Twins times two!

by Bingham, Lisa

  "I take it the divorce wasn't amicable." She grimaced. "How can you tell?" "The long silence speaks volumes, I'm afraid." "As I said, we grew apart. Soon we didn't have the same goals for the future. Elliot wanted to make as much money in as little time as possible."

  "And what did you want?"

  She didn't even have to think. "Happiness."

  "Have you found it?"

  Her smile was quick. "Yes. In a pair of irascible twins."

  Ross filled their mugs with coffee and handed her one. Then he took a seat on the nearest stool.

  She was immediately conscious of the firm musculature revealed beneath the fine fabric of his trousers. She could all but feel the heat of his body seeping into her own.

  Cara took a quick sip of coffee, then gulped and began to cough when it burned her tongue.

  "It's hot," Ross offered too late.

  She laughed, then coughed again. Ross smiled— briefly, ever so briefly, but long enough for his amusement to momentarily chase away the shadows in his eyes. And at that moment she saw a glimpse of just how devastatingly handsome this man could be when he wasn't so sober.

  Setting his own mug on the counter, Ross pounded her obligingly on the back. In an instant the frivolity of the moment faded away leaving a potent awareness.

  Without warning, Cara felt his fingers still against her spine, then spread wide over her shoulders. Before she could fully prepare herself, there

  was a slight pressure against her spine and he drew her irresistibly toward him.

  Inch by inch. Heartbeat by heartbeat. Closer and closer until...

  Cara knew he meant to kiss her, and her brain whispered a word of warning. But suddenly she didn't care. She didn't care that she was opening herself to heartache. She didn't care that her relationship to this man was doomed from the very beginning. All that mattered was this instant.

  This kiss.

  Ross closed the last few inches with aching slowness. At long last his mouth settled upon hers, questioningly at first, then with greater strength and assurance.

  He feels so good, so strong, so...male.

  In an instant her hunger ignited in a flashpoint of need. Ross returned in kind until any emotional restraints they might offer were lost as they clung to each other, passion flaring white-hot and unexpected.

  Cara's arms swept around his shoulders, and she leaned close to the man, allowing him to press her close to the hard strength of his chest. A part of her knew that what she was doing was dangerous. She was kissing a man who might someday make a claim on one of the twins. But with his arms around her, she couldn't think that far. She was

  consumed with a need like nothing she had ever felt before. And the pleasure...sweet heaven, she had never felt such pleasure in Elliot's arms! Ross knew just how to hold her, caress her, kiss her, to make her feel cherished and desirable, beautiful and seductive.

  And she hadn't felt that way in a very long time. Not since returning home early from a dinner with her friends to discover her husband was making love to another woman in the same bed that she'd shared with him only the night before.

  Suddenly starving for air, the two of them broke apart. But the need thrummed between them even more potently, swamping whatever restraints they might have cared to impose.

  Cara had never experienced anything like this before. She was normally so careful around men. After her divorce she'd rarely dated—and that had been by her own choosing.

  But as she looked into the dark depths of Ross's eyes, she was lost again. When he reached for her, she didn't resist. This time their embrace was slow and lingering and infinitely sensual. Her hands spread wide over his back, sweeping low to tug the hem of his shirt free, then explore the bare flesh beneath. His hissing inhalation told her that he must have felt the same jolt of electricity that coursed through her fingertips the moment she'd

  *

  grazed the sensitive skin. The very thought that she could incite such a reaction filled her with an even hotter passion.

  "We've got to stop," he rasped against her throat. But rather than end the embrace, he trailed his tongue along a particularly sensitive nerve, causing her to gasp.

  This time it was her turn to pull him to her for a kiss. Again, she was struck by the differences between Elliot and this near stranger. Elliot had been a sloppy kisser—too wet, too intrusive. But Ross...

  Ross knew just when to advance, to retreat. When to stroke, when to tease.

  She moaned deep in her throat, slowly losing her touch with reality. There was only this man. This kiss.

  Without warning, a high-pitched bleeping noise split the silence. The two of them sprang apart as if a shot had rung through the room.

  It took a moment for Cara to realize the sound was coming from her duffel bag.

  "My phone," she gasped, dodging toward the bag. The noise increased as she removed the receiver from its pocket and punched the send button.

  "Yes?"

  Did she really sound that breathless? That out of control?

  "Cara? Are you all right?"

  Polly.

  44 Yes. Yes, I'm fine."

  44 You sound strained. Did something happen when Ross came home? Did he find out there was a problem?"

  Cara automatically smoothed her hair, even though Polly couldn't possibly see her. 44 No. I'm...I'm still here."

  4 'What's the matter?"

  "Nothing, I just stayed for coffee, that's all."

  44 You did what?" Polly's tone was incredulous.

  Suddenly Cara felt like a teenager who'd broken curfew. If Polly was this shocked that Cara had stayed for coffee, imagine her reaction if she knew the full details. 44 I should be home in about ten minutes."

  4 'You're sure you're okay?"

  "Yes, yes. I'll see you soon."

