The Midnight Hour - Brenda Jackson [106]
Without saying anything else, Mrs. Gillette went to the door, opened it and walked out, closing it behind her.
Drake leaned back against the counter as his heart started racing. He took deep breaths to calm himself down but it wasn't working. Why did Mrs. Gillette think Tori was pregnant? What signs was she talking about?
He slowly walked into the living room, pulled the drapes back and watched Mrs. Gillette leave. She was no longer there for him to ask. The only person who could answer that question was Tori.
All I have to say, Drake Warren, is that after giving birth to eight kids, I know the signs…
The older woman's words rang in his ears. Could she be right? He continued to stand at the window, staring out. Had Tori deliberately lied to him about not being pregnant? God help her if she had, he thought as anger consumed him. He thought of what had happened in Houston-the danger she'd been in, her fight with Horton, and his anger escalated. If she was pregnant, she had placed herself and their baby at risk… and with Cross planning to show up any day, they were still at risk.
He balled his hands into fists at his side. He hoped for Tori's sake that Mrs. Gillette had read the signs wrong.
When Tori walked into the bedroom after taking her shower, she stopped short. Drake was sitting in the chair next to the bed holding a cold glass of milk in his hand.
She gently brushed the damp hair back from her face as she studied him. "Drake, what are you doing in here?"
He met her gaze; held it. "I thought you might like a glass of milk," he said, placing the glass on the small table next to the bed.
Tori studied his features and could tell he was upset about something. "Did you hear from Hawk?"
He continued to watch her, silently, intently. "No, I didn't hear from Hawk," he replied quietly, almost in a deadly tone.
Tori pulled her robe together, beginning to feel nervous. What was wrong with him? She clenched her jaw to stop from screaming the question at him. When time ticked on and he didn't say anything, just continued to stare at her, she couldn't take it any longer. "Drake, why are you upset?"
He slowly stood. "Is there any particular reason why I should be upset, Tori?"
She swallowed as she saw the anger that lined his face. "I don't know. Is there?"
He met her gaze and more anger deepened the grooves around his eyes. "Oh, yes, there certainly is." He tossed her bottle of prenatal vitamins on the bed. "Would you like to explain these?"
Tori quickly crossed the room and picked up the bottle. Fire blazed in her eyes when she looked up at him. "You went through my things! My personal belongings!"
Drake lost his composure-the little bit he'd been holding onto. "Damn right! I wouldn't have had to resort to such tactics if you'd been honest with me from the beginning. Are you pregnant?"
She met his gaze, felt his anger. He was going to give her hell. Double hell. She tilted her chin upward. "Yes, I'm pregnant."
"And the child is mine."
It was a statement and not a question but Tori answered anyway. "Yes, it's yours."
Hearing her say it, hearing her admit she carried his child, took some of the punch out of Drake's anger; but not all of it. "Why didn't you tell me the truth when I asked you about it, Tori?" he asked in a somewhat gentler voice. "You'd even told me that you would contact me if you were pregnant. Why didn't you?"
Tori met his gaze and immediately she saw the hurt in his eyes. "Because I knew that we could never have a future together, Drake. You didn't know my true identity and I couldn't tell you who I was. Besides that, you were a CIA operative and I was getting out of the business. I couldn't live my life putting my child in constant danger."
Her quiet answer did little to quell the anger he felt. "What gave