Unable to help herself, Kayleigh let out a laugh. “Oh, yeah; I’m sure.”
He chuckled with her. “What’s that supposed to mean?’
“Not too long ago, I had a rather detailed education on the importance of sexy lingerie. Right now I’m feeling a bit sorry that I didn’t pay more attention. This was certainly not what I had hoped to be wearing the first time you and I…” She stopped herself before she admitted any more.
“So you have thought about you and I making love,” he said huskily and watched her nod. “Good; I’m glad I’m not the only one.” His hand continued its journey and Derek found that he liked making her squirm. Her body was so beautiful, so perfect, that every move was a turn-on. She sighed his name. “It wouldn’t matter to me if you were wearing lace or flannel; I want you, Kayleigh.”
And then he poured everything he had into proving it to her.
****
Emery woke up a little after midnight. Kayleigh went to get up but Derek stopped her. “I’ll go get her.” She was momentarily stunned. “Do you even know how to change her?” she asked with a chuckle.
He shrugged. “I guess we’re going to find out.”
That had Kayleigh on the verge of jumping up, but she felt suddenly shy of doing so while completely naked. Sensing her unease, Derek pulled out one of his shirts that would easily pass for a dress on her and placed it on the bed. “You get her bottle, and I’ll take care of her.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly before heading up to get his niece.
They met up in the kitchen, but when Kayleigh went to take Emery into the living room as had been their ritual, Derek took her by the hand and led her back to the bedroom. She looked at him questioningly, but followed. Together, the three of them sat in the bed, semi-under the blankets and lay close together while the baby ate. Kayleigh’s heart ached at what they were doing. In a perfect world this wouldn’t be a temporary situation; this would be their reality.
Her. Derek. A baby.
This would be her home and there would be no threat of it coming to an end at any moment. Tears began to well in her eyes and when Derek saw that, his gut clenched. “Kayleigh? Sweetheart? Are you okay? Are you in pain?” He made to take Emery from her, but she held the infant close.
She shook her head and wiped away a stray tear. “I guess it’s all just catching up with me. These last two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and then with the attack today and being here with you tonight…” She stopped and looked up at him. “I think the lines of fantasy and reality are starting to get blurred.”
Derek understood that more than she knew. It was getting too easy to get used to having her here and pretending that this little family was really his. Kayleigh made him want it to be true. He didn’t want to think about what was going to happen when Brian got back; didn’t want to imagine what it was going to be like to come home at the end of the day to an empty house. Would he go back to working seemingly endless hours? Would he and Kayleigh even continue their relationship or would everything come to an end once Emery moved out?
He didn’t want to think about it. For right now, this moment, Derek Sloan had it all. He pulled Kayleigh close and kissed her head and together they sat in silence until Emery had fallen back to sleep. Derek took the baby back up to the nursery and he found that he was relieved to find Kayleigh waiting for him back in the bed. On some level, he feared that by the time he got back, she’d have her own pajamas back on and saying that she wanted to sleep in her own room.
Silently, he stalked across the room and stripped before climbing back into bed beside her. She instantly moved into his arms and Derek thought that this was as close to heaven as a man could get. He’d take every moment of it while he could because he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before it was nothing more than a memory.
Chapter Six
For three days and three nights, it was bliss. Kayleigh found herself walking around singing for no reason and sometimes would actually pinch herself to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. Life was perfect. Emery was happy and content, Kayleigh herself had a perpetual smile on her face and Derek? Well, from the way that he greeted her every morning when he woke up and every night when he came home, she felt pretty confident in saying that he was pretty damn happy, too.
It wasn’t something they openly discussed, but Kayleigh had moved into Derek’s bedroom. Her things still remained upstairs in the bedroom across from the nursery, but she wasn’t sleeping up there any longer. Every night, after Emery went to sleep, Derek made love to her. It was as if he would patiently wait all day, but once the baby was down for the night, he could no longer hold back.
Kayleigh loved that about him.
They would make love for hours and then seemingly talk for hours about their lives, the business and just whatever came to mind. Kayleigh was certain that her sleep time had been cut in half if not more, but she had never felt more alive.
On a whim, she took Emery on a little shopping trip to the mall. The baby had a small growth-spurt and that was the original reasoning for needing to go, but once they got there, Kayleigh decided on a little shopping of her own. Valentine’s Day was only two weeks away and she was fairly hopeful that she’d be spending it with Derek. Although he said that he didn’t mind her funky sleeping attire, she was hoping to do exactly as Carol had said and break out of her comfort zone and buy something racy to wear for him.
After a quick stop in the baby department to get a couple of new outfits for Emery, Kayleigh placed her purchases in the basket under the stroller and walked determinedly to the lingerie department. Just being there had her feeling weird. She kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching her or mocking her choices.
Yes, because everyone in the store cares about your underwear, she muttered to herself. The simple silk nighties drew her in first, but then she remembered how her friend had called them tame. Maybe to her, but for Kayleigh, they were a big step. Be daring! Her inner voice prodded.
