Harlequin Special Edition September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Maverick for HireA Match Made by BabyOnce Upon a Bride

by Leanne Banks

  “Some women have it, and some don’t. You do.”

  He kissed her again to prove it. The kiss mirrored what he wanted to do with his body. She trembled as the yearning inside of her became a pulsing need. She couldn’t keep still. She didn’t want to keep still. She didn’t want him to keep still.

  “Adam, now,” she said with a pant.

  “Just a little longer...” He slid his hand up the inside of her thigh. He ran his thumb around her mound. He glided a finger inside of her, and she practically climaxed with that.

  “Hold on to that thought,” he growled in her ear, as he reached to the floor to his jeans, removed a packet and rolled on the condom.

  “We can wait a little longer,” he teased.

  “Adam!”

  Her tone was plaintive and scolding at the same time and he laughed. Then he wasn’t laughing. He was rising above her, separating her legs, placing himself where she wanted him most. Pushing inside of her, he created circles of pleasurable sensations that kept spinning about her until she was dizzy. Each thrust wound the circles into each other until they coalesced into one, drawing tighter and tighter into itself until finally—

  The winding coil broke, letting glorious sensations escape until heat suffused her body and tears rolled down her cheeks. Adam’s release came seconds later, and he held on to her as if his climax had been as potent as hers.

  Kaitlyn almost said the words then. She almost whispered, I love you. But in this one thing she held back. She was naked in every other way, and she couldn’t reveal her deepest feelings, too.

  Could Adam?

  Their heartbeats had slowed a bit when he asked, “Are you okay?”

  She was very okay—for the moment anyway. But isn’t that all they were counting—the moments?

  “I’m good. Wonderful in fact. How about you?”

  “I think you’re the single next best aphrodisiac after...chocolate.”

  She punched him and they both laughed.

  Then he brushed her hair from her eyes and said, “Seriously, Kaitlyn, on a scale of one to ten, that was a twenty.”

  “Then maybe we should have Chinese and try for thirty.” She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she was simply going to go with it.

  “It just so happens, I bought a whole box of condoms.”

  Maybe by the time they used more than one, she’d get to the bottom of Adam’s feelings for her.

  And if she didn’t? Then she’d just have to figure out the key that would unlock Adam Preston’s heart.

  Chapter Twelve

  In a strange bed, wrapped in Adam’s arms, Kaitlyn didn’t quite recognize the noise the following morning when a gong sounded. It took a few minutes to realize it was Adam’s doorbell.

  They’d been up a few hours before with Erica. On a Sunday, Kaitlyn didn’t have to rise as early as usual, so they hadn’t set the alarm.

  Adam murmured into her neck, “That could be my father for all I know. I’d better answer it, or he’ll pound the door down next.”

  There was another gong.

  “I should be getting up anyway,” Kaitlyn said. “I have to make rounds at the hospital.”

  Adam buried his nose under her hair. “I had envisioned a morning of pancakes, maple syrup and lots of making out in between shaking a rattle at Erica. But...”

  After another quick kiss to her cheek, he swung his legs off the side of the bed, slipped on a pair of jogging shorts and left the bedroom.

  Kaitlyn quickly dressed, knowing she’d have to stop at her town house for clothes more appropriate to making hospital rounds. She kept one ear attuned to the living room. She didn’t hear raised male voices, but she did hear—

  Crying? A woman crying?

  Erica was still sleeping in her crib in the sitting area of Adam’s bedroom in that kind of early-morning sleep babies had. Her little fist was balled under her chin.

  When Kaitlyn stepped into the living room, she found Adam sitting on the sofa with a young woman, his arm around her.

  He looked up. “Tina’s come home,” he said, and made it a statement of fact.

  Kaitlyn could tell he wasn’t going to let his sister leave again, even if he had to tie her up and barricade her in his apartment.

  “This is Kaitlyn,” he said gently to his sister. “I think she left a message for you.”

  Tina, her honey-blond hair a bit disheveled, turned away from his shoulder and swiped at the tears on her cheek. “Your call on my phone was one of the reasons I came back.”

  Following her instincts, Kaitlyn sat on the long sofa on the other side of Adam’s sister. “I’m glad my message made a difference.”

  “They all did,” Tina admitted with a weak smile. “But I just had to be sure.”

  “Sure of what?” Adam asked, keeping his voice nonjudgmental.

  “I missed Erica so much.” She got choked up but then went on. “But I had to do what was best for her. I had to get my head on straight. I went to a clinic in San Jose. I talked to someone who said I had postpartum depression, and that lots of women get it, and that I shouldn’t beat myself up, just get my life back on the right track.”

  “Sound advice,” Adam said.

  “You pretty much told me the same thing, but I guess I wasn’t able to hear it. I mean, not about the postpartum depression, but about being overwhelmed and not seeing clearly. Anyway, the doctor put me on an antidepressant. He said it’s temporary.”

  “It will help with the next few months,” Kaitlyn agreed.

  Yet there was a question hanging in the room, and Tina looked uncertain as she answered it. “I want to be Erica’s mom. I want to take care of her again. But I don’t know how or where or what will be best for her. If she starts crying again all the time and I don’t know what to do for her, I’m afraid the same thing will happen. I can’t cope.”

