Sultry

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  “You keep your cool, and we’ll both get what we want.”

  Peter shrugged. “As long as I get what I want, then what the hell? I’m easy.”

  Lindsay could have cheerfully throttled her daddy.

  He had pulled another of his stunts and asked Peter to dinner. She could have pitched a hissy fit and refused to join them, but she chose not to, though she knew exactly what Cooper was up to.

  He remained diligent in his efforts to pawn her off on Peter, more so now than ever.

  She hadn’t seen much of him following the conversation during which she’d blurted out that she was pregnant. She knew he hadn’t kept silent and left her alone out of respect for her. This latest antic proved that. It also proved she couldn’t trust him.

  God, but he was one hardheaded man.

  It had been a week since she’d found out about the baby. The better part of that week she’d been on the settee in her room battling extreme nausea. While being pregnant accounted for most of her illness, it hadn’t accounted for all of it.

  She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Mitch and the fact that she was carrying his child.

  A baby.

  Growing inside her.

  The doctor said so, though she saw no visible proof. Countless times, she had peered at her stomach in the mirror, touched it, massaged it, trying to convince herself.

  A miracle? Or a curse?

  She had wept when she’d asked those questions—questions to which she had no answers. In order to hold on to her sanity, she had forced her mind onto her women’s project by making phone calls, drawing up plans, whatever she could think to do.

  And now, the one evening when she felt like having a decent meal, her daddy sprang Peter on her and ruined it.

  “How ’bout a stroll in the garden?” Peter asked, once dinner was over and coffee had been served.

  Lindsay shook her head. “I don’t think—”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Cooper chimed in, his tone robust and cheerful. “I’ll be in the parlor. You can join me there later.”

  Why not? Lindsay thought. This was an opportunity for her to get rid of Peter once and for all, despite Cooper’s continuing efforts to the contrary.

  “I’m ready when you are,” Lindsay said, maintaining her aloof politeness.

  They walked in silence through the breezy night air until they reached the arbor. “You want to sit down?” Peter asked.

  “No, I’d rather walk through the garden.”

  “Fine.”

  They hadn’t gone far when she saw him. Mitch was on his porch, his foot propped on the railing, a can of beer in his hand.

  She came to an abrupt halt, feeling her heart plummet to her toes.

  “What’s wrong?” Peter demanded, cutting her a sharp look.

  “Uh, nothing.” Lindsay forced herself to keep on walking. She knew Mitch had spotted them, as well. Something had to give or she was going to disintegrate on the spot.

  “Look, Lindsay, I know this is awkward, especially under the circumstances.”

  “What circumstances?” she asked, that aloofness still present.

  “Cooper told me you’re pregnant.”

  Fury mixed with pain boiled up inside her and threatened to erupt. How could Cooper betray her like this? “Don’t worry, Peter, you’re off the hook, despite Daddy and whatever he might’ve told you.”

  Even though she couldn’t see him all that clearly, she knew his face was suffused with color.

  “What if I don’t want to be off the hook?”

  Lindsay threw him a startled look. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m not happy that you’re pregnant.” He laughed bitterly. “Actually, that’s a gross understatement. Still, I’m willing to marry you.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, further enraged.

  “Why not?” he snapped.

  “That question doesn’t even deserve an answer,” she snapped back. “I’ve never wanted to marry you, Peter, and you know that.”

  “I sure as hell didn’t know that. I just thought you were playing hard to get.”

  “Well then, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

  His features twisted. “Who’s the father? Who’ve you been screwing behind my back?”

  Lindsay stopped and faced him, her eyes sparking. “That’s none of your business.”

  “It damn sure is my business. Your daddy made it so.”

  “What does that remark mean?”

  “You’ll have to ask Daddy,” Peter said, his tone rich in sarcasm.

  “Go to hell!”

  She turned to walk off, only to have him clamp down on her shoulder and swing her back around. “Now, you see here, you little bitch!”

