That's My Baby! (8 page)

He always made the drivers feel as if they were part of something really big, something top secret and connected with national security. When Jessica and her boyfriend stopped for gas, he let both driver and car go back home and he located another chauffeur. The routine worked like a charm, as it had for the last six months. So far no one had ever been hurt. Steven took pride in that.

N
AT DROVE ALL DAY
and into the night, ready to get this trip over with. Jess offered to take the wheel, but he knew once she did that, he’d fall asleep. Jet lag was playing havoc with his system, but he didn’t want to sleep while she was driving and allow her to be at the mercy of whatever dangers were out there.

At a diner where they’d stopped for dinner, she’d said she thought the guy was around. She hadn’t seen him, but she’d claimed to have developed a sixth sense about him, and Nat was willing to believe that. He’d kept his eyes
open, but the man would be hard to spot. Jess had described him as average build with brown hair. He could look like a million other guys.

The best plan seemed to be to keep driving. They didn’t talk much, for which Nat was glad. Even the sound of her voice got him hot. Her every movement was like the flick of a match against the dry tinder of his need. He wasn’t sure how he’d travel with her all the way to Colorado without making love to her again. Exhaustion would help, he decided, so he pushed himself until he was afraid he was a hazard on the road. “We need to stop,” he said about two in the morning as he took the exit to a motel right near the highway.

“Of course.” She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. “I was beginning to think you’d decided to drive nonstop from New York to Colorado.”

He pulled up in front of the motel lobby. “I didn’t trust myself to stop for the night until I was totally wiped out.”

“Oh.”

He could see from her expression that he didn’t have to explain himself any further. “We’re getting one room, for the safety factor, but you don’t have to worry about me attacking you. I’m too beat.”

“I’ve never worried about you attacking me.”

He glanced at her. “Maybe you should.” He wasn’t crazy about the blond wig and the elaborate makeup she’d included as part of her disguise, but in another way it was a turn-on. He’d never made love to her as a heavily made-up blonde, and it might be kind of fun. Her stretchy zebra-print dress was too tight to be fashionable, but it sure fueled the imagination. “Come on in with me. I don’t want to leave you alone in the car.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t stay behind.” As they started toward the lobby’s front entrance, she chuckled. “You
know what they’re going to think, when we come in at this time of the night, with me looking like a—”

“Hooker?” he finished for her.

“I was going to say high-class call girl,” she said primly.

“Hooker,” he said, and opened the door for her. Damned if his libido wasn’t kicking in now that he was out of the car and moving around. He wasn’t tired enough. Maybe there was no such thing as too tired where Jess was concerned, especially when she was decked out like this.

But he didn’t think he could drive another mile, so he was stuck with this frustrating situation. He approached the reception desk, where a sleepy-looking young man gave Jess the once-over as she crossed the lobby to glance through a rack of travel brochures. She’d slipped on her coat over the stretchy dress, but hadn’t bothered to button it. She was dynamite.

Nat restrained the impulse to challenge the clerk’s obvious assumption. He’d be wasting his breath, anyway. No matter what he said, the clerk would think he knew exactly what was going on.

Sure enough, the guy turned a coconspirator’s gaze on Nat, as if congratulating him man to man on his score. “You folks need a room?” he asked, barely controlling a smirk.

“Two double beds,” Nat said. As if that would make a difference.

“Oo-kay.” The clerk typed a few things into his computer and took Nat’s credit card. “Need help with luggage?” he asked as he slid the keys across the counter. He looked as if he didn’t expect luggage was part of this deal.

“No, thanks,” Nat said. “We can handle it.”

“Okay. Have a nice night.” The clerk stopped short of licking his lips when he gazed at Jess.

Once again Nat bit back a reprimand. Given the look of things, the clerk couldn’t be blamed for his behavior.
“We’re all set,” Nat said to Jess. “It’s in the back. We’ll drive around.”

“Fine.”

