“And spit out.”
“No. They’ll realize how smart he is and he’ll run the shit. Once he gets a taste of that power, I won’t get him back.” Griffin hit the highway toward his office. Anticipating her question, he added, “I need to drop off the van and get my car.”
“I have my old desktop.”
“What?”
She twisted slightly so she faced him. “I got my laptop because my desktop kept freezing and stuff. It probably won’t take long, but cleaning and upgrading it would be a small project.”
He glanced over but couldn’t keep his eyes on her. “Thank you. I might take you up on it.”
“I think I finally understand Quinn now. For years, she’s been teaching at Jones and she loves her job, but she keeps feeling burned out. I understand why she hasn’t left.” She paused and added, “You know he totally respects you.”
“What?”
“Duane. Sure, he was hitting on me, but it was a test. If I had given him any hint that he had a chance, he’d be calling you and telling you to get rid of me.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Just a feeling, I guess.”
“Loyalty means a lot to them.” He briefly wondered how many people were loyal to her besides Quinn and Kate. Griffin parked the van and pointed her toward his car. “I know you said you have homework to do, but I have something important to show you.”
“What is it?”
His muscles tensed in his shoulders. He hated not being able to tell how she would react. “It’s a surprise.”
Her smile was broad and bright. “You know I love a good surprise. If it’s a bad one, I’d rather skip it.”
“This one’s definitely good.” He rounded the corner in front of his condo.
“I’ve seen your condo,” Indy said. “That’s not a surprise.”
“The surprise is inside.” He parked and led her upstairs. Her smile faded and her pace slowed. Fear struck him. What if she didn’t like it? He opened the condo and flipped on the lights. “Come on. I told you it’s a good surprise.”
He pulled her toward the spare room that he’d used for storage until a week ago. Seeing her try to run her new business and complete her schoolwork at Quinn’s kitchen table spurred him into action. He wanted Indy to use the wasted space. He turned on the light in the new office and waited for her reaction.
She entered the room and shrugged. “Nice room. I don’t think I ever took a tour before.”
He sighed and shook his head. Forgetting to explain himself was becoming a habit with her. “Welcome to your new office.”
Indy spun quickly to face him. “My what?”
“Your new office. You can’t continue to try to run a business and do homework at a cramped kitchen table.”
“I won’t. I’m looking for a new apartment, which will have at least two bedrooms, one of which will be my office.”
“Don’t you mean three bedrooms? Or is the baby going to share space with your office?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe the baby will share my bedroom. Maybe I’ll have three bedrooms. I don’t know, seeing as how I haven’t found the place yet.” Her voice rose in anger as she rattled on. “The point is, I’m not one of your charity cases. I don’t need you to create an office in your home for me.”
The muscles around his eyes twitched and he took an audible breath. “I don’t think of you as charity. I’m trying to help you.”
“I didn’t ask for help!” She flung the words at him and collapsed into the recliner. She rubbed her stomach in small circles.
He rushed to her, not knowing what to do. “Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”
Her breath was heavy, but she shook her head. After a moment, she sat back. “I told you he doesn’t like it when I get upset.” She continued the rhythmic circles on her stomach.
Griffin knelt beside her. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t use this room. I thought you’d like to have a real office. You’re juggling a lot right now. This would take one thing off your shoulders.”
“I’m not your burden to carry. I can do this on my own.”
He touched his palm to her cheek. “I don’t doubt you can. But you don’t have to.”
She pushed to her feet and away from him. “We can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Any of it. First you hire me to decorate your new house, then you’re telling your kids I’m your girlfriend, which I’m not, and now you want me to practically move in here supposedly so I have a place to work.” She walked toward the window.
She saw right through him. He did want her here. Her resistance made no sense. The sparks were still there between them. He was trying to nudge them along. “You’re right on most of that. I hired you to help you out, sure, but I had my own motives. You’re good and I trust you. That’s why I hired you. I turned this room into an office for you so I could have a chance to spend more time with you. You keep pulling away from me and it’s making me nuts. As far as introducing you to the kids, I had to tell them something. Calling you my girlfriend is something they can relate to.”
“We’re not dating. I’m not your girlfriend. It’s wrong to mislead them.”
“I wasn’t misleading them. I have every intention of keeping you in my life.”
Her shoulders sagged and she turned slightly but didn’t face him. Her voice, barely above a whisper, croaked, “Don’t do this. Not again.”
“I can’t help it. I want you. You broke up with me. I thought you needed space.”
“Three months is a shitload of space.”
“I came back.”
She shrugged and turned. “I know. Like you said, I’m juggling a lot right now. I appreciate the effort, but you have to stop trying to run my life. We can work together. I’d love to be friends with you, but that’s where it has to end.”
“Why?”
Her eyes shone with determination. “Because my priorities have shifted. In truth, for the first time in my life I have priorities beyond having a good time. I need to put my energy there.”
