The CEO's Surprise Family

by Teresa Carpenter

  “You do realize,” he finally said, “in this version I’m responsible for the destruction of my parents.”

  “Oh, come on.” Frustrated with his pessimism, she reared back and socked him in the arm. “Clearly this was a story of two people who loved their son so much they’d give anything for him, including their lives.”

  He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. He lifted her chin on the edge of his hand. “What makes you such an optimist?”

  “Choice.” She gave the easy answer. Then, because the moment called for honesty, she sighed and admitted, “And maybe a touch of defiance. At home it was a form of rebellion and when I left home I wasn’t going to let my mother’s predictions of failure pull me down. Optimism was my only option. I chose to believe in myself. I chose to believe everything was going to work out. And mostly it does.”

  His dark eyes roved over her face. “I wish it were that simple.”

  She cupped his cheek. “It can be that simple. Stop letting the past rob you of a future. Create a story you can live with and make it your reality. You’re an amazing man, Jethro. Choose to look to the future with hope.”

  “I’m too old to change now.”

  She shook her finger in his face. “You wouldn’t say that if we were talking about a business deal.”

  “Business is different.”

  “Why?”

  “Business doesn’t involve emotions.”

  She laughed, letting him lead the conversation away from his past. “How can you be so successful and believe that malarkey? Business is totally ruled by emotions.”

  “Business is based on facts and numbers.”

  “Yes, and once you have the facts and numbers, what guides the decision? Emotion. If you want to call it your gut or instinct, go ahead, but bottom line it’s all about how those facts and figures make you feel that shifts the balance when it comes time to make the decision.”

  He ground his teeth together. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a pest?”

  “No.” She postured and patted the hair at the back of her neck. “I’m perfect.”

  “Really?” His fingers threaded through her hair and he drew her to him. “Let me taste to be sure.”

  His mouth claimed hers, his tongue surging inward to tangle with hers. He tasted of man and mocha. And he smelled fabulous. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let sensation carry her away.

  Jethro shifted, tilting Lexi’s head to deepen the kiss. She was no longer in his arms but sprawled on the floor with him above her. She savored his weight, his warmth, his strength. Pulling him closer, she held on tight, afraid he’d come to his senses. She’d waited for this, wanted this for so long. Since the night he broke into her apartment and demanded the truth.

  Her head binged a warning, but her heart sang and her body soared so she let reason go fly.

  She panted, his talented fingers and hungry lips driving her into a frenzy of need. Always so cool, so controlled, but not now, not here. He divested them of their clothes in mere seconds. Then his hands were everywhere stroking, caressing. And squeezing. Exquisite.

  Who knew?

  She tried to reciprocate, longing to taste him, to explore the hard body pressed to hers, but all she could do was cling to him as he played her body like a fine instrument. Smoothing fingers over slick skin, she dragged heavy lids up to see him. Her whole body clenched to find all his brooding intensity focused on her. His eyes darkened to a blue deeper than midnight and blazed with the heat of passion. His features were drawn tight with the primitive drive to claim the woman in his arms.

  “So beautiful.” He trailed a finger along her jaw, down her neck and lower. “So soft, yet I feel the strength in you. So sexy.” He lowered his head and his tongue followed the path of his finger.

  Lexi shivered, thrilled to be the target of his intense regard. The look in those dark eyes cherished her, telling her he was with her mind, body, and spirit, that he hungered for her above all others. Touch reinforced the message, building anticipation, heightening the senses, seducing her when there was no need for seduction.

  “Jethro.” Beyond thought, she arched her dancer’s body into his hold, offering him everything. And he caught her, lifting her to the heights until he roared his satisfaction. And she shattered in his arms.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SPRAWLED HALF ON Jethro and half on the lush white carpeting, Lexi had barely caught her breath when a scream echoed down the hall and from the baby monitor. And then another, and another.

  She went from boneless satisfaction to alert mother in a blink.

  “Oh, no.” Despair rolled through Lexi. “Jazi.”

  She hopped to her feet, realized she was naked and looked frantically for her clothes. The few items she’d worn were scattered all over the room. As another scream sounded, she gave up looking and grabbed Jethro’s shirt, pulling it on as she raced down the hall.

  Jethro yanked on his dress pants and followed on her heels.

  She’d prayed Jazi had outgrown her screaming fits. The lack of them over the last few weeks had made Lexi hopeful they were a thing of the past.

  She reached the bedroom, her heart shredding at the sight of Jazi sitting straight up in the middle of the bed, body rigid, tears streaming down her face, shrill screams pouring from her throat.

  Lexi wrapped the baby in her arms and rocked her. “It’s okay, Jazi, you’re safe. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

  The little girl hung limp in her arms; the screams continued. It was like she didn’t even hear Lexi. Still she held the little girl and rocked her, talking softly to her.

  Jethro paced next to the bed.

  “What’s wrong? What set her off?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a dream. She was cranky when I put her to bed. Maybe my screams disturbed her earlier and she woke up scared.”

  Lexi hummed softly for a few minutes and Jazi stopped screaming. She panted, drawing in deep breaths. And then she started screaming again.

