Zoe dried her hands on a towel and turned on the dishwasher. “Is the baby his?”
Because the other woman’s back was turned, Mia couldn’t see her face. “No. Of course not.”
Mia’s hostess faced her with a look in her eyes that told Mia she was not easily duped. “You might have concocted that story to give yourself time to figure out what to do. Not that I would blame you. The Kavanaghs would go nuts if they thought Cora was the first of the next generation. I should know. The hints have been flying thick and fast for me to get pregnant.”
“Well, she’s not,” Mia said, the words flat. “Maybe I was naive to do what I did, but I adore Cora and I wouldn’t change a thing. I know the father was healthy and normal in every way. That’s enough for me.”
“I didn’t mean to make you angry.” Zoe’s big blue eyes shimmered with emotion.
Mia swallowed her pique. “I’m not angry. More defensive, I guess. I never expected people to react so strongly, my parents included.”
“Do they live close by?”
“No. They’re in Florida. My mom came up for the first ten days to help. She loves the baby, of course, but I could tell from the first moment I told them I was pregnant that they thought I needed a flesh-and-blood man and not an anonymous donor.”
“Dylan’s a man.” Zoe’s sly smile was not at all hard to decipher.
“Dylan and I are not an item.”
“I watched the way he watches you. He’s possessive. Though I suppose he might not even realize he feels that way. Men can be clueless about these things.”
“You’re way off base, Zoe. His broken engagement burned him. He’s not interested in marriage or fatherhood or any commitment at all, for that matter. If you’re planning on matchmaking, you should know that he and I are not a couple. Period.”
Twelve
He and I are not a couple. Period.
Dylan winced, pausing just outside the kitchen door. He’d caught only the tail end of Mia’s statement, but it was enough to understand the gist of her conversation with Zoe. Apparently, Dylan’s sister-in-law had been understandably curious about Mia’s relationship with Dylan, and Mia had set her straight.
Dylan should be elated that Mia knew the score. No need for an embarrassing face-to-face where he had to explain that he had no plans to settle down, much less with a ready-made family.
In that case, why did he feel like he’d been punched in the stomach? Striding into the kitchen, he faced the two women whose faces held identical guilty looks. “Paula says Cora is getting fussy. They’re waiting for you in Zoe and Liam’s bedroom. Isn’t it time to feed her and put her down?” He addressed his comments to Mia impassively.
Mia, clad in the ruby dress that made her look more like a Russian princess than a new mom, glanced at the clock on the wall. “Oh, gosh, yes. Zoe and I were having so much fun getting to know each other I lost track of time.”
“I’ll bet you were.” He wanted Mia to squirm a little, wondering whether or not he had heard what she said.
Zoe piped up, her expression beseeching. “Would you like me to sit with you while you feed her? I assume you’re nursing?”
Dylan kissed his sister-in-law’s cheek. It wasn’t her fault that things were weird. “I’ll sit with her, Zoe. But thanks for offering. Go snuggle up with your husband on the sofa. He’s looking neglected.”
They exited the kitchen as a trio. Zoe headed for the living room, and Dylan and Mia searched out the master suite. As promised, the crib was set up and ready. Two comfy armchairs by the window, each with matching ottomans, offered an ideal spot for Zoe to feed Cora.
The young college student handed Cora over with a smile. “Your baby is adorable, and so even-tempered. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play with her. The diaper bag is there on the bed. If you need babysitting help any other time this summer, please feel free to call me. Mrs. Kavanagh has my contact info.”
Mia smiled. “Thank you, Paula. I’ll keep that in mind.”
When the door closed, Dylan rummaged in Cora’s tote for pajamas, diapers, wipes and a changing pad to protect the bedspread. “There you go,” he said, determined not to give Mia a chance to kick him out. “All set.”
Mia clutched the baby. “Why are you in here? This is pretty much a solo operation.”