Moving on to the next rack she found ones that were a little slinkier, a little sexier and before she could change her mind, she found one in her size and put it on top of the stroller. It was primarily red silk, but the bodice was all sheer lace. There was a slit in the side which, to her, seemed ridiculous since it was already fairly scandalously short.
Walking through the last of the racks, she decided that while the nightie was for Valentine’s Day, she might try and build up to it by buying just some frilly underwear to surprise Derek with tonight. While she always wore what she considered to be very feminine undies, she never wore something that was overly sexy. Like a thong. Feeling very naughty, she grabbed a black one and then found a sexy matching push up bra and put them both under the red silk to hide them from people walking by.
The image of Derek’s reaction had her practically racing from the store to go home and try them on. He might say that it didn’t matter what she was wearing, but Kayleigh had a feeling that might change once he saw her in these skimpy little items. As much as she loved them and was proud of herself for buying them, she secretly hoped that Derek would take one look at them and rip them from her body.
Her. Little Kayleigh Mitchell. Sex kitten. She smiled at the nickname. Who knew?
****
Funny thing about being happy, sometimes it’s short-lived.
Kayleigh had Emery bathed and ready for bed a little earlier than usual. She herself had taken a shower and had moisturized her body in her favorite scented stuff in anticipation of the night to come. Her new underwear felt very decadent on her and while she always enjoyed their time eating together, tonight she couldn’t seem to wait to be done with it.
A glance at the clock showed that it was almost six-thirty. Derek would be home any minute. He hadn’t called her like he usually did on his way home, but Kayleigh just figured that he had forgotten. Dinner was cooking at the table was set. She had lit a fire in the fireplace and now all she needed was for Derek to come home.
The
sound of a car door slamming had her heart rate kicking up. “Here we go,” she said with a hand on her nervous tummy. Would he like the way she set up a romantic evening? Would he be pleased by her new purchases? The sound of a second car door brought her out of her own thinking as she walked toward the front door and came to a halt as it opened.
Derek walked in and one look at his face and Kayleigh knew that something was wrong. She was just about to speak when she caught sight of someone behind him.
Brian.
The prodigal son had returned.
****
Kayleigh felt as if the world beneath her fell away and she almost fainted. Derek sensed it and immediately came to her aid and wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the kitchen. Emery was in her infant swing and Derek cursed the fact that all of this was happening now. He took in the fire in the fireplace and the scent of whatever it was that Kayleigh had prepared for dinner. He would have given anything for it to not end like this. Now.
Ever.
Her eyes frantically searched his, willing him to say something, anything! “Kayleigh Mitchell, this is my brother Brian.” Was all he said as his brother strolled into the kitchen.
“Wow, nice set up,” Brian said, but his tone was smarmy and Kayleigh had a feeling he wasn’t referring to the décor. “So, is this her?” He motioned toward Emery.
“Do you see any other baby here?” Derek snapped with impatience.
“Oh, yeah. Right.” Brian knelt down in front of the baby and smiled and made some goofy faces before standing up and facing Derek and Kayleigh. “So you’re sure she’s mine?”
Kayleigh felt ill. This moron didn’t deserve Emery. Even the thought of him touching the baby, let alone raising her made her want to scream.
“Paternity tests prove that she’s a Sloan and the woman who attacked Kayleigh said that she was yours.” Derek walked across the room and found the sketch that Kayleigh had done of the woman in question. He handed it to his brother. “Does she look familiar to you?”
“Yeah, that’s Melissa. We dated briefly about a year ago. Great in bed, crazy as hell once she’s out of it.”
“Charming,” Kayleigh muttered, as she went to take dinner off of the stove.
“Something smells good,” Brian said, coming up to stand behind Kayleigh as he peered over her shoulder. “Looks good, too.”
Derek wanted to pull his brother away from Kayleigh and tell him that he’s not allowed to go near her. But he couldn’t. This whole scene wasn’t going to go well and it was important for him to keep a clear head.
Kayleigh shrugged Brian away from her and began to prepare their plates. Without a word, she made up three plates and placed them on the table. It was awkward to say the least. There were at least a dozen questions racing through her mind. Was Brian really back for good? Was he going to take Emery home? Did he even know how to take care of a baby? Was Derek going to allow this to happen?
They sat down and it was as if she wasn’t even there. The brothers conversed with one another, seemingly unaware of her presence.
“Can you get in touch with this Melissa person?” Derek asked.
“I’m going to have to. The kid is hers.”
Derek tensed and had to fight off the urge to scream. “She’s your child, too, and her name is Emery.”
“What kind of name is that?” Brian asked. “Is that even a girl’s name? Are you sure she’s a girl?”
“Yes, Brian. For the three weeks that I’ve been caring for her, I’ve made sure to take note of the fact that she’s a girl.”
Brian shrugged. “Look, all I’m saying is that this is not my responsibility. I didn’t have any idea that Melissa was pregnant; she never contacted me and now I’m just supposed to…what? Be a dad?”
“Yes,” Derek snapped, his patience quickly coming to an end. “That is exactly what you’re supposed to do!” Next to him, Kayleigh rose to comfort Emery. Derek’s loud tone had startled the her and she was starting to fuss. “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s what I had to do. Emery was dropped off at the damn office and I had to step up and take care of her. She’s your daughter; you need to do what’s right!”
