by T. Massey
"The bathroom's just down the hall," she said.
"You know, I think I liked it better when you were an innocent schoolgirl too shy to say anything to me," Rory mused as he followed her. Quinn had to bite her tongue in the next instant to keep herself from lying outright.
Yeah? Well I never liked you at all.
She wasn't prepared for it when Rory materialized from the shower a half hour later. She had thrown his mud-caked clothes into the washing machine, and managed to put his Carhartt up without clutching at it once and losing herself in the wildwood scent of him. It's just your hormones, she reprimanded herself, in the seconds before she heard the bathroom door open and a cloud of steam was released into the living room.
Quinn straightened, but there was no disguising the folded bedding and spare pillow she had been arranging on the sofa. Rory leaned in the doorway, the guest towel slung low on his hips. Quinn's eyes raked him, taking in what she had never been able to see in the darkened cab of the pickup. Drops of water still clung to the cluster of thick, dark curls that began at his bulging pectorals and trailed down beneath the towel. His hair was combed back from his face—no doubt he had used her brush—and his groomed hair lifted some of the barroom mystery that had first attracted her to him. In the wake of a comb, the result was devastating. Even in the mist from the shower, Quinn thought she had never seen Rory Fletcher so clearly. Their eyes met, and the amused expression he had exited the bathroom with turned to something else, something thoughtful.
Her own chestnut-brown hair was starting to curl from the moisture. She pushed at it distractedly, knowing her efforts were in vain—with all the precipitation in the air, inside and out, her hair was completely untamable.
"You made up the couch for me?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes," was all she could think to say.
"There isn't room in your bed for one more?"
Quinn threw the last pillow down with an air of finality. "Our night together was a mistake," she muttered as she strode past him. "You know it was—"
His hand caught hold of her arm, yanking her to him with surprising force. Quinn had mistakenly thought that carrying the Grizzly Were's child would act as an armor against him, but he seemed more willing than ever now to take command of her body… in more ways than one. She could feel her own responsiveness to his touch; she fought herself to keep from folding completely into his warm embrace, and was practically shaking from the effort. She didn't want to do this alone—she didn't want to be alone—but she had no choice. There was no other course of action available to her, and she knew it. She thought they both knew it, and the way Rory was acting like he didn't…
"I don't know anything like that." His voice was pitched low, and Quinn shivered like an instrument responding to the caress of an experienced hand. "I don't regret being with you, Quinn. Not for a second."
"How can you say that?" Angry tears sprang into her voice; she blinked rapidly, to keep them from descending her face. "How can you say that you don't? You have to, Rory! That night between us should never have happened. If anyone in town knew about me… knew about us…"
"Damn that town, Quinn!" Rory growled. "Do you think I give a shit what any of them might think about this? The only thing I care about right now is you, and that you felt you had to leave because…"
One of his hands, the one not circling her wrist, strayed to her belly… but before he could touch the material of her shift, Quinn wrenched herself free and slapped his hand away. She turned without a word and mounted the stairs to the second story, leaving a half-naked Grizzly Were in the foyer of her family home.
Sleep didn't come easily; it never did, not anymore. Quinn lay awake, breathing shallowly, staring at the ceiling as she listened for any activity coming from downstairs. She lay with her hands folded across her belly, almost absently, and knew that Rory hadn't been lying—she was starting to show. What sort of pregnancy did she have to look forward to, she wondered? She had done the research online, for both human and bear. She needed to call her mother, she knew. She needed to speak to someone, no matter the consequences—if she wanted to carry a healthy child to term, she would need help.
Escaping to her family cabin now seemed silly in hindsight. She had been scared, and she had acted selfishly, when it wasn't just her life on the line. Her arms tensed around her stomach, and she squeezed her eyes shut in apology. She had to keep her baby safe. She had to keep Rory's baby safe.
A heavy gust of wind assailed the cabin, worse than anything they had yet seen that night, and she heard the smoke detector in her room power down with a chirp. Quinn stirred and sat upright. The light that bled in from under her doorway from the hall was out. Great. She heaved herself out of bed and lit one of the emergency candles she had set out in the event the power failed. She decided to bring one down to Rory as well. It's not like she could sleep, anyway.
Quinn padded down the hallway, glass candleholder raised in one hand, the other hand keeping a quilt wrapped tightly around herself. To her surprise, a bigger light flamed suddenly from downstairs. She paused on the landing, watching as the dark figure below handily stoked a fire in the fireplace. She hesitated. He probably wouldn't be needing that candle after all.
