Read Online Nameless by Claire Kent - Free Book Online

expression, was perhaps the most infuriating
thing he could have said. “No, I would not! I want some answers.”
    He seemed to
have recognized her state of mind because his next response was much less
maddening. “Yes, I’ve been investigating you.”
    Erin unclenched
her jaw slightly. At least he was admitting it.
    Then he added,
“Are you surprised?”
    She took a
couple of deep breaths, remembered that she had resolved to be reasonable and
not jump to any conclusions. She clearly wasn’t succeeding in that endeavor
very well, so she tried even harder to force her confusion and panic down. “Not
surprised but really offended. You’ve been pretending to accept the pregnancy,
all the while going behind my back. Plotting and scheming who knows what.”
    Her voice got
too shrill at the end—another sign that she was too emotional. She had to get
her fears under control. She didn’t have the answers yet, and everything wasn’t
falling apart just because of this one thing.
    “What do you
think I’m plotting and scheming about?” Seth asked, looking genuinely curious.
    His calm made
her feel even more out of control. ‘I don’t know. That’s the problem. It’s
enough that you’ve underhandedly violated my privacy. I would have willingly
told you anything you wanted to know. I don’t have any deep, dark secrets.”
    “I’m starting
to believe that, and I’m at the point of calling an end to the investigation.
But this is a risky situation for me. I had to be careful. You understand that
I can’t let myself get used.”
    “Neither can
I.”
    They stared at
each other for a minute, neither backing down from the silent confrontation.
    Until, finally,
Seth gave her that adorable half-smile. “I guess we’re at an impasse then.
Unless we can start to trust each other a little.”
    Erin frowned
deeply, for some reason feeling slightly less panicked. He wasn’t acting like a
man who was trying to manipulate and control her—at least not in this. "I
was starting to trust you, but then I found out about all of this. Seriously,
I can understand that you’d want to be careful and look into my background—to
begin with. But what the hell are you still expecting to find?”
    “I don’t know. That’s
why I still feel compelled to look. But, as I said, I’m beginning to conclude
that you are what you seem to be and that this situation simply happened.”
    “It did. How
many times do I have to say so? I’m not interested in marrying you, and I don’t
want your damned money.”
    Seth almost
smiled. “Good to know.”
    She was feeling
a little better, but she still had a knot of anxiety in her gut. She tried to
decide whether his explanation was an appropriate one, or if she still had
legitimate grounds for holding onto her indignation.
    Before she
could decide, he continued, “What did you think I was trying to do?”
    “I told you.”
    “But what
purpose could I have had? Besides merely seeking out information.”
    Erin was
annoyed by his composed coherence, even in the midst of a confrontation. She
wished she could be so cool about everything. Especially this. Because now she
had to try to articulate certain anxieties she’d never fully acknowledged to
another person.
    Clearing her
throat, she began, “You could be trying to...to take control of things.”
    “You’ve already
told me that wasn’t going to happen.”
    Erin gaped at
him, forgetting her hesitation in the absurdity of his response. "Are you
kidding me? I’m one person, and you’re you . How much power do you think
I’d realistically have if you decided you wanted to...”
    Her voice
trailed off, realizing she’d said more than she should have, but at this point
she didn’t even care. She put a hand on her belly. For the first time, she felt
a stab of maternal, protective instinct. She met his eyes, defying anyone—even Seth
Thomas—to try to snatch this away from her.
    Seth stared at
her with his mouth opened slightly. “You