The Baby Bargain (3 page)

Chapter Four

As Adam lowered his head toward her, Megan felt her stomach tighten and her body heat.
His hand caressed her jaw and shivers danced over her skin. She inhaled his rich musk
and clean soap scent just as he brushed his lips over hers. He trailed his hand up
her throat and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin as his lips brushed her
mouth.

Adam.
The ashes of her love for him stirred deep in her chest, making her gasp.

He groaned and took his hand from her face to scoop her legs off the floor and lay
her across his lap.

He lifted his head, his golden eyes burning with fever. “More, Meg. Let me taste you.”

His thighs were hard beneath her bottom, his strong arms supporting her, but what
touched her was the sheer need in his eyes. She knew it was lust, but she still found
herself reaching up to take his face in her hands and pulling his mouth to hers. This
time the kiss exploded. Adam caught her hair, tilted her head, and explored her mouth.
He tasted of coffee and pure male heat. Her nipples peaked and her body grew hot,
needy.

Sliding her tongue along his, she wanted more. It had been too long and her body cried
out for his touch.

He gave her no respite, pushing her, consuming her. He drew his hand over her face,
down her throat. The pleasure burned a path of hot desire, making her arch as a low
moan slid from her.

Adam broke the kiss, his gaze locked onto hers. “Do that again. Make that sound for
me.” He slid his hand down to cup her breast, using his thumb to tease her nipple
through her tank.

Fire shot straight to her core. This was how it had always been with him, and the
memories of their shared pleasure heated her imagination as his touch blazed across
her skin. She wanted to feel him pressed against her. She wanted to experience again
the incredible sensations only he could make her feel. She wanted to lose control
with him. Just the two of them…

The two of them.

Cold reality seeped in.
What was she doing?
It wasn’t just the two of them—she had a son to think about. A son she loved more
than her own life. Cole was everything to her. She could no longer afford to be reckless
or wild. She was a mother. To Adam’s child, the son he didn’t even know about.

Grabbing Adam’s wrist, she pushed his hand from her, scrambled off his lap, and stood.

“Meg, what’s wrong?” He let her go, but his voice betrayed his confusion as he rose
to his feet.

Without looking at him, she donned her sweatshirt and zipped it up. She needed all
the armor she could get. She turned and nearly yelped to find him standing only six
inches from her. Dang, he moved like a ghost. He towered over her five foot seven
by more than half a foot and weighed at least fifty pounds more. He made her feel
small, and when she was in his arms, protected. Seeing Adam this way—it cut her with
guilt. Cole was his son. Had she been wrong to keep their child a secret?

But even as she wondered if she’d been fair to Adam, she had to remind herself that
Cole was her main concern. She couldn’t risk her son’s tender heart with a man who
might not treasure it. Besides, Adam had already proven that he was a man who had
a habit of walking away.

“I’m too old and have too many responsibilities to be your sex buddy, Adam.”

His face went dark. “I never called you that.”

She couldn’t do this again. Both times he’d left her, it had hurt right to her soul.
But she no longer harbored schoolgirl fantasies of romance. She was a realist, and
maybe it was better to get it all out on the table. “What is it you want from me?”

He rubbed his hand over the shadow of his beard. “I’ve never forgotten. No matter
where I went, what I was doing, you were there in my mind.” Dropping his hand, he
looked her in the eye. “I want us to be friends.”

Megan heard her heartbeat in her ears. “With benefits?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that.” Intensity burned in his eyes. “You felt
it tonight—we’re still attracted to each other. But I want to be friends, with or
without sex.”

In other words, he was confident he could seduce her. And why wouldn’t he think that?
She’d fallen into bed with him easily enough after his parents’ funeral. But she was
different now. She had to be, for Cole’s sake.

Ellie stirred on the bed. Eager for the distraction, Megan crouched and began examining
her. The wound was already looking a little better. This was what she was good at—taking
care of animals. She felt grounded and whole as a veterinarian, and as Cole’s mother.

Adam’s shadow fell over her, but he stayed silent while she carefully checked Ellie’s
vitals. Pleased with the dog’s progress, she said, “The worst has passed. I’m going
to keep her with me for a day, administer the antibiotics, and a little sedation to
keep her quiet if she needs it.” She stroked the Lab’s head and Ellie opened her eyes.
The dog licked her hand, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Megan let herself feel relief and happiness at having helped the stray. Growing up
feeling alone and unloved by her father, she had always gotten unconditional love
from her pets. Their selfless devotion had helped patch the hole in her heart. Now
her passion was giving back to the animals that needed her.

