His Hotcakes Baby (3 page)

Mackenzie was on the four wheeler on
the way back to the cottage before they even got out of the pool.

Billy stared at Chase who was laughing
as he got out of the pool.  He shook his head. He expected him to be livid, yet
there he was laughing with real mirth.

“Some days, dear nephew, I really do
not understand you.”

“Suffice it to say, dear uncle, I
believe I have met the one woman who is not intimidated by my fame or after my
wealth.  She might be after my body, but in this case … I don’t mind so much. 
I seem to have a severe hankering for hers as well.”

Billy looked at his nephew.  There was
a flicker in his eyes, a yearning he has not seen for twelve years.

“Are you sure it is only her body you
have a hankering for, Chase?  You have never made any effort before to keep a
woman close. Especially not just for sex.”

“Aah … that would depend on the sex,
Billy and with this woman … it was crippling.”

“You’ve already … when?”

“Never mind.  I should not have told
you in the first place.  It is not … gentlemanly.”

Billy laughed so hard, he nearly fell
back in the pool.  Chase chuckled with him.  They walked out onto the front
porch.

“Since when have you ever been a
gentleman as far as sex is concerned?”

Chase sobered and looked down at the
cottage clearly visible from there.  He noticed Mackenzie walking out onto the
jetty to sit down on one of the chairs at the edge.

“Believe me Billy.  This woman is
different. I am not sure what it is but I have been drawn to her, from the
moment our eyes met in that book store.  There is a war within her.  No matter
her cheekiness, there is a shyness within her, but also a hint of a wild spark
that lingers behind those beautiful big eyes.  That wildness is what I am after
… I want to be the one to unleash that in her.”

Billy felt a quiver in his stomach of
a memory never forgotten.  Of his own desire to unleash a wildness in another. 
Only to lose it because he was as arrogant as his nephew and was not honest.

“A word of warning, Chase.  Beware of
what you might unleash.  Not just in her, but in yourself.  Be sure you are
ready for it, because if you are not … you will lose more than you have
gained.”

He looked into his uncle’s eyes.  His
mother told him Billy lost the woman he loved thirteen years ago, but never how
or what happened.  It was clear he still yearned for that love.  It was just
after that when he also lost faith in women, so he did not notice his loss, he
was too entrenched in his own heartache.  He did remember the beautiful redhead
Bree Boucher though.  It was after that the two of them became close.

He placed his hand on Billy’s
shoulder, his eyes were serious.

“I am thirty seven years old and time
is passing. I want children, Billy.  It is time to stop believing all women are
as fickle as Vivienne and find the one who wants to build a future with me.”

“You believe Mack Lewis is that
woman?”

“I believed her to be a groupie when I
met her and also when I had sex with her.  Even then, I wished we met under
different circumstances. I don’t know if she is the one, Billy but I do know
she affects me like no other woman ever has.  Not even Vivienne.”

“You
ran away yesterday afternoon, Miss Lewis. Chase wants you at breakfast to
discuss rules and regulations for this research project of yours.  It remains
his island and his conditions were made very clear to your Director.”

Mackenzie sighed as if the end of the
world was near.  She rubbed her forehead, wishing she could wipe the memory of
what happened on the beach away, which has been hounding her for two weeks. 

“Miss Lewis?”

“I’ll be there.”  She replaced the
receiver of the phone with a long, drawn out sigh. 

She showered and dressed in a black
bikini with a white short and a tight green strappy tee.  She slipped white
sneakers on her feet and tied her hair in a high ponytail at the back of her
head.

She phoned Frasier to tell him to head
out to the outer reef between the two islands and arranged to meet them there
later.

“The high and mighty owner has decreed
that I meet him to discuss rules and regulations.”

“Good luck.  We’ll see you later
then.”

Mackenzie was still too annoyed when
she arrived at the house to appreciate the beauty of it.  She stood in front of
the door and hammered on the open door.  She refused to just walk in.  If no
one came to meet her, she was leaving. She hammered on the door one more time
and waited a full sixty seconds before she turned around and started down the
stairs.

“It seems you are going to go out of
your way to annoy me, hotcakes.”

She froze, sighed and dropped her chin
on her chest in defeat.  She turned to him and sucked her breath in.  Did the
damn man never wear a shirt?  His naked chest and sculptured torso was just too
much for her sanity.

“I would appreciate if you could stop
referring to me as food.  I have a name. I did knock and no one came to
answer.”

“Hence the open door.  We are the only
ones here and don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Yet it seems I interrupted you
getting dressed.”

He frowned then chuckled when she
looked pointedly at his naked chest.

“We are on a tropical island, honey. 
I hardly ever wear a shirt.  You are welcome to repay the favor.  I won’t
mind.”