  Cara terminated the call before Polly's concern communicated itself through the slight noises that Ross must be able to hear.

  4 'Trouble?"

  44 No. Just the...ah...baby-sitter."

  44 You hired a baby-sitter so that you could come tend my kids?"

  1 'Not exactly. One of my partners was watching them. She thought I would be back by now."

  "Ah."

  The silence pulsed between them, fraught with the memories of the passionate embrace they had just shared.

  Staring at Ross, she saw her own discomfort reflected in his eyes. They had just shared a terribly intimate embrace and yet they were strangers. Complete and total strangers?

  So what did they do now? What were they supposed to say to each other?

  Cara was the first to speak. 'T, uh... I've got to

  go-So why wasn't she moving? Ross nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. "Sure. I understand. After all, I know all about getting back in time to relieve the sitter." His lips twitched in something akin to chagrin. The expression had a little-boy charm that tugged at her heart. Before grief had tainted this man's expression, he must have been devastating. If a slight twitch of his lips had the ability to knock at her defenses, what would a full-blown smile do?

  Just as quickly as the smile had appeared, it disappeared again. He grew instantly serious, and she regretted the hint of gentleness. Before she could reconcile herself to the transformation, Ross was

  once again the epitome of a powerful businessman. In a heartbeat, the approachable person who had kissed her so spontaneously disappeared so completely, she might have imagined the interlude if her body didn't still tremble with the aftereffects.

  "Listen..." Ross slid a hand into the pocket of his trousers and stared down at the toe of his shoe. "I want you to know I don't usually go around... kissing my baby-sitters."

  She hitched the duffel bag over her shoulder, her own cheeks growing hot. "Of course not, and I don't—"

  "No, you wouldn't."

  Again the room shimmered in a heavy silence.

  "Well," she whispered. "I've got to go."

  He gently lifted the bag, relieving her of its weight. "I'll walk
you to your car."

  As they made their way to the front of the house, Cara was even more conscious of Ross beside her—and the awareness frightened her.

  What was wrong with her? She'd sworn off men after Elliot. What was it about this particular male that urged her to abandon all those heartfelt promises? Had she totally lost her mind? Why couldn't she remember everything that was at stake as soon as Ross discovered the truth about their children?

  Needing something to distract her from her troubling behavior and the uncertainty of the future,

  Cara asked, "So what do you do, Ross? For a living, I mean."

  "I'm a lawyer."

  She stumbled, then quickly righted herself. A lawyer. The sick fear returned with the strength of a blow to the stomach.

  A lawyer! Becca and Brianne's father was a lawyer?

  What had she done? Why, oh, why hadn't she listened to her first instincts and left this house as soon as Ross arrived?

  Her eyes swept over the interior of Ross's house—the hand-carved wood, the expensive furnishings and the framed art that she had supposed were prints but she now suspected were originals.

  "What, uh, what kind of law?"

  Please let him be a tax lawyer or a patent law-yer. Something innocuous and not nearly so threatening.

  "I specialize in family law. Divorces, custody suits. Things like that."

  Cara nearly lost her footing on the front stoop, then quickly righted herself before Ross could touch her again.

  Wouldn't she ever learn? When would she realize that she was invariably attracted to the wrong sorts of men? She had inner radar that seemed to attract those who were in a position to hurt her.

  62 Twins Times Two!

  But none of the men she'd been attracted to in the past had the kind of power that Ross unwittingly held. Not even Elliot. Elliot had once had the power to hurt and humiliate her. But Ross...

  Ross could threaten her role in her children's lives.

  Cara went hot then cold. By surrendering to temptation and kissing Ross she had complicated matters between them even further. No matter what she did from this moment on, the memory of their embrace would linger. She had allowed a personal element to taint a relationship that should have remained...

  What? Professional? Distant? How could either of those things be possible when it was apparent that their futures would be irretrievably linked through their children?

  Cara numbly made her way to the van, but as she was about to climb inside, Ross touched her arm.

  "I'd like to call you."

  She froze, knowing that they would be seeing each other on an entirely different footing than the one Ross was envisioning. Steeling herself, she tried to forget the sweet passion they'd shared in the kitchen and focus instead on her earlier misgivings about the man. After all, nothing had changed. Ross was still a man to be avoided. His

  wealth, his occupation and his grim sense of control frightened her. He was altogether too much like her ex-husband—too driven and goal oriented. Too powerful.

  And he was a lawyer.

  She swallowed against a wave of panic as an even newer fear rose to the surface. Her adoption of the twins wasn't finalized. Could the mix-up with the twins delay the adoption? And what if Ross decided to make claims on his biological child? Could Ross take one of the twins away from her? He certainly had the connections, money and legal know-how to do so if he wished.

  "I've got to go."

  She quickly climbed into the car, ignoring the flare of disappointment that glimmered in Ross's eyes before it was hidden by a blank mask.

  "Of course. I guess the Mom Squad will bill me as usual?"

  "Yes."

  He nodded, grimaced, then backed away. "Good night, then."

