Forever a Father

by Lynne Marshall

  He needed to warn her. “I had a bad experience with a woman not too long ago. I’ll be honest and say it’s made me gun-shy. So I’m just saying I’ve loved and been hurt, and so have you. So that’s three reasons I’m fighting my instincts right now.”

  Empathy filled her eyes. “I’ve wondered about that, your being hurt before, and you know I understand, right?”

  Her concern touched him. “I guess if anyone could, it would be you.” And that helped make up his mind. He was through resisting her, for tonight, anyway.

  * * *

  Keela had the same desire as Daniel. She wanted more than anything to kiss him. Just now he’d explained why he’d been so hesitant. If anyone could understand, she did. Then she saw the shift in his demeanor. The questioning employer stepped out and in his place was a man who’d made up his mind. A very appealing man who knew how to treat a lady respectfully, how to fix faucets and run a business. One whose thick dark hair called out to have fingers run through it. His forest-green eyes searched hers and she sent the strongest message she could telepathically—I really want to kiss you.

  Now that she’d made up her mind, he didn’t act fast enough for her liking, so she leaned forward, put her hand on his smoothly shaved cheek and pulled him closer. She wanted to kiss him for a hundred different reasons, but mostly because he was a great guy, and she’d missed being in a man’s arms. Of all the men she’d known over the years, he seemed the most trustworthy.

  But it wasn’t his safeness that appealed to her, it was the tingles he created across her neck whenever he looked at her like this, and how she always tightened her core whenever he got close. Not because he made her nervous, but because without trying he always caused a reaction in her. This was the guy she wanted to find out about, even though it scared her, and now her mouth was closer to his than it’d ever been before. Keela eased her eyes shut, savoring his delicious woodsy scent as she moved closer.

  “This still isn’t a good idea,” he whispered just above her mouth, close enough for her to sense the pulse in his neck.

  “Who says?” she breathed, savoring how his words had tickled her lips. Then she closed the tiny gap and kissed him.

  In an instant he took over their kiss, letting her know exactly how interested he was and who was in charge. She liked it, too. Soon she relaxed into the delectable sensation of locking lips with Daniel Delaney. She opened her mouth, indulging in touching the tip of his tongue with hers, tasting mint he must have popped while she put Anna to bed, and basking in the waterfall of sensations trickling from the top of her head to the tips of her breasts. It’d been years since she’d enjoyed a kiss this much.

  Daniel stopped short of caressing her breast, though he wanted to more than anything. He’d admitted to himself that he’d thought about touching her plenty of times at work. Talk about an HR nightmare. He wanted to do a lot more to her than that, too. Some boss he was. Yet now, when he had the chance, he drew the line, and cupping her was on the wrong side. Not tonight. Take it slow. You’ve got to look her in the eyes tomorrow at work, and that needs to be all business.

  To avoid the soft and inviting real estate sitting right beneath his fingers, his for the taking, he went off on a tangent of kissing the side of her neck and nibbling her earlobe, and he struck gold. He’d found one of her special spots, judging from how she moaned and arched her back. It would be so easy to take a breast into his palm...and who knew where that would lead.

  Nope. This was what he’d been worried about—not wanting to stop once he’d started kissing and touching Keela. He found his way back to her mouth, and she’d obviously been revved up, given the vigorous greeting he received. The lady knew how to kiss, and all kinds of nerve endings were coming to life because of it.

  Making out felt great, and he’d missed it. A lot. Oh, but he’d already drawn the line, so when his hand almost settled on her chest again, he quickly moved to her upper arms and squeezed.

  Then he broke off the kiss. “Wow.”

  Those wide pupils in her dreamy eyes communicated that he could have gone a lot further. Another thing he’d been worried about: she was on board. Totally. He’d really liked kissing her, wanted more; what fool wouldn’t. But he still wasn’t ready for everything else his body wanted, and the baggage it would drag along. On both sides.

