“I think he wants to play soccer or basketball and he’s very frustrated that he can’t yet.”
Max’s lips twitched.
She turned on the Jacuzzi.
Max looked at her in alarm. “You’re not really going to put him in the hot tub?”
“No, I was thinking the sound of the bubbles might soothe him.”
“Good idea,” he said.
“And if that doesn’t work, maybe he would like to hear a male voice.”
Max lifted his eyebrows. “Mine?”
She took a bite of her dinner. “You could read to him.”
“What?” he asked, pointing at the paper beside him. “The Wall Street Journal?”
“Sure. That should put him right to sleep, don’t you think?”
“If you say so,” he said and began to read an article about the economy.
David kicked and wiggled. He made a neutral sound that Lilli suspected could turn into a fussy sound. “It would work better if you hold him.”
Max looked at her. Her hair was fairy flyaway as usual and she had a crumb on the corner of her mouth. She gave him a huge, encouraging smile and damn if he didn’t feel tempted to do anything for her. Including holding a potentially fussy baby.
“Okay, I’m game. Any tips?”
She set her fork down and jumped up from her chair. “He likes to be held close,” she said, picking David up from the infant seat and placing him in Max’s arms. “He feels more secure when his arms and legs aren’t flopping all over the place.”
It presented a new challenge to hold the newspaper at the same time as he held David, but he was up for it. He’d conducted billion-dollar deals, and he’d been player of the year for his college soccer team. He had the right stuff for this. Max continued to read, but David still squirmed.
“Sometimes it helps if you jiggle him,” Lilli said and took another bite from her plate, seemingly content to watch him struggle.
Max jiggled the baby and struggled to read the article from the newspaper that also jiggled from his movements. He made up a few of the words that got blurry. Actually, he began to make up entire sentences. “And then the economy got kicked on its ass due to the price of oil.”
“I do not believe that statement was in the Wall Street Journal,” Lilli said.
Max glanced down at David, whose eyes were closed. The baby slept peacefully in his arms. He felt as if he’d just made a goal in soccer or landed a huge deal. “It doesn’t matter,” he said in a low voice, “because I have successfully put our son to sleep.”
He glanced up and looked at Lilli. She stared at him, her eyes shiny. “Yes, you have,” she whispered. “But can you put him into his crib without waking him up?”
Another challenge. His competitive spirit piqued, he ditched the paper and carefully rose to his feet. “And what do I get if I succeed?”
“A pat on the back?” she said, covering her mouth as she muffled a chuckle.
“Lower,” he said. “And not on the back.”
Her blue eyes lit and smoldered. “Okay. If you can lay him down in the crib and he stays asleep, you can have whatever you want. I’ll warn you, though, that he usually wakes up and needs to be rocked or walked a little longer.”
“We’ll see,” he said, more motivated than ever.
Lilli stood. “And you need to put him to sleep on his back or on his side placed against the crib rail.”
“Okay,” he said.
“And make sure the blanket doesn’t cover his face.”
“Got it.”
“And kiss him good-night.”
“Kiss him?”
She nodded. “It’s a requirement for a good night of sleep.”
“I’ll remember that,” he said.
He could see her cheeks bloom with color even in the moonlight. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“If you have to pick him up again, then it doesn’t count.”
“For what?” he asked. “You won’t go to bed with me?”
She bit her lip. “I didn’t say that.”
“Give me a couple minutes. I’m an amateur at this, remember?”
Her gaze softened. “Yeah, I’ll be waiting upstairs.”
“Don’t you want to finish your dinner?”
“That won’t take two minutes,” she said.
He smiled and she immediately smiled in response. Then he turned and took the baby up to the nursery, coaching himself and David. “You want to stay asleep,” he said to David. “You’re tired. You’re ready to sleep until morning. You’re worn-out. You’ve got a full belly and you’re ready for your nice bed. You’ll dream of warm bottles and walks in the stroller and being held in Lilli’s arms. Can’t argue with that last one, big guy.”
He carefully walked toward the crib and continued to hold David, studying the baby’s face. The baby looked as if he were totally out. Leaning over, millimeter by millimeter, he extended his arms and David stirred. Max immediately stopped, suspended over the crib.
David quieted and pursed his lips. Max counted to twenty then moved a few more inches. David wiggled slightly and Max stopped again. Patience was clearly the name of this game. He counted to twenty and moved several more inches. This time, David didn’t stir. He extended the last few inches and carefully laid him sideways on the crib, leaving the blanket wrapped around him.
David wiggled and wiggled, but Max kept his hand on the baby and surprise, surprise, his son settled down.
Then he remembered the kiss. Max swallowed an oath. Surely it couldn’t be that important. The baby was asleep. That was what was important, right?
Bowing to a combination of his Type A personality and his conscience, because he knew Lilli would ask about the kiss, he carefully lowered the side of the bed. He bent over and pressed a silent kiss on David’s head then rose and slowly, slowly lifted the side of the crib. It made a loud clicking noise when it locked into place, making Max grimace.
He closed his eyes, waiting for David to make a sound. A moment passed and all was still quiet. Max opened one eye, looked down at his son and was thrilled to see that the baby was asleep.