Finally, she rose and faced Adam. “I’ll call you when you can pick her up.”

He jerked his gaze from the dog to her. “I cared about you in college. Too damned
much. My feelings for you threatened my goals. You wanted a home and family, and I
wanted a career in the military. I had to break up with you.”

She worked to keep her emotions under control. “And three years ago?”

“I was committed to the Marines. I couldn’t stay. It just seemed better to keep it
simple.”

Simple?

He must have seen the incredulous look on her face. “Doing what I did, serving where
I served, I didn’t want any strings that would complicate things. Simple.”

Megan wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. Simple? It might have been for him.
But three years ago, her life had been anything but simple. The panic of realizing
she was pregnant. The decisions. Not knowing how to find Adam—he hadn’t left her any
way of contacting him…

Simple.

It wasn’t that simple for her. “And now, Adam?”

“I’m being honest with you,” he said softly, reaching out to touch her arm. “I’m only
here a few weeks, and after that, I’ll be back in L.A. Spend time with me, Meg.”

Tingles ran through her body as she realized she was actually considering his offer.

Spend time together, and they would end up in bed. A brief affair with no attachments.
She rarely dated, and when she did, no one made her feel the way Adam had. Megan was
ravaged by desire and a longing so deep it felt like her heart was bleeding. She’d
thought she had healed. Gotten over him. She wanted to say no just to protect herself
from more pain.

But she needed to do this, needed to see him, talk to him, find out if he had any
room in his heart for a son. And she had to do it fast, before he heard about Cole
in town.

This was the best way. At least this time, she would know it was temporary. But she
had conditions. She wasn’t going to go on real dates and run into people who would
tell him she had a child.

She forced her gaze to his face. “Okay. Let’s spend some time together while we can.”

…

Adam had been so desperate for her to agree that he’d been holding his breath. It
was a relief to know she was nervous too. He could feel the tension in her arm where
he held it above her elbow. “Excellent. Dinner tonight?”

She shook her head. “We’re not doing that. No dates, no going out.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why not? Is it that guy Cole? Trying to keep this secret to
prevent him from finding out?”

“No.”

Relief eased through his tight muscles. Megan wasn’t a liar. That was one of the things
he’d always liked about her. If she said it wasn’t another guy, then the field was
clear for them to see each other for a few weeks.

She took a breath. “But this isn’t a relationship. I’m not going down that road again.
We’ll keep it private.”

He didn’t like the way that sounded, almost as if she were ashamed. “We’re old friends
catching up. What’s wrong with that? I’d like to take you to dinner.” He wanted this
time to be different from the last time he was here.

She stepped back, putting distance between them. “No dinners out. I can’t tonight,
anyway.”

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

“I’ll pick up dinner and bring it to your parents’ house tomorrow night around eight
or eight-thirty.”

He’d had enough. Adam hadn’t stayed alive, kept most of his team alive, by being dense.
Megan was hiding something. If not a man, then what? He closed the distance between
them. “What’s really going on, Meg?”

She backed up until she bumped the exam table. “I told you, I’m not doing the dating
thing. You’re leaving in a few weeks. I don’t want to make this public.”

Adam placed both his hands on the cold metal table, caging her in. “And I’ve been
honest about that. So what are you hiding?”

She dropped her gaze to his chest. “Nothing.”

Definitely lying, and in his experience that was unusual for Meg. It made his guts
churn to realize that she didn’t think she could tell him…whatever it was. Why didn’t
she want to be seen with him? She’d looked him in the eyes when she’d denied being
involved with another man, so he believed her about that.

Then what?

She stiffened her spine. “Stop analyzing me. You said you wanted to see me, then you’ll
see me on my terms.”

She was right. It was time to retreat. He’d find out tomorrow night what the problem
was. Taking his hands from the table, he skimmed his palms up her arms. “You win,
except I’ll get dinner for us. We’ll eat, have some wine, and talk.”

“Fine,” she said softly.

