My Name Is Desire: The Bad Baker Boys: Mark's Story

by Tonya Brooks

  “Then what was last night?” she asked and met his troubled gaze.

  The hurt in her eyes was his undoing. Mark could no more hurt her than he could stop breathing. “An act of desperation,” he admitted with remorse. “I wanted to brand you. To make sure you belong to me.”

  Her eyes softened. “Mark, I've been yours since the day I met you,” Desi said quietly as she lifted her hand and caressed his handsome face tenderly. “Don't you know how much I love you?”

  He hadn't known until she had told him. But he should have. A woman like Desi didn't indulge in casual sex for any reason. Mark should have realized the truth when they became lovers. It hadn't been because she'd wanted him too much to resist. She had given in to the desire because she loved him. “I'm not sure I know what love is,” Mark admitted in complete honesty and saw the light fade from her eyes.

  “What I do know is that I can't imagine my life without you in it,” he quickly confessed and lifted her hand to his lips to kiss each knuckle reverently. “Is it enough?” Mark asked hopefully and prayed it would be. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her yet.

  Just having this time with him was enough. It had to be. It was all that she'd ever have of him and she knew it. “Yes,” Desi agreed sadly as she offered him a watery smile and fought the tears that threatened to overflow. “Make love to me, Mark. Show me what you feel.”

  He carried her back inside to the bed and made love to her with all of the unknown emotions inside of him and this time they both fell asleep smiling.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sunday, August 18, 2013

  “What would you like to do today, my Desiree?” Mark asked indulgently as he stared down at her beautiful face. “Should we take Kylie to the amusement park? Or maybe just laze around on the beach?”

  “Either one sounds nice,” she agreed and was pleased that he wanted to spend the day with her and her daughter. “But Harley told me last night that your father was expecting the whole family for lunch and there will be hell to pay unless we go.”

  “So, we'll go to the beach after lunch,” he decided.

  ~~~~

  The meal was excellent as always and the family was rowdy as usual. All in all it was a typical Sunday dinner at the Baker household until Jedidiah dropped a bomb on them. He hadn't been able to make the announcement last week as he'd planned because of Matt and Harley's vacation and Jedidiah was tired of waiting. Halfway through dessert, the family patriarch stood and announced in his usual blunt manner, “I'm getting married. So if you've got anything to say, do it now.”

  Every head at the table swung in his direction and his family stared at him in varying degrees of shock. They all knew that Jedidiah Baker was not a man prone to making jokes and when he said something, he damn well meant it. The knowledge that he had actually been seeing a woman was astonishing, but the fact that he was planning to marry her left his sons speechless. It didn't last long, though.

  “You're gonna do what?” Mark asked and was certain that he'd heard wrong. There was no way the old man would get married again. He'd said so countless times over the years.

  “Married? When the hell did you even have a date?” Matt demanded when he regained the ability to speak.

  “Who is she?” Luke asked in shock.

  “Seriously?” the last came from a grinning John as he looked at Claire who was staring at her plate in acute embarrassment.

  Harley looked across the table at her mother who was blushing profusely. “Do you love her?” she asked bluntly when she turned her attention back to her father-in-law.

  Every head at the table turned to look at Harley because she was the only one who would dare ask the question that the rest of the family was wondering. Jedidiah's serious expression became as gentle as anyone had ever seen it, as he focused on her. “Yes, Harley gal,” he admitted proudly. “I've loved your mama for a long time but I was too damn stubborn to admit it to myself, much less her.”

  That startling announcement drew everyone’s attention to the woman sitting quietly next to him and Harley asked, “Do you love him, Mom?”

  Claire looked adoringly up at the man standing at the head of the table before she turned to face her daughter. “With all my heart,” she assured her with a smile.

  That smile told the younger woman all she needed to know. Harley stood and embraced her father-in-law in a fierce hug. “It's about damn time,” she informed him happily.

  “Ain't that the damn truth,” Jedidiah agreed fervently as he returned the hug.

  “I'm so happy for you both,” Harley said as she moved around the table to her mother and the two women embraced tearfully. “What made you finally decide to stop hiding your relationship?”

  “You did,” Jedidiah confessed. “In spite of all the hell you and Matt have been through, you were still willing to try again. I felt like a damn coward because I was too afraid of being hurt again to give Claire a chance.” He slid his arm around his lady's waist and smiled down at her. “She was just waiting for me to admit I loved her.”

  “So, I guess this means I'll be seeing more of you in the kitchen,” John teased and laughed when she blushed. “Welcome to the family, Claire,” he said sincerely as he hugged her.

  Now that the initial shock was over, the rest of his sons were thrilled that their father had found someone and more than pleased with his choice. Claire was a fine woman and they knew she'd be good to the old man. The boys converged on the happy couple to offer their sincere best wishes as well as tease their father.

  “Damn, Pop. Looks like you've still got it,” Mark joked.

  “He always did like younger women,” Luke added for good measure.

  “Get 'em young, train 'em right,” Matt just had to quip.

  “Doc Jenkins can get you some little blue pills if you need 'em, Pop,” John assured his father with a devilish grin.

  “I don't need no damn pills,” Jedidiah scowled. “You'd do well not to forget I can still kick your ass.” To which his sons laughed in genuine amusement, but not one of them doubted that the old man could do exactly what he had threatened to, and would if provoked.

  “Did you know?” Matt asked his wife curiously.

  “I did,” John confessed with that bad boy smile.

  “So did I,” Harley agreed with a wicked smile of her own when she added, “And the old man doesn't need the pills.”