  Getting to know Keela would have to be a one-step-at-a-time dance. Tonight he’d kissed her. Finally. And there was definitely something there.

  He cupped her cheek with his palm and stared into those mesmerizing blue eyes for a few long moments, wanting nothing more than to kiss those lips again. Instead he pecked the tip of her nose and pulled back.

  Abrupt? Maybe, but it was what he needed to do. This was the first step and he’d have to decide when and where to take the next. No, it wasn’t fair that she couldn’t have a say in it, especially since she was so enthusiastic, but he needed to feel in control. Kathryn had been the one in control before, and it had nearly broken him, so ending their kiss just now was his way of taking the lead. It was safer that way, because being honest, he could’ve stuck around and kissed Keela for hours.

  * * *

  Keela was confused. She’d let down her guard and gone passionate with Daniel. Then he’d ended it. Had she done something wrong? The little voice in the back of her head tried to mention he was her boss, but she’d shut it down. Immediately. And she was glad she had, because her suspicions about having some great chemistry with the man had been true. Wow. Still, knowing that frightened her.

  She’d thought she had good chemistry with Ron, too. Got pregnant pretty darn fast as a result, and that was when everything had changed. He’d looked at her differently, treated her with less care, become a nitpicker, sending the clear message that she never quite measured up.

  She hadn’t tried to trap him, but she’d always suspected that was how he’d felt. Ron had done the honorable thing, married her, probably because he’d brought her all the way to the United States to seduce her. Well, maybe he should have made sure a condom had been adequate enough. She’d been so naive then, she wasn’t even on birth control.

  Things were different now, and she needed to remind herself of that. She was a grown woman who was attracted to Daniel, and he was obviously attracted to her. But she still wasn’t on birth control! Mainly because after the divorce, she’d sworn off men. Who needed sex? Not that one make-out session necessarily meant they’d jump into bed with each other anytime soon. Especially since they worked together.

  Still, note to self: see gynecologist for prescription...just in case.

  Wishful thinking? Probably.

  “It’ll be an early day for you tomorrow,” Daniel said, gazing into her eyes, “so I don’t want to keep you up too late.”

  She needed time to refocus after his mind-blowing kisses and her overthinking everything. “Oh, right. You’ve got a point.”

  He stood and reached for her hand. She took it and followed him from the couch to the door. There, after one short and chaste kiss, he hugged her tight. It felt wonderful to be held again. She wanted nothing more than to rest her head on his muscular chest for the rest of the night. But why rush things? Especially since there was still that pesky little issue of birth control pills. Maybe it was a good thing he’d so abruptly ended their make-out session, because apparently, from the way he made her feel, she was a girl who couldn’t say no to Daniel Delaney.

  “Good night,” he said.

  “Good night.” She tried her best not to sound too dreamy. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She watched him walk down the steps to his car with mixed feelings.

  Truth was, they were both adults. He’d told her tonight he’d had a bad breakup. Well, welcome to the club. They could be good for each other in that regard, both venturing back into a relationship after being devastated by love. Scary stuff, that. But there was still another major issue with having a relationsh
ip with Daniel. He was her boss, and that couldn’t change because she needed her job.

  * * *

  After Daniel had kissed Keela again on the doorstep and said good-night under the guise of making sure she got enough rest before going back to work tomorrow, he drove home with multiple thoughts competing for attention. He needed to face the fact that he was involved with an employee. Never a good idea. Another thing he needed to consider was her daughter—still a tender subject for him. Things could get very confusing for little Anna, too, if their dating didn’t work out.

  Yet those crazy thoughts planted in his head by his grandfather kept popping up. Could she be the one the old man insisted she was? Would he be a fool to pass this up? If so, was he ready to be a father figure, too? A chance he’d lost with Emma, and hadn’t thought he’d ever get again. Yet that was the deal with Keela and Anna.

