A Hard Man to Love Read Online Free Page A

hate him so much. The anger in her eyes had been almost enough to laser him in two. Did she have any idea how many other women would love to be in her position—to be offered marriage? Instead of being appreciative, she acted as if she’d been offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the depths of hell.
    And why had she ended their relationship in the first place? He’d come to the island for his sister’s wedding, and even though they’d made plans to see each other, she’d refused to see him until he showed up at her job on Saturday morning and gave her no choice. Her only explanation for why she no longer wanted to see him had been that their relationship had run its course and she wanted to move on.
    He swore.
    Sauntering back into the room, he loosened his tie. He hadn’t been ready to move on. Women didn’t end relationships with him; it usually happened the other way around. Her rejection had bothered him for weeks as he pondered her words, trying to find some hidden meaning in the things she’d said, but couldn’t. Then, out of the blue, she’d called him to say she was pregnant.
    Maybe he hadn’t given her the best response, but he couldn’t be blamed. Their relationship hadn’t been exclusive. For all he knew, she could have broken up with him because of another man and was trying to trap him with that other man’s child. But he had to be truthful and admit his role in this. The last time they’d made love, he hadn’t used any protection. He’d been riled up by the thought of her seeing someone else.
    They had an agreement: don’t ask, don’t tell. But he’d asked. And she’d told.
    One day in April, he’d had to cancel his weekend plans to see her, and when he’d called a few days later to see what she was doing, she told him she planned to go out with a “friend”—a male friend. He’d been so jealous, he’d driven almost five hours straight without stopping because Phineas had taken the private plane out of town on business and he couldn’t get a commercial flight. When he’d shown up at her apartment, she’d been surprised to see him, and he’d made up something about his plans changing yet again. All he really cared about, though, was making sure she didn’t go out with this other guy.
    She canceled her plans, and he’d stayed until the middle of the following week like a simpering idiot. He had conducted his business from the villa and rearranged his appointments until later in the week. When he returned to Atlanta, he found a real estate agent to put a newly formulated plan into action. The agent found a condo for her a few miles from his own place downtown. He planned to move her in and pay for it to have her close by, and if she wanted to work, he’d get her a job at his father’s company.
    He decided to tell her about the condo the weekend of his sister’s wedding. He was ready to move their relationship to the next level and invite her up to see the place. But everything had changed. Their arrangement wasn’t working out. So she’d said. In the back of his mind, he’d wondered if her friend had anything to do with it.
    He never told a soul about his plans. Certainly not her. He wasn’t about to beg. If she wanted out of the relationship, she could have her freedom.
    When she’d told him about her pregnancy, he’d been purposely cold and cruel to her, but once he’d thought about it, he realized Eva would never tell him she carried his child if she wasn’t one hundred percent certain. Another woman, yes. Eva, no. Even now she made it plain she didn’t want anything from him.
    He tossed the tie on the bed and dialed the number for his attorneys.
    He’d given her until noon tomorrow, and now he would wait. He had rights, and he intended to exercise them, no matter how helpless she looked. This wasn’t only about him; this was about his daughter, too. His daughter would never experience what he had. His daughter would never have reason to doubt he loved