“My cousin Christina is pregnant and asked me to be the babies’ godmother.”
He blinked, trying to clear his head. She had to mean, “Baby,” not—
“Baby’s as in possessive or babies as more than one?”
“Twins.” Kelsey grinned. “An heir and a spare, according to Christina.”
He stared at her, confused.
“But Christina said this is all hush-hush, so please don’t tell anyone. NDAs apply both ways in this situation.”
His confused gaze bounced from the champagne to Kelsey. “We’re celebrating your cousin’s pregnancy?”
“Yes. I’m going to throw her a shower. Maybe two. One in San Montico, the other in Chicago. There will be so much to buy. Two of everything, from clothing to toys. I still can’t believe she’s having twins, and I’m going to be their godmother. That’s such a big deal. I’ll be Aunt Kelsey. An aunt. I never thought I’d be an aunt. Cade’s not planning to get married and have kids. I’ll have to knit booties and little caps. I think that’s what aunts and godmothers do. But I don’t know how to knit. No matter, I’ll figure it out.”
She stopped rambling and stared at him.
Her cheeks reddened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on like that. I’m excited. Was there something else you thought we were celebr—”
“No,” he answered quickly as he tried to make sense of it all. This was about babies, not baby-making. It took a moment for the truth to set in and another for the disappointment to wash over him. Kelsey wasn’t after him. She wasn’t trying to seduce him. Will had only one question on his mind.
Why not?
* * *
What now?
The celebration over Christina’s pregnancy had taken a strange turn of events, and Kelsey was confused. Very confused.
Meaningful glances and seductive smiles and an accidental brush of Will’s hand that became a tender touch. He couldn’t be coming on to her, yet she couldn’t explain his actions over dinner earlier. Mind games, overreaction, too much champagne?
Too much bubbly was the obvious answer.
But as she stood at the trailhead across from the inn’s service entrance, waiting for Will to return from inside, Kelsey knew it wasn’t the champagne. She had only herself to blame for letting him get under her skin.
Will had done nothing to fuel her fantasies but be himself. He couldn’t help it if everything he did and said appealed to her on a level she never knew existed.
It had to end.
Kelsey might have told herself to keep it strictly business, but she must not really have been trying that hard. She needed to put all these fantasies to rest once and for all.
“The coast is clear.”
Kelsey jumped at the sound of Will’s voice. Talk about having her head in the clouds. She hadn’t even seen him approaching.
“You okay?” he asked.
No, she wasn’t okay, but she still nodded.
He squeezed her shoulder. “Cold?”
She stared into his eyes. Will’s gaze lingered, practically caressing her skin. A slow heat burned its way through her. She’d never felt more feminine, more desirable, in all her life.
Get it over with. Kiss him now so you can start forgetting about him.“N-no.”
“Come on, the chef is expecting us.”
As she followed Will across the slush-covered pavement, she noticed a few hotel guests. Two of them were men and looked like…
