The Tycoon's Convenient Bride... and Baby (Entangled Indulgence)

by Shoshanna Evers

  “How’s Callie doing here?”

  “She seems to really like it. Iris has been great with her. We’re lucky to have Iris on hand, because without her, I wouldn’t have even been able to accept Callie into my own daycare.” Lauren sighed. “I just wish I had more room so I could increase our enrollment, hire more staff.”

  Mack wanted to point out that she had an entire empty floor, her apartment, above the daycare center. If she really wanted to she could make that into part of the daycare. But the last time he’d suggested anything like that, he’d only been reminded all too quickly that this—here at the daycare—was her home.

  The penthouse they shared together, on the other hand, was no home to her. Just a place to help take care of Callie until her brother returned.

  But she sure hadn’t seemed as if she was only sleeping with him out of obligation last night. No, last night she’d been fire in his arms, lighting up every emotion he had. Emotions he’d do best to keep under wraps if he wanted to keep his sanity.

  When she left him, he wanted to be able to part as friends. Maybe they’d even go on outings together, like to the zoo.

  “Have you ever been to the Bronx Zoo?” he asked, the idea shaping in his mind.

  “Of course, haven’t you? I haven’t been since I was a girl, though. I think it was a middle school field trip. We had to answer all sorts of questions on a worksheet and hand it in to get credit for the day.”

  “Maybe,” he said, “we should take Callie to the zoo this weekend—you know how excited she gets when she sees dogs.”

  “I don’t know…she’s a bit young to really enjoy it the way we would.”

  Mack laughed at her apprehension. She had a touch of mayo on her lip. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and licked it off her.

  She gasped in surprise and pulled back, a flush coming to her cheeks.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t know why I did that.”

  “It’s okay,” she stammered. “I just thought last night was supposed to be the end of it.”

  “I think if last night was the end of it, then we are in for some long months of tortuous platonic celibacy,” he said.

  Screw it, he had to have her in his bed. After being with her last night, how could he stand to not have access to that delicious body of hers again?

  “I see,” she said softly, her face tilted up to him.

  His lips captured hers, and the sun peeked out from behind a cloud, shining on them, as if the warm rays of light approved of their decision.

  “Okay, we can go to the zoo,” she said, pulling away from his embrace, her hair pulled free from its clip. “I’ll go with you.”

  “I won’t even make you do any homework.”

  She laughed and took his hand. Marriage to Lauren wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It wasn’t supposed to feel so…real.

  …

  Lauren finished the last bit of her sandwich, wiping the crumbs from her suit. “Thanks for visiting,” she said, “but I really should get back to work.”

  Mack looked deep in thought as he stared at something in the distance. “I think I’m going to buy this building,” he announced.

  Well, she hadn’t seen that coming. “You can’t do that.”

  “Of course I can. It’s what I do.” Mack started toward the rooftop door that led to the stairwell.

  Lauren hung back, confusion warring within her. What was he up to?

  “Need a hand?” he asked, offering his.

  She shook her head, batting his proffered hand away. “No, I mean you can’t do that. You can’t come to my business and say you’re going to do something that will have a major impact on it.”

  “A positive impact,” he said casually. “With me as the landlord, you can make whatever changes you want. You could even turn this roof into a playground.”

  The roof? A playground? She stopped walking and looked around her, turning in a full circle. Envisioning the flat, cement roof as a rubber-padded play space with a tall chain-link fence around to keep kids from getting near the edge wasn’t easy. She looked harder, trying to use her mind’s eye to see what wasn’t there.

  “I don’t know,” she said warily.

  “It’s a good idea,” he said. “Admit it.”

  “The building isn’t even for sale!” she protested.

  “Nonsense. Everyone has their price.”

  “Not everyone,” she said. I don’t. “You shouldn’t buy this building,” she muttered.

  “You’re not using it to its full potential,” Mack said. “You want more space? Well, we both know you’ve got an entire empty floor going to waste that you could easily open up to double your enrollment.” He winced after he spoke, as if he hadn’t meant to say that.

  But he had.

  “You say it like it’s so easy,” she said. It was like he just didn’t grasp what effect his actions would have on her life.

  He made a face indicating he thought she was either crazy or…no, that was it. He thought she was crazy. Lauren shook her head in frustration as he looked at her.

  “Listen, Mack. You look at this building and see a commercial property to profit from, and I respect that. But I see my dream. My business. And, equally importantly, my home.”

  “Your home is with me,” he said, striding back toward her, standing close. Too close for her to think clearly.

  “Maybe that’s true now,” she whispered, “but it won’t be forever. And when our time is up, you’ll still have your fancy penthouse and nothing will change at all for you, while I’ll be left with no home to go back to. I’ll have to uproot myself and—” her breath caught in her throat at the thought.

  “Don’t think about that now,” he said, his voice low. “That’s in the future. Think about the now.”

  But getting attached to him now was going to make her future all screwed up, didn’t he get that? And why didn’t it seem to bother him in the least that their marriage, fake as it was, was destined to be so short-lived?

