by Sara Orwig
“My place tonight, later, dancing if you want,” he said, holding open the door to his sports car. He looked at her shapely calves as she climbed into the car. When he looked up, he found her watching him.
They drove back to Pine Valley, the ultra-upscale gated community where he lived. Security let him enter and the gatekeeper waved to him. He glanced at Lila to see her looking outside at drives that turned into emerald lawns covered with tall trees. Occasionally there was a glimpse of a sprawling, imposing mansion set back far from the main road.
“I hear you’re constructing a new home out here.”
“You heard right. Actually, more than one. I like working on houses in Pine Valley. They’re big, expensive, challenging. They’ll be my neighbors, so I like getting to know the owners,” he said. Her perfume lingered in the air, an enticing scent that smelled of spring flowers.
As they approached his mansion, she stared at it. “It’s beautiful here.”
“I can stretch out and enjoy myself. I have my dream home,” he said. “But you’ve seen my home and my bedroom already.”
“So I don’t need to see it tonight.”
He pulled over and stopped, turning to her, sliding his arm across the back of the seat. She shifted to look at him, her green eyes opening wide. Her lush lips were a temptation and he ached to draw her into his arms and kiss her. “I’m going to find out why you’re fighting me, Lila. Half of you is at war with me or wanting to avoid me, and the other half is sending me signals and still kissing me with enough heat to melt solid metal.”
“I don’t think so,” she said breathlessly, gazing at him with seductive eyes that made his breath catch. Did she have any clue the impact she had on him?
“You’re doing it now. Your eyes say yes, your body is responding, yet your words are holding me at arm’s length. I’m going to find out what it is that’s coming between us.”
“Some things are best not disturbed, Sam. If you push, I’ll disappear,” she said, her words almost a whisper.
“I really am curious. I’ll get an answer.”
“When you do, you may wish you had left well enough alone,” she said, her voice firmer.
“Now, that’s interesting because that’s a threat,” he said, running his hand across her nape, feeling her smooth, warm skin.
“Stubborn, stubborn man. I’m not threatening you. I think you’ve asked me out solely because I’ve said no to you a couple of times.”
“More than a couple,” he replied. “No, definitely not because you’ve said no. I’ve asked you out because I want to be with you and because some of the time you seem to want to be with me,” he said, his voice getting softer, dropping.
“Just be careful, Sam. You’re going where you don’t want to go. I said yes to tonight because we had fun together and I thought this would be another fun, light evening.”
“We’ll try to keep it that way,” he said. Knowing he should move away or he would kiss her, he leaned back, then drove around to the rear of the mansion.
* * *
Lila waited in the outdoor living area overlooking the patio and the pool while Sam got a lemonade for her and a cold beer for himself. She sat on one end of a sofa covered in a colorful fabric patterned with red tulips.
She watched Sam getting their drinks. He paused to shed the navy sport coat he wore and rolled up the sleeves of the pale blue cotton shirt that was tucked into navy slacks. As always, he wore Western boots. Classical music played softly in the background. She had a pang of longing, wishing that everything was all right between them, and this was just an evening out with him.
She stopped thinking about wishes and faced the reality that soon she would have to tell him about his baby.
“This is good, Lila,” he said, sitting close beside her on the sofa.
Intensely aware of him, she smiled. “It will never be really good between us, because we’re from different worlds. You’re part of another century, with old-fashioned ideas—”
“Old-fashioned ideas aren’t always bad. I have one right now. I’ll show you one that is really old-fashioned,” he said softly, closing the distance between them as his gaze went to her mouth.
Sam took her lemonade from her hands and set it on the table, placing his beer beside it.
Her insides tightened and she inhaled. “Sam—” she whispered, a protest that died the instant his lips brushed hers lightly and then settled on hers to kiss her.
Carried from a world of concern to a sensual world of desire, she closed her eyes and placed her hands on his forearms. His hand slid down her back, and his other hand caressed her nape. Kissing him in return, she ran her hands across his broad shoulders, longing for more, to freely make love, to not have to deal with their opposing views of life.
When she finally leaned back, she tried to catch her breath as she looked into his blue eyes.
“I asked you out tonight because I wanted to be with you. But I had another reason, Lila. I’ve noticed some things and I’m curious,” he said, gazing intently at her, causing her heart to beat faster. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you? You’re carrying my baby.”
Six
Her heart missed a beat and then began to pound. For a moment she couldn’t get her breath and her head spun. He leaned closer, giving her a searching look.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted, her head swimming. “How did you know?”
“I figured it out.” He inhaled deeply. “What were you going to do? Go back to California and not tell me? Send me a text someday?”
“No, I knew I’d have to tell you,” she said, gulping for air and feeling as if she might faint.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his tone changing as he brushed her hair away from her face.
“No, I’m not all right,” she snapped. “This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you. How long have you known?” she asked. “I think I’m going to faint.”
“Put your head down,” he said, and left to return in seconds with a cold wet cloth he placed on the back of her neck.
