Salvatore 01 - Who's Holding the Baby

by Day Leclaire

  “You’ve never wondered how my kisses compare to William’s?”

  “I’m perfectly satisfied with my fiance,” she insisted, adding for good measure, “in every way.”

  He continued to hold her, his hands tangled in her hair, his thumb teasing along her jaw to the tiny pearl stud centered in her earlobe. “You’re trembling.”

  “I’m cold.”

  “No, you’re warm. And soft. And your cheeks..He stroked the ridge of her cheekbone with his fingertip. “They’re flushed with desire.”

  “That’s makeup, not desire.”

  “You aren’t wearing any makeup. At least, not blush.” His voice dropped, seducing her with its deep, lilting timbre. “And what about your eyes? They’re the most beautiful shade of green I’ve ever seen. But they give you away. They’re glowing.”

  “They aren’t glowing. They’re glazed because I can’t see without my glasses.”

  He laughed in genuine amusement, his smile a gleaming flash in his bronzed face. “You, Grace Barnes, are having a serious problem with fibs today. That’ll have to stop — and I know just how to make sure it does.”

  She knew what he intended. He was going to kiss her. And when he did, she wouldn’t have the strength to resist. “Luc, don’t,” she pleaded, attempting one last time to prevent the inevitable. “You’ll regret it. We’ll both regret it.”

  He shrugged, his smile fading, his expression turning serious. “You may be right, but at least let me give us something worthy of regret.” His thumb drifted across her lower lip, teasing the fullness of her mouth for an instant before he lowered his head and finally kissed her.

  It was magic. The instant his lips touched hers, her heartbeat doubled. She couldn’t get enough, every sense throbbing to life, the blood singing through her veins. She could smell his distinctive spicy scent, feel the hard planes and angles of his body beneath her hands, hear the sound of his harsh breathing whispering in her ears. Even the taste of him intoxicated her, the sweet, delicious flavor driving all reason from her mind and leaving in its place pure sensation.

  His hand slid down her spine, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her up against him. She fit perfectly. But somehow she’d always suspected she would. Unable to help herself, she wound her arms around his neck and returned his kiss.

  It had been a long time since she’d last been in a man’s arms. Too long. She’d forgotten how wonderful it could be. Yet this was different … and the difference unsettled her. There was a peculiar combination of finding both sanctuary and jeopardy within Luc’s arms, of knowing both security and vulnerability. He was at once a delight and a threat. Worst of all, he was a temptation — a temptation she couldn’t afford to indulge in.

  As though sensing her alarm, Toni began to cry. It was a timely interruption. Grace pulled free of Luc’s arms and knelt beside the portable crib. Scooping up the baby, she turned to face the picture windows, her back to Luc.

  She could see his image mirrored in the plate glass. His hands balled into fists, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. So … she hadn’t been the only one affected. That knowledge didn’t bring her any relief. Instead, her alarm grew. The path they walked led to disaster, and she had too much at stake to follow blindly along. She had to end this before it went any further.

  “I’ll change Toni and then it’s time I went home,” she announced in a calm, unemotional voice.

  “Feel free to change her,” Luc agreed, coming up behind and dropping his hands to her shoulders. “But you aren’t going anywhere. Not tonight and not tomorrow night, either.”

  She didn’t dare turn around. She knew from long experience what that tone meant, heard the determination and the intensity that roughened his voice. She’d never yet won an argument when he spoke like that. Still, she had to try.

  “You can handle Toni on your own. You don’t need me. I’ll return first thing in the morning —”

  His hands tightened and he forced her to face him. “No. You promised to stay until Pietro or Carina returned, and I intend to hold you to that promise.”

  She’d also promised his father she wouldn’t become personally involved with Luc. Seemed her promises weren’t worth a plugged nickel these days. “Luc … It isn’t right that I stay. It’s not —”

  “Proper?” He laughed, the sound harsh and empty of humor. “Do you think I give a damn about what’s proper? I care about that baby you’re holding. I care about doing what’s best for her. What I know about infants can be summed up in one word. Niente.Nothing.” She frowned. “I don’t know much more than you. Besides, you’ve learned the essentials today. You know how to change her, how to feed her. Surely you can get through one night without me.”

