Tucking his fingers beneath her chin, he studied her flushed face and slumberous eyes and felt the passion stirring again. Hehad tried to be gentle, tried to be patient with the intention of laboring over her exquisite body.
She was slender but had lush curves. Her breasts reminded him of juicy peach combined with honey. He wanted more. He had every intention of suggesting that they leave, that he take her back to the hotel, but he wanted more, craved more in fact.
"Sore?"
He was delighted with her lowered eyes and embarrassed look.
"Are you going to answer?"
Lifting her long lashes, she gave him a defiant stare. "No."
Chuckling softly, he lowered his head and teased her lips. The tremors came as desire stormed through her body. She reached for him and felt her young heart bursting inside her chest.
She had fallen in love with him. It was the heat of the moment, or it could be that she was an innocent under the magnetic spell of a man who had years of experience under his belt, but she knew at that moment, her heart and body belonged to him.
Completely.
But something kept her from blurting it out. She would always think of that night and be happy she kept it to herself.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The night air was heavy with the perfume of flowers and the distant hum of city life, yet within their small world, everything else faded away.
She lay quietly, savoring the lingering touch of his hands, the way his breath had mingled with hers, and the heat that still curled low in her belly. There was a tenderness in his touch now, a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the fierce urgency they'd shared just moments before.
He took her home instead of back to the hotel, gave her a hot steamy kiss on the mouth and lingered with his arms around her as if reluctant to leave. Then he was gone, and she was drifting upstairs to her room with a dreamy look on her face.
It never occurred to her until much later that he never made plans to call or see her again.
Two months later, she was pregnant and scared out of her wits. And whenever that happened she ran to her brother.
And contemplated getting rid of it. The thought of how disappointed her family was going to be was uppermost in her mind.
"I'm here for you." Andre told her quietly, holding her hand, his gaze steady. "Whatever you decide, I'm here."
Chapter 1
Five years later...
"You're making me dizzy," Andre remarked mildly, adding the chives and celery to the mayonnaise.
"You're making lobster salad."
"You'd make a damn good detective." Turning towards the stove, he popped open the oven to check on the loaf he had put in as soon as he came home.
"I hope you have enough for two." His sister sniffed the air before resuming her pacing.
"You're doing it again." Cutting the lemon into precisely two halves, he added it to the mix and stirred. "Does it have anything to do with the return of a certain playboy billionaire to town?"
Abigail stopped her pacing and plopped down on a barstool, a frown etching her brow. "What am I going to do?"
"About what?" Andre laid out two crisp lettuce leaves, resigned to the fact that he was not going to be dining alone.
"About him."
"Him as in Kincaid Tyrell, the father of your child?"
"He's just the sperm donor," she muttered, shrugging as her brother aimed those patient eyes on her face. "He is."
"You're worried he will find out that you kept the fact that he made a child with you five years ago."