“Lila, I don’t want to upset you, but we should talk. A baby is not something you can hide for very long.”
“I know that,” she said, sitting up and taking the cloth to wipe her brow. She leaned back. Sam had one arm stretched on the back of the sofa and he was turned toward her, his knees touching her leg. He sat close and his gaze was still intense, as if he had never really looked at her before.
“Look, sugar, I didn’t intend to make you faint,” he said gently, and she thought it was so typical of him. His tone was like a squeeze to her heart, gentle, comforting, yet his endearment, sugar, annoyed her. How was she going to deal with him? It was the question that had plagued her since discovering her pregnancy.
“Sam, please don’t call me sugar.”
“I meant it in a nice way. Damn, Lila, do I have to call you Ms. Hacket?”
She had to smile as she opened her eyes and looked at him. She held the wet cloth. “No, you don’t ever have to call me Ms. Hacket. And yes, I’m pregnant from our night together. I’m as shocked as you must be because we took precautions.”
“That wasn’t so damn hard to tell me, was it?” he asked, staring solemnly at her again.
“I guess not. It’s what will follow now that will be difficult. You and I are so totally different.”
“Differences that are incredibly appealing to me,” he said, wrapping his arms around her lightly. Nothing was going as she had expected.
They gazed into each other’s eyes and her heartbeat should have been loud enough for him to hear. Below his thick brown hair, which partially fell on his wide forehead, his blue eyes were intense. Desire flared, burning brightly in their depths. He looked at her lips and her mouth went dry. Sam was too physically app
ealing to her. “You’re my downfall, Sam Gordon,” she whispered.
“Never, darlin’,” he replied softly before he kissed her again. His arms tightened and he shifted her, lifting her to his lap and cradling her against his shoulder while they kissed.
His kiss was stormy, possessive, melting her as always and igniting fires of longing. She didn’t want this breathless, heart-stopping reaction to his kisses. She didn’t want this wild surge of passion and this burning need for more of him. While thoughts of denial streamed in her consciousness, her body responded and she wrapped her arms around him.
When she realized how hungrily she responded, she pulled back and slipped off his lap, standing and walking away, trying to get some distance between them while she regained her poise. She turned to find him watching her. He sat on the sofa, his elbows on his knees, his blue shirt open at the throat.
He came to his feet slowly and her pulse began to drum again as she watched him approach. Determination showed in his eyes, his expression, his walk, making her brace for the battle to come. His chin had a stubborn jut to it while a muscle worked in his jaw, and he had a half-lidded stare that jangled her nerves.
Placing both hands on her shoulders, he stood quietly, studying her with a piercing gaze that was even more unnerving. Silence stretched between them.
“We can work this out,” she said firmly.
“Oh, yeah, we will,” he said. His self-assurance set her more on edge, making her certain he had already started planning for the baby. “Let’s look through my house. Whatever happens, I’ll have a nursery built because I get to see my own child.”
Startled, she had never anticipated his request that was unnecessary at this time. “I’ll be happy to look, but it’s too early to plan a nursery.”
“Maybe. Won’t hurt. You can humor me on this one. It will give us a chance to get used to both of us knowing about the baby.”
“I guess you’re right,” she replied, not caring if he wanted to start planning a nursery in his house. That was the least of her concerns. He brushed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“There, that’s better. I want you happy,” he said, his expression serious. She hoped he really meant what he said.
“I’ll try to make you happy,” he said as if he could guess her thoughts.
“Of course you will,” she said, wondering what he was up to because he had become reasonable and cooperative, not his usual take-charge self, not at all what she had expected. Sam and his twin, Josh, were both strong-willed men who were accustomed to getting their way, so this sudden change in tactics had her guard up more than ever.
“Sure. I’ll be happy to look with you.”
“Lila, this is my baby, too. Dads have rights, too,” Sam said, draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her closer beside him.
“I know you do,” she said, aware of touching him, wishing he weren’t so old-fashioned yet knowing that was as ingrained in him as breathing.
“I just thought perhaps you intended to return to California and spread the word that you had a baby by some guy out there.”
She stopped walking to face him and shake her head. “I wouldn’t do that. I’ve been in shock because neither of us expected this, but I planned to tell you. I was trying to get accustomed to the idea myself before letting others know.”
“Others is one thing. The father—me—is another. Does your family all know?”
“Heavens, no,” she blurted before she thought. “You know Dad doesn’t. Nor does Hack. I can’t listen to Hack and all the remarks I’ll get from him. Not yet. No. My mom knows.”
“There’s a way to avoid having to listen to remarks from Hack and from anyone else,” Sam said quietly, creating a prickle of caution in her.
“I’m not sure I want to hear this. At least not this soon.”
“Sooner is better.” He took her hands, holding them lightly. “Has it ever occurred to you that you might be too independent for your own good?”
She shook her head. “That’s where our views of life are so different. No, I don’t think I’m too independent for my own good. I don’t think I’m any different from a large percentage of the women in the U.S. Did it ever occur to you that you have very old-fashioned views of women that don’t even apply to most of the women you know?”