  A strange look glittered in his eyes. “I might. But why should I? I want you here, right beside me, helping to make sensible decisions.”

  “Hire a professional nanny,” she suggested in desperation.

  He shook his head. “Too risky. I don’t want to chance the police becoming involved again. It’s only for another day or two. Soon Pietro and Carina will return for Toni and everything will be back to normal.”

  Grace cuddled Toni close, inhaling the sweet aroma of powder and formula and baby. Things would never return to normal. Her life had been irreversibly altered. She could only hope it would all work out in the end. That Pietro and Carina would return. That Toni would be reunited with her parents. That Luc could be held at a safe distance. And that Dom would never learn of her brief indiscretion.

  But most of all she hoped she could escape with a whole heart, that her brush with insanity wouldn’t have any lasting repercussions. Because she knew that when it came to women, Luc couldn’t be trusted. Besides, she had a dream to fulfill, a promise to keep. She wouldn’t allow Luc or anyone else to distract her from her goal.

  “I won’t touch you again tonight,” Luc said unexpectedly. “You’ll be safe here with me. I swear it.”

  Safe? Not likely. She glanced down at Toni and her shoulders sagged. She really didn’t have any choice, she realized. If she hadn’t been able to abandon the baby earlier, she certainly couldn’t do it now. What she could do was make sure that she didn’t share any further intimacies with Luc. She’d hold him at a distance. She could do it. She’d had more than eleven months of practice accomplishing precisely that. The few weeks left would be a cinch.

  “All right, I’ll stay,” she agreed.

  Satisfaction glittered in his eyes. “You can sleep in one of my shirts. And I’ll bring you a spare robe and a toothbrush. There are only two bedrooms. Do you want the baby tonight or should I take her in with me?”

  “I’ll care for her tonight, and you can have tomorrow,” she said, her reply conceding that there would be a tomorrow night.

  He nodded. “Fine. There’s a bathroom that adjoins the guest bedroom. If you’d like to grab a shower, I’ll watch the little stinker.”

  “Stinker?” A tiny smile escaped before she could prevent it. “Diapers are in the hall.”

  With that, she headed for the bathroom. In minutes she stood beneath a hot, relaxing deluge, rinsing away the tension of an unbelievably stressful day. Wishing she could stand there forever, she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and reluctantly turned the shower off. Returning to the bedroom, she found a silk shirt and robe spread out on the bed.

  Dressing quickly, she brushed her wet hair. She’d have to get another bottle of color rinse and soon. Already she could see the natural gold gleaming through the muddy brown dye. Another shampoo or two and this part of her disguise would be uncovered, as well. And what would Luc say then?

  She shuddered. It didn’t bear contemplation.

  A soft knock sounded on the door. “You decent?” Luc called. At her affirmative response, he came in carrying Toni. “I’ve changed her and offered a bottle. She didn’t seem very interested. If you’ll take her, I’ll bring in the portable crib.”

  In short order, he had them settled
for the night. Grace stood in the middle of the room, uncomfortable beneath Luc’s watchful eye. From the expression on his face she was fairly certain her disguise was shot to pieces. Not that it hadn’t been when he kissed her.. .touched her. He had to have realized that she wore clothing several sizes too big. Standing before him now, wearing nothing but a clingy shirt and a silk paisley robe, there must be no doubt in his mind.

  “Is there anything else you need?” he asked softly. She shook her head, the damp curls swirling about her neck and shoulders. “Nothing, thanks. I’ll … I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “No question about it. But if you do need anything —” He grinned. “Anything at all, don’t hesitate to come and get me.”

  She lifted her chin and gave him a cool look. “I can cope.”

  “Goodnight, then.” He started to close the door, then stuck his head back in. “Oh, and Grace?”

  She stared at him warily. “Yes?”

  “I notice you seem to see just fine without those glasses. A miracle cure, perhaps?”