“And if you are willing, touch,” he added, skating his fingers over her shoulders
to the bare skin of her throat. He wanted her, ached for her. Something was wrong,
and he was going to get it out of her. Hell, she’d been there for him three years
ago. If something was wrong in her life now, he could help her. But first he needed
to win back her trust. A strategy was forming in his mind. Running his thumbs along
her jaw, he said, “No sex.”

“What?” She frowned at him. “I mean I never said… I thought you wanted….”

“I know, I’m just getting it off the table. I want you, believe me. I’m hard for you
right now.” He pressed his hips against her, letting her feel his arousal. “But all
these years I stayed away so I wouldn’t hurt you again. I’m determined to prove to
you, and maybe to myself, that although I can’t give you the life you always wanted,
I can give you real friendship that doesn’t have to only be about sex.”

But it would include finding out what was troubling her. He couldn’t recall Megan
ever keeping a secret from him. He didn’t like it one bit.

Chapter Five

Megan pried the plastic dinosaur from her sleeping son’s hand. She tucked the beloved
stuffed Newfie pup under his arm and pulled up the covers. Every day she saw more
boy and less baby in his face.

More of Adam.

Her heart twisted and she sighed. Leaning down, she kissed him one last time, then
she snapped off his light. Light from the hallway spilled in, outlining Max stretched
out on the floor, his head resting on his paws, his big brown eyes watching her. Crouching
down, she petted the dog, taking the time to scratch his favorite spot by his right
ear. “You’re going to get on the bed the second I walk out, aren’t you?”

He yawned.

Megan laughed softly. Max was well trained, a great guard dog, and a beloved playmate
to Cole. In the last month, since Cole had moved from his crib to his big boy bed,
Max had taken to sleeping on the bed at Cole’s feet.

When she left the room, she kept the door ajar so Max could come and go as he pleased.
Sometimes he hung out with her while she transcribed notes, worked on cases, wrote
up reports, and studied lab results. Then he would return to Cole’s room when she
went to bed.

But tonight she was going out.

In the family room, she dropped onto the couch and slipped on her shoes. Her mom looked
up from her laptop. “Been a long time since you’ve been on a date.”

“Not a date, Mom. Just seeing an old friend.”

“In skinny jeans and high heels?”

Should she change? She’d already changed three times. Besides, this wasn’t a date.
It was more like…an interview. She was interviewing Adam to be the father of their
son. She repressed a sigh, focused her attention on her mom. “How’s the speech coming?”

Her mom had her shoulder-length strawberry blond hair loose, and she wore yoga pants
and a T-shirt. She looked about forty, not the middle ground of fifty.

“The speech is fine. It’s what I want to say. But you know, I’m a retired nurse, not
a politician.”

Megan leaned forward, her own worries dimming beneath the glow of her pride. “You’ll
be a great mayor, Mom.” She meant every word. Catherine had gotten her degree and
her nursing job after Megan’s father walked out on them. She’d also made him pay child
support. Her mom had worked hard, and in every spare moment, she’d been there for
her daughter. When Megan had found herself pregnant, heartbroken, and terrified, Catherine
had been her rock. Now, her mom was remarried to a nice man, Hayden. She had retired
early to go after her own dream—serving as mayor of Raven’s Cove.

“I think I’ll be a good mayor,” Catherine said. “But I’m plain spoken. Not everyone
responds to that.” She tapped her fingers on the side of her laptop.

“Your patients did. They appreciated your honesty.”

“That was different. They were sick and scared in the hospital. People in that situation
usually do better with a little gentle honesty and a lot of listening and support.
But these people are country club folk.”

“So is Hayden,” Megan pointed out. “And he loves you.”

“Yeah, he does. Okay, this is silly. I’ll do my best, but if I don’t get elected,
then I’ll just focus on other things. My life is pretty full.”

There was her practical mother. “For the record, I think you’ll win.” Megan stood,
scooped up her purse, and kissed her mom. “Thanks for watching Cole.”

Catherine smiled. “Happy to watch him, and it’s easy when you put him to bed.”

Megan always put him to bed when she wasn’t working late. As she headed for the door,
she said, “I won’t be later than eleven.”

“Megan.”

Pausing, she looked back.

“Do you know what you’re doing? It’s not like you to keep secrets, like who you’re
seeing tonight.”

She didn’t want to have this conversation. The only thing she and her mom had ever
really fought about had been her decision not to find Adam somehow to tell him about
Cole. But she wasn’t going to lie, either. “As soon as I figure it out, I’ll tell
you.”