“Yeah, okay, from where I’m sitting, Bro, you didn’t do all that much. You hired yourself a hot nanny,” he said as he leered at Kayleigh, “and played house. You probably didn’t do a whole hell of a lot to take care of the kid; you had your playmate here handle it.”
Derek nearly knocked the table over as he rose. “First of all, Kayleigh isn’t my playmate; she came here and helped to take care of your daughter because you couldn’t be found! Instead of making crude comments, maybe you should be thanking her for sacrificing her time to help you out.”
Brian looked at Kayleigh and then Derek and back to her. “I’m sure it was a real hardship to leave your boring job at Sloan’s to come and sit in a mansion and play with a baby. And my brother. Thanks.”
Derek saw red. He yanked his brother up out of his seat. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded.
Brian shook him off and took a step back. “What’s wrong with me? You’re standing here telling me what to do, what to say, how to act and I’m tired of it! I had to cut my vacation short…”
“You were already gone a week longer than you originally said!” Derek yelled and then cursed when Emery started to cry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kayleigh leave the room to take the baby up to the nursery. “Vacation time is over; it’s time for you to get your head on straight and take care of your responsibilities.”
His brother shook his head. “I didn’t ask for this responsibility and I don’t want it.”
“What are you saying?” Derek asked with a deadly calm that he didn’t feel.
“I don’t want a kid, Derek. I enjoy my freedom; I like to travel. There’s no room in my life for a kid, let alone a baby.”
“You can’t just walk away from her, Brian. She’s your daughter.”
He shrugged. “Melissa just walked away. Why can’t I?”
Derek couldn’t believe his ears. Why had he never realized just how selfish his brother was? When had he changed so much? Unfortunately, he knew the answer to that question. While Derek had been raised and groomed to take over the company, Brian had been indulged and looked over. And this was the end-product; a grown man who didn’t have a connection to anything or anyone but himself.
“Don’t do this,” Derek pleaded. “Don’t make a rash decision. Take her home and bond with her. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it and I didn’t want to. Hell, if you had seen me that first day you’d see that I reacted exactly like you are. But I changed. You can’t just abandon her, Brian. She’s family. She’s your daughter.”
Bryan looked from his brother to the now empty infant swing. “You and I both know that I can’t do it alone. And if we’re being honest, I don’t particularly want to. If I decide to do this, I’m going to need someone to help me. Can Kayleigh come with us to make the transition easier? Clearly she likes the kid and the kid knows her. It would be a great help.”
Kayleigh stood at the foot of the stairs in the shadows and held her breath. Surely Derek wouldn’t just hand her off to his brother like this? Even if it was for Emery’s sake! The sound of her own breathing was the only thing she heard for several long moments. “That’s Kayleigh’s decision,” Derek said lowly right before Kayleigh burst into the room.
“You can’t be serious?” she yelled at Derek. “You cannot stand here and honestly tell me that you think he should take Emery out of this house! He doesn’t want her! He doesn’t even know how to take care of her!”
Everything that she was saying was right, but Derek knew that he had to be firm and do what was morally right. “Emery is Brian’s daughter, Kayleigh. He just needs time to get used to her, just like I had. I didn’t settle in with her immediately; you know that.”
“But you at least wanted to try,” she reminded him. “You didn’t immediately throw her out or ask someon
e to take her away. You sacrificed and made sure that she was taken care of. He’s not going to do that!” she cried.
“Um…I’m right here,” Brian said.
“Shut up,” Derek snapped and turned his attention back to Kayleigh. “Yes, I did what I had to do, but that’s who I am. I’m responsible and I make sure that I do everything that I can to keep my life on track. I hired you so that I didn’t have to do anything. You made sure that Emery was safe and taken care of. I just footed the bill.”
His words were cold and callous and she had no idea where they had come from. “Why are you doing this?” she asked sadly. “Where is this coming from?”
Her words and the disappointment in her voice were nearly his undoing. “I’m stating the facts, Kayleigh. I needed to take care of a situation so that I could keep doing what I had to do for the business. You made it easy for me to do that.” The look of shock on her face was killing him. Didn’t she know that he had to do this? That he had to physically and emotionally detach himself from the situation otherwise he would fall apart?
It wasn’t fair that his brother constantly got to be carefree, have no responsibilities and then got rewarded for his bad behavior while Derek worked night and day to make a success of himself. It killed him that Brian would get to come home, waltz in and take Emery away. He didn’t deserve her. But what choice did Derek have? Biologically, Emery belonged to his brother and while he would always have a connection with her, he’d have to learn to deal with the role of uncle.
If Brian kept her.
Kayleigh’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Don’t let him take her, Derek. Please.” She clutched his shirt in an attempt to get him to snap out of whatever was going through his mind and make him see how he was desperately wrong.
Although it pained him to do it, Derek wrapped his hands around Kayleigh’s wrists and pried her hands from his shirt and put her away from him. “You’ll need to explain to Brian about Emery’s schedule and you can help him find a nanny or maybe you can help him during the transition,” he said coolly.
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