Little Secrets--Claiming His Pregnant Bride

by Sarah M. Anderson

  Well, this evening was shot to hell. And he wasn’t even sure what he’d wanted before Jack had interrupted. This wasn’t a date—Kate had said so herself. This was business.

  This wasn’t personal.

  “Come on,” Seth said, leaving a fifty on the table. “I think we’re done here.”

  Eight

  The ride back to the real estate office was tense. Or maybe that was just how Kate felt—because there was no missing the tension. Her dinner sat heavy in her stomach, and her head was a muddled mess. Her back hurt, her feet weren’t any better and she was so tired she could barely see straight.

  She just wanted to go home and go to bed and, inexplicably, she wanted to do so curled in Seth’s arms. She wanted that so badly.

  What kind of hormonal torture was this? There was no good reason why she should be craving Seth’s arms around her, his chest pressed against her back. As fantasies went, it was downright boring.

  Except if she went to sleep in his arms, then she’d wake up there and then...

  No, no. She was not following that train of thought to its logical conclusion. Not a bit.

  It wasn’t that she’d been scared when that friend of his had shown up. The guy was obviously a smooth talker who considered himself God’s gift to women—not that he’d done anything for her. Because he hadn’t. She’d been able to empirically realize he was an attractive man but compared to Seth, he was like a cardboard cutout next to a real man.

  Then there’d been that kiss on her hand. If Kate didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that kiss had been to intentionally provoke Seth. There hadn’t been a single bit of heat to Jack’s lips—but when Seth had growled?

  That noise had shot right through Kate, primal and raw. God, it’d sounded so good. Almost like he’d wanted her and was more than willing to fight for her.

  But to what end? She and Seth were not together and no one present was a caveman. In her experience, no one fought over her. Hell, Roger hadn’t even bothered to be upset when she’d jilted him.

  This was only the third time they’d ever met face-to-face. The first time, she had been a hysterical runaway bride. The second time, she’d been too stunned to put together two coherent sentences. And today...

  Today, he’d told her he wanted to buy a much more expensive house—which came with a much bigger commission. He’d rubbed her back and bought her dinner.

  She was not the kind of girl to rebound with the first hot guy she saw. Or the second. Or any guy. Kate Burroughs did not do anything so impulsive or crazy or...fun.

  Right. That was final. No fun. She was not interested in Seth.

  It didn’t matter that he just kept right on drifting through countless dreams, ones that always started with him riding up on his chopper before moving to him undressing her to hot, passionate lovemaking to...

  Holding her while she slept. Making sure she felt safe.

  Stupid hormones. She didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their business relationship because she needed this business relationship more than she needed an attractive, wealthy man to rub her back.

  They pulled up in front of the real estate office. Kate turned off the car but neither of them made a move to get out. Instead, they sat in silence and Kate had no idea if it was awkward or not.

  “So,” she finally began, unable to take the tension for another moment. “We looked at all the houses that were under two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Do you want go up to three hundred thousand?” That was what most people did. They could handle increases of twenty-five to fifty thousand dollars at a time. And as much as she needed this commission, she didn’t want to make this all about her.

  But Seth wasn’t most people. “I can’t imagine there’s a huge jump from what we saw today with a couple thousand dollars. Let’s look in the three-fifty to five-hundred range.”

  She took a slow breath. The house on Bitter Root was four seventy-five. Would he like her favorite house or not? “Half a million is a lot of money, Seth. There’s no need to buy more house than you’ll use.” Certainly not because of her. She didn’t want to bankrupt the man just because he had a soft spot for...

  Well, not for her. For pregnant women, maybe. But not for her.

  He turned, facing her fully. There was something in his eyes—the same sort of almost possessive look he’d had when he growled earlier.

  Heat flashed through her body as he stared at her. He’d looked earlier like he was willing to fight his friend over her. He looked very much the same now.

  “We can’t do this,” she heard herself say before she completely lost her mind.

  He lifted his eyebrows, and she immediately felt stupid. “Do what?” he asked, almost—but not quite—pulling off innocence.

  “I’m not looking for a relationship.” Well. So much for not making this awkward.

  “Fair enough.” He turned even more, resting one elbow on the dashboard and another against the back of the seat. “What are you looking for?”

  Oh, hell. That was a question she most definitely hadn’t seen coming. “I’m sorry?”

  “You have to admit, Kate—there’s something between us. I went to your office because I need to buy a house and an industrial property—but those weren’t the only reasons.” He leaned toward her—not close enough to touch her, but his gaze drifted over her and he inhaled deeply. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I know that how we met wasn’t exactly normal—”

  Kate rolled her eyes. That was being generous.

  “Look, I’m not in the market for a relationship, either,” he went on, politely ignoring her unladylike response. “I don’t plan on sticking around all the time. Settling down isn’t in my blood.”

  Wasn’t that what he’d basically said before? He was buying a house he only planned to live in for maybe six months out of the year? No, Seth Bolton wasn’t the kind of guy who started playing house on a whim.