“Nor would your Estate manager I
assume or all your workers I’ve seen around.”

“Hmm, quite right.  Only when we’re
alone then.  I would not appreciate them ogling you.”

She snorted, not missing the
indication that he deemed that privilege to be his own.

“What do you want, Mr. Paxton?”

“Name’s Chase, or honey, baby, babes,
love, dream lover; whichever you prefer. I’ll even answer to stud muffin! Not
too fond of Darling though.  Brings back bad memories.”

“Darling it is then.”

He looked at her, his amusement gone. 
She bit her lip and hooked her thumbs through the loops of her shorts band.

“Look big guy, with all due respect
for the mammoth amount of time you seem to have on your hands, I don’t.  My
team is already out there working and I need to join them.  Can we get this
over with so I can get to work?”

“Very well. We’re having breakfast at
the pool.  I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

“You’re going to put a shirt on?”

“Nawh … I like your hungry eyes on my
body.”

“My hungr … you bloody wish!”

She
spun around and stomped through the house amidst his chuckles, which turned to
outright laughter when her annoyed mumbling of an overrated jackass, reached
his ears.

“I’ll
collect you at the Rudder Cay around five, Miss Lewis?”

“Mack.  My name is Mack.  Don’t
bother. We have a jet ski in the vessel.  I will use that rather than you
having to cart me back and forth.”

“I don’t think Chase is going to agree
with that.”

“Stuff Chase!  My life does not belong
to him, nor does he have the right to decide what I am allowed to do or not do.
The only stipulation to his conditions was that I stay on the island and report
to him daily, which by the way he has now demanded I do twice a day!”

Billy looked at her questioningly.

“I have been instructed to be present
for breakfast and dinner!  Who wants to sit across a damn table with him twice
a day?  He does not even bother to dress properly!”

Billy laughed and then ducked when she
aimed a fist at his shoulder.

“It’s not funny!  One would swear it
was a nudist camp!”

Billy smiled and saw in her eyes what
Chase did.  The shy girl with the wild tingle in her eyes.  If Mackenzie ever
got over her antagonism for his nephew, they would be dynamite together.

He neared the FIO vessel and reduced
speed to hover next to it. 

“Dinner is at seven … just in case he
forgot to tell you,” he said tongue in cheek.

“You are just as annoying as your
employer!”

“Nephew.  He is my nephew.”

She stopped halfway up the stepladder
on the side of the vessel and looked at him over her shoulder.

“You don’t look old enough to be his
uncle.”

“Which is why he never calls me uncle. 
I will sock him.  I was born when my sister was ten and twelve when Chase was
born.”

“How old are you?”

“Do you really want to know how old I
am, or is it Chase’s age that interests you?”

“As I said … just as annoying as your
nephew!”

She continued up the ladder when she
heard his chuckling answer.

“He is thirty seven.”

Mackenzie startled.  He did not look
thirty seven.  She wondered why he never married. Then shook her head with
irritation.

Forget
about that Neanderthal, Mackenzie and concentrate on work!  The sooner you can
get away from here, the better!

“You
seem to make a habit of being late for breakfast over the past two weeks and
then you hardly eat anything.”

Chase was annoyed.  She has been here
a little over a month and he was getting tired of the cat and mouse game they
were playing.  He wanted her to start trusting him, but she has become more and
more antagonistic over the past two weeks.  He has not even made any advances
towards her.  His need to touch her and make her his again was becoming as
desperate as his need for air.

“I have never been one to eat in the
morning.”

“Then who was the woman that gobbled a
full plate and then some every morning when she arrived here?  You’re pale
too.  Are you sick?”

Mackenzie struggled to keep her
composure.  She wanted to wrap her hands around his throat and squeeze.  Slowly,
so that she can watch him lose his ability to breathe.

“I am fine.  I am just not used to a
big meal at night and then again in the morning.”

The housekeeper, Essie made eggs
Benedict and placed their plates in front of them with a wide smile.  Mackenzie
held her breath, taking shallow breathes.  It did not help.  She pushed the
chair back and with a mumbled excuse ran into the house.

“Tsk … I am so stupid.  I should have realized
the smell of eggs would make the missy nauseous. From tomorrow, we will only
have fresh fruit, yoghurt and cereals.”  Essie nodded and tsk’ed again as she
quickly picked up Mackenzie’s plate.

“What are you talking about, Essie?”

“Why … of course.  You are men and
would not have noticed.  Our little missy is going to have a baby.”

“She is WHAT?”

 Chase was in shock and Billy watched
the realization flash in his eyes, then elation and then anger.  He slammed his
chair back and ran into the house.  He found her hurling in the backroom’s
bathroom.  Her voice sounded hoarse and tired.