  He drove, hardly noticing where he was, depending on rote memory to take him to the hotel. Where should he go from here? He’d kissed her and really liked it, and definitely wanted more.

  He slammed on the brakes, almost running a red light, then chided himself for moving too fast. Ha, Keela might not agree with him on that, but what they’d done tonight felt damn fast from where he sat. She didn’t have a clue what he’d been through, how low he’d sunk before pulling himself back together and moving on after Kathryn and baby Emma.

  Plus, now he had the community college work to think about. Their summer football program would ensure he’d be super busy treating the team’s various aches and injuries. He’d barely have time for himself, let alone dating again. And Anna. He couldn’t leave her out of the equation.

  He was a doctor and a businessman whose practice came first. Was there room for more?

  As he pulled into his parking spot at the hotel, he thought about little Anna and the painful twinges he still felt around her, and how her gorgeous mother both excited and scared him. Would Keela understand that life needed to be all work and no play for a while longer? Or would she soon figure out what an emotional mess he was, and how he kept avoiding her, and give up?

  He didn’t want her to.

  Chapter Six

  Monday morning the clinic got off to a roaring start. Every appointment for the day had been booked, and thanks to a Sunday afternoon ankle injury sustained by playing Frisbee with his dog, one of the star athletes from the 4Cs football team got double booked with Daniel’s first appointment.

  Keela showed up early. “Good morning, Dr. Delaney,” she said, a certain sparkle in her eyes.

  “Welcome back, Keela.” He let a hint of his thoughts loose with the greeting, appreciating how terrific she looked back in uniform. They shared a quick but knowing gaze that warmed up his blood. Man, he’d missed her at work. He’d missed her just since last night, too.

  To hell with all work and no play. Since only the two of them were there, he followed his gut and waltzed her into his office, closed the door and kissed her. From her easy participation, he knew she was on board. “So, we should probably talk about this.”

  “My kissing the boss good-morning?”

  “I’m pretty sure the boss just kissed the employee. But look, I never want you to feel pressure from me.”

  “I like kissing you.” She gazed into his eyes, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

  “Good. But I want you to know that whatever this is—” removing a hand from her waist, he gestured from his chest to her chin “—well, I never want you to feel pressured about anything.”

  “I promise to speak up, as long as you promise not to let anything happening between us affect my job.”

  He raised his right hand, hoping she didn’t think of him as a slimy, taking-advantage kind of boss. “You have my word.”

  “Good. Now shut up and kiss me again.”

  The second kiss felt intimate and brought him to his senses. Things could get serious with Keela quickly. Midkiss, they heard the back entry door slam closed, and stopped.

  She used her thumb to wipe a trace of her lipstick off his mouth, then winked. He swung the office door open and they stepped into the hallway, hoping their compromising situation didn’t look too obvious. This business was his livelihood, as well as Keela’s. It was a big responsibility, and his reputation could be at stake.

  He quickly shifted to all-business mode. “Morning, Phil,” he called down the hall, ignoring the hint of disappointment in Keela’s gaze.

  “Hey, boss.” His temporary employee stepped out of the locker area.

  “This is Keela, and, Keela, this is Phil.” He liked how that singular blue-eyed glance from Keela had the same effect as a quick cup of coffee on his pulse, though that probably had more to do with kissing her. Whatever, he was happy to have her back on the job. But he didn’t like how Phil was anything but discreet in checking her out, so he grabbed the appointment printout from the in-tray and handed it to the temporary PT to distract him. “I’m having you two work together today, since we’ve got several group appointments scheduled in the treatment room. That work for you guys?”

  Phil looked happier than he should about the arrangement. That bugged the hell out of Daniel, and he wondered if he could make a quick executive decision and separate them, but he didn’t have a chance. His 8:00 a.m. add-on had just shown up, noticeably limping.

  Keela grabbed the list from Phil and they soon set off, playing tag-team with their lineup of treatments. Daniel enjoyed hearing her boss the temp around, not the least bit interested in making small talk with the guy. Good.