  Her distress broke Lexi’s heart. Jazi was so tiny, so fragile and nothing Lexi did helped. She felt helpless and near to tears herself. Worse, Jethro was a witness to all of it.

  “You should call Clay—” she cleared her throat, forcing the words past the lump sitting there “—and assure him she’s okay in case someone complains.”

  “No one is going to complain.” Jethro ran a hand over her head. “The penthouse suites are built to withstand wild parties. They’re pretty much soundproof.”

  Rocking Jazi, she swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

  “Let me try.” He held out his arms.

  Lexi tightened her arms around Jazi, hating to give her up, but the need to ease her distress was stronger, so she lifted her up and Jethro gathered her into his arms. He laid her head against his shoulder and placed a hand in the small of her back.

  “Breathe with me, Jazi.” His chest rose and fell, Jazi moving with each breath. He breathed deep and steady, talking to her until she started breathing along with him. Slowly she calmed and the screams lessened and then stopped. Jazi snuggled against his bare chest, seeming to take comfort in his warmth.

  Her breath hitched a few times but she appeared to be past the storm.

  Lexi let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Thank goodness.

  Jazi held out her hand to Lexi. Love welling up, she leapt up to take her, but Jazi had other ideas. She wanted Lexi, but she wasn’t letting go of Jethro. He solved the problem by pulling her close with Jazi between them.

  Lexi wrapped her arms around his waist, letting the tension slip away. These fits of Jazi’s were so hard on the little girl. They were tough on Lexi too. It tore her up to see the toddler so upset. But this time she hadn’t been alone. She’d had help.

  She laid her head o
n Jethro’s shoulder and leaned on him, an indulgence she rarely allowed. Soaking in his warmth, like Jazi took comfort in his nearness, in his company. She felt as close to him in this moment as she had in the throes of passion.

  It occurred to her that parenting with a partner might have some merit to it. Dangerous thoughts, because something happened to her while she watched him soothe Jazi. Something that changed everything for Lexi. She’d fallen in love with Jethro Calder.

  * * *

  That night the three of them ended up in Jethro’s big bed. She fell asleep wrapped in his arms and dreamt of them becoming a real family. Jethro smiled more, Jazi thrived under her father’s devoted attention and Lexi found the perfect balance between commitment and independence.

  In the dream they were walking through a house with a white picket fence in a pretty neighborhood. Jazi exclaimed over a room with a pink canopy bed, an aquarium, bookshelves full of books and an artist easel. She ran inside and began to play. Farther along there was an office for Jethro and in the back a long room had a dance floor and mirrors on one end and a piano and assorted instruments on the other. Lexi wanted to explore but Jethro pulled her down to the master bedroom, a beautiful retreat she couldn’t remember because dreamy Jethro tugged her into his arms and the dream took an erotic turn.

  Contentment lured her into sleeping longer than usual and she woke to find Jethro gone. She lay there curled around Jazi wishing he’d woken her, wishing they could have talked.

  Waking up in Jethro’s bed gave her the perfect opportunity to indulge herself in his grotto shower. Water rained down on her, hot and steamy. She stood on smooth rocks while green fronds draped over the top and sides of the glass partition.

  But the luxury failed to distract her from her dream. It didn’t take a massive IQ to see what her subconscious was telling her. She’d fallen for the hard-headed Jethro so now her heart wanted the daddy-makes-three mix with a flip side of picket fences and rose gardens.

  That so wasn’t her.

  She hadn’t had a lot of relationships. She liked to keep things light and loose. Fun while it lasted and friends down the road. No baggage, no obligations. No one telling her what to do. Just being with each other while it felt right.

  And that was the problem. The dream had felt right. She’d woken up happy. And she couldn’t shake the desire to know that feeling every day. She lifted her face to the rainfall spray and wondered how that was possible when Jethro came with a load of baggage, untold obligations and a fine-tuned art of telling people what to do.

  But he’d also given her free reign in the kitchen, which allowed her a sense of comfort in a strange home. He’d found her a place to dance, which was necessary to her well-being. And he’d encouraged her to work with Veronica, an opportunity she’d never have had if he hadn’t introduced them.

  He got her like no one else ever had.

  How did she walk away from that?

  * * *

  Lexi canceled her morning meeting with Veronica to spend extra time with Jazi to make sure she felt secure and suffered no lingering upset from the night before, but the little tyrant demanded to go to “school,” as Jazi called the nursery.

  Relieved to see Jazi being her usual spirited self, Lexi took her down to the nursery. She swung by Veronica’s office but the door was locked and it was obvious she was out. Lexi returned to the penthouse where she spent the morning brooding.

  Last night had been in turns earth-shattering, devastating and sublime.

  She’d give anything to know what he was thinking today. So of course she’d texted him.

  Twice.

  Still no answer.

  What she really wished was to go back to the time before Jazi had started screaming. How would it have played out? Never had she been more open with a man, physically or emotionally. And there wasn’t a doubt in her mind it was the same for him.

  Had the intimacy been too much for him? Is that why he hadn’t answered her text or called?

