“Even if it would reassure me?”
Could she possibly pass a lie detector test? If so, that would be the best route to go, but just in case, it wouldn’t be wise to take the chance. “Stop trying to talk me into it. You’re hoping I’ll fail so you can convince everyone I’m the guilty party. You know, I don’t really trust you anymore.”
“You don’t trust me.” He laughed softly. “That’s rich.”
“You’ve been really difficult lately,” she complained.
“Is that why you set fire to my plant? To strike back at me? Bring me in line?”
She folded her arms, fully aware of how that pushed her breasts higher and made them strain against the sheer fabric of her blouse. “I’m sorry you’re so convinced I’d do such a thing, but...it doesn’t really matter what you believe. Chief Bennett told me he wasn’t going to arrest me. He can’t. He doesn’t have any evidence.”
Kyle leaned close enough that she could smell his scent. It was a scent she remembered well, a scent she craved. She was tempted to put her hand on his arm but held off, hoping there’d be an opportunity to touch him later. “What is it about me?” he murmured.
This took her off guard. “Excuse me?”
“What did I ever do to deserve so much of your attention?”
She wished she knew. She told herself all the time that he didn’t deserve her. What other woman would hang on for so long, knowing he was in love with her sister? “We’re meant to be together, Kyle. Like Phoenix and Riley. Phoenix has always loved him, but for years he believed she killed Lori Mansfield, and he didn’t want anything to do with her. Now he knows that isn’t true. You think terrible things about me, too, but just like Phoenix, I’m not as bad as you’ve made me out to be.”
He sat back and regarded her coolly. “Are you saying you didn’t abort our baby?”
She forced herself to maintain eye contact with him even though she wanted to look away. “No! I would never do that! We fought sometimes, and I...I acted immature and demanding. But I loved you. I still love you. And you’d love me, too, if you could see how much I’ve changed!”
Throwing his head back, he laughed out loud.
She usually didn’t have trouble convincing people of anything she said when she was trying this hard... “What?” she asked, feeling out of sorts.
“You’ve changed?”
“I have!”
“You just set fire to my plant!”
He was different these days, more adamant and determined, and it made her uneasy. Somehow, she had to get through to him once and for all. “No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did, so stop lying. I’m here to tell you that you’ll never get another dime out of me, Noelle. The check I gave you on the first of December? That’ll be your last.”
The dark anger she’d felt when she had the abortion—the desire to hurt him—swelled inside her, making it hard to talk without raising her voice. “Kyle, don’t start this again. I’m getting mad.”
Seemingly unconcerned, he shrugged. “I don’t care how mad you get. I mean it.”
She stood up. “You might be able to hold out for a few months, but you’ll have to pay me eventually. We’ve talked about this before. I can force the issue.”
He came to his feet, too. “No, you can’t. If I have to spend every penny I have on lawyers and litigation, I will.”
“You say that because you’re assuming I can’t afford to fight back. You’re wrong. I’ve got my parents in my corner now. They won’t let you do this to me. We’ll get our own lawyers.”
“If that’s the direction they want to go, fine. We can all drain our accounts. But when it’s over, even if you win, I still won’t pay.”
“What?” He’d been stubborn at times—like when she’d wanted to buy a new house or car and he didn’t think it was practical. Still, he’d never gotten this stingy. “Olivia will hate you if you treat me like that.”