Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise

by Kate Carlisle

  “Yes, I did,” Julia said, pushing him away and glancing around. Her eyes were sharp as she seemed to be waiting for it to happen again. But there was nothing, and after a moment, Cameron pulled her back into his arms.

  “Must’ve been next door,” he whispered, then proceeded to plant soft kisses on her lips, across her cheek, grazing her ear before moving to taste her sexy neck.

  She groaned as Cameron maneuvered his hands down her back until he gripped her supple bottom. He pressed his rigid length against her as his mouth devoured hers, then began to guide her toward the bed. He was hot, hard and ready for her.

  “Oh, Cameron,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, baby, I know.” He sat on the edge of the bed and eased her closer until she was standing between his legs. He reached for the hem of her T-shirt and began to pull it up, just as a sudden, wailing scream filled the hotel suite.

  Julia moaned loudly as she eased out of Cameron’s arms. A million and one thoughts raced through her mind all at once. First, the baby needed attention. She’d foolishly left the baby monitor in the master bathroom when she was so rudely interrupted by Cameron, but she knew that if little Jake was fussy, she’d hear him from anywhere in the suite. After that initial scream for attention, he was quiet, but experience had taught her that he wouldn’t remain so for long.

  Her other million thoughts were all centered around the realization that Cameron would finally meet Jake. She knew it would’ve happened eventually, but since he hadn’t brought up the subject tonight, she was fairly certain that Cameron, stubborn to the end, had never looked at her emails and therefore, had no idea about the baby. Well, she really hoped he liked surprises.

  She headed down the hall toward the bedroom door to face the inevitable. “I’d better take care of this.”

  “Take care of what?” Cameron asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “The noise you heard before? The crying?”

  “The noise from next door? I don’t hear it now,” he said, and continued his sensual onslaught by kissing her neck, then nibbling that most sensitive spot behind her ear.

  She couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Her skin tingled everywhere Cameron’s amazing lips touched her. As his hands worked their magic over her body, Julia recalled that everything about Cameron Duke excited and delighted her.

  But why in the world had she trusted Cameron’s staff when they’d promised he would be away this whole time? But even his mother had insisted it was safe to stay in the suite. Julia should’ve known by the twinkle in the older woman’s eye when she insisted that Julia stay in Cameron’s suite, that she was being set up.

  Her first instinct had been to leave Jake at home with the nanny while she traveled to the conference. But their nanny had a chance to go on a cruise with her daughter, and many of Julia’s old friends attending the conference were bringing their families with them. They’d all wanted to see little Jake. For that reason, plus the fact that she missed her baby when he wasn’t with her, Julia had decided to bring Jake along, too.

  It figured that Cameron would cause all her plans to go awry. It wasn’t as if she never wanted him to see the baby, but there was no getting around the fact that this was going to get very awkward, very quickly.

  “Mmm, that feels so good,” Julia murmured as she turned in Cameron’s arms and kissed him with all the ardor she could muster. It wasn’t a hardship. The man was incredibly sexy and handsome as sin. He seemed taller than she remembered, and definitely stronger. More confident, too, if that were possible. His dark green eyes watched her with a predator’s gleam. She shouldn’t have found it so absolutely thrilling, but she did.

  But damn him for showing up like this! It was just her bad luck, which was the only kind of luck she’d ever had when it came to Cameron Duke.

  She’d met him eighteen months ago and willingly succumbed to his charms. They’d had an incredible, torrid four-day affair. Weeks later, she realized she was pregnant.

  She’d tried to do the right thing and contact him, but Cameron had all these damn rules about women. Sure enough, true to his word, he never looked back, never contacted her again.

  She’d tried emailing him a few times, but it was sadly obvious now, he’d never read any of her messages. And maybe it was just as well. With his so-called rules regarding relationships-or rather, the obsessive need to avoid them-she’d come to the realization that Cameron Duke wouldn’t want to have anything to do with raising a child.

  She could just imagine what he would think of her for bringing the baby here, especially when he found out Jake was his. Cameron was a decent man so it wasn’t as if he would toss her and Jake out of his suite. But he might accuse her of setting this whole thing up and there was little doubt that he would deny the baby was his.

