A Weekend Temptation (14 page)

“Done.” He reached in between them and stroked her cheekbones then nuzzled her forehead with his lips.

She relaxed, lowering her shoulders and leaned into his strength. He gathered her closer, cupping her face as he pressed his lips to hers. His mouth was firm and delicious stubble rasped against her skin. She threaded her fingers through his hair, keeping him close as he kissed her.

His tongue flicked inside her mouth, making her dizzy.

A tentative knock sounded on the door.

“I can cancel.” His rumbling voice promising her pleasure. “I want to cancel.”

Bur reality returned with a vengeance. What had she been thinking kissing him like that? Did she want to become more addicted, or worse, fall in love with a man who’d never love her?

“Go back to your power meeting,” she said. “I’m leaving.” She pried her weak and lusting body from his, and with her head held high, sauntered from the room.

Chapter Fourteen

A woman entered the ultrasound room wearing a white lab coat a shade lighter than her hair. Even though her hair was shorter than Joel’s, she still remained feminine with long, dark lashes, and hazel-green eyes

“I’m Dr. Olivia.” She shook Ava’s hand then Joel’s.

“Joel Stanfield, I’m the baby’s father. And this is Ava, my fiancée.”

Ava bit her tongue because she didn’t want to argue with him in public. And she was focused on the upcoming ultrasound. “Is this test really necessary? The nurse I talked to on the phone said plenty of woman experience spotting.” According to Ava’s new
You’re Expecting
book, ultrasounds were usually performed later in pregnancy.

After Ava had talked to the nurse, Joel had called the doctor and demanded an ultrasound.

“I believe what you experienced was normal, but let’s just be sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” Ava said.

“Lie down,” Dr. Olivia said.

Ava did what the doctor asked and did her best to cover herself with the paper napkin of a robe the doctor had handed her.

Then she watched Dr. Olivia apply goo to her instrument. She moved the flimsy sheet then wanded over Ava’s gently, rounded stomach. The goo felt warm and wet.

“Shouldn’t she weigh more? She’s not eating enough. That’s why she’s not gaining weight.” Joel’s grip on Ava’s hand made her fingers lose circulation.

Ava yanked against his hold, but he clamped down tighter.

“She’s only nine weeks pregnant. Her weight gain is perfectly normal.” The doctor turned her cat eyes on Joel. “No more questions until after the test.”

Ava wondered how many overprotective men the doctor dealt with on a daily basis.

Joel let go of Ava’s hand, and she turned her attention to the screen, eager to see who grew inside her. Who was changing her body.

The
wurr
of the heartbeat reassured her, and made Ava’s own pulse race and her stomach tingle. Their baby was alive.

The doctor remained quiet, taking measurements, turning to type information into the computer next to the exam table.

“There’s the baby’s head and feet.” Dr. Olivia pointed to the screen. “He or she is measuring about an inch.”

Tiny. No wonder it was hard for Ava to see much.

When Dr. Olivia clicked off the monitor, Ava turned to read Joel’s expression, and noticed that the typically unaffected man gripped the side of the exam table so tightly his knuckles had turned white. His normally unemotional face creased with frown lines. Why was he so worried?

“Is an inch a good measurement?” he asked.

“Everything is measuring correctly. The fetus is formed the way it should be this early in the pregnancy. The heartbeat is averaging a hundred beats per minute,” Dr.Olivia said.

“What about Ava’s bleeding?” Joel asked.

“Looking at your fetus and seeing the strong heartbeat, I’d say we have nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” He leaned forward.

“She’s a doctor, Joel.” Ava found his concern intoxicating but reminded herself the crack in his emotional walls wasn’t about her, it was about their baby. He might not love Ava or show her emotion, but the baby was another story.

“Statistically speaking, at nine weeks with good fetus development and a strong heartbeat, continued pregnancy is better than ninety-five percent.” With Ava’s chart in hand, Dr. Olivia stood.

Joel rose too. His muscled-lined body blocked the doctor’s exit. Dr. Olivia was clearly ready to dash off to her next patient, but Joel wasn’t budging.