  “You’re probably counting the days till I move out so you can get back to your bachelor life, huh?” she asked, trying to put a little laugh into her voice. The words sounded teasing, but she knew he could hear the undercurrent of fear in her voice.

  “As long as I can have sex with you, I don’t really see any reason to miss my so-called bachelor life, as you put it,” he said lightly.

  What? He wanted to keep sleeping with her? A flood of excitement rushed to her core. What she wouldn’t give for one more night in his arms. But…

  “It was supposed to be a one-time only thing,” she protested weakly.

  “And you were supposed to be completely out of my system.”

  He caressed her cheek, and she wet her lips, unable to tear her gaze from his luscious mouth. But he didn’t kiss her.

  Dropping his hand, he gestured toward the roof stairwell door. “After you.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not going to force you into anything you obviously don’t want to do,” he said. “You fulfilled your end of the bargain. You let me spend the night with you, and now we go back to being…whatever the hell we are.”

  Lauren shook her head mutely. How had this turned around on her so fast? Of course she wanted to sleep with him, how could she not? But it was better this way. Better to pretend there was no lightning-hot passion between them.

  It would make it easier to leave him in the end.

  Chapter Eight

  Lauren pulled her phone off the bedside table and quickly checked the day’s weather. It was going to be a beautiful Saturday—sunny and breezy with a high of seventy-two. She went into the bathroom, filling a glass with water for her miniature roses on the balcony.

  Mack had left the toothpaste uncapped again. She shook her head, recapping it. Pick your battles, right?

  On the balcony, Lauren looked out over Central Park, then turned her attention to the pot at her feet. Poor plant. It was trying so hard, the little leaves reaching for t
he sun. But half of the buds drooped.

  “Please perk up, roses,” she said, watering it. “Enjoy the sun and your drink. It’s so nice out, what more do you need?”

  Perfect weather for their family outing to the zoo.

  Family. The word hung in her mind for a moment. Technically they were a family, right? It felt weird to think about. Her insta-family. Just add water. Or rather, just add a trip to the Bronx Zoo.

  Now the weekend stretched out before her, destined to be one of the longest of her life. With no work to hide behind, she’d have to just work on perfecting her additional occupations as wife and mother—well, aunt.

  Of course, in her case, being a wife to Mack meant eluding him as much as possible to avoid getting any more attached to him. It was clear that he saw their relationship as completely casual. No big deal.

  It was so easy for him to have sex and not get emotionally attached. She’d heard him on the phone the other night, quietly telling one of his past flings that he was off the market, and to not call. So easy for him to date and ditch those women. And if what Joe had warned her about all those years ago held true, then Mack was, and always would be, a player. A player with no desire to ever settle down.

  But now he’d given her the perfect out…as far as he was concerned, she’d “fulfilled her bargain” to him, whatever the hell that meant. Did he really think she could turn her attraction to him on and off like a light switch? That she could give herself to him so completely one moment, and then be disinterested the next?

  Apparently, that was exactly what he thought, yes.

  The knock on the bedroom door took her by surprise. “You don’t have to knock,” she called.

  Mack stepped inside the doorway to her—his—bedroom and immediately grabbed the remote on the TV. “They’ve got Scorino,” he said without preamble, flipping to the news station.

  The ticker at the bottom of the screen scrolled past, confirming it. The man’s mug shot flashed. If the man who was after Joe was in jail, then Joe and Marisol could come out of hiding. And she and Mack would have no reason to stay together.

  …

  Lauren looked into the backseat at Callie in her car seat. She could see her face thanks to the soft baby-mirror Mack had installed in front of Callie, since the car seat was still rear-facing. Callie caught her eye in the mirror and gurgled happily, as if she knew today was going to be an exciting day.

  Mack drove up to the pay station at the zoo and greeted the woman there cheerfully. One thing Lauren loved about Mack was how he always treated everyone kindly, no matter who they were. A big difference from the previous image she’d held of him as a hard-edged business man.

  He was rich, but he hadn’t gotten that way by trampling people on his way up the ladder. Everything about him showed what a great guy he was. How had she not noticed that before?

  She hadn’t even seen him so much as flirt with another woman since they’d had their emergency wedding.

  What if her brother had been wrong about Mack being a player? What if he really did want to be with her, to be married? Maybe when Joe and Marisol came back, it didn’t automatically have to end. Not if Mack liked being with her. The thought niggled in her mind, refusing to let go its tenuous hold.

  And what if he really wanted to be a father, too? He’d leave her, like her ex did.

  “What shall we see first?” Mack asked, taking her out of her reverie.

  “Um, let me see the map,” she said. The Bronx Zoo had so many exhibits there was no way they could see them all in one day, unless they walked at the speed of light. “Maybe we should pick just a few that will interest Callie, and take it easy so we’re not rushing.”

  Mack nodded in agreement and showed the baby the park map. “What do you want to see, honey? Can you point for me?”

  Callie tried to pull the map out of Mack’s hands and put it in her mouth, which wasn’t much help in determining where to go first.

  “I vote for the sea lions,” Lauren said, pointing to where a crowd was gathering.

  Mack picked Callie up out of her stroller and held her up so she could see one of the zookeepers taking little bits of something gross and fishy-smelling out of a bucket and tossing them to the sea lions.