  “Oh,” she whispered as he pressed himself closer to her. It was getting impossible to think straight with the delicious onslaught of his mouth and hands, but Julia was starting to wonder if she might possibly distract him long enough to get Jake settled. Then she could deal with everything tomorrow morning. Perhaps it was cowardly, but she could live with that.

  Whatever she did would have to happen fast, before her baby decided to take matters into his own chubby baby hands.

  “Look, Cameron,” she said, finally catching her breath. She needed to get him out of the hallway, now. “Why don’t you go get a fresh beer and I’ll just slip into something more-”

  “I don’t need a beer, Julia,” Cameron said, running his hands down her sensitive thighs. “I just need this.”

  “Mmm, me, too,” she said as she moved her fingers along his tight, muscled shoulders. “But first, I need a minute to freshen up.”

  “You took a shower ten minutes ago,” he reminded her as he nuzzled her neck. “You’re fresh as a daisy.”

  She moaned, then reluctantly wriggled out of his grasp. “But I really need to dry my hair.”

  “Yeah?” He brushed a few curling strands away from her face. “It looks fine to me.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t want to catch a cold.”

  He looked at her skeptically. “Right.”

  She smiled brightly. “So how’s that fresh beer sounding?”

  “What?”

  “Beer,” she repeated. “In the kitchen. And didn’t you say you wanted to watch the football game?”

  “Yeah, sure. But-”

  “Go ahead, then. I’ll be right there.” She tried to push him toward the living room but the guy was like a brick wall. Unmovable.

  “What’s going on here, Julia?”

  Just then, Jake cried out, “Mama, Mama!”

  Cameron’s eyes widened.

  So much for distractions. She could tell from the tone of Jake’s cry that he wasn’t hurt or hungry, but that didn’t make this moment any easier. “Fine. Look, I didn’t want to have to-”

  “Okay, I definitely heard that,” Cameron said, ignoring her words as he stepped around her handily. “I think it came from the other bedroom.”

  “No, no, no.” Julia jogged just as quickly around to stop him. “It’s probably just a cat. I’ll take care of it.”

  “A cat?” Cameron frowned as he glanced down the hall again. “I don’t think so.”

  The baby cried out again and Julia sagged against the hallway wall.

  “Aha!” Cameron said and walked toward the second bedroom.

  She dashed in front of him and blocked the door. “This is none of your concern, Cameron. Why don’t you go turn on the game?”

  Cameron was staring at her as if she’d gone insane. Maybe she had. Seeing him again was causing her to behave completely contrary to her usual sensible self. She could blame him for that, too.

  “Move it, Julia.”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “No way. This may be your suite, but you’re not going in there without me.”

  “Then open the door.” His look said he wasn’t going anywhere until he’d investigated what he’d hear
d.

  “Fine,” Julia said. He’d been bound to find out sometime. The most important thing now was to make sure Cameron didn’t upset Jake. She huffed out a breath as she pushed the door open slowly. “But it’s not what you think. I mean, it is, but-”

  “Oh, really?” he said, stepping into the room and spying the portable crib. Julia followed and saw Jake wearing a great big grin on his face, gripping the railing with both hands as he bounced on the mattress.

  “Because I think it’s a baby.” Cameron turned and glared at her. “What do you think?”

  She walked over to the crib, smiled down at her son and whispered, “Looks like a baby to me, too.”

  Jake’s little cheeks were red with exertion and Julia felt a sharp ache in her heart. He held out his arms and his knees began to wobble. “Mama, Mama.”

  “Hello, my darling.” She bent to pick him up and perched him against her shoulder, rubbing his back. “That’s better. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’m here. That’s my good boy.”

  “What in the-?” Cameron’s tone held a dangerous edge. “Julia, is this your kid?”

  She smiled and kissed Jake’s soft cheek, inhaled his warm, powdery baby smell, then turned to face Cameron. “Yes, he’s mine. And yours. Cameron Duke, I’d like you to meet Jacob Cameron Parrish, your son.”