“Do either of you have any more medical questions?” Dr. Olivia asked, staring at Joel.

Ava shook her head but doubted the doctor saw her.

“I’ll be calling you,” Joel said to Dr. Olivia, but shifted to the right to let her pass. The doctor nodded and smiled an understanding smile before leaving.

****

Twenty minutes later, Ava and Joel sat in the limo, traveling back to Ava’s condo. Joel sipped his mineral water, and she glanced out the window at the crowds of busy New Yorkers pushing over each other, trying to escape July’s punishing ninety degree humidity. Normally Ava loved the heat. Today it felt oppressive.

The heat wasn’t the only thing closing in on her. Joel had been dropping hints all morning that he wanted more from her, a commitment. Judging from the tension that radiated from his body, she knew what was next and braced herself.

“I brought the ring. It’s time for you to put it on your finger and admit we’re getting married.”

“No, we’re not.” Even her cells heated.

He would never give up. Joel was the definition of relentless. His fingers tightened around his water. “This is what is right for the baby. You need to start making decisions based what’s best for him.”

“I am,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You’re afraid I’m going to treat you like your father. But I’m not, and you’re avoiding marriage because of your fear of the past.”

She flinched like he’d burned her to a sizzling crisp. Was he right? Was she running from Joel, because she knew if she allowed him close, she could fall in love and be vulnerable and open to a new level of pain?

“What about you?” she asked. “Because of what happened with Elizabeth, you isolate yourself. You’re letting your past control you too.”

“I isolate myself because it’s the smart thing to do, and at least I’m willing to go forward and marry you.”

What if she did marry Joel, move into his life, maybe there was a chance he’d fall for her? Maybe she did owe it to her baby to try. Wasn’t it best for a child to have both parents living in the same house, acting on the same page?

“I want our baby to have the best of everything including the best place to live. That would be under my roof.” He strangled the bottle between his fingers.

“I don’t understand,” she began. “You were freaking about our child back there. I’ve never seen you like that. When I first told you about the baby, I expected you to offer money, I never expected you to want him to live with you. And I never expected you to propose. Why do you want to marry me?”

“We were good together when you ran my office. We’ll be good together when you run my home and care for my child. Move in with me, if you won’t marry me.”

She noticed he didn’t say children. She’d always wanted a horde of her own to raise. “Child not children?”

“Let’s take it one step at a time.”

That wasn’t exactly an agreement to have more children. Still he’d given her some things to consider. Her condo was only a one bedroom. She’d have to move to a larger space anyway, and Joel certainly had room for them. And she wanted her baby to grow up in a loving home. If she moved in with Joel, it would be easier for baby and father to spend more time together.

If they lived together, Joel would spend more time with her too. What if being around her more made him fall in love with her? What if she was the one blocking what could be?

“You…You’ll love our child won’t you?”
Even if you can’t love me.

“I will love our child. It’s impossible not to love your own baby.”

It was a strange thing to say. He made it sound almost like he didn’t want to love their child. If she hadn’t seen him pacing around the ultrasound room, squeezing onto her shoulder, throwing out worried father questions, and blocking the doctor’s exit, she’d have said he didn’t want their child. But she had seen him tense with fear and caring.

Yes, he’d love their child. He definitely would, no matter what he felt for her.

The real emotion he’d displayed in the exam room was a good sign.

“And I’ll never cheat on you,” he said. His eyes were dark and full of intense honesty.

He might hold back his emotions and his painful past, but she didn’t think Joel would cheat. He’d always been a man who did what he said he’d do, nothing swayed him. Like in his quest to marry her. She started to believe him when he said he’d never stray.

Maybe it was time to try living with him. If that went well, if he proved he wasn’t going to treat her like her father had treated her mother, then maybe she would consider marriage.

Joel was right about one thing. Her life wasn’t just about what she wanted anymore. The moment that testing stick had turned to a plus sign, she began putting their baby’s needs first. Maybe that meant facing her fear of giving her heart to an unemotional man who might never return her love.