He plunged his hands into his pockets to stop himself from reaching out and touching her. She’d never looked as sexy as she did right now, turning him away. Again. Any doubts he might’ve had about what kind of mother she’d be dissolved. He saw the struggle going on behind her eyes, but her determination won. “Okay.”
She flinched. “That’s it?”
He had no intention of backing down and walking away, but if he admitted it, she’d leave and cut him out altogether. “You don’t need any more pressure right now. I get it.”
She looked deflated, like she’d expected more of a fight. Damn, he couldn’t win with this woman.
“Thank you. Can you take me back to my car now?”
“No. I’m not done negotiating.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Negotiating?”
“I’ll leave you alone—for now—if you’ll use this for your office.” He removed his hands from his pockets, now having the upper hand, and closed the distance between them.
“I didn’t say anything could be negotiated. Other than the decorating proposals, we have no contract.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We have a connection. Deeper than attraction or lust. You want me to back off, you have to give me something in return.” He reached out and pulled her hair free from the rubberband. He liked it flowing over her shoulders, but he stopped short of running his fingers through it.
To her credit she didn’t shy away from his touch.
She tilted her head and looked straight into his eyes. “I’ll use this office until I find an apartment. I’ll also give you a ten percent discount on the decorating to cover expenses. Finally, there is no ‘for now.’ Move on with your life and the next woman in your bed.” She held out her hand to seal the deal.
“There hasn’t been anyone else in my bed.”
“I didn’t ask.”
No, she hadn’t, but he wanted her to know. “I don�
��t want anyone else.” He noted that she hadn’t offered up information about herself during his absence. Could she have moved on to another man?
She didn’t respond to his admission, but her hand wavered slightly.
He took her hand, fighting the burn in his gut. “You have a reprieve.”
He’d let her settle in comfortably as a business partner, friend, or whatever label she added. Then he’d go in for the kill, so to speak. He’d become so irresistible she wouldn’t be able to walk away.
Three weeks had passed since they’d made their agreement. Indy had moved into the office immediately. It was a mega-cool office, one she’d never be able to afford on her own. She spent more time there than anywhere else.
Somehow she felt like she’d lost a battle with Griffin. He treated everything like a business deal. He held her heart but acted like they were hammering out points of a contract. She’d failed at protecting herself.
She wished she had Kate’s intelligence. Kate would’ve used her lawyer skills to make sure Griffin hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. He found every loophole.
She’d agreed to take the office because she truly believed their paths wouldn’t cross more than usual. After all, he had a company to run, a charity to organize, and a house to renovate. But he showed up every day, usually for lunch. He brought her food and they’d share a meal in her office.
The house was almost finished. After he found her painting the master bedroom, he hired an army of painters, citing the negative effects on her and the baby for inhaling fumes. She tried to discount the decorating, but he said he’d hired her to plan, not paint.
The man was so damn frustrating. His most disturbing action was trying to communicate with the baby. At first, he’d asked if he could feel the baby kick. The baby, of course, refused to cooperate. No matter how much the baby kicked, elbowed, and somersaulted, as soon as Griffin’s voice coasted through the room or his hand palmed her belly, the baby stilled.
Griffin had made it his mission to get a reaction. Daily he would rub, pat, or poke at the baby, waiting for a response. Every day she willed the baby to move, give Griffin something so he could claim victory and move away from the intimate interaction. She loved the feel of his hands on her body but knew it was a mistake.
His caring and kindness would be her downfall. She loved him, and no matter how she tried to ignore it, her heart swelled more with each moment they shared.
Indy wandered around her office, studied the boards of design ideas, fingered swatches of fabric. Time was up. Time to move on and out. Time to uphold her end of the agreement. She removed the boards and packed up the books and files in the desk.
Always be prepared for a hasty retreat.
She changed into her O’Leary’s shirt so she’d be ready for work. The third trimester of pregnancy had brought easy exhaustion with it. She relaxed in the recliner for a nap, knowing it would be the last one in her fine office.
Silence met Griffin when he entered the condo. No music blared from Indy’s office.
He’d become accustomed to the noise while she worked. And he enjoyed startling her over the sound of the music and her intense concentration. He moved silently through the condo, not wanting to disturb her. Only a small lamp lit the office, and the afternoon sun streaked through the windows. The room was different.
He scanned the space. Her work boards were gone. No chaos cluttered the desktop. She couldn’t have found an apartment yet. If she broke their agreement, he wouldn’t have to honor his end any longer. He’d been dying to kiss her for weeks, but he’d promised to back off. He’d been regretting the move ever since.
But she was gone. The familiar burn in his gut had him pacing. Every time he made some headway with her, she took off. He pulled out his phone but paused in front of the door. On the mirror in the hall he saw the pink sticky note.
At the house checking on final touches. Indy
He needed to handle this face-to-face. He had too much invested for her to think she would sneak out again. He sped all the way to Oak Park. Her car still sat at the curb. No one else was around.
He swung the front door open and froze. Indy sat curled up on the bottom step. “Indy?”