He shrugged. “Give me the kid. Go sit in the chair and I’ll bring her to you.” It was a matter of minutes to change the diaper and tuck Cora into soft pajamas that snapped up the front. In his peripheral vision, he was aware that Mia had cooperated with his instructions. He was under no illusions. If she told him to leave, he would have to obey her wishes. But he was counting on the fact that she would let him stay.
When he turned and walked toward the window and the woman who stared at him with big, dark eyes, he felt something shift inside him. The setting lent a certain note of intimacy, but it was more than that.
Mia took Cora from him, her gaze unreadable. “Will you turn your back, please?”
He crouched beside her. “I’d rather not. I’ve seen all there is of you to see, Mia. Remember? Last night?” Slowly, giving her time to protest, he caught the crystal at the center of her bodice and began to pull.
She slapped at his hand, her cheeks hot with what appeared to be mortification. “Don’t be ridiculous, Dylan. There’s nothing remotely sexy about what I’m getting ready to do.”
Surprisingly, a lump in his throat made it hard to speak. “That’s where you’re wrong.” Locking her gaze with his, never looking down, he opened the zipper, hearing the soft rasp as the sides of the dress parted. In Mia’s eyes he saw confusion and vulnerability and something else. Desire.
The desire was a welcome sight, because he had been wondering if it was wrong to be turned on by the prospect of Mia offering her breast to a hungry child. At last, the zipper reached the end of its track. Unable to resist any longer, he stared at the bountiful sight that was Mia’s bosom. A single drop of pale milk clung to one nipple. He caught it on his finger and tasted it. “Lucky baby,” he said. The words were hoarse.
Mia’s lower lip trembled. What was she thinking as she stared at him so intently? As he watched, she tucked the infant in her arm and let Cora nuzzle until she found her goal and latched on. As the child sucked at her mother’s breast, Dylan felt an answering pull in his groin. He shifted the second chair closer and sat down, wrapped in some mystical moment that shut out the world and enclosed Mia, Cora and him in perfect intimacy.
Mia kept her eyes downcast, her free hand coming up now and again to stroke Cora’s small, perfect head. When it was time, she switched the baby to the opposite breast. Without asking, Dylan reached in his back pocket and extracted a handkerchief. Leaning forward, he carefully dried Mia’s skin where the baby had eaten so enthusiastically.
He didn’t linger, nor did he do anything else that might be construed as sexual. The quiet tableau was almost sacred to him. This ancient, elemental, perfectly right moment where life, literally life, was offered to the helpless in an act of love.
When Cora’s long eyelashes settled on rounded cheeks, Mia pulled her away from the breast and handed her to Dylan. “Hold her please.”
As he watched in silence, Mia removed the last of the sticky milk and refastened her gown. When she was fully clothed once more, she held out her arms. “I’ll put her in the bed.”
“Let me.” He deposited Cora in the crib, smiling when she never even moved. Poor babe was tired out from an evening of fun and attention. He turned to face Mia. “Thank you.”
She was still seated, her fingers moving restlessly on the arms of the chair. “For what?”
“For letting me be here. For sharing Cora. For trusting me.” He pulled her to her feet. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay last night.”
Mia had kicked off her shoes before she fed t
he baby, and now, standing in front of him, she seemed fragile and helpless. Even though Dylan liked the role of protector, he knew Mia didn’t need him. Not really. She was strong and smart and well able to care for herself and her offspring.
She pulled away from his grasp, her expression guarded. “Why didn’t you stay?”
“Lots of reasons.” I was getting in too deep. You’ll be gone soon. “I knew you needed your rest to take care of Cora.”
“A weak excuse at best. I’d have thought a man with your experience would have come up with a better line than that.”
Ouch. Not helpless at all. “It’s the truth.”
She crossed her arms, perhaps unaware that the action threatened to topple her breasts from their crimson cage. “Let’s get something straight, Dylan. I appreciate your helping me out in a bad situation. But I’m not going to get any crazy ideas. You’ve told me I don’t belong in Silver Glen, and you’re right. I’m not stupid enough to think that you and I are in some kind of relationship. So relax.”