“Oh lord … argh!”

He walked into the bathroom to where
she was leaning over the toilet bowel. He took her hair in his hand and stroked
her back when she hurled again.

“Go … away!”

She sank weakly down on the floor. He
picked her up and walked with her into the room.  He placed her on the bed and
she curled into a little ball, clutching her belly.

He went back to the bathroom and came
back with a glass of water and a warm cloth.  He wiped her face, ignoring her resistance
and lifted her shoulders with his arms behind her back.

“Drink.”

She drank the water and sank back on
the bed.

“Go away!”

Billy hovered in the doorway and was
amazed at the tenderness in Chase’s handling of her.  Their eyes caught and
Chase just looked at him.

“I guess I don’t even have to ask if
it is yours?”

“No, you don’t.”

Billy nodded and walked away, drawing
the door closed behind him.

“It’s not yours.”

“So, you are not going to deny that
you are pregnant?”

“No.”

“But, you are going to deny it’s
mine?”

“Yes.”

“Look me in the eye and tell me it is
not my baby you are expecting, Mackenzie.”

“Would you please just leave me
alone?  You know I was not a virgin and I have been with someone for the past
year.  The baby is not yours! I am already eight weeks along. Now just go
away!”

He yanked her into his arms and his
eyes bored into hers.  His hands folded around her cheeks and he forced her to
look at him.

“Here’s the thing, Mackenzie. I don’t
believe you. The timing is just too much of a coincidence.” 

“Let me go!  This is not your baby. I
already told you I am eight weeks along.  We … it was what … six weeks ago? 
You of all people most definitely do not want to be saddled with a kid.  You
would never survive without your … groupies!”

“Do not propose to know what I want or
don’t want. One thing I will never do, is deny my own child.”

She struggled and his hands dropped
from her face.  She scooted to the other side of the bed and stood next to it,
glowering at him.

“I am not going to repeat it again,
Paxton.  Now you’ll have to excuse me.  I have work to do.”

“You will not get on that jet ski again. 
I am going with to drop you at the vessel.”

“No.  Billy can drop me.”

“Let’s go.

“No!  You don’t want others to know
who you are!  Why would you chance it now?”

“Because I want to meet your team. 
Don’t worry hotcakes, I am confident you will ensure your team keeps my
secret.”

“I don’t want you on that vessel.”

He just smiled.  Mackenzie cursed. She
got to know him well enough to know why he wanted to meet her team.  He was
going to ask them about her supposed someone!

Billy was adamant he join them and the
three of them arrived at the vessel where they were anchored eight miles off
the coast of the Rudder Cay Island.  Makenzie climbed on board first and her
face warned her team of her annoyance.

She made the introductions and groaned
at the team’s awe.  All of them were avid Hawk Carter fans and never thought to
meet him in person.  The two female Biologists were swooning over him to
Mackenzie’s annoyance.  Billy watched her expressions with a smile.  Chase told
him she denied the baby was his, but she most definitely had a sense of
proprietorship over his nephew. 

“Get back to work.  We have a lot to
cover today and you don’t have the time to stand and drool!” Mackenzie snapped
at the women in particular.

“Yes, Mam!”

They all moved off to their different
stations, except for Frasier that stared at her with amazement.  She never
snapped at her team.  There was definitely something amiss.

Chase looked at her with a wicked
smile on his lips.

“Possessive little thing aren’t you?”

She snorted at him with murder in her
eyes.

“Don’t flatter yourself.  We have work
to do.  You’ve met my team, so leave.  Go write or swim or flaunt your chest at
your staff … I don’t care.  Just leave.”

Both Billy and Chase laughed, but he
shook his head.  He rapped her on her nose and held her chin between his
fingers.  He leaned closer and said against her lips.

“Not just yet, little dove.  I have a
few questions to ask.” 

Then he kissed her, unconcerned for
the eyes on them.  He smiled at her, turned her around and slapped her on her
ass.

“Get to work, hotcakes.  I don’t want
to keep you.”

 Mackenzie could easily have thrown
him overboard.  Just a pity it was not a shark invested area!

She stalked away and joined two of her
team members busy with final analysis of samples of micro-organisms they took
the day before. She kept an eye on Chase and saw him chatting to the two
youngest members of the team first.  They of course were his biggest fans and
their smiles nearly circled their faces.

When he joined the two females she
clamped her fists against her thighs.  He was all smiles and flirted as if it
was second nature.  Which, she of course already knew, it was.  Chase looked up
and noticed her glowering at him. He broadened his smile when he turned back to
the two women in front of him and agreed to sign their copies of his latest
book.