“You admit it then? Max is mine?”
Aubrey closed her eyes. Her face grew pale. She opened her mouth to speak but then stopped. With the tiniest nod, she admitted the truth.
“Why would you keep me away from my only son?”
“You were my boss. We were together one night—”
His eyes grew dark. “Did you conveniently forget that it was you who came to me, claiming our night together was a mistake? Three months later you resigned and disappeared.”
“And now you know why.”
“I don’t know why.” He moved forward, pressed closer to her. Even with anger throbbing through him, desire tightened his back. “You stole my son. Not only did you fail to tell me about Max, but you actively kept this secret from me.”
Her eyes traced Justin’s face. “What you wanted out of life was very clear.” A pang of longing flitted over her features. “We…” Aubrey shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “He didn’t fit into your life or the lifestyle you were pursuing.”
“My lifestyle?” The words bit out of his mouth. “My lifestyle then and now is none of your concern. We’re talking about my son. My future. My one and only living heir.”
“When I worked at Travati Financial, you spent your days making money and your nights chasing models. Do you think I was about to throw a child into that mix?”
Heat thrummed through his blood. “You didn’t think at all. You caved to your childlike fears, which caused you to run home and hide with your family and my child.”
He moved closer. She was nearly pressed to the wall.
He lowered his voice, just barely containing the rage that thrummed through him. “It took me nearly fifteen years to discover your deceit, but like a thief you stole my child and brought him here”—the muscle in his jaw tensed—“and as lovely as you’ve made your little inn with its restaurant, this is Kansas, Aubrey. A Travati doesn’t belong in Kansas.”
“He’s not a Travati.”
Justin’s nostrils flared and he fought the rage in his chest. “Like hell he isn’t. I’ve got the doctors and attorneys ready to prove my paternity. Are you ready, Aubrey? Are you ready to drag Max through the court system along with your lies? Ready to confront your mistake and deal with the son you viewed as a problem?”
“I never viewed Max as a problem.”
“Then why hide in Kansas? Why not be proud of our son? Why not give him my last name?” Justin tilted his head. Her damn lips were too close now. The scent of mint on her breath filled him. “You were embarrassed to be pregnant and scared that you’d lose Max, and now your fears are about to come true.”
Her eyes widened and he pinned her with his gaze.
Anger fueled his words. “I’m taking him. You’ve had him for fourteen years, and soon he’s going to be mine.”
Insufferable woman. Most women would have crumbled at his words, but Aubrey’s chin only jutted out farther.
“You were a risk I was unwilling to take.” Her eyes raked over his face. “I’m risk adverse, remember?”
That smart, beautiful mouth. Heat careened between them, out of control and skidding toward an impossible end. His heart pounded. Damn her. Damn him. What was this impossible pull she had over him? He grasped her arm and drew her tight to him.
His words were thick in his throat. “That night did mean something, whether you’ll admit it or not. And you left. You left and took my son.”
Anger raged in his chest but didn’t quell the heat between them or the desire that caused his blood to fire with fury and intensity. He grasped the back of her neck and tilted her head toward his. Those lips. Would they taste as lush they had that night so many years before, a night that still haunted his dreams and his wants with what if? No other woman did that … No woman since. Why this woman, who was so damned stubborn and, as he’d learned now, deceitful?
He had to know.
With one swift move, his lips were on hers. The kiss was filled with want and desire and fury, pure unadulterated anger. She did not resist him. She did not pull away from his touch. Instead, a sexy sound came from her throat as her lips opened to his. His tongue probed deep into her mouth, and he wrapped his arm around her body and pulled her closer to him. He had to have her now. Her body fit so closely to his. He clasped her ass and pulled her even tighter, his sex hard between them. She pressed forward, her hips grinding against him, and her hand clutched his shirt.
He pressed his palm to her breast and her head fell back, leaving that lush neck open to his lips. His teeth grazed the soft flesh. Another low moan escaped her throat. Insanity. This moment was insanity, and yet he couldn’t stop himself, didn’t want to stop himself.