  “Yummy, they’re having lunch,” he said to her. “Just like you have your bottles for lunch.”

  “You’re a natural at this father thing,” Lauren said. “I keep getting overwhelmed by how good you are at this.”

  “Thank you,” he said, looking at her.

  The crowd and the sea lions and the smell of fish guts seemed to melt away, leaving only Lauren, Mack, and Callie—alone in their own world amongst the crowd. A real family. Tears filled Lauren’s eyes and she blinked rapidly to get rid of them.

  “But you had like, zero practice. And yet you’re a natural. But me…” her breath caught in her throat. “I’ll never be a real mom.”

  She froze. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

  Mack juggled the baby in his arms and looked at her uncomfortably, as if he didn’t want to have the conversation in front of Callie, not that she’d be able to understand it.

  “I know you can’t have kids,” he said finally. “Joe told me. Why didn’t you just adopt?”

  Ha. He said that like it was so easy. “Just” adopt. It was a long, expensive process, filled with paperwork, interviews, and disappointments. Lauren didn’t know if she could do it all by herself. Didn’t believe she could handle it, with no one to lean on.

  “I’ve looked into adoption,” she admitted. “I just never…I don’t know.”

  “But you can still fill in for Marisol to take care of Callie. Or am I wrong about that, too?”

  “Yes, of course I can take care of her,” she said in a rush. “You’re not wrong. I love Callie so much. I just meant—we both know we’re not her real parents. Joe and Marisol are, and they’re coming back, hopefully soon, now that there’s no reason for them to lay low anymore.”

  A splash of water from the sea lions’ habitat landed within inches of their feet. They jumped back in unison, out of the way, and Lauren laughed, if only to relieve the tension.

  “Please don’t think I don’t love Callie,” she said. “I do.” She planted a kiss on the girl’s chubby little cheek, affection for her niece filling her very soul. “I love you, baby girl,” she whispered in Callie’s ear. Callie giggled in response, probably from the tickle of breath near her face.

  “So,” she asked casually, almost afraid to bring it up. “When do you think they’ll be back, anyway?”

  Mack shrugged and grabbed the stroller. “Let’s go see the monkeys next.”

  Something had changed. He seemed distant now. And what had he meant when he said or am I wrong about that, too? What else did he think he was wrong about when it came to her feelings?

  …

  Mack strapped the baby back into the stroller and pushed past the throng of people around the entrance to the indoor jungle habitat that housed some monkeys and exotic birds.

  “Please wait up!” Lauren called from behind him.

  He hadn’t even realized he was ten feet ahead of her. His feet moved of their own accord, putting distance between him and the cause of all the uncertainty in his life. Everything had been so simple before. Why did Joe leave? If he were still here, none of this would have happened.

  Mack would still be happily living his bachelor existence, splitting his time between his office and his penthouse and the bars he’d frequented, looking for a woman who didn’t want much more than a good time.

  The last thing he’d wanted was a husband-chaser looking for a rich man to support her. At least he knew Lauren wasn’t like that. Her career meant everything to her. Everything.

  And that presented a problem.

  She could have it all if she wanted. A career, a baby…and a husband. Not a real husband, of course. But a good substitute. That’s what he was—a substitute for a real husband. She’d known that going in, and still
she’d chosen to do it. He’d thought she was on board with everything.

  Instead it sounded like she couldn’t wait for her brother to get back, that she didn’t even want to help him raise Callie. How could he have been so wrong about her? The only reason he’d married her in the first place was so they could keep Callie with them.

  His long-time attraction to her had…very little to do with it. Liar. Damn it.

  “Please, Mack,” she said behind him. “Slow down.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  Inside the jungle habitat, the temperature was significantly hotter and more humid than outside in the New York climate. Lush green leaves covered the building, and a wooden walkway guided tourists through the building. The views on each side were amazing. Looking around, he could easily picture himself in the rainforest. Brightly covered flowers popped through in unexpected places, and a tree even grew right in the middle of the walkway.

  He picked the baby up and tried to show her one of the monkeys swinging through the trees. Instead, she reached out and patted the tree directly in front of her, seemingly mesmerized by its rough texture.

  “She doesn’t even notice the monkeys,” Lauren said, smiling.

  “Nope,” he said shortly.

  “What is wrong with you?” she asked. “It’s because of what I said about me not being able to be a mom, right?”

  “If I’m such a ‘natural’ at parenting, as you say, it makes sense that that might upset me, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “I guess so. But I wish you weren’t angry about it, Mack. It’s not my fault I can’t have children of my own.”

  He scoffed, confused. “I’m not angry about that.” Mack looked away, focusing his attention on one of the climbing monkeys. “You don’t even want to raise Callie with me. You can’t wait for Joe and Marisol to come back so you can get out of our marr…I mean, out of this.”

  Her beautiful face seemed drawn in thought, her eyebrows furrowed as she stood in front of one of the informational plaques about the different species of animals in the jungle habitat.

  “But I will help you take care of Callie,” she said, still looking down at the plaque. “I love her, and while her parents are gone I absolutely want to be there for her.”