"Is this your idea of a joke?" Rory asked mildly, without even looking up the stairs toward her. Quinn was about to protest that she had had nothing to do with the lights going out, when she realized he was referring to the rug he was seated on in front of the fire.
"My mother's," she admitted. Rory gestured with one broad hand to the brown bearskin rug. It seemed like an invitation, so Quinn descended the steps to join him in the living room.
"How do you know I'm not sitting on one of my family members?" he inquired.
"It's not real. You know it isn't."
"I still find it in poor taste."
Quinn heaved a sigh and sat down on the opposite end of the rug with her legs crossed beneath her. After so much tossing and turning beneath overstretched, unfamiliar sheets, she couldn't deny that the warmth from the fire felt good. Rory seemed amused that she wouldn't sit closer and patted the rug again. Quinn looked at the fire. It was easier than looking at him. With the power out, there was no way his clothes were getting dry tonight. She doubted he would wear them anyway.
Rory reclined beside her, completely unselfconscious in his nakedness. The shadows of the flames licked across every muscular curve of his body; she could see the long shadow of his length nestled in the curls between his legs. So much for looking at the fireplace.
"Tasteless jokes are the least of our concerns," Quinn whispered. "You know that, right? That none of this is a joke?"
"Of course I know," he replied.
"I can never tell with you."
Rory turned his deep-set gaze on to her, and Quinn felt stupid in the next instant for her words. To her surprise, he reached across the rug to brush the tips of his fingers down her cheek. She leaned into the caress, even going so far as to shut her eyes. She could feel Rory edge closer, but she didn't move to stand. In that moment she had nowhere else to be, except maybe in his arms.
"I've been looking for so long for some excuse to love you," he whispered. "For some reason to take you back into my arms. I thought that maybe this was it. But excuses are made with other people in mind, Quinn."
He drew her against him and Quinn fell back with him, nestling her stomach between them. "What are we going to do?" she asked softly.
"We're going to have a baby," Rory replied as he ran reverent fingers through her hair, soothing her. "Me, and you. We're going to walk down the street together, the three of us, and show the world that love doesn't need an excuse."
Quinn's heart trembled at the word: love. She glanced up the long plane of Rory's chest, and the were she loved met her gaze. It was going to be difficult, she knew. But as soft lips descended to meet hers—as a warm body followed her down into the glossy pelt of the rug—she could feel the future starting to bloom before her as bright as t
he fire at her feet.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
The Billionaire Connection with the Baby
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 – The Baby
Chapter 2 – Acceptance
Chapter 3 – Seducing Katie
Chapter 4 – Convincing Katie To Stay
© Copyright 2015 by Caron Shea - All rights reserved.
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Introduction
Katie has to take her niece to go meet her billionaire father who doesn't know she exists. The baby is happy, and completely oblivious to what's going on around her, but Katie knows. Losing her half sister to cancer and making her a promise she'd take care of Lucy was something she would honor at all costs. She just hoped this playboy CEO could handle having a baby dropped in his lap.
Peter is shocked when Lucy and Katie show up in his office, but he handles the shock well and finds himself fascinated by Katie. He's open to children, he's always wanted them, but he wants Katie too. Finding a way to convince her to stay for a year to help Lucy and him adjust, he hopes that's enough time to convince her there's more chemistry between them than just Lucy.
Scared of emotional attachments, Katie tries to keep busy and from getting to close to Peter, but she lets him seduce her one night. In the end she realizes that her feelings for him will make it hard to walk away when the year is over.
Can Peter convince her to stay? When she finds out she's pregnant, he has the perfect opportunity to plead his case. Will Katie listen to reason, or will she let the fear of the unknown stop her from loving Peter and making a true family for Lucy and their unborn child?
Chapter 1 – The Baby
Katie Reshinel held her sister's baby in her arms and struggled to carry the diaper bag at the same time. She should have gotten a stroller, but this wasn't going to be her baby anymore. She needed to give the baby to her father. She was not looking forward to having this conversation with the baby's father.
The dad didn't even know this little girl existed. Her sister hadn't told him. She'd never been more than a summer fling to the guy, and she hadn't wanted him to think she tried to trap him on purpose. She pressed the button to go up to the top floor where his office was.
She called and told the secretary she was coming and made an appointment, but she'd been vague about what it was for. He was a CEO for a major investment firm and had billions of dollars. If anyone could offer this baby everything in life, it would be this dad. She just hoped he'd take her and raise her right.
Waiting for the elevator the baby squealed happily when the doors opened and shut as people got on and off the elevator and the buttons lit up as they hit each floor. It took a few minutes since they were going up twenty-five floors and they stopped on nearly every floor.
