It was madness.
There would be no turning back.
She would surely regret it.
She was on fire and so was he.
She had to stop now!
Forcing herself back to reality, she cursed softly and reached back, dislodging his hold on her bottom.
“Please let me up,” she choked, pushing against his chest. The solid imprint of Paolo’s desire pressing against her pelvis made her feel guilty for stopping. Filled with regret and feeling unhinged, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her galloping heart. He pulled away with a groan as she struggled to sit up and adjust her clothing.
“I’m sorry, but I had to stop,” she rasped, her voice cracking from the effort of keeping her wits when all she wanted to do was sink back into his embrace and let him finish what he had started.
“Why stop?” Paolo exhaled a harsh, jagged, breath. His black eyes flashed with frustration. “I thought you liked it.”
“I did, I do…too much.” Michaela’s face flamed as she met his scorching gaze with a pathetic attempt at self-composure. If he only knew she was this close to succumbing to his lovemaking! “I mean…oh, God, I don’t want you to think I’m a tease…I just—”
“Why did you stop me?” Paolo’s taut mouth and the rigid set of his jaw evidenced his struggle to tamp down his lust. The tightly coiled tension in his large frame unnerved her as he leaned into her space. He took hold of her chin and turned her face to meet his intense gaze. “Talk to me.”
“This was supposed to be a business meeting,” she said for lack of a better explanation. She felt awkward and at a total loss as she got up from the sofa and sat in an armchair across from him. “I’m sorry I let things get out of control.”
“Yeah, me too.” His voice sounded hoarse with dissatisfaction and hot passion still flared in his midnight eyes.
“It’s just that I don’t take lovemaking lightly and that’s where we were headed.” She paused. Oh, God, don’t look at me that way, she silently implored. “Paolo, you’re a complication I can’t afford. My goal this Monday is to win the competition. I know that’s your goal too.”
He frowned. “I wasn’t thinking about the competition just now.”
Michaela sucked in a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes. “This will probably sound ruthless and unfeminine to you, but winning this contest is the only thing I’m focused on right now. I can’t allow you to distract me.”
He looked annoyed and unconvinced. They were getting nowhere. She suspected this was the first time Paolo had been rebuffed by a woman. She had been close to giving in to reckless abandon when she finally stopped and listened to her conscience.
“In order for this show to work, we must get along. Don’t you agree?” he asked.
Michaela noticed that Paolo’s words were beginning to sound a bit slurred.
“We can’t afford to get involved now,” she said.
He came forward and hunkered down in front of her, cupping the side of her jaw in his hand as he peered into her eyes. “And later?”
She tried not to let his midnight eyes enthrall her, but one glance and she relived everything he had just done to her. Hot desire swamped over her again as she hankered for more of his slow, deep kisses and the feel of his warm, strong hands on her body. She wanted Paolo, there was no denying it.
He straightened and reached for her hand. When he tried to pull her from the chair, she noticed his grip wasn’t as firm as usual and he didn’t seem steady on his feet.
She gave him a curious look. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” He frowned and settled back on the couch, across from her. “Can’t you let loose at all? Do you always have to be in control? Why are you so bothered by a little harmless flirting?”
A little harmless flirting? Paolo’s flippant remark sliced through Michaela’s vulnerable heart like a sharp dagger. Had that been all it meant to him? What a fool she’d been to succumb to his seduction and believe she was different from all the other women he had dalliances with! Good thing she had stopped or she would have ended up as just another notch on his belt. Paolo’s way of expressing himself was naturally sensuous. He was the master of the chase, and tonight the irresistible serpent had lured his prey.
Michaela suddenly felt no different from his other conquests and that cut deeply. She had allowed Paolo’s lusty charisma and hot appeal to make her lose her head.
“Why so quiet? It’s not like you. You usually have plenty to say.” His brows crinkled over eyes that suddenly looked like he was having a hard time focusing.
