‘One more thing,’ she adds, reaching for her glass. ‘It’s non-negotiable.’
‘What?’
‘This baby is a Beckett.’
‘No way.’ My fingers tighten around my glass. ‘And you’re right, it’s non-negotiable.’
‘It seems we’ve reached an impasse.’ She leans forward, resting an elbow on the table, pushing her cleavage up in the process. My focus falls to her breasts, just as she intended. Damn, she’s good. Her tongue dips out to wet her lips. ‘Shame, because I was so looking forward to getting reacquainted with that beautiful big dick of yours again.’
I swallow hard.
Dinner hasn’t even begun, and I’m already in deeper than I planned.
‘Baby Hartmann–Beckett,’ I offer, disgusted at myself.
Her teeth dig into her lower lip as she pushes her perfect tits up higher. ‘Baby Beckett-Hartmann.’
‘Let’s leave the finer details until closer to the time.’ Rome wasn’t built in a day.
‘Don’t think you can win me over with dinners and flowers and chocolates.’ She rests an elbow on the table and cradles her chin in her palm.
‘What about with orgasms?’
Heat flashes in her irises. ‘Now we’re talking.’
Chapter Thirty-Six
ZARA
Unfortunately, Cole doesn’t eat me out on the table for dessert. My guess is because he wants to make sure I go home with him. He needn’t have worried. I’m desperate to find out everything about the man who fathered my baby. The man who’s one of America’s most successful billionaires. The man my brothers can’t stand. And the man I’m technically dating.
The limo slows to a crawl, then swings into a huge winding driveway in Skerries, one of the most opulent suburbs of Dublin. Electric gates slide open, and we cruise up the driveway. Cole holds my hand, his fingers tightly entwined with mine like he doesn’t quite trust me not to sneak out on him again. His grip is firm, but the way his thumb strokes soothing circles over the back of my hand is gentle.
Can he sense the nerves thrumming through my body?
Sex with California was hot, heavy and utterly hedonistic.
Sex with Cole Hartmann, now that I know how much power he wields, how much of the world he owns, how every woman in the world wants him—I’m not sure I’ll survive it.
Felstead wasn’t impressed when I dismissed him for theevening. Tate finally persuaded him to go back to my apartment. I’m surrounded by Cole’s security. Tate knows Cole is no threat to me. If anything, given I’m carrying his child, he’s the one who’s a threat—to anyone who dare to come near me or try to hurt us.
The limo stops outside the grand arched entrance. The car door swings open, and a soft, salt-sweet breeze rolls in. Despite it being close to ten o’clock, May light still lingers—pink-gold streaks bleeding across the horizon as the Irish Sea glitters beneath it. The temperature has dropped, but the sunset makes everything look warm and cinematic. We’re not far outside the city, but here, with him, I feel a million miles away from work, from my family, from every single one of my responsibilities.
Cole helps me out of the car, his hand firm at my lower back. The house stretches before us—two sprawling storeys of glass, oak, and pale stone, perched on the cliff like it was custom-built for the view alone.
Skerries would be a stunning place to raise a family.
Oh, fuck—Cole and his romantic notions are really getting under my skin.
I tip my head, taking in the sunset, the silhouettes of fishing boats in the distance, the low crashing of waves rolling over the rocks. ‘Nice place. Did you rent it for your stay?’ I ask, trying to sound casual, even though my pulse is a riot.
‘Yes, I rented it.’ He ushers me through the front door. ‘But then today, I called the agent and put in an offer they won’t refuse.’
My jaw nearly hits the gravel. ‘You like it that much?’
‘I like you.’ His fingers slide through mine again—confident, sure, staking a claim without saying a word. ‘It’s step one.’
‘Step one of what?’ I breathe.
