“Yes,” she said, attempting to draw his attention back to her. “I just came from my cabin and my key card didn’t work, so….”“Ms.Lucia,” he said, his attitude changing from flirtatious and friendly to crisp professionalism. “There’s a notation here asking that you be escorted to the Splendor Deck.”Where Mary’s new cabin was. So Dave had upgraded Lucia, as well? Unexpected and frankly, a relief. A suite would be much more comfortable than the closet she’d been assigned.But…“All of my things are still in my cabin, so I really need to get in there to pack and….”“No, ma’am,” Jeff said quickly, smiling again. “Your cabin was packed up by the staff and your luggage has already been moved. If you’ll just take that elevator” he paused to point at a bank of elevators opposite them “to the Splendor Deck, you’ll be met and directed to your new cabin.”Strange. She didn’t know how she felt about someone else rooting through her things, but if it meant she could get into a shower, change clothe

He looked her up and down and could admit at least to himself that she looked damn good to him. Her dark blond hair was a little windblown, stray tendrils pulling away from her braid to lay against her face. Her eyes were wide and gleaming with suspicion, and, strangely enough, that didn’t do a damn thing to mitigate the attraction he felt as he drew in a breath that carried her scent deep into his lungs. “I’ll stay here, but I’m not sleeping with you,” she announced suddenly. Dave shook his head and smiled. “Don’t flatter yourself. I said you’re staying in my suite, not my bed. As it happens, there are three bedrooms here besides my own. Your things have been unpacked in one of them.” She frowned a little and the flush of color in her cheeks faded a bit. “Oh.” “Disappointed?” Nick asked, feeling a quick jolt of something hot and reckless punch through him. “Please,” she countered quickly. “You’re not exactly irresistible, Dave.” He frowned at that, but since he didn’t actually b

“Hmm. Interesting question,” he said. “I could say you’ve lied before, but then we’ve already agreed not to talk about the past.” Lucia wasn’t sure if she wanted to sigh in frustration or kick him hard under the table. This was so much more difficult than she’d thought it would be. Somehow, Lucia had convinced herself that Dave would believe her. That he would look at the pictures of the babies and somehow know instinctively that these were his sons. She should have known better. All around them the clink of fine crystal and the muted conversations of the other diners provided a background swell of sound that was more white noise than anything else. Through the windows lining one side of the restaurant, the night was black and the sea endless. The shimmer of colored lights hanging from the edges of the deck looked almost like a rainbow that only shone at night. And beside her, the man who’d haunted her dreams and forged a new life for her sat waiting, watchful. As she started to sp

“So where are we going?” she asked as he laid his hand at the small of her back to guide her down the gangplank to shore. Damn, just the tips of his fingers against her spine was enough to make him want to forget all about this appointment and drag her back to his cabin instead.Gritting his teeth, he pushed that image out of his mind.“My PA called the hospital here,” he muttered. “The lab’s expecting us. They’ll take a DNA sample, run it and fax the results to your lab. We should have an answer in a day or two.”She actually stumbled and he grabbed her arm in an instinctive move. “That fast?”“Money talks,” he said with a shrug. He’d learned long ago that with enough money, a man could accomplish anything. Way of the world. And for the first time, he was damned glad he was rich enough to demand fast action. Dave wanted this question of paternity settled. Like now. He couldn’t stop thinking about those babies. Couldn’t seem to stop looking at the picture she’d given him of them.Coul

“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.