He held the door for her, and as she went through it looking for all the world like his playmate for the night, his temper began to fray. Then when he held the car door for her she managed to show quite a bit of leg getting in. She’d better not be teasing him. He closed the door with a little more force than was necessary.

“You slammed that door. Is anything wrong?” she asked as he got in and started the engine.

“Nope.” He backed out and pulled around to a parking spot near their room on the second floor.

“Your face is all scrunched up, like you’re upset about something.”

“Just tired.” He’d be damned if he’d admit that he felt randier than a teenager paging through a smuggled porn magazine. He was supposed to be more in control of himself than that, but damn it, she hadn’t made life easy for him, wearing that getup of hers.

“I can understand you being tired. I wish you’d let me drive some of the time.”

“It’s better if I do it.” He got out of the car and opened the back door so he could haul out their two backpacks.

She was beside him instantly. “Nat, let me carry my—”

“I’ve got it.” He knew he sounded unfriendly. But he was too tired to be friendly and still keep his hands off of her.

“Okay.” She lifted both hands and backed off.

He slung a backpack over each shoulder and they trudged up a set of outside stairs to the second floor of the motel. All the while, Nat was picturing that cozy room with two very available beds in it. He handed a key to Jess and she opened the door and flicked on the wall switch.

Moving into the plain but serviceable room, she glanced
around. “It might not be the Waldorf, but it’s nicer than some of the places I’ve stayed in recently.” She took off her coat and laid it on a chair. Then she walked over to the window and reached for the cord on the drapes.

He shoved the door closed with his foot and stood there holding the backpacks and watching those zebra stripes wiggle as she moved. Damn, but she was hot stuff. He slung the backpacks on the floor and when he spoke, his voice was razor-sharp. “Quit fiddling around and pick your bed. We need to get some sleep.”

Surprise lifted her eyebrows as she turned toward him. “You are upset.”

He laid his hat brim side up on the dresser and stripped off his suit coat. “I don’t suppose you could have organized a different disguise for today,” he said, an edge of sarcasm in his voice. He wanted the words back. He hated sarcasm. His father had used it all the time. Stress brought out those traits in him, which was why he worried about what he’d be like around a kid of his own.

She finished pulling the drapes closed. “What do you mean?”

He threw his suit coat on the nearest bed. “When you climbed into the taxi last night, you looked like a bag lady. Under the circumstances, couldn’t you have come up with something more like that for this trip?”

“Circumstances? Oh!
Those
circumstances.”

He allowed his anger to build. Maybe blowing off steam this way would keep him from doing something crude and unforgivable. “I mean, first of all you announce that we’re not having sex, and then you put on a dress that looks like it came from Frederick’s of Hollywood. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?”

“For your information, I consider your outfit equally unfair.”

“Mine?” He held out both arms and looked down at the
pearl buttons on his black western shirt. “What’s wrong with mine?”

“When you said this morning that you had to go out and pick up a few things, I had no idea you were planning to buy that suit.”

He’d been proud of the fact he’d found something decent to wear, given the short time he had to look for some clothes. He’d left all his spare shirts and jeans with the refugees, keeping only the sheepskin vest that belonged to Travis and the clothes on his back. On his quick shopping expedition that morning, he’d been glad to find something on short notice that he could actually wear once he started dealing with clients again. “What’s wrong with it?”

“The cut of those western pants is so…blatant.”

“They fit. What’s the crime in buying pants that fit?”

“They fit like a glove, you mean! I’ve been watching you all day in those pants, and all I want to do is…” She paused, her color high. “Never mind what I want to do.”

Oh, yeah.
If she cracked first, then she couldn’t blame him, could she? He began unsnapping his shirt. “You’re the one who made the rules, darlin’,” he said softly.

B
OONE
C
ONNOR HEARD
the clock chime two-thirty in the morning as he lay staring into the darkness thinking about all that Sebastian and Travis had told him today. On the one hand, he was glad Elizabeth’s father wasn’t some stranger. On the other, it hurt to think that Nat hadn’t seen fit to tell them that he was involved with Jessica for an entire year.

