The Rich Man's Baby

by Leah Vale

  Protection or not, loving Harrison would cost her, every single day of her life. "Were you expecting to bump into me tonight? Or do you just stuff a condom in your pocket every morning along with your keys?"

  He made a noise in the back of his throat and squeezed her tighter. "I probably should. You make me nuts." He ran a hand up her back and into her hair and coaxed her head back so she would look at him.

  While the light of the moon undoubtedly showed him all the bittersweet vulnerability she felt, the emotions fueling his passion remained shadowed from her. Would she ever really know why he wanted her? Did he even know? Not that it mattered. She couldn't control herself any better than he could.

  He kissed her lightly, sucking her lower lip gently between his, then whispered, "But I had hoped you would need to come down to the river as much as I did. It seems to be the one place where things are clear." He kissed her again. "I can't deny it anymore, Juliet. I want to make love to you again."

  On the verge of tears from her weakness for him but wanting him all the same, Juliet turned her head and nodded toward a cluster of young birch trees growing at the edge of the river, down from the dock. They created a tiny grotto. "There. Over there."

  With the strength of a man who'd stepped beyond his restraint, Harrison hoisted her off her feet, gripped her bottom with both hands so she had to wrap her legs around his waist, and carried her off the dock to the trees without a single misstep. He dropped to one knee and laid her back on the sheltered patch of tended lawn. The sharp scent of crushed grass rose around them and added a natural blessing to the moment.

  Staring down at her with pupils blown wide with desire, he whispered huskily, "You are so beautiful, Juliet. So beautiful and special."

  He loomed large above her, masculine and protective, and his sweet words opened her like a key. She reached for him, pulling his mouth to hers. With her tongue touching his, she kissed him for all she was worth, letting loose all the longing and need that had weighted her down for so long. Only Harrison's big body settling onto hers kept her from joining the stars, just as he had when their passion had exploded the last time by the river.

  There was so much of him, all hard and strong and hot, and she wanted to touch every inch of him, to convey through her fingertips what her heart was screaming-You're the only man I'll ever love. Gripping the back of his shirt in her fists, she pulled it over his head like a dirty fighter in a brawl.

  He helped her by yanking the shirt the rest of the way off, then touched her in return, slipping his hands beneath her T-shirt and worshipping her bare flesh. "You set me on fire, Juliet," he groaned, and pushed her shirt up and off.

  "Then get ready to burn," she vowed, and ran her hand down his hard chest, following the path of fine hair to his waistband. She unfastened his pants, pushed them out of the way, and made him suck in a breath when she told him with her hand what she wanted him to do to her, how she wanted him to do it.

  Juliet wanted, needed, Harrison to make love to her slowly and gently and wonderfully, too. Just as he had before.

  And he did.

  In the moon-dappled beauty of the secluded haven, Harrison tucked his shirt beneath her, slid her jeans from her legs, trailing delicious kisses in their wake, then donned his protection and settled his big, hot body on top of hers. The heat of his chest was like a warm, moist kiss on her breasts compared to the crispness of the night air. Sliding his strong arms beneath her, he slid himself inside her and made love to her exactly how she wanted him to. Only he added a heartbreaking tenderness that had tears slipping from the corners of her eyes as he moved his hard length in and out of her.

  She loved him for it. She loved him for every whispered word of praise, every reverent touch, every fiery kiss. He was always so strong and sure of himself, but when he held her in his arms, he made her feel that she had the power, that she had worth.

  Desperate to show him he was the only man she would ever feel this way about, the only man she would ever love, Juliet grabbed fistfuls of hair on both sides of his head and pulled his mouth from hers.

  "Look at me," she said between panting breaths that blended with the sounds of the river and the trees. Finding his soul in the shadows of his eyes, she hooked her bare heels behind his muscular thighs just above his pushed-down chinos and increased the tempo until their worlds shattered in exquisite, blinding shudders.

