Risky Baby Business

by Debra Salonen

  “He sounds as if he was on a real power trip.”

  David nodded. “If the drug had lived up to its hype, he stood to make billions, worldwide.”

  “How much would you have made?”

  The question seemed to surprise him. “A lot. Tens of millions, I suppose.”

  His honest answer touched her deeply. The fact that he’d given up a fortune to do the right thing made him so dear to her, she could barely swallow. This was a man she could love. Maybe she already did. Even though she knew he was leaving. Heck, she wanted him to go. But she also needed him to stay. Tonight, at least.

  She stood up and waited for him to stand, too. “Sleep here tonight. With me. No strings. No commitments. Just two people who have seen the dark side and need a little comfort.”

  “No. It’s too dangerous.”

  She threw back her head and laughed. “I promise to go easy on you. Come on. We’ll turn on the alarm and shut out the world for a few hours.”

  DAVID WATCHED HER push the code into the electronic box in the hallway. Deep down he knew that no home alarm could protect them from a man like his former boss, but the patrol car he’d seen cruise past an hour earlier might do the trick. Either way, he was prepared to turn off his mind and listen to his heart. If Ray had his way, David would be dead soon. This could very well be his last chance to live, to love.

  And he knew he did love Liz. He liked her, respected her and, in a perfect world, would have courted her and told her what he felt for her. But his world was far from perfect. So, he wouldn’t burden her with his feelings, but he would take what she was offering.

  The moment she was done setting the alarm, he caught her hand and pulled her against him. She smelled like teriyaki and candle wax, fresh air and Liz. He buried his nose in her hair and nuzzled her ear.

  She didn’t hesitate. She pressed against him, making him to step back. The wall stopped their momentum.

  Blood pumped through his veins with a force that made his ears ring. Too long without. His needs were great. His body craved fast and furious, but David wanted this to be good for Liz, too. He tried to slow things down. “Which of these doors leads to your room?”

  She looked at him and smiled. “You’re afraid I’m going to break, or be traumatized by this, aren’t you? Because of what happened to me.”

  He nodded.

  “Don’t worry. You’re not the first since the rape. I met a man in New Zealand. A friend. He helped me enjoy sex again.”

  Her frankness—and purposefulness—was refreshing. There would be no game-playing with Liz. He took her hand. “Then lead on before I ravish you in the hallway.”

  She laughed and took his hand. “I think we can do better than the hall. It’s a bit claustrophobic, and I’m not a fan of small, dark places.”

  “Me, either.” For months after his funeral David had had nightmares about waking up in the empty box under his headstone.

  She took him to the last door on the right. The decent-sized room seemed smaller because of the desk, bookshelf and filing cabinet in the corner. “My office-slash-bedroom. Terrible feng shui, I know, but—”

  He didn’t have time to talk decorating. He needed her. Now. He pulled her against him and waltzed her backward to the bed. Her twitter told him she was game and ready to play.

  “Let me set the mood.”

  “You already have.”

  “Candles…music…”

  “Later.”

  Maybe the urgency he felt came through in his tone because she stopped talking and started unbuttoning the shirt her new brother-in-law had given him. A nice shirt made of some silky material that popped free of the buttonholes as if they were coated in Teflon.

  She pushed it over his shoulders and nuzzled the triangle of light gold hair on his chest. She murmured something that sounded like “I knew it.”

  He didn’t know what she meant, but he honestly didn’t care. All he could think about was seeing her naked. Touching her. He worked his hands under her stretchy black top, but discovered a band of elastic around her middle. “What’s this?”

  “Built-in bra,” she said. “Here. I’ll do it.”

  She gathered the material by the hem and yanked upward. The top went flying and his first glimpse of her bare torso nearly robbed him of breath. Her breasts were perfect. Not too big. Not too small. The dark reddish brown nipples were large and engorged.