  The door banged closed behind him and Grace let out a small groan of despair. How could she have been so foolish? And what must he be thinking? Perhaps she could tell him her eyes were sensitive to light. Perhaps she could say that the doctor prescribed tinted glasses to prevent eyestrain.

  She sighed. Perhaps she should dispense with all the lira and hope something could be salvaged from this mess. She glanced over at Toni. The baby slept soundly, her rounded bottom thrust high in the air, a chubby fist pressed against her puckered mouth. Tucking the blanket securely around her tiny form, Grace crossed to her own bed, slipped beneath the covers and turned off the bedside lamp.

  Moonlight brightened the room and she folded her arms behind her head, studying the ceiling. Here she was, bedding down for the night in Luc’s apartment. If Dom ever found out, he’d have a coronary. She yawned. She’d just have to make sure that he never did.

  More important, she’d have to make sure that Luc never found out she wasn’t really engaged. Somehow, she suspected that if he did she’d find herself in deep, deep trouble. And not just for having lied to him. That kiss had been a mistake. A big mistake. A mistake she had no intention of ever repeating.

  Four more weeks to get through.

  All of a sudden, it seemed a lifetime.

  A thump sounded somewhere deep in the apartment and Grace rolled over, glaring at the clock on lie nightstand. It couldn’t be three in the morning. It couldn’t be. She hadn’t slept a wink. This was all Luc’s fault. He had to have the noisiest apartment in the entire complex. Every little sound made her jump. Worse, it made Toni jump. Whenever the baby had been on the verge of drifting off, some tiny noise would wake her and she’d start to fuss.

  Right on cue, a pitiful wail rose from the far side of the room and Grace groaned. Struggling out of bed, she shoved a tumble of curls from her eyes and approached the crib.

  “I’m coming, munchkin,” she muttered. “Keep your diapers on.” Toni lay on her back, her covers kicked off, her feet pumping like a crazed locomotive. Two chubby fists pinwheeled the air. Grace eyed the activity with deep suspicion. “You do that to help suck in more air, don’t you?” she asked the red-faced infant. “And once you’re finished inhaling, out it all comes in one huge bellow. Right?”

  Not giving Toni time to vent her agreement, Grace picked up the baby and slipped from the room. Where had Luc left the diapers and bottles? To her relief, the diapers were in plain sight in the living room. She found bottles of formula already mixed in the refrigerator. A short spin in the microwave warmed the milk to the perfect temperature.

  Returning to the living room, Grace drew a chair over to the picture window and settled into it, Toni nestled in the crook of her arm. San Francisco glittered before her. Even at three in the morning, the city seemed alive with lights and movement.

  A nearly full moon hung in the sky, the light spilling through the window, bathing the room in its silver glow. Grace stared down at Toni. With her flushed olive skin and huge dark eyes, she was the most adorable creature Grace had ever seen. How could Carina bear to be separated from this precious bundle for even one tiny moment? It must have been pure agony for her to make such a decision.

  And what about being twenty, a foreign-exchange student and an unwed mother? In all likelihood, poor Carina hadn’t dared go home to face her parents with the results of her indiscretion. She’d apparently been just as reluctant to turn to Pietro for help, though the reason for that wasn’t quite as clear. Of course, if Pietro was half the womanizer Luc was, Grace could understand Carina’s reluctance. And yet …

  Grace frowned. Somehow, she couldn’t see Luc abandoning his lover in her time of need, let alone his child. Nor could she imagine him leaving any woman in the lurch — he cared about them too deeply. Unfortunately, he cared too deeply about all women to ever settle on any one. Still …

  She knew Luc. He would have done everything in his power to prevent an accident like Pietro and Carina’s from occurring in the first place. But if it had, he would have taken on the responsibility of both mother and child. She didn’t doubt that for one minute. And wasn’t that just what Pietro was attempting to do? Perhaps it was a Salvatore trait.

  Grace gazed down at the baby in her arms, filled with an overwhelming desire to protect this child. She could fully understand Luc’s determination to keep Toni safe. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d grown impossibly attached to Toni, herself. She could even imagine having a baby like this one. She could imagine the father, too.

