“Delicious,” Nick said softly, gazing into her eyes. He slipped a forkful of dessert into his mouth, but his eyes remained on her.
She didn’t know how to react. Was he coming on to her? Any embarrassment she might have felt dissolved just seeing the spark of intensity in Nick’s eyes. Did she want his flirting, even just for her own deflated ego?
“Here, Carlotta gave me this.” Nurse Jacobs returned and handed her a wet dishcloth. “It might not stain if you get to it quickly.”
“Oh, I’ll probably just take it off upstairs and work on it,” she said, holding Leah on her lap with one hand while dabbing at the splashes of chocolate with the other hand.
Carlotta walked onto the patio with a pained expression. “Nick, you have a visitor.”
Nick glanced up as a sultry dark-haired woman breezed onto the patio.
“Hi, Nicky.”
“Rachel.” Nick got out of his seat.
The woman was stunning, even if she was a bit older than Nick. Looking proprietary, she placed her hand on his shoulder and lifted up on her toes to kiss him.
Brooke looked away rather than intrude on an intimate moment. She wondered what Rachel would say if she knew Nick had kissed her just hours ago, on this very same terrace.
“Who are your friends?” the woman inquired, staring at Nick.
He made the introductions without qualms. Rachel followed the direction of Nick’s gaze and swept a quick glance at Brooke and the baby, noting her stained blouse without missing a beat.
Brooke had learned not to give in to humiliation anymore. She lifted her chin and greeted Nick’s girlfriend with a poise that could win her an Oscar. “It’s nice to meet you, Rachel.”
“Rachel owns A Rock and A Hard Place,” Nick offered.
Brooke furrowed her brow. “I don’t remember it.”
“It’s a bar and nightclub,” Rachel explained. “I opened it about three years ago and I guess you could say it’s my baby.” Rachel looked at Leah. “Until the real thing comes along, that is.” She glanced at Nick, who held an unreadable expression, then turned her attention to Leah. “She’s adorable.”
“Thank you. She’s quite a mess at the moment. Both of us are. I should probably clean us both up.”
When Brooke rose from the table, Nurse Jacobs stepped up and reached for Leah. “I’ll take her for you.”
“Thank you,” Brooke said, her glance darting from Rachel to Nick. “I’ll leave you two alone. Have a nice evening.”
Nick met her eyes. “Think you can make it upstairs okay?”
Brooke nodded. “I’m feeling better. Thanks for dinner.” She waved her hand over her blemished blouse. “For as much as I managed to get into my mouth, it was delicious.”
Nick’s eyes went wide, then he chuckled and Brooke walked off feeling his gaze on her.
She heard Rachel question him with one word. “Upstairs?”
And she scurried a bit faster into the house.
Nick leaned against the railing that overlooked the valley below, his beer held between two fingers as he took a swig. He’d sipped champagne with the monks in France and enjoyed the best wines in all of Europe, not to mention imbibing from the best-ranked vintages in the family wine cellar, but tonight he needed good all-American beer.
His father would cringe seeing the cases of beer Nick had stocked in the house. Carlinos didn’t drink beer. Carlinos were winemakers. His father never came to grips with the fact that none of his sons wanted to be winemakers. They had separate interests, which were, of course, of no concern to the man who’d fathered them. Once Nick’s mother died, the boys were treated to Santo Carlino’s constant demands on how they should live their lives.
Tony and Joe had escaped relatively unscathed, but Nick hadn’t been so lucky. His father had managed to ruin Nick’s career, before it had even started.
“I’m pregnant, Nick,” Candy Rae cried into the phone right before his debut minor league baseball game. “I’m scared and I need you. Come home.”
Nick couldn’t come home. He’d been drafted by the Chicago White Sox. He was making his first start on the triple AAA squad on the Charlotte Knights and he needed to perform. He needed to make his mark and prove himself.
While he assured Candy Rae he’d come home and deal with the situation as soon as he could, she wouldn’t let up. She’d called him every day for weeks and the calls sapped his concentration on the ball field, so much so that he stopped taking her calls. Next thing he knew, Candy Rae showed up at the ballpark and pleaded with him in person to come home. She was six months pregnant and the evidence of his child growing inside her couldn’t be missed. He didn’t love Candy Rae, but he’d make sure his child wanted for nothing. He’d have a part in raising the baby but that wasn’t good enough for her. She wanted Nick home. She wanted marriage and the white picket fence fairy tale. Candy Rae was spoiled and stubborn and she put up a huge fuss, crying, screaming and stomping her feet. They argued, Nick not giving in to her tantrum and an hour later Nick walked onto the baseball field.
Distracted and pissed off, he’d collided with his teammate trying to make a catch in the outfield. He’d dislocated his shoulder, requiring surgery and a long recovery time.
“Should’ve been a piece of cake,” Nick muttered, sipping his ice-cold beer in the warm Napa night, thinking about that catch and the recovery.
The house on the hill was quiet. Only a few stars lit the sky and it was the remote silence surrounding him that brought back his desolation and disappointment. His life could have been so different.