He took a deep breath and sighed. Now to collect his reward. He left the nursery and left a sliver of a crack between the door and the jamb. Walking into his bedroom, he stepped inside and found Lilli sitting in the middle of his bed wearing a white lace teddy that managed to look both innocent and naughty. Her rosy nipples showed through the transparent lace, as did the shadow between her thighs. His fingers itched to pull the skimpy garment from her, to bare her body to his gaze. He curled his hands into a fist then forced himself to release them.
“Very nice,” he said. “How did you know I would succeed in getting David to stay asleep?”
“Aside from the fact that you’re an overachiever?” she asked.
He couldn’t keep his lips from twitching. “Yes.”
“I wanted to thank you for the effort.”
He tugged his shirt over his head then shucked his slacks and underwear so he stood before her completely naked. He saw her gaze gravitate to his erection and felt himself grow even harder. “How do you want to thank me?” he asked.
“Come here,” she said and opened her arms. The gesture was so artless and open that it took his breath. He slid over the bed, pulling her against him, enjoying every millimeter of her silky skin against his.
“You feel so good,” she whispered.
“I was going to say the same about you,” he said, and dipped his head to kiss his way down her throat. When he reached her collarbone, he gently nibbled. Her sigh made him feel as if he were ready to burst.
“You’re going to make this hard for me, aren’t you?” he muttered, lowering his mouth to her breast, pushing the delicate fabric aside. He slipped his hand between her thighs and found her already wet and swollen. She squirmed beneath him and he felt his heart hammer against his rib cage.
She slid one of her hands between them and captured his bare erection in her ha
nd. “I think you already started out—” She paused and shoved him onto his back. “Hard,” she said and flowed down his body like silk.
The sensation of her open mouth on his chest, followed by his belly, took his breath. She waited three breaths and the anticipation nearly made him insane. Then she moved lower and took him into her mouth. The sight of her with her fairy angel hair, good girl/bad girl teddy, and her lips wrapped around him was one of his sexiest fantasies come true.
He watched her until he couldn’t stand it any longer, then rolled her over, unsnapped her teddy and plunged inside her. He couldn’t get enough of her—her passion, her sweetness. It was crazy, but being with her made him believe in possibilities he hadn’t considered before.
After Max took her over the top twice and finally gave in to his own release, he held her against him for several moments. Neither of them said a word, but the power and pleasure of their lovemaking vibrated between them. He gently turned her over and pulled her back against him, stroking her hair.
His touch mesmerized her and she relaxed to the point that she almost fell asleep. She felt safer and more cherished than she’d felt in her entire life.
“I missed you today,” he whispered into her ear.
Her heart stopped. His admission was the closest he’d come to professing any emotion. In her heart, she hoped it was just a step away from I love you. It took everything inside her not to make her own confession because she knew it would only burden him. He wasn’t ready to hear that sometime along the way, she’d fallen in love with him.
Max woke to the sensation of Lilli’s hands on his face. “Hey, Mr. Sunshine, the alarm is on your side of the bed.”
Max blinked, opening his eyes to the sight of Lilli, with sleepy eyes, sexy puffy lips and the sound of one of Beethoven’s symphonies from his alarm clock. He shook his head to clear it. He must have slept so soundly that he didn’t hear his alarm when it first went off. He reached over and turned it off.
He never hit the snooze button and he always got out of bed within ten seconds. Glancing over at Lilli, he paused a good sixty.
“If you’re going to stare at me, you can at least make yourself useful and hug me, too.”
He chuckled and rolled back toward her, pulling her against him. She snuggled her breasts to his chest and pressed a kiss to his neck. Her body felt like silk.
Growing hard, he groaned. “The problem with holding you when you’re naked is that I want to do a lot more than hold you.”
“What’s stopping you?” she asked in a sexy sleep-husky voice.
She might as well have lit a match next to a gas pump. He took her with a thoroughness that left both of them gasping for air.
Reluctantly, he dragged himself from bed. He looked back at her, nude, with a dazed, just-taken expression on her flushed face. He couldn’t resist going back for one more kiss from her petal-soft lips, then forced himself to pull away.
Just as he reached the door to the bathroom, he heard her voice. “You can call me during the day if you want. It’s not required,” she quickly added. “But you can if you want.”
She heard him last night after all, he realized. His heart gave a strange stutter. He couldn’t tell if it was pleasure or pain. He’d gone skydiving a few times, and this sensation reminded him of free-falling out of an airplane. Was this what it felt like to fall for a woman? He swore under his breath. He didn’t have the time to think about it right now.
“Thanks for the invitation,” he said and headed for the shower.
Over the next few days after Lilli moved into Max’s bedroom, Lilli felt almost like a newlywed. Max arrived home early. They shared dinner and took care of David then retired to Max’s bed for nights of amazing lovemaking. She began to hope that he would eventually love her.