  Two

  Cameron immediately stepped back two feet and smacked his elbow into the doorjamb.

  “What the hell kind of a joke is this?” he demanded, rubbing his elbow. Damn, that hurt. “Trust me, it’s not funny.”

  Apparently, someone disagreed as the baby let out a gut-deep laugh and clapped his hands together. “Ba-da-ba!”

  Cameron frowned at the little guy, then glared at Julia, who seemed to be holding back a smile. That set him off even more. He wasn’t about to be played for a fool.

  He knew the game. This wasn’t the first time a woman had tried to pin a paternity suit on him. That was the downside of having a lot of money. The upside was, he wasn’t an idiot, despite what he’d told her earlier in jest. He had plenty of lawyers and he knew how to deal with this nonsense. “Not that I believe one word of your story, but the kid’s not exactly a newborn. So why’d you wait so long? If he’s really mine, why didn’t you tell me before now?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Julia laughed sardonically. “Cameron, I emailed you a number of times asking you to call me. In the last message I sent, I told you everything. So what part of ‘I’m having your baby’ didn’t you understand?”

  His eyes narrowed and he moved in closer. “And what part of ‘I don’t believe you’ do you not understand? This is the oldest trick in the book. If you think you’re going to get money from me, you’re crazy.”

  “I don’t need your money,” she said crossly, then lowered her voice as the baby began to fuss. “I was just trying to let you know you were going to be a father. But you couldn’t return one lousy email. You couldn’t make one stupid phone call. No. You’ve got rules.”

  She patted the baby to calm him down as she paced the floor in front of the crib. She rounded and came right up to Cameron, clearly riled as she poked him in the chest to emphasize her words. “But you know what? Maybe it’s just as well that you ignored Jake and me. With your lifestyle, you probably wouldn’t make a very good father anyway.”

  He grabbed hold of her slender hand before she could take one more poke at him. “Don’t you ever insinuate that I would turn my back on my own child.”

  He dropped her hand and watched her swallow apprehensively. “I didn’t. I just meant-”

  “I would never hurt my own child,” he said through clenched teeth. “I know what it’s like to live with a-” Cameron stopped abruptly and raked his hand through his hair. “Hell, never mind.”

  What was wrong with him? Except for his two brothers, he’d never told anyone about his childhood. He’d buried it all in the past, right where it belonged. And that ugly childhood was the very reason why he took every precaution to avoid bringing a child into this world. That’s why he knew this one couldn’t be his.

  “I’m sorry,” Julia whispered.

  Cameron pulled himself together, then turned and said calmly, “Never mind. The fact remains, I don’t believe you. We took precautions. I always take precautions.”

  “Yes, I do, too. But nothing is 100 percent effective.” She looked down at the baby in her arms. “Obviously.”

  “I don’t know what game you’re playing,” Cameron persisted, “but this is not my kid.”

  “Baba, dada,” Jake said, enthusiastically wiggling in his mother’s arms. “Dada, ba-boo, dada.” He grinned and a tiny dimple appeared in his right cheek.

  Dada? Cameron frowned and self-consciously scratched his own right cheek, suddenly ill at ease on a whole different level. “Tell him to stop saying that.”

  Julia laughed. “He’s just babbling. It’s the first sound babies make. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Jake kept bobbing and grinning and the little dimple grew deeper. Cameron gritted his teeth. So he happened to have a dimple in his right cheek, too. Didn’t mean a thing.

  “Come on, sweetie,” Julia whispered to the baby, and turned back toward the crib. “Let’s see if you’ll go back to sleep after all this excitement.”

  “No! Baba! Dada!” Jake cried, waving his arms and turning to Cameron for help.

  “Looks like he wants you to put him to bed,” Julia said wryly, and before Cameron could stop her, she thrust the baby into his arms.

  “Hey, I’m not-”

  “Baba,” Jake said, grinning as he bounced in Cameron’s arms. “Dada.”

