Riley waited until the door had closed before he leaped to his feet. He glared across the room at Hannah, not knowing what to do first – shake her until her teeth rattled or gently take her in his arms and demand to know why she was so deathly pale. Before he had the opportunity to speak, she did.
"I'm terribly sorry about all this," she murmured. "I had no idea my father had contacted you."
"Why'd you leave?" he bit out the question between clenched teeth, still undecided about how he was going to deal with her.
She frowned as if she didn't understand his question. Her brow creased until she understood, and then it creased even more. "I suppose I owe you an apology for that, as well."
"You're damn right you do.""I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Obviously," he retorted, trapped in his anger. "No one in their right mind would do this to themselves. The question is, what the hell are we going to do about it now?"
"Oh, don't worry. It isn't necessary for you to marry me. I don't know what ever made Dad suggest that."
She seemed so damn smug about it, and that riled him all the more.
"Apparently your father feels differently. He seems to think my marrying you would salvage your honor."
She nodded. Her hair was tied at her nape, giving Riley a clear view of the delicate lines of her face. As pale as she was, she resembled a porcelain doll, fragile and easily breakable. She looked dangerously close to that point right then.
"My father is an old-fashioned man with traditional values. Marriage is what he would expect."
"What do you expect?" His tone was less harsh, his concern for her outweighing his irritation.
Hannah placed her hand on her smooth stomach as though she longed to protect the child. Riley's gaze dropped there, and he waited a moment, trying to analyze his own feelings. A child grew there. His child. Try as he might, he felt nothing except regret mingled with a healthy dose of concern.
"I… I'm not sure what I want from you," Hannah answered. "As I tried to tell you before, I feel terrible about dragging you into this mess."
"It takes two. You didn't create that child on your own."
Her smile was shy. "Yes, I know. It's just that I never meant to involve you… afterward."