  He captured her cry of pleasure with his mouth and mingled it with his own.

  In that splintered, incredible moment in time, Juliet accepted, just as she had over two years ago, that she would never be the same again.

  They walked back to the moon-washed mansion together, their spent passion a physical thing between them that Juliet couldn't ignore. While Harrison didn't seem to regret making love with her-he'd kissed her sweetly, tenderly before he leveraged himself off her and helped her don her jeans and picked grass from her hair with a chuckle or two-she needed to hear him say the words.

  Swinging her arms back and forth to pretend a casualness she didn't feel, she took the leap. "So," she offered softly, "is this going to be a 'meet me at the dock at midnight' kind of thing? Because I'm not sure how game I'm going to be, come later this fall. It's nippy enough as it is."

  He glanced at her, studying her with his boardroom face. "So you're okay with this?"

  She wrapped her arms around her middle. "That depends on what this is."

  He made a noise. "I know what you mean."

  Oh, now that was vague. Juliet squeezed her arms tighter around her. Did she dare go down this road right now, with her body still warmed by his touch and her mouth tender from his kisses? But she might not get another chance to find out what moved her tarnished knight to take her in his arms.

  "The thing is, Harrison, I'm over here thinking, 'what's going to happen to me if he gets tired of me, or comes to his senses, or decides to listen to his father after all?' I'm just not sure I can sit around the mansion waiting for any or all of those things to happen, hoping to be with you as much as I can until I have to leave."

  He stopped and studied her some more in the moonlight. She was about to tell him to forget she'd opened her big mouth when he said, "You won't ever have to leave, Juliet."

  Praying for some sort of declaration of feelings toward her, she braved a "Why?"

  He peeled one of her hands from her side and gripped it in his big, warm one. "Nathan, for starters."

  Hope trickled away like water in the gutter. She pressed, "I know you care about him, Harrison, but do you love him?"

  "Yes. I do," he answered in a voice so low it rumbled.

  "How much?"

  He pulled in a shaky breath that tore at her heart. "More than I thought possible."

  "Too much?"

  His full brows came together. "What do you mean?"

  "When we first really talked down by my stretch of the river, you said that it's never good to love someone too much."

  His frown deepened. "I was talking about something different. Loving a child is different."

  Dreading what he might say but needing to hear the truth, she asked, "Different from what?"

  He looked at her like a doctor about to tell a patient she had terminal cancer. "Different from how a man loves a woman. Like how my dad loved my mother. Giving up yourself like that-making someone else the best part of you is...well, it's stupid. Because if they die or leave, or whatever, what's left of you is useless and bitter."

  She sucked in a breath. How could he say such a thing right after touching her soul from the inside? Clearly her love for Harrison would never be returned. Fighting the tears burning in the back of her throat, she argued, "But Nathan is the best part of me."

  He took her other hand in his. "The difference is that with a child, you don't have a choice. I had no choice in loving Nathan too much." His voice caught. "He's my son."

  Though the shards of her heart felt like they were digging into her chest, she forced a smile. "And I'm his mother."

&nb
sp; He pulled her hands toward him, forcing her to take the step that separated them. "You are so much more than that, sweetheart."

  He dropped a sweet kiss on her lips that couldn't be mistaken for anything but a peace offering to a lover, before releasing one of her hands and heading them toward the house.

  Okay, so she would never be the love of his life. At least she was in his life. She couldn't help tightening her hold on his hand as they climbed the stairs to the veranda. He responded with a slight squeeze of his own.

  Maybe she should fight for his love. Show him that she could be what he needed in the light of day as well as the dead of night, that giving himself up to her wouldn't cost him. Convince him that loving someone so much you lose control was a good thing.

  She'd already taken the biggest chance of her life by moving here with him. What more would she be risking by trying to get him to love her, to make a real family with her and Nathan?

  Her pride, that's all.