  Kaitlyn admired Tina’s honesty. It was the same honesty she often felt from Adam. “When I left that message for you, I told you there is help of all kinds from The Mommy Club. We just have to figure out what you need. The first step will be to find a doctor in Fawn Grove, and you can start attending the new moms’ group.”

  “For now, you’ll stay here with me,” Adam said. “I’ve turned into good dad material and I can show you the ropes. Erica was on the wrong formula and that’s why she was crying all the time. There are ways to end her restlessness, too.” He motioned to the swing. “She loves that. Taking care of her won’t be easy, but if you want to be a mom—”

  “Oh, I do. I looked at the pictures you sent about fifty times a day. Can I see her now?”

  Adam quickly rose from the sofa. “I’ll get her.”

  In a few minutes he was back with Erica swaddled in a blanket. Her little eyes were just coming open.

  “Here’s your daughter,” he said to his sister and placed the baby in her arms.

  From the expression on Tina’s face, Kaitlyn suspected Adam’s sister wasn’t going to leave her daughter ever again.

  * * *

  After hospital rounds, Kaitlyn headed toward Fawn Grove’s family diner—Country Comfort. She didn’t want to meet Tom, but she’d set up lunch with him at a neutral place. Tina and her brother needed time together. She hadn’t wanted to interfere in their family unit. Maybe Adam hadn’t had many ties when he was growing up, but he certainly had a bond with his sister. After taking care of Erica, she doubted whether he’d ever be out of contact with Tina again.

  When Kaitlyn reached the diner, Tom was already sitting in a booth. She slid in on the other side, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. She realized whatever he thought or whatever he did no longer had the power to hurt her or change her life. That really was a freeing feeling.

  Before she could even say hello, he said, “I overreacted.”


  Relieved that’s how they were starting, she admitted, “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about the interview. I honestly didn’t think it would be any more invasive than what I wrote for the newspaper. I should have known better.”

  Tom played with his fork for a few minutes then said, “I don’t think it was the miscarriage that ended our marriage.”

  “No?” she asked, wanting to hear what he had to say.

  “No. I think I had a lot of resentment built up and it all poured out over that. You know, like, when there’s an argument about how to load the dishwasher, but it’s really not about the dishwasher.”

  Oh, yes, she knew exactly what he meant, but she remained silent, because he seemed to need to get this off his chest.

  “I just couldn’t get used to the idea that I wasn’t the center of your world. Your dedication to your career was.”

  “I didn’t know how to do it any other way,” she confessed. “Being a doctor meant everything to me. I thought I had to be the best doctor in the world to prove something to myself and to make my parents proud. Maybe I’m still trying to prove something to my father.”

  “The Christmas card dad?” Tom asked with a wise grimace.

  He’d called her father that because that was the only time she heard from him. She received a Christmas card over the holidays.

  “After I lost the baby, I blamed myself as much as you did.”

  He nodded. “I know. I should have helped you somehow, but I didn’t know how.”

  “Time was an important factor. I needed time.”

  The waitress came to their table and took their orders. Afterward, Tom asked, “So who was the guy and the baby?”

  “His name is Adam Preston. Erica is his sister’s baby. She just returned from out of town.”

  “Is it serious?”

  Kaitlyn hesitated. Especially after last night, it was serious on her part. But she didn’t know how Adam felt about that. Now that Tina was home, he’d certainly be leaving on schedule.

  “You don’t have to say anything else,” her ex-husband said. “I hope it works out for you.”

  She could see Tom really did wish her well. She just wasn’t sure what “working out” meant.

  * * *

  To Kaitlyn’s surprise, when she arrived at Adam’s that afternoon, Sara was there. She’d told her friend Tina had returned...and Sara was on the spot. Right away, Kaitlyn saw that Tina was holding Erica, and she had a feeling she’d been doing that as much as she could since she’d returned.

  The look Adam gave her said he’d missed her. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a huge kiss. Yet the truth was, she didn’t really know where they stood. What was going to happen next?

  “Sara made Tina an offer I don’t think she can refuse,” Adam explained.

  Sara grinned at them all. “Our guest cottage at Raintree is just sitting there empty. Amy and I loved it when we stayed there. So...I came over to invite Tina and Erica to live there. Jase, Amy, Ethan and I will be right across the lane, and Liam’s above the winery. It’s a beautiful location for walks and toddling around as Erica gets bigger. Marissa’s around a lot with Jordan, too, so I don’t think you’d get lonely,” she said to Tina. “What do you think?”

  “Adam asked me if I wanted to stay here while he was gone,” Tina said.

  “Once you see that guest cottage, you’re going to want to stay there,” he responded.

  “But my job’s in Sacramento, and I really can’t afford to lose it. I need to pay my way,” Tina assured them all.

  Sara nodded. “I understand. I felt the same way as a single mom. What if you could get a job here in Fawn Grove?”

  “That would be perfect,” Tina agreed.

  “Jase deals with lawyers all the time in the winery business. I’m sure he’ll check around, if that’s what you really want.”