Maybe if she and Joel built family memories together like birthday’s, Christmases, and vacations, eventually he’d let her in. Maybe it was time for her to do everything in her power to make that happen. To quit fighting the relentless, driving power of her feelings for him, and just try.

If she did, she could look her child in the face and say, “I did everything I could to give you the best family. Everything.”

Right now, living her solitary life, ignoring Joel’s phone calls for dinner dates, was not doing everything.

She cleared her throat, rubbed her clammy palms on her pants, and said, “Okay.”

****

“I’m moving in with Joel Stanfield.” Ava headed for the fridge and braced herself for the rant her sister was going to unleash. After the doctor’s appointment, Joel had dropped Ava off at home. He was on his way back to the office, leaving her free to call Bethany.

“What? I thought you said he’d never fall in love with you?” Bethany said in her worried big-sister voice. Even though they were speaking on the phone Ava could almost see her sister’s brow crease with worry.

“He’ll love our child, and maybe he can grow to love me.”

“Is he still pushing you to marry him?”

“More like hounding. The man won’t stop until I say yes.”

“You know, having a child out of wedlock these days isn’t a stigma. Did he say why he wants to marry you?”

“He says we’re good together, and it’ll be the best thing for the baby.” She squeezed the receiver and paced a circle around her kitchen island.

“Hmm. I think Joel cares more than he’s showing. Otherwise, why is he so determined to make you his? You’re already going to be living with him, isn’t that good enough? The baby will be fine if you two don’t marry.”

“That’s true.” Was Bethany right? Did Joel care more about her than he admitted, was that why he was driven to marry her? Because he didn’t want to lose her? Ava wanted to believe that, but at the same time, she was terrified to hope.

“Beth, do you think a person falls in love only once? That people have only one soul mate, and if they lose that person, that’s it?” Ava’s voice cracked at the end. The question had been hard to ask, because her sister’s answer was crucial.

“Yes, I’ve seen it in action. Some people find only one perfect love. It’s tragic. Those people are the clients who are never happy with my match-making. Because no one else will do. Luckily for me that’s rare, maybe even genetic.”

Genetic. Ava shivered. That’s what she feared. Joel’s mother had never remarried. From what he’d told her, his grandfather had never even dated after Joel’s nonna died.

“I better go.” Ava sniffed and blinked hard. She needed to hang up before Beth heard the unshed tears behind her voice and hunted her down. Ava needed to be alone today before the movers arrived and changed everything. She needed solitude, so she could breathe and find her center and her strength.

“Wait, do you think Joel is one of those guys who only fall in love once? Is he still in love with his wife? What the hell are you thinking moving in with him?”

What the hell indeed.

No, she was doing the right thing. She had to give it a try. She owed it to her baby and to herself. And it’s not like she was giving her love. She’d keep her heart safe until she knew there was a chance Joel could give his.

****

That night when Joel’s private elevator opened, Ava couldn’t help but gasp. The last time she’d been here she’d been nervous and hadn’t really noticed the place. Now she was paying attention and gawking.

What an amazing penthouse. This was something she couldn’t have dreamed. The ceilings must be at least twenty feet tall and made her feel tiny. A crystal chandelier that looked like it belonged in the Whitehouse sparkled above her. Even from the entry she could see the walls weren’t walls, but windows that showcased the acres and acres of green trees and gray skyscrapers in the distance.

She closed her gaping mouth as she stepped over the snow-white Thassos marble floor. Everything about the place was over-the-top luxury.

And she was going to live here? She was going to be part of Joel’s private jet-set, money-is-no-object world? Her? Simple, regular Ava Carson?

“Joel’s on the terrace. I’m on my way home. Hope you like dinner,” Claire, Joel’s chef said, tucking a gray puff of hair behind her ear.

Ava smiled at the woman then moved toward the open French doors. Her eyes popped when she took in the sculpted, green trees framing the doorway and the two inviting lounge chairs facing a million-dollar view.

Then her breath caught, because there he was. Even with his back to her, he made her heart leap then pound. He faced the setting sun and Central Park.

He must have heard her footsteps because he spun. As soon his eyes met hers, the apartment’s grandeur and stunning view faded into the background.