Michaela wondered just how much he’d had to drink while she’d been dealing with Aunt Magda’s visit and then Mom’s phone call. When she didn’t answer right away, Paolo gave a profound sigh and closed his eyes. For a minute, Michaela thought he might have fallen asleep. She looked at the half-empty wine bottle on the coffee table. Surely, he couldn’t be drunk!
Paolo’s cell suddenly rang, jarring both of them. “¿Allo? What is it, Claudia? No, please, not againnn.” His words sounded oddly slurred.
Claudia said something to which he mumbled, “Not tonight. It’s false labor again. Go to sleep.” Michaela noticed his eyes looked glazed. “I’ll take you to the doctor in the morning. Then you…can have…your…baby.”
Why was Paolo reacting so bizarrely? What if Claudia really was in labor? Michaela fretted, starting to panic. She felt like wringing her hands…or better yet, wringing his thick neck! She heard every word Claudia yelled back at him as Paolo held the phone away from his ear.
“Get me to the hospital! NOW!” Claudia shrieked. “The baby is coming. My water just broke!”
The phone slipped from Paolo’s hand as he grappled with it. Closing his eyes, he laid it on his chest and nestled his head against the back of the sofa without responding to Claudia.
“Give me that!” Michaela cried, grabbing the phone as Paolo’s mouth grew slack and he slumped over. “Claudia, this is Michaela, your brother’s friend. I’ll take you to the hospital. Paolo is a little, uh, indisposed right now.”
“Hurry, please! I already called the doctor.”
“Okay. Hang in there. I’ll be right over,” Michaela promised, shocked that Paolo had passed out on the sofa. She noticed the prescription bottles nestled beside him and picked one up with shaking hands. Dear God, how much had Paolo taken? Had he taken a muscle relaxant instead of a painkiller? Or had he taken both?
Chapter Ten
Paolo’s heart pumped hard with adrenaline as he rode to the hospital in a speeding taxi, clutching Maki’s scribbled note in his hand. At seven in the morning, he had woken up in her apartment, alone on her couch with a throbbing headache. It had taken awhile to get his bearings. What the devil kind of medicine had Maki given him? That had been no ordinary painkiller! Man, he had never been so knocked out. His sore neck felt better now, but his unsteady legs were still feeling the after effects of the pills.
At four in the morning, he had tried to get up from the couch but had toppled backward, feeling woozy—too woozy to get up. He had zonked out again and had woken up hours later. Then he’d found the note pinned to his shirt front. Claudia in labor. Took her to Mercy Hospital.
Maki must have gotten back from the hospital, showered and left for work, but why hadn’t she woken him?
Poor Claudia. He wondered if she’d had the baby yet. If not, then hopefully she was having an easy labor. Traffic was hell this time of the morning, but the young Cuban cab driver looked like he knew how to tackle any problem.
“No problem, sir. I’ll get you there,” he said, hitting the accelerator.
Paolo sat back against the vinyl-covered seat and hoped he’d get there alive. Good thing Mercy Hospital wasn’t very far. They sped over the Julia Tuttle Bridge as memories came flooding back of Claudia as a child. She was almost five when they
had lost their father. Following Papá’s death, their mother had sunk into a deep depression. Paolo, fourteen years older, had held Claudia’s trembling body in his arms and rocked her when she had woken up crying on many nights. Cradling her on his lap, he had dried her tears, patted her back and consoled her as much as he could.
In those middle-of-the-night moments, Claudia had asked hard questions, demanding to know where Papá was and when he would come back. Paolo had always replied that Papá was happy in heaven and watching over them. He wasn’t sure how much Claudia had finally understood, but he hoped that being comforted in her big brother’s arms had helped.
“I’m scared,” Claudia had cried, burying her little face against his chest.
“Hush, nena, I’m here,” he had said, hugging her tighter.
“You won’t leave me like Papá did?” she had always asked anxiously.