“Impossible,” he muttered. “When I’m in the same room with you, relaxing is the last thing on my mind.” He toyed with the seemingly innocuous crystal zipper pull. There was something intrinsically sexual about the damn thing. Gently, he lowered it two inches. Mia’s sharply indrawn breath told him volumes. The curves of her pale breasts beckoned a man to touch, to worship.
When she didn’t protest, he tugged again, this time uncovering her to the navel. “Lord, Mia,” he said as his hand trembled. “You have the most incredible body. I can’t stop thinking about last night.”
Her head dropped backward. Her eyes closed as he traced the faint, silvery lines that marked places where her body had readied itself to give life. Slowly, he pushed the dress down her arms until it hung from her hips. Now she was naked from the waist up, a lush, erotic invitation. He gathered her close and held her, stroking her bare back.
They were standing in his brother’s bedroom. Behind them a baby lay sleeping. Close by, a dinner party awaited their return. He shook with the urge to lift her against the wall and fill her. His erection was full and ready. Desire was a writhing, clawing beast inside him. He could lock the door. Pretend that Mia was still nursing Cora.
It was a measure of his desperation that he seriously considered it.
Instead, he released her and did the only thing left to him. Fisting one hand in her hair at the back of her head and using the other to tip up her chin, he kissed her roughly, forcefully. “Tonight, Mia. I want you again. And this time I won’t leave.” He wouldn’t be able to, not again. He didn’t have the will to walk away from something so perfect, even if the outcome would never fall in his favor.
Her arms twined around his neck. “Yes.” The single word was a barely audible whisper.
He knew on some hazy, faraway level that they were crushing her dress. Imagining what she would look like if he helped her step out of it only made the ache in his gut worse.
Her lips were soft beneath his, unbearably sweet. For a split second he flashed back to that stolen kiss in high school, the one that had confused him and made him ashamed. Even then, there had been something about Mia that drew him. Some essential goodness that he sensed he lacked. As a seventeen-year-old, he’d known it, and he knew it now.
He didn’t deserve a woman like this. He was selfish and focused on the here and now. Mia had a child to consider. She contributed to the greater good with her work. Frivolity wasn’t in her repertoire. But perhaps in the short time she was with him he could teach her the benefits of being naughty once in a while.
When her small hands tugged at his shirttails and slipped beneath to settle on the bare skin at his waist, he flinched. He’d kept a tight rein on his libido this far, but feeling her fingers on him made his vision go fuzzy. “We have to stop,” he said gruffly, cursing the situation and the lousy timing that ensured, at a minimum, a miserable hour ahead.
Mia moved her hands, now pushing against his chest. When she was free, she tugged at her dress, pink-cheeked.
At that very moment, a quiet knock sounded at the door and Liam’s voice came softly. “Dessert and coffee on the table. You guys ready?”
Dylan brushed the hair from Mia’s flushed cheeks. “On our way,” he said. Carefully, he raised the zipper of her dress all the way to the top and smoothed her skirt with two hands. “You okay?” he asked, gazing at her intently. He couldn’t read the secrets hidden in her eyes.
She nodded. “Let’s go. They’re waiting.”
He allowed her to pass him, but at the last moment snagged her wrist and reeled her in for one last quick kiss. Thank God she was wearing smudge-proof lipstick. “I’m glad you came back to Silver Glen,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
“Me, too.” She touched his cheek with a fleeting caress that made him shiver. “Me, too.”
* * *
Mia had never been in such a situation. Dylan ushered her to the dining room, his hand at the small of her back. She felt exposed and embarrassed, but at the heart of it, disappointed that she and Dylan were not alone.
Zoe had made an angel food cake from scratch and topped it with a fresh strawberry compote. “Is Cora asleep?” she asked.
The question was innocent, but Mia blushed anyway, as if the three adults at the table knew exactly what she and Dylan had been up to. “She went down without a peep,” Mia said, sitting down as Dylan took the chair to her right. “Getting her to sleep is never a problem. It’s the two a.m. playtime that’s killing me.”
