by Lana Cameo
“Care to step outside to talk a moment?” he asked. He glanced back at her table. “If you’re able. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“It’s a work thing, but yes, I’d love to chat for a minute.”
He turned and held the door open for her. “After you.”
Chapter 3
As Hannah passed by Anton on her way out the door, he got a whiff of her scent. She smelled the same. Like heaven and everything good in the world. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“You’re here for a work lunch?” he asked, stepping off to the side of the building and out of the way.
“Yeah.” She blew out a hard breath. “My first day on the job. My bosses took me out for lunch.”
“That’s nice of them. Congrats on the new gig. What are you doing these days?”
“Oh, just some accounting type stuff. Boring finances, you know.” She chuckled. “What about you? Did you ever make it to CEO like you dreamed?”
“Close, actually. And eventually, I will.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’m in the family business.” He gestured across the street, to the large sign that read, “DeCalvo Shipping.” My grandfather runs it right now, but he’s training me to take over.”
“Wow.”
He saw her look him over with what he thought was appreciation in her eyes. He was glad he’d worn this suit today. It was one of his favorites. Very expensive and looked great on him.
“I guess you could say most of my dreams have come true,” he continued. This might be his only chance to impress her. “I’m more successful than I ever thought I would be.”
“Most of your dreams have come true? Which haven’t?”
He shrugged and held up his left hand. “Still no special lady in my life. That will come in time, I suppose.”
Her face turned pink, and it made him ache with longing. He could throw her down and take her right here on the sidewalk.
She held up her hand, too. “Me either.”
He pulled in a slow breath. “Hannah, I know I broke your heart, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you once in the last ten years. When I saw you and walked over here, it was like all the feelings I’d had in high school bubbled up from somewhere and came rushing back.”
She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. “I know the feeling,” she said quietly.
Everything about the way she stood screamed to him. She was like a magnet, drawing him closer. He found himself taking a step toward her.
“It’s really so good to see you.” He took one more step and pulled her in for a hug.
He didn’t know how she’d react, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck, it was confirmation of what he’d suspected. Having her body so close, feeling her warmth… It was more than he could take.
With his heart racing, he pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes. They were so close. It was dizzying. Before he stopped to think about it, he leaned in and kissed her.
When their lips touched, the last ten years melted away. They’d always had a steamy relationship. Late night romps in his car or under the school bleachers. Anywhere they could, anytime they could, they were having sex. And even though it was only high school, it was the hottest sex he’d ever had.
Kissing her now made him hard as a rock. He pressed against her, hoping she would feel what she did to him. His fingers found their way into her hair, his tongue found its way into her mouth.
The kiss heated up and right there on the sidewalk, they were making out. He didn’t care who saw. He could not get enough of this woman.
She broke the kiss off suddenly and stepped back. “I’m sorry.” She looked flustered and patted her hair. “I can’t do this. I’m in the middle of a work lunch. It’s my first day and I… I…” She gestured toward the restaurant.
“Then let’s get together. Tonight. I have to see you again.”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t. I’m sorry.”
She turned and hurried back into the restaurant. He watched her go, his mouth hanging open in shock.
As she sat down and refused to turn back to look at him, heat flared up his neck. She’d just turned him down. It was rare for him to be rejected or resisted like that. Maybe she had changed more than he knew. The old Hannah could never resist him. One little kiss, one small caress, and she was melting in his arms. Now she’d stopped mid-kiss and ran off, telling him she couldn’t even see him again? It was hard to believe and harder to accept.
Now that he was successful, getting women was easy. Nearly any woman he talked to for more than a few sentences ended up coming home with him. The money and his good looks were a powerful combination that most women didn’t bother trying to resist. Except Hannah.
But then, she always had been different. He’d dated some before he met her and of course, he’d dated some since. No one ever compared. But maybe that was it. He had broken her heart and left her. They were still in high school and he’d left suddenly when his parents died, ending things before he went.
After getting settled with his grandfather in his new home and new school, he’d begun to miss her desperately. Months had passed, but he’d checked on her and found her with another guy. She’d moved on so fast and not only that, she was visibly pregnant. There was no way he was going to try to get in the way of that relationship. If she was having a baby with some other guy, then she was gone forever.
Yet, she hadn’t married that guy, whoever he was. Maybe she hadn’t kept the baby. She didn’t mention anything about being a mom or having a child. And that had been part of the reason he hadn’t contacted her again back then.
His new life was not exactly an upstanding one. Sure, he didn’t mind that the family business involved illegal activity and killing, but most people took issue with that sort of thing. And it wasn’t the safest life. He didn’t want to drag her into that. Not Hannah, who was a sweet little southern belle until her father relocated the family and brought her to New York and into his life. She’d lost her accent completely now, he noticed as an afterthought.