  “Get your hands off me!” Lindsay cried, struggling out of his grip.

  “I suggest you do what the lady said.”

  At the sound of Mitch’s rough but steady voice, Lindsay went weak with relief. Not that she thought Peter would ever harm her, but, Mitch’s presence spared her further indignity.

  “Who the hell are you?” Peter demanded, glaring at Mitch.

  “Someone who’s about to teach you a lesson.”

  “In another lifetime, maybe,” Peter sneered.

  Mitch’s features didn’t change one iota, yet Lindsay knew Peter had said the wrong thing. She stepped forward, glancing back and forth between the two men. “Mitch—”

  Before Lindsay could finish her sentence, Peter spat, “Hey, bubba, go fuck yourself!”

  “I don’t think so,” Mitch said, his right hand shooting out and delivering a right upper-cut to Peter’s jaw, coldcocking him.

  Peter hit the ground with a thud.

  Lindsay stood rooted to the spot and stared at Mitch, too stunned to move.

  Twenty-One

  Peter scrambled to his feet, one hand on the spot that Mitch had crunched with his fist. “Why, you bastard! I’ll have your ass for this.”

  “Peter, please, leave it be,” Lindsay pleaded, her voice terse but shaky as her eyes darted back toward the house. Common sense told her that Cooper couldn’t see or hear what was going on. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining the worst-case scenario.

  The moon lit Peter’s stark features, allowing her to see the glare that shone out of his eyes. “Now why would I leave it be?” he demanded. “What’s this brute to you?”

  “Peter, just go home,” Lindsay continued to plead.

  “You’d best do what the lady says, Ballinger.”

  Peter transferred his hostile glare back to Mitch. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, or how you fit into anything, but you’ll be sorry you ever laid a hand on me.”

  Mitch took two quick strides, putting him once again in front of Peter, who instinctively backed up, a terrified look on his face.

  “Don’t, Mitch!” Lindsay cried, stepping forward herself, realizing that if Mitch chose to beat Peter to a pulp, she would be powerless to stop him.

  Mitch clenched and unclenched his fists, but he didn’t raise either of them. Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief at the same time that Peter shuffled backward, adding to the distance between himself and Mitch.

  For a long, pulsating moment no one said a word. Only the sounds of the night could be heard over their labored breathing.

  Finally Peter turned to Lindsay and spat, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “You…go ahead.”

  “What? Have you lost your mind? I’m not leaving you out here alone with this bastard.”

  “Don’t push your luck, Ballinger,” Mitch said in a deadly tone.

  Lindsay flinched inwardly, visions of another confrontation looming large. “Peter, just go. Please. I’ll be fine.”

  His hostile gaze bounced between them. “Suit yourself.” With those succinct words, Peter wheeled around and strode toward the house.

  Lindsay didn’t let go of her jammed-up breath until he completely disappeared.
She just prayed he wouldn’t decide to go back inside rather than home. Moments later, she heard the distant purr of his car engine.

  Feeling Mitch’s gaze on her, she turned and faced him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She licked her lips, then nodded.

  “He’s lucky I didn’t break his neck.”

  This was a side of Mitch she’d never seen—cold and deadly. But then, she didn’t really know this man at all, she reminded herself, looking harsh reality in the face.

  “I’m okay, Mitch, really I am. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “He might have.”

  Lindsay shook her head. “No. You’re wrong. He’s not that kind of man.”

  Mitch gave a bitter laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “He isn’t,” she stressed. “But it doesn’t matter. In this instance, you’re right. He was out of line.” Lindsay’s voice faltered; she was suddenly feeling so tired that she could barely remain upright. “But it’s over now, and he’s gone.”

  “And the other verse to that song is that he’d best stay gone.”

  “You…scare me when you talk like that, in that kind of tone.” She knew her voice sounded as weary as her body felt.

