Lucia felt a chill as she looked into those icy blue eyes of his. All night she’d lain in her bed, thinking about him, wondering if she’d done the right thing by coming to Dave. By telling him about their sons. Now she was faced with the very real possibility that she’d made a huge mistake.Once he was convinced that the boys were his, then what? Would he really be satisfied with writing out a child support check every month? Or would he demand time with his children? And if he did, how would she fit him into their lives?Picturing Dave spending time in her tiny house in Seal Beach was almost impossible. His lifestyle was so far removed from hers they might as well be from different planets.“Dave,” she said, “I know there’s a part of you that thinks I’m lying about all of this. But I’m not.” She paused, watched his reaction and didn’t see a thing that made her feel any better, so she continued. “So, before you take this DNA test, I want you to promise me something.”He laughed shortl
“How do you manage taking care of two of them?”“You get into a rhythm,” she said with a shrug that belied just how difficult it had been to find that rhythm. “Alan’s more patient than his brother, but I try not to use that as an excuse to always take care of Ethan first. So, I trade off. One morning I deal with Cooper first thing and the next, it’s Jacob’s turn. I feed one, then the other and then get them into their playpen so I can start the first of the day’s laundry loads.”“You leave them alone in a playpen?”Instantly defensive, Lucia shot him a glare. “They’re safe and happy and it’s not as if I just toss them into a cage and go off to party. I’m right there with them. But I have to be able to get things done and I can’t exactly leave them on the floor unattended, now, can I?”“Hey, hey,” he said, tightening his grip around her waist a little. “That wasn’t a criticism…”She gave him a hard look.“Okay,” he acknowledged, “maybe it was. But I didn’t mean it to be. Can’t be easy.
Which was really too bad when she thought about it. Because he’d made it clear they weren’t going to be getting together again. Not that she wanted that, or anything….“Oh!” She stopped suddenly as they came abreast of the street market they’d passed on their way to the lab. An excellent way to clear her mind of any more disturbing thoughts of Dave. “Let’s look in here.”Frowning some, like any man would when faced with a woman who wanted to shop, Nick said, “What could you possibly want to buy here? It’s a tourist trap.”“That’s what makes it fun,” she told him, and slipped out of his grasp to walk beneath the awning and into the aisle that wound its way past at least thirty different booths.She wandered through the crowd, sensing Dave’s presence behind her. She glanced at tables set up with sterling silver rings and necklaces, leather coin purses and crocheted shawls that hung in colorful bunches from a rope stretched across the front of a booth. She smiled at the man selling tacos
The four of them had had dinner together the night before, and though Lucia had been sure it would be an uncomfortable couple of hours given the tension between her and Dave they’d all had a good time. In fact, seeing Dave interacting with Joe Curran, hearing him laugh and tell stories about past cruises had really opened Lucia’s eyes. For so long, she’d thought of him only as a player. A man only interested in getting as many women as possible into his bed. A man who wasn’t interested in anything that wasn’t about momentary pleasure. Now she’d seen glimpses of a different man. One who could enjoy himself with people who weren’t members of the “celebrity crowd.” A guy who could buy silly T-shirts for babies he wasn’t even sure were his. A guy who could still turn her into a puddle of want with a glance. “Do you want to talk about it?” Mary asked quietly. Lucia took a long, deep breath and looked around the room to avoid meeting Mary’s too-knowing gaze. Muted sunlight, diffused by t
“Do you want me to tell Lucia?”Dave frowned at his assistant, then let the expression fade away. Wasn’t her fault he felt like he was tied up in knots. “No, thanks. I’ll do it.”“Okay.” His PA took a deep breath, held it, then blew it out. “Look, I know this is none of my business…”“Never stopped you before,” he muttered with a smile.“No, I guess not,” she admitted, swiping one hand through her wind-tousled hair. “So let me just say, I don’t think Lucia’s trying to play you.”He went perfectly still. From the shore came the sounds of car horns honking and a swell of noise that only a crowd of tourists released for the day could make. Waves slapped halfheartedly at the hull of the ship, and the wind whipped his hair into his eyes.He pushed it aside as he looked at his PA. “Is that right?”She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “That’s right. She’s just not the type to do something like this. She never did give a damn about your money or who you w
From below decks, a soft sigh of music from the ballroom reached her, and the notes played on the cool ocean breeze, as if they’d searched her out deliberately. The plaintive instrumental seeped into her soul and made her feel wistful. What if coming on this trip had been a big mistake? What if telling Dave about their sons hadn’t been the right thing to do? What if..she stopped her wildly careening thoughts and told herself it was too late to worry about any of that now. The deed was done. What would happen would happen and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it now.She sighed, leaned on the balcony railing and stared out at the sea. Moonlight danced on the surface of the water in a shimmer of pale silver. Clouds scuttled across a star-splashed sky, and the ever-present wind lifted her hair from her shoulders with a gentle touch.“This reminds me of something.”Dave’s deep voice rumbled along Lucia’s spine, and she had to pull in a deep breath before she turned her head to
“Atta girl,” he murmured and took her mouth in a kiss that stole her breath and set her soul on fire.His tongue slipped between her lips, stealing into her warmth, awakening feelings that had lain dormant for more than a year. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her in tight. Lucia lifted her own arms and linked them around his neck, holding him to her, silently demanding he deepen the kiss, take more from her.He did.His arms tightened until she could hardly draw breath. But who needed air? Jenna groaned, moved into him, pressing her body along his, and she felt the hard length of him jutting against her. That was enough to send even more spirals of heat dancing through her bloodstream.Again and again, his tongue dipped into her mouth, tasting, exploring, divining her secrets. She gave as well as took, tangling her tongue with his, feeling the molten desire quickening within. He loosened his grip on her and she nearly moaned, but then his hands were moving, up and down her spi
“Come for me,” Dave whispered, his voice no more than a hush in her ear. His breath dusted her face, her neck, while his fingers continued the gentle, determined invasion. “Let me see you. Let me feel you go over.”His voice was a temptation. Because she was so close to a cl**ax. Her knees trembled. Her body weakened even as it strove to reach the peak Dave was pushing her toward. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heartbeat thundered in her ears and the tension coiling within was almost more than she could bear. And when she thought she wouldn’t survive another moment, she cried out his name and splintered in his arms. Her body shattered, she rode the exquisite wave of completion until she fell at the end only to be caught and held in his strong arms.Lucia dropped her head onto his shoulder, swallowed hard and fought to speak. “That was..”“Only the beginning,” Dave finished for her and picked her up, swinging her into his arms and stalking back into the suite. He was teetering on