  ~~~~

  Once they finally arrived at the beach, Mark and Kylie romped in the waves, had a sandcastle building contest and he acted as much like a kid as her daughter. It was no wonder that Kylie was crazy about him, Desi realized. Mark lavished the girl with the attention that she so desperately wanted and was spoiling her rotten. Another man would have his work cut out for him to fill those shoes as far as both of the Anderson ladies were concerned, and Desi knew no one else could ever take his place.

  That evening, they went to the amusement park and not only did Mark win both of them a teddy bear, he insisted on them winning one for him as well. It was a day filled with fun and laughter and the only sore point had been when Kylie had looked up at her mother grinning happily and asked innocently, “Is this what it’s like to be a family, Mom?” Desi had barely held back the tears as she assured her it was.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Monday, August 19, 2013

  Their routine changed drastically after Kylie's arrival. Mark slept alone in his apartment next door and he joined them for breakfast as usual and then they took Kylie to her new school before meeting Luke at his office. Unfortunately, the attorney was the bearer of bad news when he informed them that the judge had rejected the petition and Kylie was going to have to submit to a DNA test.

  Desi looked as if the bottom had fallen out of her world and Mark held her in a comforting embrace as he growled at his brother, “Can't you do something, dammit?”

  “Not to stop the testing,” he admitted. “Desi has to allow it or she can be arrested for refusing to comply with a court order.”r />
  “You're not serious!” Mark exclaimed. He couldn't believe they could actually arrest a mother for trying to protect her child.

  “Unfortunately,” Luke said seriously as he sat on the edge of his desk and faced them.

  “What's going to happen when the test proves she's Kyle's daughter?” Desi asked when she had managed to compose herself somewhat.

  “Best case scenario, he could demand visitation rights,” Luke supplied. “Worst case scenario, he can fight for custody.”

  “No!” she said brokenly. “I don't want him to have anything to do with Kylie. No custody, no visitation, nothing.”

  “I'm afraid that will be for a judge to decide,” the attorney said regretfully. “But from what you've told me, I'd say you've got a good case, Desi. Unless he pulls some pretty big strings, the judge should rule in your favor. But either way, I'm afraid you're going to have to accept that Kylie's father is going to be a part of her life.”

  At that point, she began to pace the floor, her mind working furiously to find a solution. “I'll take Kylie and move to another country,” she said at one point. “Someplace that doesn't have extradition to the US.”

  “I'd strongly advise against that,” Luke said seriously.

  Mark knew it was desperation talking, but he still didn't like it. “You're not going anywhere,” he denied and rose to pull her into his arms. “This is your home and I'll be damned if you're gonna leave it.” Or me, he thought but didn't add.

  “I don't know what else to do,” she said miserably. “You don't know Kyle. He's such a phony. He'd say whatever Kylie needs to hear to win her over, and once he wins his precious election, he'll break her heart.”

  “She's a smart kid. Kylie would see right through him.”

  “She's too desperate for a father,” she denied in frustration. “Kylie would welcome the bastard with open arms and never know that he hadn't wanted anything to do with her until it suited his purposes.”

  “Desi, I swear no one is ever going to hurt you or Kylie again,” Mark promised with grim determination. He didn't know how, but he was going to make damn sure of that, no matter what it took.

