Nobody's Baby

by Carol Burnside

  Dean rolled his eyes as Zach stalked out, then approached Kate and kissed her bang-fringed forehead. “I’ll call you. Take it easy, okay?”

  Always the peacemaker. That was Dean. Kate nodded, sure her voice would quaver and she’d become a blubbering mess if she tried to reply. After fighting with Zach, even her bones felt weary.

  Rio strode into the room carrying a tray. “What’s your poison? Decaf with lemon or an herbal blend?”

  “Nothing, thanks. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to my room and turn in.”

  “For the night?” His surprise manifested itself in raised brows and widened eyes.

  “I’m tired.”

  “But what about dinner?”

  She performed a tight smile, trying to reassure him. “Baby’s more tired than hungry, I guess. Do you mind?”

  “Uh, no. Of course not.” He abandoned the tray and scooped her up like a healthy serving of ice cream. As they’d done around her brothers, they avoided looking at each other during the necessary transportation. It was disconcerting, to say the least, having his hands touching her in places she’d rarely allowed the men she’d dated.

  Now she knew what it was like to have Rio’s hands on her. Pure bliss. Weary as she was, she still wished they were … something to each other. Something of the sort that she could ask him to lie beside her and hold her, let her hold him.

  At her bedside he sat down with her across his lap. “You’ve been through a lot today. If you need anything —”

  She blushed with the memory of what he could do. “This is awkward.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting —”

  “I know.” She touched a finger to his lips, remembering.

  “I’ll be fine. Really. A good night’s sleep is what I want, and tomorrow all will be back to normal.” She raised her gaze to his, a brave smile in place. “Whatever normal is.”

  Even fatigued as she was, heat burned low in her belly. She should look away, but couldn’t. She should say something, but words escaped her. She should ...

  Rio’s features were set in serious, intent lines. He leaned in, closer, then even closer. His face blurred. Kate closed her eyes, concentrated on getting air in and out of her lungs, waiting.

  Chapter Seven

  The first touch came from Rio’s nose grazing the side of hers. Nudging, as if he were saying “Stop me now. Or not. Your choice.”

  Kate nudged back, unable to stop herself, her lids slightly lifted now.

  She couldn’t help it. The previous night’s excitement had lingered in the background of her thoughts all day, taunting her with what if’s and why not’s and maybe just once’s. Rio knew the score, knew this couldn’t go anywhere. He might be intrigued with the novelty of toying with a pregnant woman, but he’d keep things in perspective. So really, why not just ...

  Her mind blanked as Rio angled his head and eased forward again, so close she could feel the warmth of his skin next to her cheek. His lips brushed against the tip of her nose, soft and warm. Comforting. Yeah, that’s it. He was just offering her comfort. Sexy, drugging comfort.

  The man was lethal.

  He leaned down and touched his lips to hers, withdrew, then did it again. Twice more he gave her the tiniest of kisses, then flicked his tongue against the seam of her mouth as her body flushed even hotter from the inside out. Curling her hand around his nape, she opened to Rio’s mouth, stunned by the intensity with which she ached for him.

  Kissing Rio was a heady experience, from the first time their lips had touched it felt as if they’d done it so often they’d achieved perfection. And while they engaged in perfection, hallelujah choruses played in her head complete with orchestral joy. Man, oh man. She could do this forever.

  He rested one hand on her belly, big, swollen and ripe with child. And with that single, light touch, the moment was shattered by reality.

  “I can’t do this. Not now. I ...” She shook her head. “Maybe not ever.”

  Damn, but there was a wealth of assumptions behind that statement. They shot through her like an avalanche. It would’ve been embarrassing to have him know she’d immediately jumped light years ahead of where they were now in terms of relationship.

  Except he was shushing her and whispering, “I know, I know.”

  “You do?” She pushed against him and lifted her head, gaining enough distance between them to allow her to see his face. No. Of course he couldn’t possibly know what she’d been thinking.