Maeve sat at the head of the table, Aidan at the foot. The two couples occupied either side. Mia liked Maeve, though the woman’s personality was one part steamroller and one part matriarch.
The older woman waved a hand. “Hang in there, my dear. I went through that with at least three of my boys. It will pass. In my experience, parenthood is an endurance test, a marathon where the stubborn win out in the end.”
Mia laughed. “I hope you’re right. But at this point, my chances of winning are no more than fifty-fifty at best.”
Dylan interrupted. “Don’t let Mia fool you. She’s doing a wonderful job as a mother.” He poured himself a cup of black coffee from a fancy silver pot. “Cora clearly is thriving.”
Maeve focused her gaze on Mia. “So what will you do with Cora when you get a new job?”
There was no mistaking the note of disapproval. Mia felt her defenses go up, but tried to answer calmly. “I’ll find a reputable day care, of course. There are quite a few good ones in the Raleigh/Durham area.”
“Have you considered taking a leave? I know how hard it is to deal with an infant and be productive during the day.”
It was Zoe’s turn to jump into the conversation. Apparently she wasn’t scared of her mother-in-law. “That’s not always feasible, Maeve. Most women have to work outside the home. Particularly single moms. Not everyone has a fortune like the Kavanaghs. And besides, from what Liam has told me, Mia’s work has far-reaching applications.”
Mia gave Zoe a grateful smile. “I hope to find a balance that works for Cora and me. As much as I love my baby, my career is also important. I find it challenging and fulfilling. Ultimately, I think Cora will benefit from having a mother who uses her abilities and contributes to society. But I know that life is never perfect.”
She saw the three brothers glance at each other. The Kavanaghs had certainly known their share of heartache over the years. Losing a parent was never easy, and Reggie Kavanagh’s body had never been recovered. Maeve had stepped into the breach, giving her boys all the love and support they needed to become successful adults. Perhaps she thought Mia was selfish to get pregnant as a single woman, because Maeve knew exactly how difficult it had been to be both mother and father. Mia wondered how the other brothers had fared in the absence of a male parent.
Dylan put an end to the awkwa
rd conversation. “I think Mia and I will call it a night. Zoe, the meal was fantastic. Feel free to try your culinary skills on me anytime.”
Liam gave him a mock glare. “Quit flirting with my wife.”
Dylan raised an innocent eyebrow. “Who, me?” As the group stood, he kissed Zoe on the cheek. “My brother is a Neanderthal. It’s perfectly acceptable for men and women to be friends.”
Zoe pinched his cheek. “You are such a rascal. Behave yourself and take Mia and little Cora home. I promise to feed you another day.”
When Mia excused herself to put the baby in the infant carrier, she could hear the five Kavanaghs talking animatedly. Clearly they enjoyed spending time together. It made her realize that she wanted more children, at least one more. Cora would need a sibling, someone to have her back when life was hard. But in some corner of her heart, Mia knew that Cora needed a daddy as well. In all the struggle of trying to get pregnant, it had honestly not seemed like that big a deal.
Now, however, the truth stared her in the face. Seeing Dylan with Cora was an inescapable revelation. As she grew, Cora would want a father. And at some point, she would ask questions.
On a more practical note, having so much help with Cora in recent days showed Mia that she was missing out on many things by trying to do it all herself. For a woman who was supposedly a genius, she had been woefully unprepared for the consequences of her actions.
As she gathered up her purse and the baby’s accoutrements, Dylan came to help her carry Cora. They said their goodbyes and finally escaped into the hallway. Mia wondered if Maeve and Aidan were lingering with Liam and Zoe to discuss what was going on in Dylan’s life and whether or not Mia was taking advantage of him.
In the elevator, Dylan was suspiciously quiet. Cora had stayed asleep through all the noisy goodbyes. Mia stared down at her skirt, trying not to remember how the fabric had pooled around her hips when Dylan half undressed her. She couldn’t figure him out. At times he seemed intent on seducing her into his bed, and at others he kept his distance...almost as if Mia was a threat to him.
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