  Over the course of the morning, running in and out of examination rooms, Daniel also overheard some outbursts from Keela. “Where’re the stretch bands? Are we out of heel protectors?”

  She’d come back in the nick of time to order supplies that had run dangerously low during her absence. Phil might find her enchanting, but from the frustrated and downright impatient looks Keela shot him, Daniel had nothing to worry about.

  That was how the week played out. Every single day he hit the office running. Their Monday morning wake-up kiss never got repeated, and with Daniel attending the summer afternoon football practices at the 4Cs, he never once got to tell Keela goodbye or kiss her good-night.

  He didn’t call her, either.

  Coward.

  He really was busy, but that busy? It wasn’t that he didn’t want to call her, but Work has to come first became his daily mantra. Or excuse, whichever way he looked at it. Though he definitely missed kissing her.

  Being so busy, it seemed like only a blink of an eye before Friday rolled around, and Daniel needed to settle up with Phil and thank him for filling in during Keela’s absence.

  “I wouldn’t have made it through without you, and I’ll be happy to write a referral if you’re ever looking for full-time work somewhere.”

  Keela tossed Daniel a warning glance. Later, in private, she approached him.

  “How can you give Phil a recommendation?”

  “Look, the guy’s work skills may not be up to par, but he helped the clinic get by. I owe him something. If another clinic calls regarding the referral, I can give a verbal caveat at that time.” Daniel had been running ragged for the last month. “I didn’t have the time to give the temp a proper orientation or evaluation.”

  “Which is why you should have let me come back earlier.”

  He used his charming face. “Well, you’re back now.” It got the reaction he’d hoped for.

  She looked left and right, and since no one was within view, she popped a quick kiss on his lips, and zap, there was that feeling again.

  Why the hell hadn’t he brought her back sooner?

  Knowing Keela would be around from here on out brought peace of mind that the clinic would run smoothly again. The only problem was it would be extremely difficult to keep her out of his mind and to focus solely on the job.

 
Did he really want to avoid her, or was that just the way things needed to be for now? He’d take the nonstop pace of the clinic as a gift of time to figure things out. That was, if he ever got a chance to think.

  Phil had left, and so had Abby, the receptionist, for the day, so it was just the two of them. Of course, Daniel had to run to the 4Cs for the evening football scrimmage, but right now Keela gazed expectantly at him.

  “Nice to have you back,” he said, thinking how lame it sounded.

  “It’s great to be back.”

  “Grab a quick bite with me?” Even a simple request like that sent doubt threading through his veins.

  “I’m going to stay late, if you don’t mind, and get all the supply orders up to date,” she said. “What a mess.”

  “Oh, great. Thanks.” Was the sudden feeling relief or disappointment? “What about Anna?”

  “Mrs. Jenkins offered to keep her. They’re going to order pizza and watch a movie.”

  He nodded. “Sorry I haven’t been around for you much this week.”

  She shook her head, her beautifully shaped brows nearly coming together. “It’s been manic all week. You’ve been running like a madman. I understand.”

  He wanted to ask her if she was doing anything tomorrow afternoon, but he couldn’t guarantee he’d be done with the morning football practice to keep his word, so rather than risk coming off like her ex and canceling last minute, he let the opportunity slip by. But something came over him and he opened his arms. “I meant what I said about having you back.”

  She stepped into his embrace and they stood quietly hugging, enjoying the moment, unwinding from the busy day together, gently rocking back and forth. And feeling so right. She fit perfectly in his arms, and after working all day, she still smelled great, too. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, letting it work its magic on him, savoring their closeness, feeling the extra heat at every point their bodies touched, wishing for time to stand still. She renewed his energy, just by letting him hold her. This would be their little secret, since Monday’s stolen kiss, and her surprise peck a few moments ago, and it was the best thirty seconds of the week.