She walked out onto the floor and was shocked at how big the opening room was. There was a desk in the middle with glass conferences rooms and a couple of big offices with blinds over the glass that gave the rooms privacy. She walked to the desk and introduced herself.
"I'm Katie, I have an appointment at nine with Peter Gavins." She told the elderly lady behind the desk. The lady was looking her up and down and gave her a funny look, but just picked up the phone and pushed a button and told the man she was here.
"You can go in. The door's the one on the left with the gold lettering that says P. Gavins on it." The lady told her and hung up the phone and went back to looking at the ground.
Katie walked over and knocked on the door lightly before opening it and walked in and sat down. The room was huge; it had a couch, a big fancy dark colored desk, and large windows that looked over the street and buildings.
"What can I do for you?" He asked her, shocked to see a baby. This was not something most people brought to the office.
"This is your baby." She told him quietly and set the diaper bag down and sat in the chair across from him.
"That's not possible, I've never seen you before in my life," Peter said defensively. If he'd seen this woman in front of him before, she wasn't the type he'd forget. Flaming red hair, light green eyes, with a dabble of freckles across her cheeks. She had a natural red hue to her cheeks and no makeup. She didn't need it, the dark lashes and natural curve of her eye brows flattered her face and her lips were naturally a reddish color. Plump and ripe for the kissing. No, he most definitely would have remembered her.
"You knew my half-sister, Amelia. She had cancer, she found out after a summer fling with you. She was pregnant, and instead of getting treatment she carried the baby to term. By the time she gave birth, there was nothing they could do. So she cared for the baby and nursed her for six months before she finally got too sick to care for her. Her name is Lucy. She's nine months old right now. Amelia died a few weeks ago. It took me a while to track you down, and get all the paperwork in place and her will straightened out." Katie told him quietly and reached down into the bag and pulled out a few pieces of paper in a folder. She slid it quietly across the desk to him. Inside it included a picture of Amelia, the will, and a few hand written notes to Peter from Amelia.
"I do remember her, but what am I going to do with a baby?" He said, blinking.
"Well, if you want to start with a DNA test to prove it's yours, we can go from there, but Amelia didn't sleep with anyone but you. If she said it's yours, it's yours." Katie told him gently, trying not to feel saddened by the loss of her half-sister. She'd already come this far. It was not the time to feel the pain of losing her niece to a stranger too. She needed to hold it together until she'd dropped off the baby. It had been Amelia's last wish. She had to honor it.
"I ask you again, what am I supposed to do with a baby?" He asked her sitting back rubbing his hand on his chin. "I never pictured having children. I don't know the first thing about them."
"You love her, you tell her stories, you feed her, hug her, play with her, pay attention to her, and you send her to school when she's old enough. You make her laugh, and you discipline her when she needs it. You be a father. That's what she'll need." Katie tilted her head looking at him, wondering what he was feeling. The look of shock and horror on his face made her doubt Amelia's trust that he'd want the baby.
"Let's start with the DNA test. I'll get it arranged for this afternoon with a rush job on it." Peter said and picked up the phone to make a couple of phone calls. "Here's my home
address and cell phone. After the test is done, we can talk. Meet me at my house on Friday."
"Okay, I can do that." Katie told him and got up and then paused, "You should hold her for a minute."
"I don't know if I want too, what if I break her?" He said. The look on his face told Katie that he was really not prepared for a baby of any sort, but she couldn't give up on him yet. She had to try. This was for Amelia and Lucy.
"You won't break her, she's tougher than she looks. Here," Katie walked over and handed him the baby who squealed and reached up to pat his cheek and give him a big toothy grin.
"She's... adorable. I'll say that much," He said as he stared down at her. His gaze softened a little as the baby rubbed his face with her chubby little hand. "Friday?"
"I'll see you with Lucy on Friday," Katie confirmed as he handed the baby back to her and excused himself as having to get back to work. She wondered as she left and went back to her hotel if he really would have the time and energy in his life to properly care for Lucy, but she knew that it wasn't really up to her to decide that.
He was Lucy's father and he had the right to choose for himself. She understood the appeal Amelia had for him though. He was tall, with dark wavy hair that he had styled in a flattering cut that curled around his ears and collar of his shirt. His dark blue eyes and tanned skin stood out against the crisp whiteness of his shirt. His suit jacket had been hung over the back of his office chair. He looked every inch the successful business man, but it was picturing him naked in bed that had Katie blushing to herself and trying to get the images out of her head.
Chapter 2 – Acceptance