  He met her gaze, accepting but not liking it. “I won’t apologize for wanting you. ”

  She touched his cheek, the rasp of his end-of-day stubble against her fingertips giving her delicious gooseflesh. “I’m not asking you to.”

  What would that stubble feel like against her sensitive breasts, her thighs?

  Kissing him and touching him like this still felt too right, as if a secret place deep inside her had been changed forever. Then again, maybe she was romanticizing his touch, his kisses too much, her hormones out of whack because of the pregnancy. She had to resist. “We have to stop.”

  Rio sighed.

  “I’m not trying to be a tease. I’m fighting my own battle here. This can’t happen again. There are things I have to do, experiences I need. I won’t be distracted.”

  “College. Independence. I get it.”

  She would’ve called it freedom, unfettered freedom from responsibility for others, but maybe he did understand on some level. The day’s events bombarded her all at once, suffocating her. She shook her head, unable to speak.

  A more considerate and caring man, she couldn’t ask for. Heck, he even helped in the kitchen, a task she’d constantly struggled with her brothers over, but the timing stunk. Rio was all set to take on a major responsibility when she was trying to get free of it all. She couldn’t give up on her dream when she’d sacrificed so much to achieve it. She just couldn’t.

  Not even for Rio.

  He took a deep breath, released it and nodded. “I had to know if kissing you was as good as I remembered. Your mouth, your lips were driving me crazy.”

  “They were?” No one had ever professed such a thing before. She was woman. Hear her roar.

  “Still.” His quiet admission fell into the room.

  “Oh.” So a taste of her hadn’t been enough. Well. Wasn’t that just ... no, no, no. She couldn’t go down this path. She deliberately forced her thoughts to her favorite daydream, of crossing campus with friends, sitting in class, studying in a coffee shop, having late night pizza and beer after a long cram session.

  Sure it might be somewhat different, given that her classmates would be in their teens and she mid-twenties, but that was her future. An education, sure, but carefree and fun times that were long overdue, too.

  Summoning willpower from somewhere deep inside, Kate slipped off Rio’s lap and moved a few steps away from temptation. “Well, we experimented and it was nice. Now you should go so I can get my rest.”

  “Nice? You call what happened last night nice? Admit it was more or I’ll —”

  “Okay. More than nice. Pleasant, even.”

  His eyes narrowed with intent, and she held out her hands, hoping to forestall any notion he might have for a rerun. “Uh, no. Not just pleasant. You’re absolutely right. It was great.”

  “Hot. I think that’s the word you’re looking for.”

  “Hot. Yes. That’s better. A perfectly acceptable word for the experience, but it doesn’t change anything. Let’s say we indulged in healthy curiosity and leave it there.”

  “We?”

  Oops. Change of subject needed. “Tomorrow you’ll find a great parenting class, and we’ll wait this thing out.”

  “Kate.” His tone was a warning.

  “Okay, okay. Hot as a word is a wholly inadequate description as I recall it.”

  He smirked. “About time you admitted it was —”

  “A one-time thing. Come on, Rio. Be realistic.”

  “Right,” he mused, his gaze rak
ing over her stomach as he stood. “I need to tackle that search for a class so I’m prepared.” He raised his hand as if to touch her face, then let it drop. “Sweet dreams, Kate.”

  “G’night, Rio.”

  Hours later, Kate woke to a cold sweat, and pain radiating around her middle. A squeezing pain. A band of pain. This was the real thing. Had to be. It hurt too bad to be anything else. She rolled to her side and into an awkward levering motion that allowed her to stand. A gush of warmth surged from between her legs.

  She stood there for a moment, reality registering, and knew panic with an underlying sense of inevitability. Like when she first realized she had to take full responsibility for her little brothers. Not the same this time, though. Now there was someone else waiting to shoulder the responsibility, albeit reluctantly.

  “Rio?” Kate called out, then hissed as another pain washed over her. She breathed through it, trying not to think about exactly what was in store for her. “Rio!”