  He shut the door with a secure snap, then backed away so that she could maneuver the van out of the driveway.

  But as the security gates rolled shut behind her, she felt as if she'd left something behind her...and the feeling wasn't entirely due to the twins.

  Chapter Four

  Ross stood for long moments watching the lights of Cara's car as they flickered through the trees, then disappeared altogether. Several seconds later he sighed and returned to the house.

  Habit took over the moment the door was closed. He set the alarm in the foyer, turned off the lights and made his way upstairs. He'd had an exhausting day—court, two consultations and the benefit dinner. But even though he'd vowed to return home and go straight to bed rather than work until the wee hours of the morning, he hadn't. Instead, he had been more interested in indulging in the company of a woman like Cara than getting some much-needed rest.

  A woman like Cara.

  He couldn't remember the last time he'd been near someone so beautiful and so completely un-

  aware of her own attractiveness. She had the subtle innocence of the "girl next door" combined with an innate sensuality. Her features were exotic, her coloring dramatic. If it weren't for the way she all but radiated "do not touch" he might have been tempted to...

  His thoughts skidded to a halt, and he felt a pang of something that felt very much like guilt. Climbing the stairs, he tried his best to shake off the sensation. But even though his head told him that Nancy had been gone for nearly two years and he was more than free to look at another woman if he wanted, his heart was not so easily convinced.

  Ross knew his friends and associates were completely in favor of his moving on. More than once they'd urged him to find a woman to share his life and ease the challenges of caring for the children alone. He'd heard all of the arguments about the twins needing a mother and him needing a companion. But it wasn't as easy to move on with his life as others might suppose. He and Nancy had known each other since the first grade. They'd been high school sweethearts, attended college and married soon after Ross finished his undergraduate work.

  And he missed her. Dear heaven, how he missed her.

  So why was he remembering another woman's

  perfume and the silky texture of her skin? Why was Cara's the face he was thinking of as he undressed and prepared for bed?

  Ross grunted self-deprecatingly at his own weakness. He was merely starved for feminine companionship, that was all. Any other woman would have affected him in much the same way, given the same circumstances.

  The moment the thought appeared, he dismissed it as unfair. As much as he might want to discount what had happened tonight, he couldn't. Somehow, some way this woman had cracked the hard shell of ice that had encased his emotions since Nancy's death. As much as he might want to step back into the numb cocoon that had encased him for the past two years, the time had come to move on.

  Nevertheless, even as he gave himself permission to go in search of companionship, to find a wife for himself and a mother for his children, he knew it wouldn't be that easy. He might succumb to his physical needs and initiate a physical relationship, but there would be no emotional ties to bind him. That part of his personality had died with his wife.

  No. He would need to find a woman who could take him for what he was—scarred and imperfect. He was a man who could offer a woman a good life, a healthy bank account and an instant family.

  But that was all. That was all he had left in him to give.

  So why did that leave him feeling hollow? And restless?

  And why couldn't he seem to forget the taste and feel of a woman who had all but run away from him only hours before?

  "Mr. Morton is still in conference, but he'll be right with you, Miss Wells. If you'll have a seat, I'll let him know you're waiting."

  "Thank you."

  Cara gripped the strap of her bag more tightly and moved into the elegant decor of the law offices' reception area. Sitting with her back to the bright light streaming through the main door, she ignored the stack of glossy magazines spread out on the table in front of her and reached into her purse instead.

  Removing the two photographs, she stared at them again. Why was the sight of two sets of twin
s still so shocking? Why couldn't she bring herself to believe in the evidence of her own eyes?

  Her thumb lovingly traced the small photograph taken of Heidi and Zoe at a portrait studio in a nearby department store. Then she looked at the Polaroid photograph that she had removed from Ross Gifford's file at the Mom Squad offices. Two

  sets of identical twins. Two. How had they been switched? How? Even with the confusion of the blizzard, there was no excuse for the hospital's having made such a mistake. None whatsoever.

  But railing against the Fates wouldn't change the predicament she found herself in now. And there was no use fretting over things she couldn't change. The facts would still remain.

  A pair of twins had been switched.

  And their father had awakened a hunger in her that she was having a hard time ignoring.

  No. She couldn't think about that right now. She had to keep her mind on the twins and on her options for the future. She couldn't afford to let her thoughts wander to those heady moments in Ross Gifford's arms.

  "Cara?"

  She froze, wondering if she was beginning to lose her mind. Now, instead of just thinking about the man, she was hearing him, too.

  But when she turned, she found Ross striding through the main doors, a hint of surprise softening the granite-hard angles of his features. His gaze was intent and so obviously male that Cara felt flustered. For a moment the potent awareness in his eyes had chased away some of somberness. If he weren't so obviously in mourning, Ross Gifford would be a devastating man.

  And if that were the case, how would she have the will to resist him?

  She grimaced at her own inability to push aside her attraction to Ross Gifford. Why couldn't she remember that this man was a threat to everything she held dear? Why couldn't she focus on the fact that he held her future in the palm of his hand and he didn't even know it? Wasn't she in enough trouble already?