  As he opened the French doors and released her hand to step inside and enter a code into the security system panel, she looked back at the beauty of the night and decided it would be a price worth paying.

  She loved him with every inch of her being. If that wasn't enough to bridge the gap between their worlds, what else could? There had to be a way to keep his loving her from hurting his chances of fulfilling his dreams. There had to be a way to do that.

  Harrison recaptured her hand and started them down the hall to the front

  staircase, but Juliet pulled away from him. Protecting his chances had better start now. Being caught strolling hand in hand with him after midnight would not help him snag the top spot in his old man's company. As loud as she dared, she whispered, "We really shouldn't go waltzing upstairs together. Why don't you go raid the fridge, or something, while I head up."

  With a sexy, butter-melting smile, he said, "To my room, right? While I don't mind sheds cars or river-banks, I do want to get you into my bed sometime."

  Though the prospect made all sorts of muscles clench with want when she would have sworn they'd be satisfied for a week, she shook her head. "We can't. It's not like you live alone. I couldn't bear getting caught."

  He considered her for a moment, then ran a hand through his thick hair. "Okay. Sure." But when she turned to walk away from him toward the stairs, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him for a passion-rekindling, toe-curling kiss. When he finally came up for air, he gave her a satisfied-looking grin. "I'll see you in the morning." Then he released her and headed off toward the back of the house, his swagger unmistakable.

  So he really didn't regret what had happened between them. She wanted to keep it that way. But how? How could she keep him from seeing her as a bad habit he needed to break?

  She turned and started up the huge, curving staircase, its polished wood gleaming even in the moonlight and the faint scent of roses from the bouquet in the foyer sweetening the air. With each step she asked herself how. How? Then Dorothy Rivers's words echoed in her head as an answer. While change can at times be frightening, it is the only way to discover new possibilities.

  Change.

  She needed to change. While what she had been through since Harrison rode into her life was staggering, it still wasn't enough. She would take the scholarship and start college. Maybe get a teaching degree. But she not only had to change what she did with her life and where she did it. She also had to change how others perceived her while she was doing it.

  Determination and a sense of purpose surged through her as she slipped silently down the hall and into her room. She knew just the person to ask for help.

  Ashley only blinked once over the rim of her morning coffee cup before an unmistakably delighted grin lit her beautiful face in response to Juliet's out-of-left-field question. Fearing that Harrison, or worse, George might make an appearance in the large, sun-washed breakfast nook, Juliet hadn't dared take the time to work her way into asking for Ashley's help any less abruptly.

  Juliet still held her breath, though, and waited with nerves strung tight for Ashley to set her cup down and give her answer.

  Ashley reached across the white marble tabletop and gripped Juliet's hand. "I would love to help you, Juliet." Her touch was warm and strong and surprisingly reassuring. "Though I don't think you really need to change who you are, to fit in, so much as change your look a little."

  She gave Juliet's hand a squeeze before releasing her and sitting back. "Just the other day I was saying how something as simple as a new pair of shoes can completely change the way a woman feels about herself. And how a woman feels about herself is the key to how she projects herself. It's that projection which makes us 'fit in' or not."

  Painfully aware of how little cash she had in the Dutch shortbread cookie tin hidden beneath her underwear in her dresser upstairs, Juliet twisted her own coffee cup on its saucer-something she'd never dreamed she'd ever use let alone take pleasure in- and cleared her throat. "I

  can't really afford much in the way of new clothes, but if you could help me pick out a few key piece-"

  Ashley held up a manicured finger. "Stop right there. You will not be paying for anything."

  Juliet opened her mouth to protest, angry with herself for not thinking

  of the possibility of Ashley wanting to foot the bill. Ashley shushed her with an impatient wave of her hand that sent her bracelets jingling and mingled her elegant perfume with the pungent scent of freshly groundcoffee.

  "I want to do this for you, Juliet. Not just because of what you have with my brother but because I like you and I think you deserve whatever sort of makeover you'd like. Besides, I will have a ridiculously good time doing it. So you must promise me that not another word will be said about the expense. Promise?"