No matter what had happened between them in the past, it was in the past. But here today had just happened. She’d stood here, kissing him, just minutes ago. Whatever she held against him had been forgotten. She’d lost herself in him. He could feel her body wanting him. Maybe it was just the work thing. Fine. He had interrupted her lunch, and they had just made out in a public place, where her boss might have seen. She could be in trouble over it. But that didn’t change the facts.
He was still hard in his pants, and he wanted her more than ever. Even now, watching her through the restaurant window, it took all he had not to go inside and put his arms around her. He had to have her. He’d take his time. Seduce her properly if that’s what it took. Even if they still couldn’t be together, he had to have her again. Even if it was just one last time.
Anton stood there for a while, watching her. Then he had an idea. He went back to his building and to his office. There, he took out a piece of paper and wrote her a note.
“Hannah, I’m sorry for today. I don’t know what came over me except that I still have deep feelings for you. I would be honored if you would join me for a drink or a meal. We can just talk and catch up. Please call me. Day or night, anytime.”
He added his number at the bottom, then folded the note. He hunted down one of his employees, or lackeys, as he often thought of them.
“Hey, Matt. Take this note to the restaurant across the street. There is a woman sitting at a table with two other women. Her name is Hannah. She’s wearing a blue dress and has long, dark hair pulled up. Give her this note.”
Matt nodded and took the note. Anton watched him cross the street and enter the restaurant. When he came back without the note, Anton was glad.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
Matt shrugged. “I just asked if she was Hannah, handed her the note, and walked away.”
That was fin
e. She hadn’t given the note back. She hadn’t told Matt to tell Anton to get lost or anything like that. She’d taken it. The next move was hers.
Chapter 4
Hannah had a lot to think about on her train ride home. Not only did it take longer than she planned—it was rush hour apparently and she couldn’t get to the early train fast enough to catch it. She also had Anton to think about. Of all the things that had happened today, him showing up was, by far, the strangest. And the most unsettling.
The note from him seemed to burn in her pocket as much as it burned in her mind. He still had feelings for her? After all these years? And after that kiss… Well, after that make-out session if she was being honest. It was far more than one kiss. She couldn’t deny that she was still attracted to him. She’d felt how excited he was by her, and it turned her on. She’d had to stop or she would be with him right now, possibly making a brother or sister for Melody.
Her face warmed and she shook her head. The train was not the place to be thinking like that. Melody was where her mind should be. On her daughter. She couldn’t be off making out with men when her daughter was waiting for her. But the thing was, this wasn’t just some man. It was Melody’s father. Even if he didn’t know it.
She blew out a sigh, still deciding what to do. Call him? Ignore the note and hope she never saw him again? How could she do that when all these feelings were reignited and rushing through her?
By the time her stop came, she was no more decided than when she’d first received the note. Of course, Lauren and Sarah urged her to call him. They swooned over his looks and expensive suit. He was gorgeous and rich and single? To them, it couldn’t get any better. But they didn’t know the most attractive thing about him. He was the father of her child.
Hannah knocked on the neighbor’s door later than she planned. The door flung open and Melody rushed at her.
“Mommy!” She threw her arms around her and squeezed.
“Hi honey,” Hannah said. “Did you have fun with Miss Amy?”
She nodded enthusiastically and Amy appeared from the kitchen. “Hiya!” She called out, a dish towel in her hands.
“Thank you so much, Amy!” She knelt down to Melody. “Why don’t you go on and get your things so we can go home?”
Melody ran off and Hannah went to the kitchen to talk to Amy.
“Sorry I’m late. The train home took longer than I thought it would,” Hannah said.
“It’s no problem. How was your first day?” Amy asked.
“Well, it’s over.”
“That bad?”
Hannah gave her the quick run down of how it had started, but left out the part about Anton showing up. She would tell her after she decided what to do. And she didn’t want Melody to overhear.
“I’m sure it will be better tomorrow,” Amy said with a smile.
“Ready!” Melody bounced into the kitchen wearing her backpack.
“Thanks again,” Hannah said.
“Sure thing.” Amy waved as they left the apartment.
Next door in their own apartment, Hannah prepared dinner while Melody sat at the table doing her homework. This was how it should be. Wasn’t it? Just mother and daughter together? Was it wrong for Hannah to ignore the fact that Melody’s father had shown up? That he wanted to be part of their lives?
Well, no. She couldn’t know that for sure. He wanted Hannah, sure. But he didn’t know anything about having a daughter. The way he’d talked about finding someone special was encouraging, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be a father or was ready to be. What if she let him in and he rejected them both?
Her stomach turned with the questions. It was a battle in her heart and mind.
On one hand, he looked better, was richer and more successful than he’d ever been. Being with him would mean a better life for her and Melody. But then, he’d left before and never even called. How reliable was he? Had that part changed or was he going to sleep with her and disappear again? She didn’t think her heart could take being broken by him twice.