And the most troubling part of the news was that Nat wasn’t enthusiastic about being a daddy to Elizabeth. Boone knew about Nat’s crummy childhood and his fear that he wouldn’t make a good father, but he should have tried to overcome that fear, in Boone’s estimation. And marry Jessica, while he was at it.

But whether Nat decided to cooperate or not, Jessica was coming back to get her baby, which meant Boone wouldn’t have the pleasure of playing daddy to Elizabeth every third week. He didn’t like to think about that too much. He’d taken the little girl into his heart, and letting her go was going to be one of the toughest things he’d ever done.

Thank God he had Shelby and Josh to ease the pain. With a sigh he rolled to his side and gazed at his wife sleeping beside him. He couldn’t see her clearly in the faint light, but he could see her clearly enough in his heart. He’d never known he could be this happy.

Having Shelby was wonderful enough, but now that they’d officially adopted her nephew Josh, Boone’s world was nearly perfect. Josh’s sociopathic father was behind
bars awaiting trial for murder, and with the evidence against him, he wasn’t likely to bother Shelby and Josh again.

Boone cherished the notion of having his own little family and thought Nat was a fool to turn his back on the chance to have one, too. A family steadied a man.

Shelby’s hand, so small and delicate, lay on the pillow beside her cheek. Boone stroked it with the tip of his finger. He still couldn’t believe that a tiny thing like Shelby wanted anything to do with a big lug like him.

Luckily she wanted a
lot
to do with him. They were trying for a baby and hoping for a girl. Another baby wouldn’t replace Elizabeth, of course, but Josh had loved having a little sister. Boone and Shelby had both figured the day would come when they’d have to give up Elizabeth, so another baby seemed like a very good idea.

Trying to get Shelby pregnant had been an extremely satisfying project, although Boone was a tad bit worried about whether carrying his child would be too much for her small frame. She insisted that a woman’s body was amazingly adaptable, and he’d have to say that sure was true when he made love to her. Despite the difference in their sizes, they fit together beautifully.

He hadn’t realized she was awake until she spoke.

“You’re thinking about this business with Nat and Jessica, aren’t you?” she murmured.

“Yeah. I guess I woke you up with my tossing around.”

“No.” She snuggled against him, bringing with her the tempting scent of her body. “You woke me up with that feathery touch on my hand. For a big man you have the most gentle touch in the world.”

He reached under her nightgown and cupped her sweet bottom with more force than he usually used. “Don’t go making me sound like a sissy,” he said, pulling her toward him.

Her low chuckle was rich with arousal as she wiggled closer. “No one could ever accuse you of that, Boone. You’re gentle with the ones you love, but you’re hell on anybody who tries to hurt them.”

Holding her close, he stroked her blond hair and breathed in her special aroma, a blend of shampoo, cologne and woman. “That’s what’s bothering me. Nat’s one of my best friends, but if he won’t be a proper daddy to Elizabeth, that’s going to hurt her. Maybe not right away, but down the line, she’ll wonder how come he doesn’t pay attention to her.”

“I can’t believe he’s going to ignore her. She’s too darned cute.” She massaged the nape of his neck. “Each one of you worried yourselves sick about the responsibility until you laid eyes on her, remember? Once Nat sees her, he won’t be able to help himself. He’ll be a good father.”

“I hope you’re right, but he’s going to have to prove himself before we just turn her over.”

There was a smile in her voice. “Oh, I’m sure of that. Elizabeth definitely has her champions.”

“Yeah.” Holding her like this was having a predictable effect on him, which was just fine, because she was in her best time of the month for conceiving. And a man had to do his duty by his wife. His hot, sexy wife. His body throbbed with anticipation. “Well, enough of that,” he murmured, easing her nightgown higher.

“I was wondering if you were going to talk for the rest of the night,” she said.