  As if he sensed something was wrong, Mitch took her gently by the arm and led her toward the gazebo, where he urged her to sit down. She needed no further encouragement. She was trembling both inside and out.

  He sat down beside her, and for a while no words passed between them. Yet Lindsay was aware of him beside her with every fiber of her being. She sneaked a look in his direction.

  He was staring straight ahead, appearing uncoiled, even lazy, as if he no longer had a care in the world. She knew better. He was anything but uncoiled. At any given moment, he was prone to strike. Was it that dangerous side of him that drew her to him, that made her want to reach out and touch that sun-kissed arm so close to her own?

  “If you don’t stop looking at me like that,” he warned in a guttural tone, “I’m liable to take you right here.”

  And she would probably let him, heaven help her. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Besides, she was flirting with danger even by having stayed behind. Soon Cooper was bound to wonder why she and Peter hadn’t returned. She wouldn’t put it past him to check on their whereabouts.

  “I’d better get back inside,” she said in a sudden, desperate tone.

  Mitch faced her. “Look at me.”

  His husky voice drew her to him like a magnet. The moon bathed his features in its glow, allowing her to see into his dark, enigmatic eyes.

  “I’m looking,” she whispered, licking her bottom lip.

  He groaned. “Lindsay, please, don’t push your luck. I want you so badly right now, I’m sick to my stomach.” Before she could respond, he grabbed her hand and placed it on his crotch, his eyes never wavering.

  Lindsay’s breath caught as she felt his hard strength even through the thickness of his jeans. “I want you, too,” she whispered with no shame.

  With a shuddering sigh he removed her hand. “What I don’t want is pretty boy’s hands on you ever again.”

  “Me, either.”

  “Then why don’t you dump him, once and for all?”

  “I’ve tried,” Lindsay said. “But you know Cooper. Or maybe you don’t.”

  “I know that he’s hell-bent on you marrying that SOB. I’m sure he’s discussed his plans for remodeling the south wing—which I’m not about to do.”

  “And I’m not about to live there.”

  “Then you have to tell him. Now.”

  Her eyes widened. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Are you ashamed of me?” His words were bitter.

  Lindsay cut him an incredulous look. “No, of course not.”

  “Then what’s the problem? We’re two grown, consenting adults who want to be together.”

  “It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Lindsay responded in a tight voice.

  “Only because you’re choosing to make it that way.”

  If you only knew why, Lindsay thought. But he didn’t know, and she couldn’t tell him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe never. A chill darted through her, and it was all she could do not to shiver visibly.

  “I’m tired of this charade,” Mitch said. “I don’t want to have to sneak around to see you anymore.”

  “You know Cooper will go ballistic if he finds out.”

  “So fucking what?”

  “Oh, Mitch,” she said, her thoughts returning to his baby growing inside her and the possible fallout from that. “What if he fires you?”

  “I was looking for a job when I found this one.”

  “It’s not that easy, Mitch.”

  “It sure as hell is. Just tell him.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  She flinched against the expletive that shot into the humid air.

  “That’s not good enough,” he said tersely. “This game of hide-and-seek is wearing thin. And I’m not good at playing games.”

  “Just give me time, okay? You know how Cooper is, how protective he is of me.”

  “How possessive, don’t you mean?”

  Both frustration and sarcasm lowered his tone, giving it an angry edge. Lindsay shivered inwardly, touching her stomach. What would he do if he knew about the baby? For a second she was tempted to blurt it out. But that temptation quickly passed.

  She had no idea how he would react. And she didn’t want to find out, especially not tonight—not when she was too exhausted to even think, much less think straight enough to tell him something of such magnitude.

  “Look, I have to go.”

  She stood, only to have him grab her hand. Without taking his eyes off her, he lifted that hand to his lips, trapping her middle finger and sucking it. A shaft of desire stabbed her so hotly between her legs that they nearly buckled. She whimpered against the onslaught, which seemed to fuel his own desire.