“I won’t leave. I’ll be here for you, no matter what,” he had promised.
He had kept his word until last night. Why had he passed out like that? He couldn’t believe he wasn’t with Claudia the one time in her life she needed him the most. Over the years he’d helped raise his baby sister, she’d gone from being an incorrigible prankster to a fun-loving young woman. Yet she was a mother now, facing huge responsibilities for the first time in her life.
The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the hospital, jarring Paolo from his musings. He quickly paid the driver and then rushed to the information desk where he was directed to the maternity ward. When he arrived at the fourth floor maternity center, Paolo went straight to the nurse’s station.
“Is Claudia Santos here?” he asked the tall, wiry nurse manning the counter. “I mean Woodbridge…Claudia Woodbridge. Did she already give birth?”
The nurse put on horn-rimmed reading glasses and peered into the computer screen. “Just a minute. I’ll check for you. Are you her husband?” she inquired, checking the list of maternity patients.
“No, I’m her brother—Paolo Santos.”
“Oh.” She furrowed her thin brows and took her time to check the list.
“Please, I’m Claudia’s only relative here. I need to see her now!”
“Your sister is fine.” The nurse’s weathered face broke into a warm smile. “Congratulations, Mr. Santos, your nephew was just born.”
“Thank you!” He was so happy he almost grabbed her and kissed her right there. “Is my sister all right? Did everything go well?”
“Everything went just fine. Mrs. Woodbridge is still in recovery. She’ll be taken to the post-partum room soon.”
Paolo felt as if an elephant’s foot had been lifted from his chest. “Where is recovery?”
“Downstairs—second floor. Turn right after you exit the elevators.”
Paolo sprinted to the elevator and punched the button for the second floor. Hurry up! ¡Apurate! he thought as the elevator slowly descended.
Good thing Maki had taken charge of Claudia. How could he thank her enough for helping his sister? What would they have done without her? Maki was so responsible. He remembered how she had left the note pinned to his shirt so he would see it as soon as he woke up. Knowing her, he’d never live that one down.
He arrived on the second floor and explained to the attending nurse that he was Claudia’s older brother. After a bit of interrogation, she finally led him to the recovery room area.
“Is she okay? Can I see her?” he asked.
Nurse Ramirez, an efficient, young woman, barely five feet tall but with an authoritative presence, smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Mr. Santos. Your sister did well for a first labor. Let me just make sure she agrees to letting you come in,” she said, turning the door handle.
“Fine,” Paolo said patiently, even though he felt far from patient. Poor Claudia—forced to give birth alone in the hospital while her big brother was passed out on the sofa. He felt like the biggest heel.
Nurse Ramirez returned shortly. “You may go in now. The baby has already been taken to the nursery. You must be a very close-knit bunch. It’s wonderful to see a family that cares so much for each other. Your other sister has not left Mrs. Woodbridge’s side. She was there during the entire labor, encouraging her.”
Other sister? The nurse was surely mistaken and referring to another patient, but Paolo was in no mood to correct her or make small talk. He only wanted to see Claudia and make sure she was all right.
“Thanks.” Paolo stepped into the room and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Michaela standing beside the bed, holding Claudia’s hand. Gratitude and relief washed over him when he realized she had stayed with his little sister throughout her ordeal.
He smiled at Michaela and then rushed to Claudia’s side, taking her other hand in his. Beaming into Claudia’s wan face, he said, “Congratulations, nena. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” She paused and smiled. “Actually, I’m more than okay. I’m head-over-heels in love with Michael!”
“Michael? Who the hell is Michael?” Paolo asked, bewildered.
“My baby, silly. You should see your face, Paolo!” Claudia giggled. “I was going to name him Robert Woodbridge, Jr., but after last night I changed my mind.”
“Why?” Paolo searched his sister’s face for clues that she might be reacting to whatever drugs they had given her.
“Bobby doesn’t deserve to have his son named after him. I decided to name him after Michaela. It’s the least I can do after the way she took care of me.”