He’d found out late that summer that Candy Rae’s baby wasn’t his but he’d also found out that his father had put her up to the deception. They’d schemed together to get what they wanted and both wanted the same thing, Nick to come home to Napa. Candy Rae claimed she loved him and Santo wanted a son he could groom to take over the family business.
Nick was released from his minor league contract after that injury and to this day, he’d bet his life his father had his hands in that. Santo was an unscrupulous manipulator. He’d had a reputation for being a ruthless businessman and his business always came first with him.
Nick never forgave him for that…for messing with his dream.
After that fiasco, he’d moved out of the country for many years, becoming the foreign liaison for Carlino Wines in European markets. This was all he could stomach to do, working for the family business—needing time and distance away from Santo. Nick managed other interests overseas, making sound real estate investments. He’d become wealthy in his own right before long.
Nick heard footsteps on the grounds and turned to find Brooke coming out of the house, barefoot, wearing a silky robe. Her long blond hair spilled onto her shoulders. He watched her take a few steps onto the terrace.
She hadn’t seen him yet—he was in the shadows—and that was fine with him. He could look at her without her defenses going up. Cascading terrace lamps lit her in a halo of light. Her movements graceful, she stepped farther out onto the terrace, taking in deep breaths of air. She looked troubled, as if searching for peace.
When she spotted him, she jumped back. “Oh, sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think anyone would be out here this late.”
“Neither did I. Couldn’t sleep?”
“Not tired. I think I got too much rest this afternoon. Looks like you’re enjoying the peace. I’ll just go back upstairs.” She turned and took a step.
“Don’t go.” Nick cursed under his breath. He was in a dangerous mood and it would be better for her to go inside.
She stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “I should go up.”
Nick pushed off from the railing and strode over until he was behind her and near enough to whisper in her ear. “You should. But I don’t want you to.”
Nick put his arms around her waist and brought her close. He’d always liked Brooke. She was unique and fresh with a clever sense of humor. She could make him laugh and he admired her gutsy attitud
e, while being beautiful and sexy at the same time. She was the girl that got away and she’d remain so, but right now, he wanted her company. And maybe a little bit more.
He felt her trembling in his arms. “What happened to Rachel?”
“She wanted something I can’t give her.”
Brooke hesitated, then finally whispered quietly, “What’s that?”
“All of me.”
Nick reached up and took Brooke’s hair in his hand. He moved soft strands off her neck and kissed her there. Goose bumps erupted on her nape and Nick drew her closer to whisper, “And you want none of me. Are you holding a grudge?”
“Not a grudge. I told you before.”
“Then what, Brooke?”
She turned around to face him. He was hit with an immediate jolt when she stared at him with those beyond-beautiful eyes. “Why does it matter?”
“You were important to me. We were friends once.”
Brooke’s mouth gaped open then she hauled off and shoved at his chest. Startled by her sudden move, he struggled to keep his balance.
“You are so dense!” Brooke seemed to shout, though it came out in a loud whisper.
Nick looked at her and the absurdity of the conversation struck his funny bone. He laughed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You see, you don’t even know!”
“So why don’t you tell me?” Judging by the look on her face, maybe he didn’t want to know.
“You used the ‘F’ word.”
“I did not,” he said adamantly and then it dawned on him. He arched a brow. “Oh, okay. So I said we were friends.”
Brooke turned to leave. ‘I’m not having this conversation,” she said as she stepped into the house.
Damn it. The woman was always walking away. He marched after her. “Sit down, Brooke.”
She stopped in his living room and glared at him. “Is that an order?”
Nick was through being amused. Why he cared to clear the air with her was beyond him. Maybe it was the mood he was in. Maybe it was hearing Rachel accuse him of using her that got to him tonight. Maybe it was because she’d also accused him of not having a heart. Or maybe it’s because he thought he’d done the right thing for once in his life and Brooke was punishing him for it.
He shouldn’t give a damn.
But he did.
“Hell, Brooke. Cut me some slack. Talk to me.”
Brooke glanced at the sofa and twisted her lips. “I could claim fatigue. I think I feel a dizzy spell coming on.”
“Sit,” he said, keeping his tone light.
She sat down on the sofa and he took the seat across from her. A glass and wrought-iron coffee table separated them. The room was dark but for the dim lamp light from the terrace filtering inside.
Nick waited.
Then Brooke began. “You were the last person on earth I ever wanted to see again.”
“I know that. Now tell me why.”
Four
Brooke’s memories came rushing back of that one night that had changed her life forever. It wasn’t what Nick had done but what he hadn’t done that had devastated her young heart.
The pounding on the door startled Brooke out of a sound sleep. She raced down the hallway in her nightie, certain that something was wrong. Her mother was visiting her best friend in San Francisco for the weekend and Brooke feared something terrible had happened to her. Why else would someone be pounding on her door after ten o’clock at night?
She hesitated behind the door, until she heard his voice. “It’s me, Brooke. It’s Nick. C’mon. Open up.” She heard the excitement in his voice and immediately yanked the door open.
He stood in the moonlight, grinning from ear to ear and she came alive right then, as if she’d been an empty shell until Nick appeared to breathe new life into her. She smiled instantly, his obvious joy contagious. “Nick? What is it?”