  Like a teen catching his first peek at his high school sweetheart, he reached out to touch. Her soft moan nearly did him in. He rubbed the nipples between his fingertips until she squirmed beneath him, groaning with pleasure.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “I’m turned on. My nipples have always been one of my most sensitive erogenous zones. Want a quick tour of the rest?”

  He filled his hands with her soft but firm flesh and nodded. Her teasing tone was also husky and sexy as hell.

  She quickly unzipped her shorts and stepped out of them. Her underpants were simple white low-cut briefs. No lace, no frills. He wasn’t surprised. But hugging her flat belly and prominent hip bones, they were the sexiest things he’d ever seen.

  She offered her arm and pointed to the inside crook of her elbow. “Here.”

  He leaned over and kissed the tender flesh, licking and sucking until she gave an all-over shiver. “Oh, nice,” she said, eyelids half-closed.

  “Where else?”

  She moved his hand to her belly. “Here,” she said, rubbing the back of his hand against the inside curve of her pelvis.

  He dropped to his knees and dipped his tongue into the hollow between the fabric and her skin. She shivered. “Oh.”

  “Are there more?” he asked, looking up.

  Her lips were ruddy from being crimped under her teeth. She licked them and nodded.

  “Here,” she said, turning around and pointing to the spot at the base of her spine where her beautiful buttocks began to curve outward.

  She looked over her shoulder, a scampish twinkle in her eyes. He rose up on his knees, wrapping his arms around her upper thighs. His bare chest rubbed against her lower back as he slowly sank down, his tongue trailing a path down her spine.

  “Your mustache tickles,” she said. “In a good way. Who knew?”

  She leaned over slightly and he took her breasts in his hands and squeezed. Her hips undulated as they had when she danced. Sensual and erotic.

  He made her turn around, then he removed her panties. Her nest of dark curls invited his touch. He covered her with his hand and let his fingers explore as she writhed and moved against his hand.

  “Oh, David, I like that. Very much. But more…”

  He understood what she was asking. He needed more, too. More flesh. More heat.

  He scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the bed, reclining against the pillows, then he quickly shed the rest of his clothes. He stood for a moment savoring how beautiful she was—her pale skin against the deep rust velveteen cover. “You look like a harem slave. Brought to pleasure your master.”

  She made a languid motion with her hand, feathering back and forth through the air until it settled on her breast, then down her belly and even farther. “It’s actually the other way around, slave. I am master. You are here to pleasure me.”

  Then she rolled toward him on her side and reached out to touch him. Her fingers were cool and smooth. Her nails stimulating as she pushed and pulled in a way that nearly ruined him. “I…can’t…take…much—”

  She moved like a cat, so fast he didn’t have time to prepare. One minute she was toying with him, the next her mouth was on his fully engorged penis. He let out a yelp and made two fists to maintain control. The pain, the pleasure, the—he couldn’t think. He was so damn close to losing it he had to push her away.

  She looked up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I think you’re ready now, slave. Pleasure me.”

  She didn’t have to ask twice. Which was a good thing, Liz thought. She’d nearly come when
he licked the inside of her pelvis. His touch did things to her like no man she’d ever been with. She’d never felt sexier or more liberated. Maybe knowing this was for one night only gave her permission to act out her fantasies. Take risks. Play.

  He eased her into a prone position and spread her legs. He wasn’t violent, just firm and intent. She could see the intensity in his eyes and felt the same way. She needed him inside her. Now.

  He paused a second as if savoring the moment, then entered her wet, waiting body. The fit, the friction, the synchronized movement culminated in a fast, intense act. She closed her eyes and gripped the fabric of her bedspread. He held her knees and thrust. Again and again. The sensation in her core didn’t have to build up, it simply hit her. So fast, so powerful, she screamed in shock…and pleasure. His low, loud groan rocked her a second later.

  “Holy…smoke,” he said dropping on top of her.

  Little aftershocks in her loins made her wrap her legs around his hips. She moved her hips in circles, savoring every sensation. She’d never experienced an orgasm like that in her life. It made tears form in her eyes and a laugh bubble up from the bottom of her diaphragm. “That was amazing. I love you,” she said, before she could stop herself.