Saturday night after they’d visited a park and enjoyed a gourmet picnic prepared by Max’s chef, they returned home. David had been fussy most of the afternoon. She fed him part of an extra bottle, hoping he would settle down, but he continued to fuss. She noticed he felt warm to the touch and took his temperature. It was elevated, but not overly so. Still, every time she tried to put him in his crib, his little body stiffened and he cried until he shook.
Max stepped inside. “Does he need another dose of the Wall Street Journal?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he’s feeling well.”
His demeanor immediately changed. “Does he have a temperature?”
“Not much of one,” she said, showing him the thermometer. “All the baby books say to keep calm. But I think I may need to take him to the doctor tomorrow.”
Max nodded in agreement.
“It may be a long night,” she told him. “He’s only calm when I hold him.”
“I can understand that,” he said, meeting her gaze, making her stomach jump at his double meaning. “I’ll take a turn holding him if you can’t get him settled.”
“Thanks,” she said and sighed when he gave her and David a hug. His arms felt so solid, so strong.
“Wake me to take a turn,” he told her again.
“Maybe later,” she said, but she didn’t ask him. She finally succeeded in getting David settled and crawled into bed. She kept the nursery monitor directly beside her and heard him when he awakened in the middle of the night with a heart-tugging wail.
Max stirred beside her. “What is—”
“No, I’ll take care of it,” she said, quickly climbing out of bed and heading for the nursery. She almost collided with Maria, who’d already picked David up.
“Oh, the little sweetheart, he’s burning up with fever,” Maria said. She made a tsking sound. “He got sick in his bed.”
“Oh, no. Let me hold him,” Lilli said, taking him into her arms and biting her lip at the heat emanating from his tiny body. She pressed the thermometer against his ear, aghast at how quickly it had risen.
Fear clutched at her. David began to cry. “I wish I knew what was wrong with you, sweetie. I wish you could tell me where you hurt.” David gave a high-pitched scream and Lilli fought a rising tide of panic.
Max stepped inside the room. “What’s wrong?”
“His fever has gone up and he got sick in his bed,” Lilli said, holding him close to her as she stroked his forehead.
As David let out another scream, Max nodded his head decisively. “Okay, that’s it. We’re taking him to the emergency room.”
Chapter Thirteen
There was no wait at the emergency room for David Maximillian De Luca. It seemed everyone knew that Max had made generous donations to the Children’s Hospital. The admissions tech quickly took down the insurance information and escorted Max, Lilli and David behind a curtain.
Max looked at David, who was clearly in pain, and felt his gut wrench. His son. It was his responsibility to alleviate his pain.
A very young woman in a white coat stepped inside the curtained cubicle. She picked up the chart and glanced at it. “Hello, I’m Dr. Jarrett.” She extended her hand and shook his. “Let’s see what’s wrong with your son.”
Lilli continued to hold David close, cradling his head as he let out cries and sobs. As Dr. Jarrett looked inside David’s right ear, the baby howled and the doctor winced. “I think I’ve found the problem. An ear infection. A nasty one at that.” She rubbed the baby’s head. “We can take care of that, sweetheart.
“We’ll start him on antibiotics right away, and I have some other recommendations for pain. The good news is that these little guys tend to respond to antibiotics within twenty-four hours or less.”
“Thank goodness,” Lilli said. “He’s been miserable.”
“And he made sure you knew it, too, didn’t he?” the doctor said with a smile.
“Yes, I guess he did.” Lilli met Max’s gaze. “I’m glad we came.”
“Me, too,” he said and asked the doctor a few more questions. Dr. Jarrett left David’s file open on the tray while she left the area for a moment. Max glanced at the file, seeing D
avid’s birth information, his height, weight and blood type. He digested the information without focusing on it. The doctor returned, apologizing for the interruption.
After picking up the medication from the hospital pharmacy, Max helped Lilli administer it to David. He ushered both of them to his car, and David fell asleep on the way home.
Max pulled into the driveway and Lilli put her hand on his elbow. “I’m afraid to take him out of the infant seat,” she confessed.
Max chuckled. “We can’t leave him in the car the rest of the night.”
“It’s almost morning,” she said and reached closer to touch his jaw. “You are so amazing. And I am so lucky.”
His heart swelled in his chest. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I was ready to panic over what to do about David, and you knew what to do immediately.”
“You would have figured it out.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and kissed him. “I know you don’t believe in love, but you’re making me fall in love with you.”
He didn’t say anything, but she made him feel ten feet tall. She made him feel as if he could conquer anything and he wanted to do it for her and David.
He took a breath to clear his head. “We need to put him to bed,” he said.
“Yeah,” she said reluctantly.
“We can do it,” he encouraged her. “We can do it together.”
She nodded as if she found strength in his words. “Sure we can. Okay, let’s go.”
Surprisingly enough, David only gave a few peeps between the car seat and the crib. He made just enough sound to reassure Max and Lilli that he was uncomfortable, but okay. Lilli placed him in the crib and appeared to hold her breath.
David continued sleeping and Lilli let out a sigh.
“Time for Mama to get some sleep,” Max said, taking her hand and leading her to bed.
She insisted on brushing her teeth then fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Max wasn’t so lucky. Something nagged at him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something he’d seen or observed at the hospital still bothered him.
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