Pregnant for my sterile billionaire

3

The dying sun left the Myles estate wearing an amber dye. Indoors, of course was a different matter altogether-a storm being brewed inside its walls only waiting to break out. Kimberly meandered along gilded hallways, her hands wringing in a never-ending motion. The sudden emergence of Griffin had managed to unsettle her in many ways which she could never explain.

She came to a stop near the living room, propping herself by the doorframe as her eyes ran toward the garden. That was where Carter was playing catch with Perri, their three-year-old son. Perri giggled out, sounding so pure and delighted, but Kimberly didn't get hooked by that postcard image.

It was on Griffin.

He slouches lazily against the railings on the patio, his eyes, those glittering brown pieces, stuck to Perri without ever releasing. A slight smile danced around his lips but never really reached his eyes. She felt a shiver as something crawled down her spine, this creepy thing that kept oozing from him because of the way he watched a near-intimate teenager.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. There was nothing wrong with him being Carter’s half-brother, but the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. She forced herself to focus on the scene outside, willing her mind to quiet.

********

A little later, Kimberly was in the kitchen, arranging a platter of hors d'oeuvres for the family gathering. She tried getting wrapped up into the mundane task--the idea being that preoccupation with repetitive motions would quiet her nerves.

"You seem tense."

The voice startled her and she turned to face Griffin, standing in the doorway with his hands jammed casually into his pockets.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said with a small, disarming smile.

Kimberly forced a polite smile, racing inside. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Didn't want to intrude," Griffin said, coming into the room, his eyes going to the platter she was fixing. "Family gatherings can be just a little overwhelming, don't you think?"

"They can be," Kimberly returned warily, flat. "But it's always great to have everybody together.”

"Hmm," Griffin said, leaning against the counter. "And Perri? He seems like a great kid."

Kimberly's frame went rigid at the mention of her son. "He is."

Griffin continued to stare at her, weighing her reaction. "I couldn't help but notice how much he looks like….…" He let it hang.

Kimberly frowned deeper, growing more uneasy. "Like who?

Before Griffin could utter a word, Carter strode in, taut-faced. His eyes flickered between them, settling on Kimberly. "May I have a word with you, Griffin?"

Kimberly seemed to falter that second before she nodded and stepped backward from the room.

*******

No sooner than the door closed behind her, Carter whirled upon Nate with all of his features hardened into anger.

"What in the name of God are you doing?" Carter fumed in an angry hiss.

Griffin smiled casual, posture relaxed. "Just making conversation. You don't have to be so paranoid."

"I told you to stay away from Kimberly," Carter snapped.

Griffin lifted an eyebrow. "I was being polite. Maybe you should try it sometime."

Carter moved closer, his voice going low, a dangerous whisper. "This isn't some game, Nate. You do anything to jeopardize my family-

"Your family?" Griffin interrupted, heavy on the sarcasm, dripping from his voice like venom. "That is the curious choice of words, at least."

Carter's jaw flexed. "You know what I mean.

It had gone, the smirk off Griffin's face and cold replaced it. "I know exactly what you mean," he replied. "And I also know how much you have to lose if this goes on being dragged out."

Carter's heart was running with this, but he made sure not to show it. "What do you want?

"Ah, there it is," Griffin said, leaning back against the counter. "Cutting to the chase. I appreciate that. I want my share of the inheritance."

Carter stared at him, incredulity flashing across his face. "You're out of your mind. That money isn't yours."

Griffin's face went from pleasant to dark in a second. "Neither is the life you're living. But here you are, playing the doting husband and father."

Carter's fists clenched at his sides. "You agreed to stay away. I gave you money. A lot of money."

“And it was nice," Griffin said with a shrug. "But then I heard about the will. Seventy percent of the fortune going to the one who gave dear old Dad a grandson? That's too big a prize to ignore.”

He stared back at himself, tension in his chest growing as the anger welled up. "You're not going to get away with this."

Griffin stepped closer to him; his voice was quieter now, very low. "Try me. You don't give me what I want, and I tell Kimberly everything. I will tell her about that night, about how you drugged her and she didn't actually spend that night with you.”

Carter's stomach was knotting as his mind was starting to run. "You wouldn't dare.

Griffin’s smirk was back, cold, menacing this time. "Watch me."

Later that night, Kimberly was in Perri's room tucking him in. Her son's bright blue eyes stared up at her as she leaned over, smoothing back his hair.

"Mommy?" Perri asked, his voice soft, tone curious.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Uncle Griffin said he's going to tell me a secret tomorrow."

Kimberly's hand stilled on its smoothing stroke. "A secret? What kind of secret?"

Perri shrugged and yawned. "He didn't say, but he smiled a lot."

At once, her chest seemed to tighten as a wave of disquiet washed over her. She leaned forward and whispered into his forehead, "Goodnight, my love."

Outside the room, for the first time, Kimberly felt that something was wrong.

She found him standing in the hall outside of Perri's room leaning casually against the wall as if he belonged there.

"You shouldn't be up here," Kimberly said, her tone a little sharper than she intended.

Griffin’s eyes glinted with something she couldn't quite place. "Relax, Kimberly. I just wanted to talk."

She crossed her arms over her chest, and her stance became stiff. "About what?"

He stepped closer, piercingly intense behind his gaze. "About the truth."

Her stomach was somersaulting, but mercifully her face gave nothing away. "What truth?"

Griffin's lips arced into a small, knowing smile. "You deserve to know the truth about your son's father."

Kimberly's breath caught as her heart ran a marathon inside her chest. "What are you talking about?"

For a while, Griffin did nothing but stare into hers, pure pity leading his gaze, and that something else, darker. Then, "You will find out soon enough," he mysteriously said now, already tending in the other direction without waiting for an answer, whereby the steps faded. There would be no sound other than her, and her mind would go into overdrive now that anxiety turned to dread.

What had Griffin been hiding? And more importantly, why did her whole world seem about to go into implosion?