  David tensed, just for a second, then he rolled to the side, taking her with him. “I know what you mean,” he said. “That was incredible.”

  I know what you mean. No, he didn’t. He thought she’d said the words in the heat of passion. Grateful for good sex. But he was wrong. She loved him. The man she knew him to be, the man she’d never met but had shaped the man she’d first met—the grower of cacti on the run for his life.

  But she couldn’t save him. She didn’t even know how or where to begin. She’d made her choice and mapped her course—and it led straight to India. So, she’d let him think he understood what she’d meant by the passionate declaration. That was the only way they could possibly say goodbye to each other when the time came.

  Fortunately, that time wasn’t yet.

  They still had tonight. And who knew? If the results of Mark Gaylord’s investigation came back negative, maybe they could all breathe easy. Maybe David would be David for as long as he chose to be. Gardener extraordinaire.

  And Liz could live with that because she knew who he really was—a decent man who made her whole being hum with excitement and possibility.

  Chapter 14

  Two days. A honeymoon, of sorts, Liz thought as she folded one of David’s new shirts that she’d bought him. He hadn’t carried comprehensive insurance on his car or renter’s insurance for his property, but he’d managed to salvage a few things: some tools, his cat and an old motorcycle that had belonged to his landlady’s husband. She’d given him the thing, which to everyone’s surprise had current tags. The poor woman hadn’t even realized she’d been paying to license it all these years.

  He couldn’t work as a gardener any longer, but the mobility had allowed him to collect funds from the last of his accounts due. He disappeared every morning, leaving Liz wondering if she’d ever see him again, but, so far, he’d returned each evening.

  She didn’t ask about his plans. She did share with him the very good news that the bank had approved her home equity loan. Once they cut her a check, she would send the money to the international company that would start the adoption process.

  “I’m so happy for you, Liz. Show me her picture again. I want to be able to imagine the two of you together,” David said.

  They were in her bedroom, fully dressed for a change. She’d filled half a dozen tea orders early in the morning and had just finished printing the invoices that would accompany each delivery. She slid back on her desk chair to allow him to pull the folding chair he was sitting on closer to the computer.

  A few key strokes and they were at the ashram’s home page. “Normally, Prisha wouldn’t have been allowed to stay here because of her disability but I pleaded her case and convinced the ashram to keep her until I could make other arrangements.”

  “What’s the story? Did her mother give her away because of her feet?”

  “I was told that the mother was young, upset and emotionally immature. The family was afraid she might commit suicide. No doubt Prisha’s in-turned feet played a factor, but Prisha is such a sweet and loving child, I’m just happy the family brought her to a safe place like the ashram.”

  “Will Prisha remember you when she sees you?”

  Liz shook her head. “No. Probably not. She was just a tiny baby when I first met her and I had to come home to start the adoption process. I would have stayed if I could have, but it’s important that we start treatment soon. The orthopedic surgeon I consulted said she would probably need a series of operations.”

  He looped his arm across her shoulders. The weight was solid and comforting. She’d gotten used to having him in her space. Lydia and Reezira were due back in the morning. Liz didn’t know how they’d handle his presence.

  “How’d it go today?” she asked. He’d been helping his landlady clean up the rubble.

  “Good. Mimi heard from her insurance agent. She had some kind of rider on her policy that guaranteed replacement of the building. He said at today’s property values, she could probably move in a three-bedroom modular.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. I think that’s why she’s being so nice to me—the fire did her favor. I’m the only one who really got burned. No pun intended.”

  His blue eyes twinkled with humor. She liked his eyes. And his body. She liked everything about him, except his mustache.

  She put her finger to his lips and started to bring up the subject, but the sound of the doorbell stopped her. She got up, leaving the page open on the screen. “I wonder who that could be?”

  David followed her, nearly tripping over Reezira’s fluffy gray cat. “Check before you open it,” he warned.