  He’d been so patient with Jazi last night, so gentle in the face of her hysteria. It had been him, not Lexi to soothe Jazi. Lexi did not look forward to dealing with those episodes on her own.

  And so ended one loop as another began.

  No more.

  Needing a distraction she decided to make herself lunch. She’d just started putting together a sandwich when a knock came at the penthouse door. She opened it to find a tall dark-haired man standing before her.

  “Lexi.”

  “Ryan.”

  Handsome in an exotic way, she recognized him from the charity event. If Jethro and his foster brothers ever lost their fortunes, they could take up modeling and get it all back.

  “Can I come in for a moment?”

  “Sure.” She stepped aside, curious as to what had caused Pinnacle’s general counsel to seek her out. Before she moved in, Jethro had mentioned a contract, but that was nearly a month ago. Was this his response to last night’s intimacy? His way of telling her nothing had changed? “Will Jethro be joining us?”

  “No. Something came up in New York and as our offices are closed all week for Thanksgiving, he’s handling it.”

  Right. Jethro had mentioned the office would be closed. “But you’re working?”

  He shrugged. “I’m happiest when I’m working. I’m a lot like Jethro in that way. Or how he used to be.”

  Used to be? Lexi latched on to the phrase. Did that mean Jethro had changed in some way?

  “Be thankful Jethro is occupied—he’s in a foul mood today.”

  News to her. Since she hadn’t heard from him, even though she’d texted him.

  “I’m making lunch.” She led Ryan to the kitchen where sandwich makings were spread over the counter. “Would you like a ham and provolone on wheat?”

  “Actually, that does sound good.” He slid onto a stool at the counter across from her and set a folder on the granite countertop.

  She waved at the condiments and veggies in front of her. “What do you want on it?”

  He surveyed the options. “No tomato.”

  “Coming up.” She added lettuce, pickles and mustard to the ham, cheese and mayo, cut the sandwich in half, plated it with a pickle spear and handed it to him. After she passed him a napkin, she started on a second one for herself.

  “Thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone made me a sandwich.” He took a bite and nodded. “It’s good.”

  She licked mustard from her thumb. “What can I do for you?”

  He wiped his mouth. “Nothing. I have something for you.” Ryan reached for the folder and pulled out some papers.

  “The contract about Jazi.” Lexi’s heart skipped a beat. “Jethro told me he’d want one.”

  “No, Jethro is still making changes to that contract. Ask him about it would you? Then we may get somewhere.” There was a sardonic tone to the comment that suggested the men were at odds over the issue. “This is something totally different. This is for your contribution to Jack Rabbits song.”

  She eyed him, ignoring the pages he shoved toward her, wondering instead about what changes Jethro could be making to the adoption contract that had Ryan concerned.

  “The band asked me to thank you again for your help. They really enjoyed working with you.”

  Lexi blinked at him, not following until she recalled he’d mentioned the band Jack Rabbits. “Oh, yeah.” Remembering the jam session, she smiled. “It was fun.”

  He nodded at the papers. “And profitable.”

  “What do you mean?” She reached for the pile of papers. On top was a sizable check with her name on it. “I don’t understand. What’s this for?”

  “It’s a consultant fee for your contribution to the song. Your name will be in the credits and you’ll also get royalties from the sales.”

/>   Weak-kneed she walked around to sit next to him at the counter. “This is crazy. I didn’t do anything. I mean it was just a few simple comments at an informal gathering. I didn’t expect anything from it.”

  “Jethro is big on people getting the proper credit. He called me that night and gave me the terms. All you have to do is sign the contract and the check is yours.”

  “Terms?”

  He finished chewing his last bite before answering. “You should read it before signing, but he negotiated well for you. It’s better than standard. And the band was happy to sign, said they’d like to work with you again sometime. They’re positive it’s going to be a winner.”

  She stared at the check. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “No need to say anything.” He reached across to set his plate in the sink. “Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise sign both copies, keep one and I’ll give you the check when you drop the other off at my office.”

  “Thank you. You didn’t need to go out of your way to bring it to me. I could have come to your office.”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I do.” His gaze roamed over the open space. “And truthfully, I was hoping to meet Jasmine.”

  Of course. He was curious about Jethro’s daughter. “Sorry, she’s down in the nursery. Craft time is her favorite part of the day.”

  He stared at her for a moment, giving her the impression he wanted to say something. But he thought better of it. He simply nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  And he left.

  * * *

  Lexi stared at the papers in her hands. So many emotions roiled through her veering wildly from love to fear and everything in between. She’d spent the whole morning brooding, her mind running one vicious loop after another. Worrying about her and Jethro. Worrying about her and Jazi. Worrying about the past. Wondering about the future.

  Papers in hand she returned to the kitchen and her abandoned sandwich. She carried the plate along with the papers to the table and sat. While she ate, she read. For a contract it was fairly straightforward. Her simple suggestions earned her royalties in the song, a partial amount to be paid up front; the rest to be paid quarterly. She felt like a fraud accepting the money. She’d just been happy to be included in the jam session, wouldn’t even have spoken up if not for Jethro.