strip that conservative dress off her and make love to her properly. But it was too late for that. Two years, one marriage and his brother’s son too late.

      “Where are you staying?” he repeated, letting her see that his patience was waning.

      “Upstairs.”

      Cobalt had been Trent’s first choice of location when he and his business partners decided to open Club T’s. The hotel’s owner, JT Stone, was a brilliant businessman with a great reputation and solid ethics. The rent was high for this exclusive real estate, but the hotel drew a chic crowd with deep pockets who liked to party and could easily afford Club T’s high-end table service.

      “I’ll walk you back to your suite.”

      “There’s no need.”

      Savannah wouldn’t meet his eyes, and it was the first indication Trent had that the encounter had ruffled her composure.

      “It’s two in the morning.” And Trent had no intention of returning to the club tonight. He’d lost his taste for partying the instant Savannah had appeared at his table. All he wanted was to head home, pour himself a liberal amount of scotch and brood. “And you’ve already had one run-in with a man you couldn’t handle.”

      She gave an offhand shrug. “I think I handled you just fine.”

      He fought back an admiring smile. “I meant the guy in the bar.”

      “Oh, him.” She shook her head. “I was on the verge of crushing his toe with my heel.”

      Unsure if she was kidding, Trent caught her by the elbow and turned her in the direction of the office door. He led the way through the back halls of the club and hotel to a service elevator. Once inside he turned an expectant expression on her. Rather than tell him her floor, she reached to push the button herself.

      “It’s no good, you know,” Trent said as the car began to move upward. “If you try to bring me in at West Coast Records, Siggy will fight you with everything he has.”

      “But you’re exactly what the company needs. You’re brilliant. Your father and Rafe never understood that.”

      Trent stared at her in bemusement. She’d always been on his side. How had two people who only had each other’s best interest at heart failed so miserably at being together?

      Because he didn’t want what she did. Family for him meant nothing but heartache.

      “You’re wasting your time and mine. Let the company fold. You and Dylan will be fine without it. I’ll make sure of that.”

       Three

      Savannah turned Trent’s words over and over in her mind as he escorted her to the suite. His offer made no sense.

      At her door, she stopped and faced him. “You’ll make sure how? I don’t intend to take your money.”

      All she’d ever needed was for him to love her. She’d wanted to be his wife and raise his children. To make a secure life for her family and feel safe in turn. Being shipped between her father and grandmother for eight of her first eleven years had never allowed her any sense of belonging. That wasn’t to say she didn’t have good memories of the small town in Tennessee where her grandmother lived.

      “You said you sold your house to pay Rafe’s debts. Where are you going to go and what do you intend to live on?”

      “I’d hoped to return to Tennessee.” California was expensive and she wanted to start a new life far from the Caldwell family.

      She never should have settled in LA after leaving New York. Originally she’d intended to move to Las Vegas to be close to Trent. He’d not been thrilled at having this plan sprung on him. It had been the first time she’d asserted herself and made her longing for marriage and a family clear to him. The fact that she’d pushed had caused their breakup. With her future up in the air, she’d gone to LA and reached out to Rafe.

      He hadn’t hit her with I told you so or made her feel worse about herself. He’d been supportive and friendly. A hundred times since then she’d wondered how her life would’ve turned out if she’d done any one of a dozen things differently.

      “What’s in Tennessee?” Trent asked.

      Not a single thing, but at least it was somewhat familiar. “It’s home.”

      He didn’t look convinced. “And with no money, what are you planning on doing there?”

      She’d considered returning to acting, but that would require relocating to New York or staying in LA. But with the terrifying load of debt hanging over her head, she was slowly coming around to the idea.

      It meant giving up her dream of raising Dylan where neighbors knew each other and pitched in to help. At least for the time being.

      “I had thought to move to Gatlinburg. The population is small, but it’s a big tourist destination and I’m sure I can find something I can do.”

      “You didn’t deserve to be put in this position by my family. You want to move to Tennessee, I’ll help you with some cash to get you started.”

      She