And, of course, he was Melody’s father. Her only biological father, and no one would love Melody the same as her own father would. She hoped. Just because he was her dad didn’t mean he would be a good dad. But any father at all was better than none, wasn’t it? Didn’t she owe it to Melody to at least try? To let her daughter get to know her father?
Even if things didn’t work out with them, Melody should still have her father in her life. When Hannah had turned up pregnant at 18 as a senior in high school, her parents had shut her out. They’d kicked her out of the house and she hadn’t had much contact with them since. She knew both the longing and pain that came with missing them, and the pain that could be caused by parents who weren’t there when their child needed them the most.
Anton had proven himself to be just as unreliable as her own parents had been. That’s why she’d never told him. Well, he hadn’t called anyway, but she hadn’t tried to find him. She might have been able to track him down if she’d attempted it. But she hadn’t because she was afraid he would leave her again. And that fear was still there. But it was compounded now. Because now he wouldn’t just be leaving her, he would also be leaving Melody. And she would not stand for someone hurting her daughter like that.
Hannah had been doing this whole parent thing on her own for so long. After her parents cut her off, she hadn’t had a choice. But she’d figured it out and made it work. And she’d been fine. She’d had a baby all by herself and had raised her for nine years now alone. She’d never had anyone to help, aside from an occasional friend or neighbor, like Amy, who watched Melody from time to time.
There was a guy she started dating right after Anton had broken her heart. Thinking back on it now, it was just a rebound thing. She was hurting so badly, she wanted something or someone to take the pain. But the whole thing had been weird. She’d hidden her pregnancy from him as long she could. They’d only been dating a few days and hadn’t slept together yet when she found out. There was no way it could be anyone’s baby except Anton’s. He was the only person she’d been with.
So, this new guy was around, but didn’t know about the pregnancy, and the whole time she was crying herself to sleep, missing Anton, alone and afraid, and not knowing what to do. When she finally told the guy she was dating that she was pregnant with someone else’s baby, it had not gone well. He’d treated her badly and ended things. Then her parents cut her off. And that’s when she knew she was really alone.
She’d handled it fine since then, and didn’t need to bring anyone else in now. And there was one other thing that she wasn’t sure about. Anton had been a bad boy in high school. He was always getting into fights, causing chaos, and doing dangerous things. Back then, it had been a thrill. He was the dangerous, hot guy every girl wanted. It had been sexy. If she was being honest, it still was. But she didn’t know if that was still part of him. Was he still reckless and chasing thrills every chance he got?
There was no place for danger with a child around. She couldn’t have him driving fast, partying all night, and getting into fights. He would need to be a responsible adult if he was going to have any part in his daughter’s life. She would have to explain to him what it took to be a good parent. She’d have to make sure that he was going to be there and be good for them.
As she thought through all the things she would have to make clear to him, she realized that somewhere in the midst of her thinking and figuring, she’d decided. She would give him a chance. She had to. She owed it to Melody to at least let her meet her father.
After they’d eaten and Melody had finished her homework and gotten her bath, it was bedtime. The evening had flown by. Hannah pulled Melody’s covers up to her chin and kissed her forehead.
“Love you so much!” she said.
“Love you so much,” Melody said in return.
Hannah closed her door behind her and went into her bedroom. She held the note in one hand and her phone in the other. Then, she dialed.<
br />
Chapter 5
Anton was thrilled when he answered the phone and heard Hannah’s voice. He had not been sure if she would call or not, and it was killing him. Now, he sat in his living room with a huge grin on his face.
“It’s so good to hear your voice,” he said. “It was even better to see you today.”
“I still can’t get over it,” she said.
“When can I see you again? I’d love to get the chance to really catch up properly. Maybe when your boss isn’t in the next room.”
She laughed. “Luckily, they didn’t see anything. Well, they saw you when you walked in, and that was enough. I’m sure you could have either of them if you got sick of me.”
“Not a chance. I can probably get most women, but there’s only one I want. The one I’ve always wanted.”
“Anton…”
“Tomorrow?”
“The weekend is better.”
“Okay then,” he said, “Friday night. You and me. I’ll take you to the fanciest restaurant in the city.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. I want to show you all the best this world has to offer.”
“I guess I can’t complain about that.” She chuckled.
“You deserve the best.”
He’d hung up feeling ecstatic. He could hardly sleep that night, feeling like a teenager all over again. Friday was too far away.
Anton passed the time with extra work. He wanted everything taken care of so that noting would interrupt his weekend. He hoped that their Friday night date would last much longer.
Finally, the night came. He drove to her work to pick her up. That would come in handy, he thought. Knowing where she worked meant he could send her flowers or sweets or show up to surprise her with lunches or evenings out.
He leaned against the car—he’d chosen to break out the limo tonight—and waited for her. When she walked across the lot toward him, it took all he had to remain there and not run toward her. He couldn’t look desperate, though, so he stayed glued in place and kept his eyes pinned on her.