  Abruptly, the little boy stopped moving and stared meaningfully into Cameron’s eyes. Cameron couldn’t help but stare back as emotion washed over him. Confusion, affection, anger, frustration, joy, pain. Wonder. Cameron and Jake both blinked, then continued to stare, and Cameron felt as though he were gazing into his own soul. And where had that thought come from? This was just too weird. It couldn’t be happening to him. How could he be a father? It was the last thing on earth he ever intended to be.

  Jake yawned and closed his eyes. He rested his head on Cameron’s chest, his tiny fist gripping Cameron’s shirt as though he were claiming ownership. Cameron touched Jake’s soft baby hand with his own larger, stronger hand, and felt something shift inside. He tightened his hold around the baby’s back, only because the kid might suddenly decide to try for a swan dive if he wasn’t careful. That was his story, anyway.

  “He’s sleepy,” Julia said quietly. “Just lay him down on his back and rub his tummy a few times. He’ll be fine.”

  “Sorry, pal, but your mom has spoken,” Cameron said in a low tone. He leaned over the crib and laid the baby down on the soft mattress. Cameron ran his hand over Jake’s head. The kid’s blond hair was impossibly soft.

  Jake didn’t whimper or balk, but stayed right where he was. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and continued to stare up at Cameron in pure fascination.

  Cameron had to admit Jake was a darn good-looking kid, but that didn’t make him his son.

  Aw, hell. Who was he kidding? One look at the little guy with his shock of golden blond hair and the shape of his dark green eyes, not to mention the dimple in his cheek-though Cameron hated the word dimple, for God’s sake-and anyone would see it, plain as daylight. The kid was Cameron Duke’s.

  Still, he couldn’t shake loose the idea that Julia Parrish was playing him for a fool. Who was to say she hadn’t gotten herself pregnant on purpose? Everyone knew the Dukes had money, so maybe she was looking for a handout. Cameron would never shirk his duty to his son, but that didn’t mean he was going to make it easy for Julia.

  As the baby’s eyes closed and he began to sleep, Cameron led the way out into the hall. As Julia closed the door to the bedroom, Cameron turned and said sharply, “I’ll want a paternity test.”

  She froze. He could see he’d shaken her. What? Did she expect him to just believe her with no proo
f? But watching her now, he remembered how her face had always been an open book. He’d known exactly what she wanted by her facial reaction to everything he did to her, everywhere he touched her. She’d been so forthright about how much she enjoyed his touch. Did she have a dishonest bone in her body? he wondered.

  Of course she did. Most of the women he’d dated did.

  “Fine,” she said grudgingly. “We’ll do a paternity test.”

  Cameron’s mind jolted back to the present. “Okay. Good. I can get it done tomorrow.”

  “I start my conference tomorrow,” she said, leading the way into the living room. Cameron watched her backside move with a graceful, long-legged sexiness. He remembered that, too.

  She picked up the book she’d left on the coffee table and turned. “I won’t be able to take the baby to the doctor until I get back to town.”

  “Wait a minute,” Cameron said, her words sinking in. “You’re here for the conference?”

  She looked at him like he’d grown another head. “Of course I’m here for the conference. Why else would I be staying here in your hotel room?”

  To seduce me into paying child support, Cameron thought, but didn’t say it aloud. He wasn’t a fool. Sometimes he needed to remind himself of that fact. He coughed to cover his hesitation. “We have a nurse on call at all times. I’ll have her come by the room tomorrow to draw blood.”

  “Okay.” Julia shivered visibly and rubbed her arms.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She sighed. “I know it’s necessary, but I hate the idea of Jake having his blood drawn.”

  “It’s important,” he said, then tried not to cringe himself at the thought of that needle going into Jake’s arm. Cameron was already having second thoughts. He’d only insisted on the paternity test to punish Julia, but she wouldn’t be the one getting stuck in the arm with a needle. No, that would be Jake, who seemed way too small to have to deal with stuff like that.

  Who was Cameron kidding? Jake was his child. The blood test wouldn’t be necessary.

  He wasn’t happy about the way Julia had sprung the news on him, but he believed her. He wouldn’t tell her tonight, though. Better to let her squirm for a few hours. He’d tell her in the morning after he’d had a few strong shots of caffeine.