“Nope.” His mouth found hers in the darkness. As she kissed him with abandon, passion rose in him, blocking out every other thought but one. Maybe this time his seed would find fertile ground and Shelby would ripen with his baby.

J
ESSICA TRIED
to remember all the reasons why she shouldn’t make love to Nat as she stood in the motel room
watching him strip off his shirt. Next, he hooked an arm over his shoulder, grabbed his T-shirt from the back and pulled that off over his head. Beneath a light pelt of dark chest hair, his muscles flexed as he tossed the T-shirt to the chair where he’d thrown his shirt.

No doubt about it, seventeen months of manual labor had sculpted him into a love god. He probably didn’t realize it, but he’d gone from having a decent build to being calendar quality. Even his hair, which was longer than she’d ever seen it, added to his muscular appeal. And she had to find the strength to turn away from him.

His gaze challenged hers and his voice was dangerously soft. “Are you planning to get undressed for bed, or are you waiting for me to help you?”

Her pulse rate climbed. “I…” She paused and cleared her throat. “I’ll undress in the bathroom.”

“Suit yourself.” He broke eye contact as he sat on the bed and pulled off one of his boots.

Without looking at him, she hurried across the room. She gave him as wide a berth as possible, which still meant she nearly stepped on his feet as she grabbed her backpack and ducked into the bathroom. She closed the door and leaned against it, breathing as if she’d run a footrace. Then she glanced at herself in the mirror and saw what Nat had seen—a blatant invitation.

She pulled off the blond wig and unpinned her hair. She hadn’t been trying to tease him, she told herself while running her fingers through her hair and massaging her scalp. This was simply the next outfit in the rotation she’d developed.

She’d bought and discarded clothes and wigs along the way—this particular disguise was a fairly new addition to her bag of tricks. But as she shimmied out of the zebra-print dress, she had to admit that she’d been glad this was
the outfit for today instead of another truly ugly one, especially after seeing how he filled out the shoulders of his western-cut suit.

Rummaging through her backpack, she found her teal sleep shirt. Usually that was all she wore to bed, but tonight maybe she’d better leave her underwear on, too. Oh, God, how she wanted him. The few hours they would be closed into this motel room would be so packed with tension she’d never sleep. He probably wouldn’t, either. Maybe, for both their sakes, she should just go back out there and climb into his bed and be done with it.

No. She had to think of Elizabeth’s welfare ahead of all else. Love me, love my daughter. Nat didn’t seem at all prepared to do that, which meant she had to stay out of his bed.

After scrubbing all the makeup off and brushing her teeth, she started toward the closed door of the bathroom. The night before, she’d come out and he’d been standing right there waiting for her. If he did that again, and pulled her into his arms, she wasn’t sure she could resist him. One kiss and she’d be a goner.

She opened the door slowly and peeked out. With a sense of disappointment, she realized he wasn’t there. Apparently he wasn’t planning to use any caveman tactics that would let her off the hook. That was just as well. Of course it was.

Turning off the bathroom light, she walked out into the room and discovered he was already in the bed closest to the door, lying with his hands tucked behind his head while he looked up at the ceiling. He’d left the lamp on between the two beds, and he’d only pulled the covers up to his waist, so his chest was bare.

She wondered if he had any idea of the picture he made. Probably not. He’d never been aware of his sex appeal. And
damn it, she wanted to know if he was naked under the covers. She’d never known him to wear anything to bed.

Averting her gaze from the tantalizing sight of him lying there, she walked over to the far bed and pulled back the sheet.

“You’re right, you know,” he said.

“About what?” She got into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

“Not making love to me.”

His tone of voice pierced her heart. “I don’t know what’s right,” she said. “I only know what I have to do, for the baby’s sake. I can’t let myself be involved with someone who doesn’t love her as much as I do.”

He continued to stare up at the ceiling. “I knew you’d be a devoted mother, ready to sacrifice anything. That’s good. You were meant to have kids, Jess. Too bad your first one had to be with me.”