He lifted her off her feet and twirled her around and around in dizzying circles. “I did it. I did it. I’m going to the major leagues. I got drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round.”
Before she had time to react, he set her down, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with such intensity she thought she was still floating above ground. When he broke off the kiss, the hungry look in his blue eyes held her captivated. “Nick, that’s great. It’s what you want.”
“I know. I know. I’m going to Charlotte to play for the Knights. It’s Triple A ball, but if I play to my potential, Coach thinks it won’t take long to make it to the majors.”
“Oh, Nick. You’ll get there. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get there.”
Without his knowledge, she’d gone to a play-off game and watched him play once. He’d been the star of the team. Everyone cheered for Nick when he stepped up to the plate. He’d hit three home runs in that weekend series and the team had gone on to win the championship.
“I came right over to tell you. I wanted you to know. I wanted to share this with you first.”
He’d come to her, before telling his friends? Warmth rushed through her body and when he reached for her again and kissed her, Brooke’s world turned upside down.
“I want you, Brooke,” he whispered urgently, bracing her waist and tugging her close. Her legs rubbed against his jeans. “I’ve always wanted you.”
He lavished kisses on her forehead, her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and then devoured her mouth in another long, fiery crazed kiss that lit her body on fire. “My mom’s out of town,” she whispered and Nick wasted no time.
“Where’s your room?”
Brooke led him there and stood by the bed. He smiled and in one smooth move, he lifted her nightie and filled his hands with her breasts. The exquisite feel of his palms on her sent a hot thrill through her body. Deft fingers stroked her nipples and she ached for more. When he put his mouth on her, she squeezed her eyes shut from the exquisite, sweet torture.
Nick had her naked on the bed in seconds, then he removed his shirt and joined her. She was glad she’d waited, glad to have her first time be with Nick, the boy who’d been out of her reach for so long. Now, he was here, wanting her.
She loved him with a fierceness that stunned her. His touch sent her spiraling out of control. He kissed her a dozen times, driving her insane with his tongue, as he caressed every inch of her body.
Inexperienced and awkward, Brooke didn’t know what to do. What would he expect from her? Should she be touching him back?
“This is a good night…being with you,” he whispered, nibbling on her throat. His softly spoken words abolished her insecurities.
His hand traveled lower, his fingers seeking her warmth, and electric shocks powered through her body. She stiffened from the new sensation. She’d never felt anything like it, the intimacy of the act, the way he knew how to find her most sensitive spot and stroke her until she was breathless and mindless.
The sensation built and built and she arched and moaned until only little cries of ecstasy escaped her lips. Wave after wave of release shattered her and Nick stroked her harder, faster, drawing out her orgasm, his eyes dark and filled with desire. He murmured soft words but she didn’t hear him, didn’t recognize what he was asking until she felt the last tiny wave leave her.
“Are you protected?” he asked again.
And she looked at him and shook her head. “I don’t have, I mean I don’t—”
He stood up and reached into his pocket, then something stopped him. She’d never forget the look on his face, the way he studied her as she lay naked on the bed.
“Nick?” Dread beat against her chest and her stomach coiled.
He stared at her and blinked. His gaze roved over her again and this time she truly felt naked and strangely alone. Then the unthinkable happened. Nick shook his head, closing his eyes to her and taking deep breaths. “I can’t do this, Brooke. I’m gonna have to leave.”
“Nick?” Panicked, Brooke lifted up to reach for him.
To her horror, he back
ed away, as if repulsed by her touch. “I gotta go, Brooke. I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Mortified, Brooke watched him grab his shirt and walk out of her bedroom.
“Brooke?” Nick asked, glancing at her intently.
Sudden anger strangled the words she wanted to say to him. She wanted to blast him with full guns and then walk out of his house and forget she ever laid eyes on him again. But she bit back her remarks and calmed down to a rational level. “You hurt me, Nick. That night. The night you got drafted.”
His sharp breath was audible. “None of that was supposed to happen.”
That’s all he had to say? He’d broken her heart and left her shattered, wishing that she’d been enough for him. The girl from the right side of town. The girl he’d want to take out on a date and introduce to his family, the girl who didn’t work at the local diner and sewed her own clothes.
She’d dared to hope, but that hope had been crushed.
She wasn’t even good enough to have a one-night fling with. He’d rejected her and left her lying there, exposed and vulnerable and humiliated.
“How do you think I felt when you walked out on me?”
“You should have been relieved,” Nick said in earnest, and she wanted to shove him in the chest again.
“Relieved? How can you say that? You…you led me on. You came to my house that night with one thing on your mind.”
“Things shouldn’t have gone that far, Brooke. I realized that and I walked out before we made a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Inwardly she cringed. Now she was a mistake. This conversation was going from bad to worse and Brooke wanted to scream out in frustration.
Nick leaned forward, bracing the back of his elbows on his knees. “You were special to me, Brooke and—”
“I was your good buddy,” she spit out.
“No, you were the girl I wanted the most and the one I couldn’t let myself have.”
Brooke shook her head. “I don’t get it. Your memory must be failing you. Age does that to a person. You must be old before your time.”
The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement Page 5