“Seems to me there are plenty of women around here who are just as I expected.”
“Maybe, or maybe they’re just trying to please you because you’re a nice guy,” she said, trying to lighten the moment and postpone discussing their future.
He smiled. “And you don’t care to try to please me?”
“Sam, you and I have ‘pleased’ each other enough that now we have a baby between us,” she said, seeing the sparkle flash in his eyes while the corner of his mouth lifted.
“I’d almost forgotten how straightforward you can be. And it was damn fun and good, I’d say. Actually, pregnancy becomes you. You have a rosy glow and look gorgeous tonight,” he added huskily.
“Thank you,” she replied, feeling a degree better while thinking he looked incredibly good himself in the pale blue shirt that made his eyes look even bluer.
They walked through a wide hallway to a sweeping double staircase. The graceful stairs had a black wrought-iron railing. No stretch of her imagination could envision a child running up and down the fancy stairs.
“This is a showcase house. I can’t imagine a little child running through here. These stairs are not kid friendly.”
“I’ll have to admit, I’m with you there. Maybe I’ll have this iron railing taken out. Like you, I’m adjusting to the idea of a baby in my life.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax. She could feel the tension between her shoulders. She hadn’t made any decisions about her future, something she had planned to do before Sam learned of her pregnancy. Now he would want to be involved in everything.
“This nursery business—you’re adjusting to the news faster than I thought you would.”
He grinned. “Care to make a wager on which one of us makes the most adjustments to the way of living in the next month?”
“I’m not wagering with you over anything again,” she said.
“Why not? I know you liked kissing me. Matter of fact, let me show you. I can prove it,” he said, a twinkle in his eye as he reached out to slip his arm around her waist. “Come here, darlin’,” he drawled.
She wriggled away. “All right. I like your kisses. Just no more bets.”
“Scared you’ll lose again?” he asked with amusement in his eyes as he teased her. “Or are you scared because you might discover that I can change more easily than you can?”
Exasperated, she turned to him. “Oh, you would so lose that bet. I work for someone else, so I have to adapt constantly to something new. You run your own business and you, Sam Gordon, are accustomed to getting your way in life. Most of the time,” she added with emphasis. One corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked grin that added to her impatience with him. “Smile all you want—there is no way on earth that you are more adaptable than I am. Something impossible to prove, so you will probably argue about it on into the sunset.”
“You’re getting all worked up over the wrong things. Lila, stop fighting me. Things are exciting, sexy and can be so fine between us. Go with it and see what happens. We might have something really good together if you’ll give us a chance.”
They stood in silence and their clash of wills was palpable.
“Come on. We’ll look for a room for a nursery,” Sam said. “That’s what we started out to do.”
She nodded and walked with him. When they reached the second-floor hall, memories came of the night she had spent with him. He stopped and turned her to face him, looking directly into her eyes.
“You’re
remembering our night together.” Sam wound his fingers in her hair. “That night was unforgettable. It was special to me before I found out that you’re pregnant from our time together. Darlin’, I’ve never had a night like that one,” he said quietly. “I remember every moment and I’m guessing you do, too. Admit you remember,” he coaxed in a husky tone that strummed over her raw nerves.
His fingers in her hair made her scalp tingle. He stood too close again and his gaze immobilized her. She couldn’t get her breath because all she could think about was their lovemaking. Hopelessly ensnared, she looked at his mouth. As he drew her to him, he wrapped her in his embrace.
Running her hands along his strong arms, she stood on tiptoe while he kissed her. Her heart pounded and she ached with wanting him. The few kisses they’d had already had fanned flames of desire to a raging fire. She wanted Sam, wanted his loving, wanted his fun, wanted his tenderness, in spite of knowing it was an impossible situation.
She poured her passion into her kiss, hoping if she could become satiated, she would cool and her responses to him would settle. No one person had ever stirred her the way Sam could. Of all the men on earth, why Sam? Why someone from Royal with old-fashioned beliefs? But he was a sexy man filled with excitement and more perception than she had given him credit for, because he had figured out her pregnancy.
“See, you respond to me, just as I do you,” Sam said after releasing her abruptly. He combed his fingers though her hair. “You set me on fire, Lila. If you’ll give us a chance, there could be all sorts of good things in our lives. The loving is fantastic between us. In truth, you can’t deny it.”
“It’s lust, Sam. Maybe I can’t deny that we’re attracted, but that doesn’t change some basic aspirations and principles we each have.”
“A relationship between us can be more than lust. And a relationship changes everything,” he argued.
He released her slightly, both breathing deeply while he gazed at her. “We can have a terrific life together,” he stated. “All I want is a chance while you’re here in town. Go out with me tomorrow night. Let me take you to dinner at Claire’s or out of Royal. You can give me that much of a chance for us to be together. Let’s see if we can’t get closer to working things out between us. Will you go to dinner with me?”