“Respecting your privacy here. Remember that come Mother’s Day.”

Megan laughed. “Or at least until I get home tonight, right?”

“That’s why you’re a doctor, sweetheart. You’re so smart.”

As she walked to the car, she wasn’t at all sure it was smart to get involved with
Adam Waters. But at least this time she didn’t have any false expectations, so her
heart was safe. He wouldn’t catch her by surprise.

Megan looked around the backyard in surprise. Lanterns hung from the patio cover,
and mouthwatering scents filled the air from the covered warming trays. The table
in the center of the patio had a white tablecloth, flowers, and two place settings.
She took it all in.

Then she turned to Adam and…he looked better than the food smelled. His brown hair
was brushed back with just enough wave to soften the hard lines of his face. He had
on a black pullover opened at the throat with sleeves pushed up. Molded jeans. Even
in her heels, Megan had to look up to meet his eyes.

“Wine?” He picked up a bottle and poured some red into two long-stemmed glasses. “Come,
sit down.”

She walked to the table and took the glass he held out. “Adam, what is all this? I
mean…those are catering trays.” This close, she caught the scent of him, rich with
an edge of spice, and all male.

“You wouldn’t let me take you to dinner, so I had dinner brought to us.” He pulled
out her chair. Once she was settled, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

Less than a minute later, he returned with two chilled baby spinach salads. “We also
have tri tip, rosemary-flavored baby carrots and potatoes, and for dessert, chocolate-dipped
strawberries.”

The salad was crisp with a light dressing. Delicious. “I didn’t think I was very hungry,
but this is wonderful.”

Adam smiled. “So. Weren’t you just starting your practice last time I saw you?”

“I’d had it about a year and was still building my clientele. It wasn’t until I took
over the care of a champion show dog that the business took off.”

Adam looked over to the thick quilt he’d brought outside for Ellie. She was resting
on her good side, a stuffed gray elephant under one of her paws. When she saw Adam
looking at her, she thumped her tail.

Meg saw him smile in response. When she’d arrived at the house, the dog was following
every step Adam made until he’d told her to lie down.

“You don’t need a show dog to prove you’re good,” Adam said. “You were great with
Ellie. She’s already doing better.”

Megan flushed under his praise. “Thanks. But taking over the care of a champion dog
put me on the radar. There’s a lot of overhead in running a vet business. Loans for
all the equipment…” She trailed off, embarrassed that she’d revealed so much. She
smiled over her discomfort and said, “I love my job. What about you? Tell me about
starting your own security agency.”

Adam collected their finished salads and returned carrying plates heaping with tender
tri tip and potatoes and carrots. He also topped off her wine.

Finally, he sat down and answered. “It was a dream of mine and Trace’s. But I came
home, and Trace…didn’t.”

Megan’s bite of food turned to dust as she realized what he meant. Setting her fork
down, she put her hand on his forearm. Felt his bunched muscles. She saw his clenched
jaw, yet his eyes stared off into the darkness. “I’m sorry.”

He turned to look at her.

Megan sucked in a breath at the sheer agony in his gaze. Raw, undiluted pain darkening
his eyes. Then he closed his eyes, opened them, and it was gone. “So I did it for
both of us. And his wife, Sienna, works for me. She’s my administrative assistant
and general pain in the ass.”

“You care about her.” She could hear it in his voice.

“She’s my best friend’s wife. Hell, yeah, I care about her like a brother. I brought
her in right at the beginning, and we’re building the agency. We’re hiring a lot of
the Marines I worked with as they leave the military. I’m going to build this agency
nationwide. Most of the guys are single, free to go anywhere at the drop of a hat.”

Megan withdrew her hand and picked up her fork. She had to remember why she was here.
“So you never found a woman who changed your mind about marriage and kids?” She speared
a carrot and ate it, struggling to seem casual. The food was delicious, and eating
gave her a way to keep her nerves under control.

“No.”

She watched as he cut some meat, his actions as crisp and emotionless as his answer.
So
no
meaning that he never found the right woman, or
no
he would never accept a child no matter what? She was so caught up in her thoughts
that she almost missed it when he spoke.

“What about you? You always wanted a family. I was surprised you didn’t marry years
ago.”

She had to balance this carefully. “Getting my DVM took all my time. Then I was building
my practice, and the right guy just hasn’t come along.” Most likely he never would.
At some point, she had made peace with that. She picked up her wine glass and sat
back. “I’m happy with my life the way it is now.”