“As I said before, I don’t regret that.” She started to reach for the lamp switch and paused. Something had been nagging at her ever since the night before, and now she had to know. “Nat, why did you go to see my parents?”

He sighed. “Because I’m weak. Even though I’m the wrong guy for you, I keep thinking there must be a way for this to work, because I want you so much.”

There is, if you can let go of your fear,
she thought, but she didn’t say anything. They were both tired, and this wasn’t the time to get into it.

“I tried calling your apartment before I got on the plane in London, to tell you I was coming home,” he continued. “When I found out the line was disconnected, I was determined to find you. I started with your parents.”

The thought that he’d gone looking for her warmed her considerably. Maybe all wasn’t lost. “And they agreed to see you just because you asked about me?” she asked. “That doesn’t sound like them.”

“They agreed to see me because I told them I wanted to talk about my foundation for helping the orphans in the refugee camps. I didn’t mention you until later.”

She propped herself up on one elbow to stare at him. “What foundation?”

Finally he turned his head to glance at her. “That was my main purpose in going over to that country, to see if I could set up some sort of program that would take care of the kids and find homes for them, either over there or over here.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’ll be terrific.” His tone grew more excited. “I have some great people lined up to administer it from that end, and I’ve used my own money to set things in motion, but this will be a huge project. Obviously I need more funding, but I think I can get—”

“I can’t believe this.” The injustice of it shot through her and she sat up in bed. “I vaguely remember you mentioned the idea of adopting an orphan at some time in the future, but I had no idea you were going to head up an entire operation.”

“I’m already doing it,” he said. “It’s desperately needed, and once we clear up this situation with the person who’s trying to kidnap you, I’m planning to give it my full attention.”

“Are you?” Anger seethed within her. “Not that I don’t think it’s a wonderful idea, Nat. It is. I’m sure you’ll be a hero. But how can you enthusiastically throw yourself into this program to save little children you don’t even know, when you won’t consider being a father to the one who belongs to you?”

His gaze was bleak. “You still don’t get it, do you? I’m helping those kids because it’s what I can do. I understand them, and because of that, I don’t expect much from them. I can’t relate to a little girl who’s never known anything
but loving kindness, because I’d probably expect her to be perfect. Hell, I might even envy her, and because of that I wouldn’t cut her any slack.” He paused. “I would ruin her, Jess.”

She glared at him in frustration. “When you get an idea, you sure do clutch it to your breast forever, don’t you?”

His glance flicked over her. “I’ve been known to. Now cover up.”

She understood his implication and slid under the covers. “I’m too mad at you to make love, anyway,” she said.

“Now, there’s the difference between us,” he said, reaching up to shut off the light.

“What difference?” she said into the darkness, knowing full well she should keep her mouth shut.

“I can get so mad at you I could chew nails, but at the same time I want to strip you naked and go at it until we’re both moaning and soaked with sweat.”

She gulped as the vivid mental image rocked her with desire.

“Sweet dreams,” he murmured.

“Up yours,” she said under her breath.

“We can try it any way you’d like to, darlin’. I’m open to suggestion.”

With a groan, she turned her back to him. She would get no sleep tonight.

N
AT DIDN’T EXPECT
to sleep, considering that every rustle of the sheets in the other bed made him clench his jaw against a new wave of desire. When he closed his eyes he still saw her, sitting up so indignantly when she’d heard about his plans for the orphans. He’d thought she’d be pleased. He hadn’t figured out how it might look from her perspective, and she probably had some justification for being angry.

In fact, she had every reason to be upset with him. He
wasn’t giving her what she needed and deserved, and yet he wanted…all of her. In his imagination he could still see the proud thrust of her breasts under the cotton nightshirt and the wild tangle of her red hair as she challenged his behavior.

She might not remember, but some of their best times in bed had come about after a heated argument. That spitfire quality of hers really turned him on, maybe because he liked the idea that she’d never allow herself to be dominated by anyone or anything. A tiny voice told him that where he was concerned, her demands might be his salvation. But he didn’t care to listen right now.