  She smiled at the concern in his voice. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Oh,” she said a moment later after peeking through the side window. “It’s my neighbor. And her…um, son.”

  “Hello, Crissy. What’s going on?”

  “Eli has something to say to you. It’s part of his court-ordered reparations. Do it, Eli.”

  Liz was surprised by the woman’s stern tone. She looked different, too. Older, more focused.

  The young man at her side took a deep breath, his broad shoulders lifting. He wasn’t wearing a cap so she could see his eyes more clearly. He seemed far younger than his appearance suggested. And his stance was far less aggressive than she remembered. “I’m sorry I hassled you. It was a stupid thing to do. I don’t really think I’m better than you—or the ladies who live here. What I did really sucks. And me ’n’…um, Mr. Baines, are gonna fix things.”

  Mr. Baines? She looked at David, who cleared his throat in a meaningful way.

  Eli blushed and dropped his chin to his chest. “I mean, I’m gonna do the work and he’s gonna supervise to make sure I do it right.”

  “What work?”

  Crissy pointed to a wheelbarrow parked beside the gate leading to Liz’s backyard. It was filled with plants from David’s greenhouse. She recognized the little mark on the side of the boxes. “We used my SUV to haul all these over here. After,” she stressed, “we proved to your police friend that my son had nothing to do with setting that fire. You believe that, don’t you?”

  The question was directed at David.

  He nodded. “Yes, I do. Eli and I had a long talk and I know that he’s not stupid. He knows that violence and aggressive behavior will land him in jail. Taking his frustration out on a patch of ground is a lot smarter bet.”

  Liz was touched. And truly impressed that David had gone out of his way to make this happen. “Well, I think this is great. I can’t pay for the plants right now, though.”

  Crissy waved off her words. “Eli and his father worked this out. Buying some nursery stock was a lot cheaper than hiring a lawyer to keep Eli our of jail. Believe me, Eli’s getting
off easy and he knows it, right, son?”

  The boy winced at the word son, but he nodded.

  “I…I really don’t know what to say. This is so unexpected. Are you sure…?” She looked from David to Crissy and back.

  Crissy took a step closer. When she looked into Liz’s eyes, Liz could read her plea. This was important. Her neighbor needed to prove something, and she needed Liz’s help—endorsement—to make the plan work.

  “Well, let’s go see where everything is gonna go.”

  BY SUNSET, DAVID was pleased with how the backyard looked, but the new landscaping paled in comparison to the improved relations between neighbors. Crissy had started out detached and tense. Eli, like every other sixteen-year-old kid David knew, was snarly and tense. Liz had been just plain tense. But three hours of dirt, sweat, loud music, water fights and a tangible finished product had changed the dynamics.

  Digging in dirt was a great equalizer, he’d learned. Nothing like a few cactus stickers in your fingers to bond people together. Plus, it helped that Liz was gracious and kind and genuinely wanted to make peace with Eli—and his stepmom.

  The two women were presently out front, discussing Liz’s idea about building a skate park in the neighborhood. David had a few empty pots to pick up and he’d be done for the night. Dusk had fallen. They’d started late to avoid the worst heat of the day and Liz had fed them tofu dogs and chips and her refreshing iced tea.

  He’d put off leaving town until he could do this favor to repay Liz for all her kindnesses. Plus, he’d wanted to make sure his plants went to a good home. Scar was going to stay with Mimi for the time being, but she’d promised to call Liz if that arrangement changed for any reason.

  In the early, early morning, he’d hop on his ancient motorcycle and head off on Plan B. He hadn’t been able to replace all his survival gear, but he’d picked up a few essentials.

  A sound from the far side of the yard made him straighten up. Had they left the gate open? He could have sworn they’d closed it after they finished moving the large agave from the shaded spot up front. He twisted a tie around the top of the garage bag he was holding, and then started that way. He’d double-check to make sure Eli had tapped the padlock tight.