  But still, hearing it baldly stated like that was physically painful, like someone was jabbing her hand with a pin. “What are you saying?”

  “I need a house and you need a commission. That’s all there has to be. But if you want something more...” His gaze darkened, and Kate swore it got ten degrees warmer in the car.

  “More?” Her voice came out the barest of whispers.

  She shouldn’t be asking. She should, instead, get out of this car and thank him for his business and promise him that she would have a fresh slate of houses in a new price range that were sure to meet his needs by Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Their standing date.

  “I think we want the same thing.” His voice was low and serious, and another flash of heat ran through her body. Ironically, she shivered. How was he doing this to her? She was not sexy—not after being on her feet all day and mowing through that many fries. She was not desirable—her pants barely buttoned.

  Yet here Seth sat, looking at her as if she were the ice cream and he couldn’t wait to start licking. Her body felt warm and liquid, like she could melt right into him. “You’re not looking for long-term. You don’t want to be hurt again and you’ve got a baby on the way to think about. But it might do you good...” His voice trailed off as his gaze caressed her face.

  “What might do me good?” She was powerless to do anything but ask that question, because it appeared that all common sense had abandoned her in the face of one hot, protective biker dude.

  He didn’t answer her for the longest second and Kate thought she just might die on the spot. “Rebounds can be fun. Something short and sweet, no strings attached—something to help you get past those years lost to Roger. I think you deserve a little fun, Kate.”

  God, it sounded so good. So right. Because really—one conversation with Seth that didn’t even involve touching, much less kissing, and she was already more turned
on than she could remember being in years. Seth would be amazing. Simply amazing. Maybe the best she’d ever had, in her limited experience. And who knew what would happen after the baby came. She would be struggling to get through the long nights alone. Romance would be the last thing on her mind.

  What if Seth were her last shot at romance—or even just good sex—for a long time? Years, even?

  Was she willing to let go of that part of herself?

  She wasn’t, and she almost, almost said yes right then and there. Her mouth opened and the word was right on the tip of her tongue. Yes.

  But she couldn’t get it out because she wasn’t the kind of person to willingly enter a sexual relationship just for the fun of it. Casual sex had never been casual. Not for her.

  Still... “And you’re fun?”

  That smile—oh, she was not going to be strong enough. “I can take care of you, Kate. Even for a little while.” His eyes darkened. “Just something to consider.”

  And the thing was, he seemed sincere about it. He wasn’t boxing her in. He was focused on her, yes—but not intimidatingly so. “You’re serious, are you?”

  Please, let him be serious.

  He nodded, the tip of his tongue touching his top lip. Jesus, she’d never seen anything so seductive. “You don’t have to decide anything now. My offer’s on the table. But promise me you’ll think about it?”

  She hated to ask this next question—but it was important she make a counteroffer. “And if I pass?” Because she needed the commissions he would bring in. She didn’t want this to be some quid pro quo situation.

  “Then you pass.” He shrugged, as if rejecting his advances were no big deal. “Unlike some people, I know where the line is and I know not to cross it. I can keep business and pleasure separate.”

  Oh, that hurt. Because with Roger, they hadn’t been separate. With Roger, she wasn’t sure how much pleasure had been involved at all. The longer she was away from him—and her father—the more she was certain that Roger had only been with her because she came with the company.

  Had there been any evidence to the contrary? No. There’d been no late-night calls, drunken or otherwise, professing that he really loved her and wanted her back. No daytime calls, either. No flowers. No big romantic gestures, like standing under her bedroom window and blasting their song until she realized she’d made a mistake.

  Nothing. They didn’t even have a song. When she’d asked what he wanted to play for their first dance, he’d shrugged.

  And to think, she’d almost married nothing.

  That did not mean that she wanted to jump into bed with Seth. It did mean, however, that the fact that he was making sense should be a source of concern.

  So what if something short and sweet and fun sounded perfect? So what if it was Seth, who had made her feel safe from the very first moment she’d laid eyes on him? So what if the one man who seemingly gave a damn about her was the one offering to show her a good time—with no strings attached?

  She had a baby on the way. There would always be strings attached.

  “I can’t,” she said softly, unable to look at him when she said it. Because even if he was offering to make at least one of her fantasies come true, that wasn’t her. Kate Burroughs wasn’t that girl. She did what was expected of her and smiled and nodded and went along to get along. She did not have casual sex with a hot biker dude simply because it’d be fun and safe and so, so satisfying. That wasn’t who she was.

  Was it?

  The silence in the car grew heavy and she didn’t want to think about what would come next. Oh, she knew Seth wouldn’t hurt her. Funny, how she trusted him with that. She simply didn’t want the awkwardness. They’d laughed and joked and had an otherwise really lovely day together and she didn’t want to ruin that.

  “Then we won’t. No harm, no foul.” He didn’t even sound upset by her refusal.

  She peeked at him through her lashes. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but that look bordering on concern wasn’t it. Shouldn’t he be mad? Insulted? Frustrated, at the very least?