  * * * * *

  Shortly after he left Kate’s room, Rio sat down at his laptop to research parenting classes in the area. He wasn’t beyond buying his way in but couldn’t find any scheduled. He shut it down, forced to accept that he might have to resort to private instruction. That was if he could find someone willing to take him on. At least he still had time. The labor scare had thrown him, though he’d had the devil of a time keeping that from Kate.

  On his way downstairs to rustle up something to eat, he broke into a grin, remembering her jaw dropping when he’d shown his relief that the birth wasn’t imminent. She’d looked so sweet and vulnerable just then. His heart had stuttered, and he’d had to remind himself that she wasn’t his to pursue. Circumstances and Kate’s own agenda saw to that. Though she was big with his brother’s child, remembering that fact was proving harder than he’d ever thought it would be.

  Truth was, he hadn’t wanted to resist her and pleasuring her had been his honor. There should be no mystery, no draw now. Only it hadn’t worked that way. Underlying everything he did was a lingering desire for Kate.

  His thoughts remained with her while making a colossal sandwich and devouring it. This was nuts. Maybe he needed to make some calls, meet up with some old friends and find someone to date. Putting that thought on hold, he called his mom.

  “Hey, is this an okay time?”

  “Ohmigod. Kate’s in labor. You’re calling because —”

  “No. Mom. No. Calm down. We had a false alarm earlier and made a quick trip to the hospital, but everything is fine. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

  “Oh. Whew. You had my heart racing. Yes. I’m home. Just changed into my nightgown. It’s late here.”

  “I know. I won’t keep you. Get some sleep. And Mom?” He hesitated, not wanting her to read too much into the words because he didn’t say them nearly often enough. “I love you.”

  “Thank you, dear, for saying so. I needed to hear it. But hold on. You’re feeling a little shook up, unsure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “You said there was a scare. I know you don’t feel prepared, but it will be all right, son. I promise. You’ll be a wonderful father.”

  “I guess I have to at least try.” He wasn’t convinced everything would be okay, but would do his damnedest to make sure it was. “Thanks for knowing the right thing to say.”

  “I don’t always. For instance, right now. There something I need to say and don’t know how to tell you.”

  There was a weightiness in her voice that hadn’t been there this morning, not even with the resurgence of grief. “Mom. What is it? What’s happened? Is it your friend?”

  “I … No. It’s not that, but I had a message on my machine, and it was a shock. I don’t know how he even knew my number or where I live now, but he did and he called and as usual ...”

  Her words pressed in on Rio’s chest with suffocating malice. “He? Mom, are you being stalked or something?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. I think it’s you he’s looking to mess with, son.”

  She wasn’t making any sense. “Who, Mom?”

  “Hank. Your father.”

  At the sound of the man’s name, Rio stood, rubbing at the burn in his chest. He couldn’t speak for a moment, couldn’t fathom why, after all these years, Hank would resurface. Calling him a father was being generous. “There must be some mistake.”

  “I wish there was.”

  “You’re sure it was him?” He didn’t want to say the man’s name but couldn’t bring himself to call him anything else, except maybe a bastard lowlife. Scum.

  “Yes. I know the man’s voice, son. There’s no mistake. He didn’t identify himself, but it was Hank. Said he’d been interviewed and we’d want to catch the late news. Then he laughed and hung up. I’ll hear that laugh in my dreams.”

  Rio whispered a vile epithet.

  “Exactly my reaction, to tell you the truth, though I’m not proud to admit it. Look, there’s no telling what his agenda is here and I got home too late to catch the news. Maybe he’s out to make a fast buck with an interview, but I’m betting it’s more.”

  “What more could it be?”

  “With Hank?” His mom’s voice held derision. “He has to know we’re better provided for these days. I’d look for threats, extortion. He’ll believe he has rights to a share of Bear’s fortune, but he’ll get it over my dead body, do you hear?”

  “He’ll not get it from me either. But what could he possibly have to tell the media?”