Adam’s gaze was intense. “That’s not the whole story, is it?”

Startled, she set her glass down. “What do you mean?”

“Not wanting to be seen with me. There’s a reason. I’d like to know what it is.”

His warm fingers wrapped around hers, and his thumb stroked over her skin, creating
sensual sparks. Beneath the soft lantern lights, she stared at him. It was impossible
to believe he was here. Real. Her stomach tightened. Nerves? Desire? “Is that bad?
Do you feel like I’m being secretive?”

“It makes me want to learn you all over again, Meg. You were always pretty, but now
you’re beautiful. Intriguing.” His voice dropped. “Sexy.”

Shivers raced down her back and hardened her nipples.

He pushed back his chair. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

She hesitated. “Shouldn’t we clear the dishes?”

He stepped up to her. So close, she could feel the heat of him. “Stalling, Meg?”

“Yes.”

He laughed. “I want to show you my offices on my laptop. Not drag you to my bedroom
and pressure you into sex. I told you, tonight is just for getting reacquainted.”

“And touching.” She remembered him saying that.

“And kissing,” he said. “Anywhere you want me to.”

Tingles shivered over her skin while her belly warmed. It had been so long since anyone
had touched her with desire, since anyone had made her feel like more than a mom and
a vet…like a woman. “Tempting offer.” She held her breath, her nerves pulling tight.

He dropped his gaze to her mouth.

Blood rushed through her and desire pooled between her legs. She wanted him to kiss
her, needed it almost as much as she needed her next breath.

Then Adam stepped back and pulled his phone out of his pants pocket. “All I do is
text the caterer, and they come and pick up all this. Food, dishes, tablecloth, lanterns.
It’s a package deal.”

Finished, he put the phone away and tugged on her hand. “Come on, Ellie,” he called
and waited for the dog to get up. She limped in with them.

…

Adam looked over Megan’s shoulder as she clicked through the pictures of Once A Marine
Security Agency photos. Unable to resist, his gaze drifted down to the soft swell
of her breasts. When she leaned forward, her filmy green shirt bunched, revealing
her cleavage.

The need to touch her grew with every breath. He wanted to trace her with his fingers
and lips, hear her soft moans and taste the chocolate and strawberry flavor of her
mouth.

She was quickly becoming an obsession. A need so raw, it tested his formidable control.
Adam always stayed in control of himself. He had meant what he’d told her in her office,
no sex tonight. For him. But bringing her pleasure? Yeah…he could so justify that.

“How many people do you have working for you now?”

Trying to cool his thoughts, he reached past her and snagged a chocolate-dipped strawberry.
“Sienna is full time. We contract out work with five other ex-Marines on a regular
basis, and a few others as needed. The goal is to get enough work to hire the five
as full-time employees with benefit packages.” He took a bite of the fruit. Good,
but not what he craved.

“Are you close to that?”

He was close to scooping her up and spreading her out on the table. Forcing himself
to focus on her question, he said, “The sale of the house will give me the cushion
I need to do that, along with a solid reserve fund.” He had half his money invested
in the business, the other half secured for contingencies. If anything happened to
one of his agents or Sienna, their loved ones would be taken care of.

Megan turned back to the pictures. “It’s an impressive suite and very professional
operation.” She glanced back to him. “Why Los Angeles as your base?”

“Trace and I discussed that a lot. Easier to break in there with a lot of need for
security and protection. It’s important to be seen, and I’ve snagged some very high-profile
clients.”

She studied him. “You love this, don’t you?”

“I like using the skills I honed in the military to protect or solve problems for
clients.” He stood with one hand on the back of the chair she sat in and the other
on the dining room table. “I like the freedom of being able to do whatever needs to
be done. No red tape to navigate, no hoops to jump through, nothing to tie my hands.”

She looked around the dining room and the living room, filled with the stacks of boxes
of his parents’ stuff. “Ties, like this house.”

“Yes.” He stood up, his neck tensing as the echoes of guilt and pain etched into the
soul of the house weighed down on him. Everything in Raven’s Cove was a part of that
dark shroud of misery that colored his years after the accident. “This house, this
town, it’s all a tie to a past I want to forget.” The constant guilt and recriminations
heaped on him because of his failure.