  Juliet couldn't make that promise, certain Ashley had very expensive taste. "I can't-"

  "Please, Juliet." Ashley cut her off again. "Let me do this for you. For Harrison. He thinks he doesn't need anything but control of the company." She made a noise reminiscent of Dorothy's pish. "I've seen the way he looks at you. He's deluding himself. But I'm afraid he's not going to see what's really in front of him unless we knock his corporate socks off. So let me give you a new look that'll blow all his excuses out of the water. All right?"

  Nearly brought to tears by Ashley's support, Juliet could only nod her agreement.

  Ashley clapped her hands together in delight. "Fabulous. And I know just where to start." She reached for her black leather dayplanner.

  Juliet hastened to add, "I don't want to take up very much of your time. I know you're really busy getting the retirement party ready."

  Ashley waved her concerns off again. "Darling, we're women. We can multitask. By this time Saturday at Dad's party you'll be ready to dine with kings and make saints forget their callings."

  Though Harrison had had every intention of leaving work early for home-the notion of his home being Juliet's and Nathan's, too, sending a surge of what could only be described as giddiness through him- one thing after another had cropped up. And then he'd had to wait for Juliet's surprise to be delivered. It was dinnertime when he finally stepped through the door into the foyer, confirmed by the mouthwatering smells tingeing the air.

  Perhaps he'd have enough time before dinner to speak with Juliet about what had occurred last night down by the river. He blew out a noisy breath as he made his way toward the kitchen and family living area looking for Juliet and Nathan. What had occurred. Now there was a euphemism. Juliet had rocked his world. Again.

  But this time he hadn't allowed his emotional response to make him irresponsible. He'd maintained control. As much control as one could maintain while having one's mind blown, that is. He had halfway hoped making love to Juliet again would take the edge off his need for her.

  It hadn't. After just a day without so much as a glimpse of her, his body virtually buzzed with sexual energy. Whatever he had for Juliet, he had it bad. And the worst part was that her refus
al to risk getting caught in his bed had started him entertaining crazy

  notions like marrying her so that her being in his bed would be legit.

  How nuts was that?

  With no sign of her or Nathan on the veranda, either, Harrison was about to head upstairs when his father emerged from the den, still reading the financial section of the daily paper.

  George spared him a quick glance. "Evening, son.""Evening." While he knew it was probably useless to ask his dad but not wanting to waste time searching the house, he said, "You wouldn't by any chance know where Juliet and Nathan are?"

  Without looking up, he said, "Where she apparently belongs."

  Stunned, Harrison watched his dad disappear into the dining room. Had Juliet left? Had he so completely misjudged her reaction to their lovemaking last night? A panic akin to the feeling he'd experienced when he'd learned of Nathan's fall swept through him. What had he done? He had to go after her. He turned on his heel and started for the front door. He had to...

  Donavon called, " Nathan, Juliet. Dinner is ready to be served in the dining room."

  Harrison whirled and saw Donavon leaning in the library door. It hadn't occurred to him to look in the formal rooms that opened off the foyer.

  Juliet's voice answered from within the library. "Oh. Thanks. Be right there in a jiff, Donavon."

  Relief loosened Harrison's muscles with an intensity he chose not to examine. He headed for the library, nodding at Donavon as they passed. Stopping in the doorway of the book-lined room, Harrison's heart tripped all over itself at the sight that greeted him.

  Juliet was standing in front of the unlit, mahogany-encased fireplace, an elegantly simple peach dress falling gently from her curves, her head bent over a book she was flipping through, and her soft, sun-kissed hair tucked behind the sensuous shell of her ear before slipping down her back. Her loveliness touched him, making him want to touch her.

  A noise at her feet brought his attention to where Nathan sat stacking leather-bound books and reciting numbers not quite in sequence.