  “Mitch, I—”

  He dropped her hand and stood. “I know, you gotta go.”

  She raised her eyes to his, and for another long moment they simply stared at each other. She ached for him to kiss her, but he didn’t. Instead, he caressed one side of her face with his knuckles and continued to stare at her as if he were starved for her.

  “Oh, Mitch,” she said in a broken voice.

  “You’d best skedaddle,” he finally said.

  She turned and had taken two steps when he said in a husky tone, “Know that you’ll be sleeping on my side of the bed tonight.”

  She halted, the bottom dropping out of her stomach. But she dared not turn back around or she knew she’d never leave. Stiffening her shoulders and her resolve, she made her way toward the house.

  “You look like hell.”

  Peter gave Cooper a look. “I feel worse.”

  “What happened to you, for God’s sake? Whose fist did you run into?”

  “Your estate manager’s.”

  Cooper knew he looked as stunned as he felt. “Mitch Rawlins?”

  “So that’s the bastard’s name,” Peter muttered.

  Cooper blinked, trying to make sense out of what Peter had just said. It had been a couple of days since Peter had dined there and taken a stroll outside with Lindsay. Cooper had wondered why they hadn’t returned to the parlor and joined him for drinks.

  The following morning he’d questioned Lindsay, at which point she had made an apology of sorts, saying she’d been tired and that Peter had left. Cooper had wanted to ask her if they had discussed the baby and Peter’s taking responsibility for it, but she hadn’t given him a chance—nor had she since.

  He figured she had purposely avoided him. That was why he’d called Peter and told him to get over here ASAP.

  Now, as he continued to stare as his prospective son-in-law, a perplexed frown knit his brows. “Let me get this straight. Mitch Rawlins gave you that shiner.”

  “You’re damn right he did.”

  “Why? He must’v
e had a reason.”

  Peter flushed.

  “What the hell happened?” Cooper asked in a heated tone.

  “Lindsay and I were talking about the baby.”

  “Go on.”

  “Anyhow, I told her I’d marry her regardless, but she wasn’t the least bit interested. In fact, she was downright insulting.”

  “You didn’t handle her right, then.”

  The high color instantly drained out of Peter’s face. “I did the best I could.”

  “Finish about Mitch,” Cooper ordered impatiently.

  “Well, Lindsay was in a huff and turned to walk off. I grabbed her by the arm and swung her around.” Peter paused and took a quick breath. “She told me to get my hands off her, which, under the circumstances, made me madder than hell.”

  “What happened next?” Cooper asked in a cold tone.

  “This Neanderthal seemed to appear out of nowhere. Before I knew what was happening, I was on my ass, his ugly mug looming over me.”

  “For chrissake, Peter—”

  “You know what I think?”

  “Regardless, I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

  Peter pursed his lips. “There’s something between those two.”

  Cooper tossed back his head and laughed an empty laugh. “You’re crazy as hell.”

  “No, I’m not. I saw the way he looked at her.”

  “And just how did Lindsay look back at him?” Cooper was amused and didn’t bother to hide it, even though he knew he was insulting Peter.

  “Like she could eat him up.”

  “Why, you bastard,” Cooper spat. “I’ll have your hide if you repeat that outside this room. My daughter doesn’t cavort with the hired help.”

  “I disagree,” Peter said in a tone that bordered on belligerence. “I’ll even step farther out on that limb and say that I think this Rawlins character could be the father of her child.”

  “Damn you! Don’t you ever say that again, you hear me? That’s just jealous garbage coming out of your mouth. And if you ever repeat it, you’ll have me to answer to. And I swear, I’ll do more than blacken one of your eyes.”

  “Cooper, you didn’t see them together, and I did.”

  “I don’t give a tinker’s damn what you saw.” Cooper was breathing far harder than he should. “I know my daughter. She would never stoop that low or defy me to such a degree.”