  “Oh, he’ll have some angle, believe you me. Probably made up, and it’ll only be a teaser because the man may be a lot of things, but he isn’t stupid.”

  “Ah, hell. Kate and I were so glad the press wasn’t around today, we didn’t think to question why. They hadn’t given up. They were off chasing another angle. Hank’s angle.”

  “Whatever that may be.” A short pause followed, then her voice continued, with a touch of thickness in it. “Listen, I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted. Whatever he’s up to can wait until the morning for me to deal with it. I’ve had all I can stand today.”

  “That’s a good idea. Get some rest and don’t worry about this, Mom. I’ll handle it, okay? I’m not the scared kid he remembers. I can deal with Hank Bowman.”

  Seconds after she hung up, his mom’s words about dealing with the fallout in the morning had him swearing again. He made another call, arranged for the Bridgerton agency to protect her too.

  He stared into space for a few minutes after the line went silent and thought he heard Kate calling him. Damn. This need for her was getting out of hand. He could use a distraction.

  “Rio!”

  The alarm in Kate’s very real voice shot through his system like a bullet. He ran through the kitchen, took the stairs in twos and barreled through her door. Kate stood beside the bed in a voluminous knee-length gown, a half-pained, half-embarrassed look on her face.

  “I think my water broke, or is leaking. Whatever. And it hurts, Rio. Oh, God.” Her eyelids squeezed shut as she braced against the bed and panted, one hand tucked underneath the baby bump.

  There was something he should be doing. Absolutely. Something. But he could only stare in dismay. Her water breaking was a sure thing. The real thing according to the doctor. No false alarm. No time to prepare after all. The baby was coming now. “I’ll, ah, get my phone, call for an ambulance. 9-1-1.”

  He shook his head, trying to clear it, but that didn’t help.

  “Your cell is in your hand, Rio, but we don’t need an ambulance. I think there’s time. The contractions just started. Alert whichever of the Foxe twins is on duty. Have them bring the car around and get my go bag, will you? Then call Dr. Krieger’s office.”

  Rio punched speed dial for security, got Kate’s handbag off the dresser and handed it to her. She looked at him blankly. “Rio? My go-bag. Please don’t fall apart on me now.”

  He looked in her eyes, darkly pleading
with him to be the rock she needed. And he would be. After one deep breath and a nod, he put most of the panic behind him. He would be what she needed.

  Phone to his ear, he snapped out orders while retrieving her small overnighter from the closet where he’d stashed it earlier in the evening. Hell, that seemed like eons ago.

  One of the bodyguards — Toby, Rio saw at a glance — appeared like magic and took the case from him. Oh, shit. What if the doctor had it wrong and there were twins? That had been known to happen. He’d read about it.

  He’d be toast. Absolute toast.

  “No worries, Miss Kate. You concentrate on your breathing, and we’ll have you there in no time. Right, Mr. H?”

  Toby’s hoo-rah tone fortified Rio’s flagging resolve. “Right. Up we go, Kate.”

  She forestalled his attempt to hoist her up with a grip on his forearm that surprised him with its strength. Her eyes went glassy, and she did the panting thing again. “Damn. That hurts.”

  He could swear he was having sympathetic pangs of his own until she took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips. “Better now? We should go.”

  “Rio, I’ve got to change. This gown is wet.” Her face flushed pink, and she shot a furtive look toward Toby — he was wisely looking elsewhere — and back to Rio. “The left drawer. There’s a blue one right on top.”

  “Meet you downstairs?” Toby asked, the small case tucked in one arm like a football. “I’ll have the car running.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Rio opened the drawer and pulled out the first blue thing he saw as Toby escaped. “This one?”

  “Yes. Thanks.” She took it from him, then hesitated.

  “Do you ... ah ... need help or something?” He braced for her answer, not sure if he could handle seeing Kate even partially nude with his nerves already frayed.

  “I’m a little shaky. Just an arm to hang onto, if you don’t mind.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He tried not to let his relief show, but Kate’s gaze held a trace of humor.

  “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”