Paolo turned to Michaela. “Thank you for staying with Claudia,” he said, touched by her generosity toward his sister, who until last night had been a stranger to Michaela.
She smiled. “No need to thank me. I was happy to do it. It got intense toward the end, but everything worked out fine.”
“What happened? Did you have any complications?” Paolo asked, alarmed.
“You tell him, Maki,” Claudia said wearily. “I don’t have the strength.”
Michaela nodded. “Claudia’s labor seemed to stall in the middle and they gave her Pitocin. The contractions started coming closer together after that, faster and harder.” She smiled at Claudia. “But she pulled through like a trooper and delivered a gorgeous little boy.”
Claudia gazed at Michaela with adoring eyes. “I am so grateful to you for staying with me. You didn’t leave my side once until the baby was born. And you were so calm and strong while I was panicking and screaming.” She turned to Paolo. “Maki was the glue that held me together.”
Paolo’s searching gaze connected with Michaela’s and he felt the stirring of tender feelings deep in his heart. She had never looked more beautiful. Her lustrous copper hair lay tousled about her face and shoulders, her makeup was smeared under her shimmering aquamarine eyes, and her silk blouse and skirt were wrinkled. She looked exhausted, but the radiant happiness on her face held him spellbound. She had remained beside his baby sister the whole night, giving her support and rallying behind her with strength and encouragement. Michaela Willoughby, for all her tough competitiveness and strict rules, was a real softie deep down and he was captivated by her, couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Thank you, querida,” he said in a hushed voice.
“You’re welcome, Paolo. And you too, Claudia. It was my pleasure—really. I had no idea how truly awesome childbirth is. It’s life-changing to watch—unforgettable!” she said, visibly moved by the experience.
For several charged moments, Paolo and Michaela stared into each other’s eyes as if nobody else was in the room. He wanted to take her in his arms and make love to her until she admitted she felt the same way about him.
Claudia cleared her throat and speared her brother with a quizzical look. “So why did you bum out on me, hermano?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Paolo said, collecting his wits. “Your birthing coach here drugged me. Or maybe it was her foo
d,” he teased, turning to wink at Michaela.
“Very funny, Paolo,” Michaela replied dryly. “You should have known better than to drink more wine with the painkiller I gave you. Or the muscle relaxant. Which one did you take?”
“I took one of each for good measure.”
Michaela drew back in shock. “You took both? No wonder you passed out!”
“I’m a lot bigger than you are, querida. I never expected those medicines to knock me out like that.” He wagged a finger at Michaela. “You should have warned me they were so strong.”
“Didn’t I? How remiss of me.”
“Maybe you did it on purpose…so you could have your way with me,” he teased, black eyes twinkling.
Michaela laughed. “Guilty as charged—not!”
Paolo enjoyed watching her cheeks turn pink and wondered if she was remembering how enjoyable things had been until she had stopped him. “How do I know what other tactics you have up your sleeve for winning the show?”
“You don’t and you won’t be finding out any time soon,” Michaela countered, full of sass. “All’s fair in love and war, as they say. So you better be careful what you eat and drink from now on, hotshot…at least until the winner is chosen.”
“I know I’ve just had a baby and I’m a little groggy, but you’ve lost me.” Claudia looked confused as she glanced from Paolo to Michaela. “What are you two talking about?”
“Maki, why didn’t you tell Claudia about our pilot TV show?” Paolo gave her a reproachful look.
“I tried telling her between contractions, but she wasn’t paying attention,” Michaela said. “She had more important things on her mind.”
“That’s true,” Paolo conceded, turning to Claudia. “Maki and I are competing against each other to be top chef of a new cooking show.”
“So you’re the one he’s been muttering about.” Claudia grinned. “He said you were driving him nuts.”
“Claudia, please, where is your loyalty?” Paolo chided with mock affront.
Grill Me, Baby Page 11