  Tina looked at all of them, and maybe finally she realized this was a group that was going to give her support. She wasn’t alone anymore. “If he hears of a job here in Fawn Grove, I’ll take it.”

  While Sara and Tina talked about the guest cottage, Adam pulled Kaitlyn into the kitchen. “So how did it go with your ex?”

  “It went very well.”

  Adam scowled. “And just what does that mean?”

  Could he be jealous? “It means we talked. He told me how he felt, and I listened. He wished me well.”

  “No follow-up dinners?” Adam asked.

  “No follow-up dinners,” she assured him.

  Adam wrapped his arm around her and pulled her away from the doorway into the small breakfast nook, where Tina and Sara couldn’t see them. Then he gave her a hard, long, deep, wet kiss that curled her toes and maybe her hair, too.

  Afterward, he said in a low voice, “I don’t know when we’re going to be alone again. This move into the guest cottage will be good for Tina, but I want to make sure she’s ready to live there alone with Erica and take care of her.”

  “Sara and Jase will watch over her, and I will, too,” Kaitlyn assured him.

  “I guess you don’t skip out for a couple of hours for an afternoon delight?” he asked hopefully.

  “It’s possible I could meet you at my place for an hour over lunch, if you can be flexible.”

  “Flexible is how I live my life,” he maintained with a grin. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow. I’ll call you when I’m free.”

  “Call me when you’re on the way to the town house so I can get there at the same time.”

  She laughed. This wasn’t like her at all, and she still didn’t know what came next. But for now, an hour with Adam tomorrow would have to do.

  * * *

  On Sunday, a week later, Kaitlyn dropped her overnight bag onto the floor in Adam’s bedroom, acutely aware of the package inside. It was a pregnancy test and it was time to use it. Her period was over a week late. Only, she wanted to wait until morning when the results would be the most effective.

  Morning. Her life could change because of a message on a stick.

  Couldn’t her life change tonight as well, if Adam told her how he felt? She’d spent the past week enjoying every moment they could steal together. They were both pushing the knowledge he was leaving next weekend into the recesses of their minds. At least she was. Was he looking forward to flying off again?

  This weekend had been tough on him. They’d moved Tina into Sara and Jase’s guesthouse today. She knew he hadn’t wanted to leave Tina alone there with Erica, but he had. She was sure he’d be checking in with her every couple of hours until Tina got tired of the interference and told him to stop.

  Or maybe she wouldn’t. A renewed connection with an older brother wasn’t something to mess with.

  When Kaitlyn went into the living room, she found Adam standing by a side table, a tiny bib in his hand, a remnant of Erica’s stay here.

  She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Peering over his shoulder, she said, “You can drop it off tomorrow.”

  He turned around and shook his head. “I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to leave her there.”

  “Erica or Tina?”

  “Both. I know Sara and Jase are right there.”

  “And Liam and Ethan. Sara says under his lady-killer ways, Liam’s a good guy. Stop worrying until there’s something to worry about.”

  Adam let the bib drop to the table, and he gave her a small smile. “I’ve watched her handle Erica all week and she seems to have the hang of it. Sleep deprivation will probably be the biggest problem. I know it was for me.”

  Spoken like a dad, Kaitlyn thought. What if he was a dad? To distract herself from that thought for the moment, she reminded him, “Erica’s sleeping for longer stretches now and that should help. She’s s
atisfied on the formula, and Tina seems to like playing with her, counting toes and fingers. We stocked the refrigerator, and Sara invited her for dinner tonight.”

  “The job Jase heard about seems like a good fit—a paralegal secretary for a general law office.”

  “What more could you want?” Kaitlyn teased, and realized how much more she wanted. She wanted Adam to stay. She wanted a life with him. But all they had now was an affair and that’s what he was used to.

  “What are we going to do for dinner?” he asked with an arched brow.

  “Sara invited us, too.”

  “Yes, she did, but then I would have lost a whole evening with you. I wasn’t going to give that up.”

  She knew that look in his eye. She could feel the sexual tension now stringing his body. She wanted tonight as much as he did, because they didn’t know how many nights they’d have.

  “Do you have much preparation for your trip?” she asked.

  “Lots of emails, scanned documents zipping back and forth. I’ve met the team through video conferencing. There will be more of that this week, but I really don’t want to talk about that. Do you?”

  No, she didn’t. Her hunger for Adam seemed to exceed everything else in her life. That was so unusual, and it scared her sometimes.

  When Adam lowered his head to kiss her, she was eager for it. His tongue immediately played across her lips, seeking entrance. She responded to his foray, feeling transported as she always did. His tongue found the inside of her cheek, explored a bit, and repetitively stroked against her. Her knees began to wobble, and her whole body trembled.

  Adam had taught her what passion was really about. He’d taught her how two people could want and need and satisfy. Yet not really satisfy. Not ever. Not unless there was a lifetime of passion and a lifetime of joining hearts. She wanted to do more than join her body to his. She wanted to join their hearts.

  Their kisses became more fevered. He broke away, saying, “The bedroom is always so far away.”

  “Why do we need the bedroom?” she asked provocatively. “Don’t you always carry a condom in your pocket for our fast-food lunches?”