She looked up from under wet lashes. “It’s the baby,” she whispered. “Something’s wrong.”
“I’ll call an ambulance.”
Relief washed over her face and he watched her rebuild her confidence. “No. Can you drive me to the hospital? I already called my doctor. I was taking a break before going to my car.”
“You were going to drive yourself?”
“Do you see anyone else around?” She stood, and he saw that she wore her O’Leary’s shirt. She was going to the bar again.
He hooked his arm around her waist.
She pushed at him. “I can walk. I’m just a little queasy.”
He held her coat open to wrap around her. “I came from the condo. Why is all of your stuff gone?”
She pulled her hair from under her coat collar. “The job is over. Your house is ready. I honored our agreement.”
“Fuck that. We’re well past an agreement.” He held her elbow and navigated their way to his car. “Every time I get close, you run away.”
She snorted. “I obviously didn’t run too far. You found me at your house.”
“You know what I mean. For as long as we’ve been together, you’ve been running away.”
“I have not.” She buckled up and settled her hands on her stomach.
He noticed how pale she looked. “You have. The first night we slept together, you snuck out of the condo. You dodged me all night at Ryan’s wedding. You ran all the way to Hooperville. Now things are clicking between us, and you’re doing it again.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the window as he hit the highway. “There can’t be an us. I’m pregnant with another man’s baby. You’re trying to build some crazy empire. We don’t belong together. I’ll ruin everything you’re doing.”
“No, you won’t.” He reached across the seat and held her hand.
She’d never been more afraid in her life. Not when she’d moved to Chicago alone. Not when her mom died. Not even when she first found out she was pregnant.
What if she lost the baby?
Her mother had miscarried. She had miscarried. What if she couldn’t carry a baby?
Her chest tightened, and she forced a hard breath into her lungs. Griffin had practically carried her into the emergency room. Now a nurse buzzed around attaching leads and monitors to her. She couldn’t talk. Griffin didn’t try to make conversation.
He’d asked if he should call Quinn. Indy didn’t want to worry her. She’d just gotten off bed rest herself. No, she’d do this alone. She’d call Kate later, after she knew something.
Griffin continued to pace the room.
“You can go now. I’ll be fine.”
He spun and looked at her like she’d grown a second head. He raised an eyebrow and with a slight shake of his head continued his circuit of pacing.
Moments later, Dr. Rollins strode in. She glanced at Griffin, who said, “I’m going to get a cup of coffee.”
Once the door closed, she patted Indy’s leg. “How are you?” “Scared,” she croaked. Why couldn’t she at least sound strong?
“The baby’s okay. A little distressed, but the ultrasound shows he’s okay.”
“Why was I bleeding?”
“We’re not sure yet. It’s stopped, which is good. I’m putting you on bed rest. You need to stay off your feet and take it easy for a while.”
Indy swallowed hard. How was she going to do that? She didn’t even have an apartment of her own. She imagined her savings dwindling to nothing before she even got to the delivery room. She said nothing, but nodded.
Griffin couldn’t make Indy accept his help, but she and her baby were entitled to Richard’s money. Besides, Richard had a right to know there was a problem. Griffin knew better than to interfere, but he couldn�
�t let this go. Pushing his own ego aside, he had to trust Indy wouldn’t want to go back to Richard. Long ago, he’d researched Richard Burke to understand his competition.
Now seemed like the perfect time to pay him a visit.
Griffin strolled into the offices of Burke and Hester, financial consultants. The young secretary gave him a quick once-over and said, “Hi, may I help you?”
“I’m here to see Mr. Burke.”
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked, opening a planner.
“No. I’ve been out of town. I’m sure if he’s not with another client, he’ll make time to see me. I’m Griffin Walker of Walker Industries.
If the name meant anything to her, she didn’t let it show. She quickly walked to the office on the right and went inside, closing the door softly behind her. Griffin waited, knowing it would only take minutes.
The door reopened and the secretary emerged, pink cheeks revealing her boss had been unhappy with her.
“Mr. Burke will see you now. Can I get you coffee or water?” She stood stiffly, waiting for a response.
“No, thank you. I won’t be long.” He followed her to the office.
The office exceeded his expectations. Walnut bookcases lined the walls, an oval conference table sat in the corner, and a private bathroom was off to the side. Burke was an adequate advisor, made decent money for his investors, but he tried to appear big league.
Griffin didn’t know what he expected when he laid eyes on Burke. He’d seen his photo, known he was older, but knowing didn’t prepare him for the shock. He looked older than Malcolm.
Burke stood behind his desk. “Mr. Walker, it’s nice to meet you. What can I help you with today?”
Griffin moved to stand in front of the desk. “I thought you should know that Indy’s in the hospital.”
Burke’s mouth pressed into a firm line.
“You do know Indy Adams, right?”
“Yes.”
“She’s had some complications with the baby.”
“Excuse me for asking, but why should I care?”
A Good Time Page 23