  Not concerned. Not for her. “And you’re okay with it?”

  He gave her a look as if she’d asked if he didn’t like to kick puppies in his free time. “Why wouldn’t I be? Besides...” he went on, leaning ever so slightly toward her. The tension between them tightened and she felt her own body move in his direction. “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.”

  And with that parting shot, he was gone before she could blink, out of the car and around to the driver’s side and opening her door and—again—holding out a hand to her like he’d be honored if she joined him. “Otherwise,” he said when she put her hand in his, his strong fingers closing around her own, “I’ll see you at eleven next Saturday. We’ll take more breaks and I’ll buy you dinner again—no arguments, Kate,” he scolded, cutting her off before she could protest. “I’m not going to run you into the ground.”

  And maybe it was the hormones or the exhaustion or the way he’d growled at his friend—or maybe it was the offer of something fun and easy—but whatever the reason, Kate didn’t let go of his hand when she had her feet underneath her, nor did she step away from him.

  She’d never known anyone like Seth Bolton, and she might not be able to make sense of what was going on in his head—because, again, he was attracted to her? But she was flattered and touched and interested all the same.

  She shouldn’t be, but she was.

  Instead of putting distance between them, she held his hand and maybe even pulled on it a little, drawing him in closer. Not close enough to kiss, but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his chest, warming her on the chilly fall night.

  “I’ll...” She shouldn’t say this but damn it, what the hell. “I’ll think about it.”

  Seth’s fingers tightened around hers and he favored her with a smile so dazzling she almost had to sit down again. “Do that,” he said, his voice a caress on the wind. And just when she thought he was going to lean in and kiss her, he instead took a step back. “Until next week, Kate.”

  He waited until she’d gotten the office door unlocked before firing up his motorcycle and riding off into the dim light.

  Oh, sweet merciful heavens—she really was going to think about this. About Seth and all those dream fantasies that had kept her company for the last several weeks. About how she might not get another chance for a lover for years because once the baby came, she’d devote herself to her child.

  Would she really let this golden opportunity pass her by? And if she did, would she spend the rest of her life kicking herself for letting Seth Bolton slip through her fingers?

  Was she out of her mind?

  Nine

  So that was a no, then.

  Seth took one look at Kate and sighed. She was wearing a black pantsuit with a white blouse that was buttoned up almost to her chin. Her glorious hair had been scraped back into a severe ponytail and there wasn’t a smile to be seen anywhere despite the fact that it was another lovely late-October Saturday. She looked more like she was on her way to a funeral than a house tour.

  And if that didn’t make her position clear enough, there was no missing the way Kate’s pretty mouth twisted into a scowl when Seth walked into Zanger Realty at ten fifty-eight in the morning.

  Definitely a no.

  He shouldn’t be disappointed. This had been the most likely outcome, after all. There was no getting around the reality of the situation, and that reality was that Kate was expecting and she didn’t want to get involved with anyone.

  He should be relieved. Her personal life was a mess and only an idiot would put himself in the middle of that. Her rejection was going to save him a lot of trouble and not a little heartache.

  And yet—relief was not the feeling that had his
stomach plummeting. No, he was not disappointed. And if he were, it was about the fact that he was going to be missing out on some great casual sex. After all, he didn’t have to worry about getting her pregnant, right?

  But that didn’t explain the weight of sadness that settled around his shoulders. He and Kate could’ve been great together, but now? They’d never know.

  Still, he was a gentleman and a man of his word. He was not going to make this awkward, nor was he going to try to change her mind. He would not badger, nag or wheedle. He had no interest in being with a woman he had to wear down. He’d seen those kinds of guys in action in college and “pathetic desperation” didn’t make anyone attractive. Good sex became great when everyone involved was equally enthusiastic about it.

  So he straightened his shoulders and put on a friendly grin, even if it took effort to do so. “Good morning, Kate. What will we be looking at today?” Because the answer obviously wasn’t each other.

  Her scowl deepened as she stared at something on her desk. She looked positively insulted by his presence, which didn’t make any sense. She hadn’t even been insulted when he propositioned her. Shocked, maybe. Curious? Definitely. But not insulted. What the hell was going on?

  “I have nine houses in your new price range on the schedule. We should get going.”

  The no couldn’t have been louder if she’d shouted it. What a shame. “Nine sounds good,” he said, striving his hardest for friendly. “Thirteen was too much last weekend.” She still wasn’t meeting his gaze, so he charged ahead. “I made dinner reservations at the Main Course for six thirty, but if you don’t think we’ll be done before then, I can change the time.” She hadn’t been comfortable at the diner—or at least, she’d been okay until Jack showed up.

  Tonight would be different. They’d have a quiet dinner, just the two of them and a bunch of house listings. No interfering family friends, no distractions.

  Although, given the body language she was putting off, maybe they could use a few distractions. Because even closed down, she still called to him on a fundamental level that had nothing to do with reason or logic.