  Luke didn't know how his brother planned to accomplish that promise and sure as hell didn't want to. He'd seen that look on his face often enough to know that it meant trouble. It also meant that he cared very deeply for the woman and her child. He'd hate to be Kyle Chadwick when Mark got his hands on him, for damn sure.

  ~~~~

  “You were right,” Desi smiled at Harley. “This was a good idea.”

  “You look more relaxed already,” the other woman assured her.

  “I'm so relaxed I'm limp,” her friend laughed as she tied the belt of the robe.

  “So am I,” Harley agreed. The massage had been wonderful and she had known Desi would enjoy it. “A day at the spa is exactly what we both need.”

  Harley had also received bad news that morning. The man who had raped her, had finally recovered from his injuries enough to be released from the infirmary and placed in a regular cell. The District Attorney had called to inform her that a court date had been set for next month and she was not looking forward to testifying against the bastard and reliving her worst nightmare in front of half the town.

  “A day? What else do you have planned?”

  “Manicures, pedicures and facials,” she grinned. “Come on, they're ready for us.”

  “Poke me if I fall asleep,” Desi said half seriously.

  The two women were seated next to each other, their hair wrapped up in towels and their chairs lowered in a reclining position as the attendants painted a soothing cream over their faces. Once they were finished, they placed cucumber slices over their closed eyes and began working on their fingernails. The attendant had moved on to her feet and Desi had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard the arrival of three women in the midst of a conversation that demanded her attention.

  “I don't care what anyone says,” the first voice proclaimed. “I've known Mark for years and I can tell you he's not serious about her.”

  “Not in the least,” a second voice agreed.

  “Then explain why he's house hunting?” the third one demanded in exasperation.

  “Hell, Mark's always buying something, that old warehouse is proof of that. Maybe he's looking for a new investment,” the second woman chimed in. “God knows, he's got enough money to buy any damn thing he wants.”

  “I'll bet that gold digging redhead knows it, too,” the first woman injected cattily.

  Desi lifted the cucumber slices from her eyes and peered over at Harley who was in the process of sitting up in her chair. She reached over and grasped her friends arm and shook her head. Harley frowned back at her, causing the cream to clump on her forehead and Desi said quietly, “I want to hear this.”

  Harley didn't and she had intended to slap the other women silly, but she gave in and lay back down against her better judgment. She knew exactly how nasty some of the women in town could be when they gossiped and she dreaded what they might say. Unfortunately, she was right.

  “I heard the kid might be his,” the third woman intoned.

  “Now that's a distinct possibility,” the second woman laughed. “I'm still not sure that brat of Harley's doesn't belong to Mark.”

  “Honestly, Helen,” the first woman jibed. “Any fool could tell he was Matt's. The boy looks just like him.”

  “So does Mark,” Helen shot back. “Wouldn't it be hilarious if Matt was raising his brother’s bastard as his own?”

  “Poetic justice is more like it,” the first woman laughed. “He did steal her away from Mark... at least for one night.”

  “I think she broke his heart,” the third woman informed them.

  “Who?”

  “Harley.”

  “Broke whose heart?”

  “Mark's,” the third woman replied. “I haven't forgotten how crazy he was about her back then. It had to break his heart when she married his brother.”

  “I'll bet they were still fooling around and that’s why Matt chased everything in town while they were married,” the first woman laughed. “Which was fine with me. God, that man is an insatiable lover.”

  “Which one?”

  “Both of them,” she assured her friends.

  “You're bad, Darla,” Helen laughed wickedly.

  “Not bad enough apparently,” Darla grumbled. “I didn't wind up with either one of them.”

  “Matt's married again so you might as well forget about him,” the third woman pointed out.

  “That didn't make a damn bit of difference the last time, Julia,” she laughed.

  “It will if Harley finds out,” Helen assured her. “But Mark isn't married, so you still have a chance with him.”

  “Not while that redhead is around,” Darla complained. “Honestly, like we don't have enough competition around here like it is. Why the hell did Mark have to go and import another woman?”

  “Perhaps it’s because there’s a shortage of ladies in Lakeside,” Harley heard Desi say and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud at her audacity.

  Not comprehending the barbed reply, the other woman complained, “There are too many like it is.”

  “From what I've heard today, I'd say there are plenty of women, but ladies are in short supply,” Desi said evenly as the attendant wiped her face clean and grinned down at her in approval.

  This time the insult was unmistakable and Darla looked around with a frown. “Who said that?” she demanded.

  Desi sat up in the chair and reached up to remove the towel from her head. The auburn curls cascaded down around her shoulders as the three women stared back at her in shock. Harley had done the same thing and she said coldly, “Ladies, allow me to introduce my best friend, the redheaded gold digger. Desi, meet Darla, Helen and Julia, better known as the holier than thou crowd.”

  “The pleasure was all yours, I'm sure,” Desi said cordially as she rose and walked out
of the room as dignified as royalty.

  Harley followed after she gave them each a malevolent look and growled, “Gossip about my family again and I'll kick your ass.”

  Not one of the women doubted the threat. Harley had always been a hellion and it didn't look like she'd changed a bit while she'd been gone. It would be a long time before the three of them discussed the Baker family again, and you can damn well believe they'd be more careful of what they said in public after this.

  ~~~~

  When the private investigator lost Desi and couldn't seem to pick up her trail again, he got a lucky break when she started using her credit card to make purchases and he tracked her to South Carolina. He drove around town until he found her weird little car parked in an apartment complex and found a secluded area nearby to set up surveillance. Luckily, she had the corner unit, so he could watch the front and back easily enough from his vantage point.

  There were people coming and going from her place all day and one man in particular seemed to be a regular visitor and he had his own key. It looked like the same man he'd seen in Florida, but he hadn't got a good enough look at him the first time to be sure. The kid was there, too and that was a good thing. The Senator had been livid when he'd lost them. He'd be pleased to know that both mother and daughter were safely under his watchful gaze.

  Now that was interesting. The man had gone into the apartment next door this time. Needing to find out who he was, the investigator saw a tenant taking his trash out to the dumpster and walked over to him to start up a conversation on the pretext of being interested in moving into the complex. He was informed that all the units were filled now that the owner’s girlfriend had moved in. “The owner?” he queried.

  “Mark Baker,” the young man supplied helpfully. “That's his Mercedes down by 102.”

  “So, he lives here,” he deduced.

  The younger man laughed and shook his head. “He lives in a mansion on the other side of town. He just keeps an apartment here so he'll have a place to bring his women.” The young man frowned and said, “You'd think he'd have put his girlfriend in his place instead of a separate unit.”