  There was just one catch. She wanted a man who would love her exclusively, who’d choose her above all other women and never once look back. She bit down on her lip, tears stinging her eyes. That man wouldn’t be Luc. Not a chance. She stared out the window, and suddenly her reflection was joined by another and Luc crossed to her side.

  “Everything all right?” he asked in a soft voice, stooping beside the chair.

  “Everything’s fine.” She bowed her head, embarrassed to be caught with tears in her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she depended on her tinted glasses to conceal her thoughts and emotions from him. Come morning, those glasses would once again be perched on the end of her nose. “Toni woke up hungry and wet.”

  Luc’s mouth curved into a wry smile. “Even with only a single day’s experience of baby care, I’ve discovered they have a nasty tendency to do that.” He eyed Grace closely. “You look tired. Want me to take over for a while?”

  Her throat tightened and she shook her head. “I’m fine,” she managed to say. He reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear, his touch unexpectedly gentle and soothing.

  “You don’t sound fine. You sound exhausted.” His hand moved from her hair to her shoulder, massaging the tense muscles along the back of her neck. “It’s going to work out, Grace. I know everything looks a bit bleak now —”

  “What if she doesn’t come back?” The question practically burst from Grace. “What if she abandons Toni?”

  He didn’t hesitate for an instant. “Then Pietro will take care of his daughter. And we’ll work it out somehow.” He seemed so strong, so resolute. “This baby’s a Salvatore. And I’ll do everything within my power to protect her.”

  She didn’t doubt him. “Your family’s lucky to have you to watch out for them,” she told Luc quietly.

  “And your fiance’s lucky to have you. Not many women would have done what you did today.”

  A tiny smile touched her mouth and she glanced at him. “Was there a choice?”

  He didn’t return her smile. Instead his gaze was filled with an intensity that unnerved her. “Yes. You had a choice. You could have walked. You could have told me to go to hell. But you didn’t. You stuck by me, Grace. That means a lot.”

  His thick, dark hair tumbled across his brow and a shadow of stubble clung to his jaw. He’d thrown on a robe not unlike the one he’d loaned her, and she suspected he wore little or nothing beneath it. The rob
e veed deeply and she could see the crisp, dark hair covering his chest. For a crazy instant she almost reached out and touched him.

  She closed her eyes. It was late. She was tired. And he attracted her more than any man she’d ever known. “Luc, you have to leave now,” she whispered.

  Turning to him, she saw the passion spark to life in his eyes, saw the hint of a flush mount his angled cheekbones. “You look very beautiful sitting in the moonlight,” he murmured. “It streaks your hair with shiny gold threads.”

  She froze. “A trick of the light,” she insisted. “Go to bed, Luc. Please. You promised.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t kiss you again last night. But I didn’t make any promises about today. And in case you hadn’t noticed, this is a brand-new day. Nor did I promise I wouldn’t sit in the moonlight with you. That I wouldn’t talk to you. That I wouldn’t watch you hold Toni as if she were your own.”

  His every word seduced her. She turned her head away, turned from near overwhelming temptation. “You’re forgetting about my fiance.”

  “No, I’m not. But perhaps you should forget about him. He isn’t good enough for you. Not if he encourages you to wear those ridiculous outfits and scrape your hair back instead of leaving it loose around your face. You’re so beautiful, Grace. And hiding that beauty is a sin.”

  The bottle empty, Grace lifted Toni to her shoulder and patted the infant’s back, using this moment to gather the remaining shreds of her composure. At last she forced herself to say, “Luc, I’m your assistant. I’m engaged to be married. You asked for my help and I’m helping you. Don’t make this more difficult than necessary. I’m not interested in having a … a relationship with you. I have William.” For the first time she got that name out without stammering. “He’s all I need. All I’ll ever need.”

  She might as well have struck Luc. He reared back, and without another word he stood and walked away. For an insane instant, Grace considered following him, confessing the truth. But she knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t afford to become emotionally involved with Luc. Not if she wanted her own business. And not if she wanted to come out of this situation with her heart intact.