Catia (Starkis Family #6) (17 page)

She smiled, as I’d hoped, before asking, “Do the girls like Kara more than they like me?”

That was a loaded question if ever I’d heard one. My daughters loved Kara, but I didn’t want to Catia feel any worse about her inability to connect with my kids. “They don’t feel threatened by her. They see you as someone who’s vying for my time and attention, and they don’t like it.”

She covered her flat stomach with one hand before quickly drawing it away.

“What’s wrong? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”

She swallowed repeatedly before reaching for the bottle of water she’d left in the cup holder between us.

I noticed she looked pale as she took a sip. “Cat? Do you need me to pull over?”

She shook her head, looking miserable as she closed her eyes. “No, I’m fine. I’m just tired. I think I’ll try to get some sleep before we get there.”

Since I suspected she was too anxious to sleep, I assumed that was her not-so-subtle way of letting me know she needed a little quiet time. I wanted to press her about what was bothering her, but something told me to let it go and trust she would tell me when the time was right.

***

The look on Catia’s face when she held her niece was pure magic. I’d never seen her eyes so filled with wonder and awe, and seeing that side of her made me fall a little deeper in love with her.

“Isn’t she perfect?” she whispered, gliding her fingertip over the baby’s cheek.

“That she is,” I said, smiling at the newest member of their family.

Dustin was outside with the rest of the family, promising them they would all get time with Kara and the baby as soon as they’d had a chance to rest. After a brief chat with us, Kara assuring her sister she was fine, Kara had drifted off to sleep after promising the nurse she’d wake soon to feed her newborn.

“I can’t believe how tiny she is,” Cat said, slipping her finger into the baby’s loosely clenched hand. “Look at these little fingers.” She stretched the tiny digits out under her finger to prove her point.

I cleared my throat, overcome by emotion as I recalled when my girls had been that size. “She’s gonna be a little heartbreaker for sure.” With her parents’ dark hair and blue eyes framed by long lashes, she was destined to grow up to be as pretty as her aunt and mom.

“Speaking of heartbreakers,” Catia said, looking at me before she shifted the baby in her arms, “Dev was struck by how adorable Emily and Elsie are. How are you going to handle it when the boys start beating your door down?”

I winced, wishing I could pretend that day would never come. “I already know I’m going to be one of those crazy overprotective daddies who won’t let his daughters date ‘til they’re twenty at least.”

Catia giggled before brushing a kiss over her niece’s forehead. “Good luck with that. You think they’re giving you a hard time now? Try telling a sixteen-year-old girl she can’t date like all her girlfriends. They’ll hate you.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience?” Even though my friendship with Catia had evolved while we were working together, we hadn’t spent a lot of time talking about her upbringing. “Did your dad try to prevent you from dating?”

“Try being the operative word,” she said, grinning. “I’d sneak out every chance I got.”

I chuckled, picturing a rebellious teen sneaking out her bedroom window to meet a boy who probably didn’t deserve her. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Maybe because you know I’m stubborn and hate being told what to do.”

“Which should make you a lousy employee, yet you’re not.” Catia was proving to be one of the most competent project managers I’d ever had. Not that I was surprised given the way she’d managed my crew at her father’s restaurant.

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a wry smile.

“It was intended as one.”

“Would you like to hold the baby before I put her down?”

“I’d love to.” I cradled her head and neck as Catia transferred her to my arms. I held her closer, inhaling deeply as a slow smile spread across my face. “God, I love that smell. There’s nothing like it to calm you, make you feel grounded.” I was surprised by the wistful expression on Cat’s face. “What?”

“Nothing.” She touched my arm as she moved the pink blanket swaddling the baby away from her face so she could get a better look. “You just look so cute holding her. It’s enough to make a girl melt.”

Our eyes locked. I was dying to kiss her, but given our surroundings, I knew it wasn’t the time or place. “I booked a room when I stepped outside a while ago.”

“Our room?” she asked, looking amused.

“Of course.” There was nowhere else I’d rather spend the night. Maybe this time we could make new memories that would erase some of the old, like the sight of her walking out the door, determined to leave me behind. “Care to share it with me?”

She bit her lip. “My parents will probably expect me to head back to the beach house with them. If I don’t…”

“They’ll know we’re a couple.”

“Are we?” Her teeth sank deeper into her lip. “I wasn’t sure.”

“I’d like us to be. I know things aren’t perfect, but I can honestly say they’re getting better on my end. We’re making progress.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s spend the night together.”

Catia

I hadn’t expected to make love to Chase tonight. We’d both fallen into bed, exhausted, an hour ago, but I woke up feeling hot because his arms were wrapped around me. We were nearly naked since we hadn’t brought a change of clothes, and I turned around to find his lips in the darkness.

The kiss started out slow and sleepy, then I was hot for reasons that had little to do with body heat. After peeling off my panties, I did away with his boxers, braced my hands on his chest, and straddled his waist as I lowered myself onto him.

“Condom,” he said, sounding strangled.

“Do we need it?” There was no risk of pregnancy now, and I trusted Chase with my life. I knew he wasn’t the kind of man who would ever put me in harm’s way.

“You tell me.”

“No.”

“Oh God,” he said, grasping my hips to guide me. “You know I’m not gonna last like this, don’t you?”

Hard and fast suited me just fine. According to the doctor, who’d assured me everything looked good with the pregnancy, I could carry on with my normal activities, including sex. After weeks without it, knowing Chase was just across the street but out of reach, I was more ravenous for him than ever.

With every day that passed, I felt guiltier for not telling him about the baby. I would have to soon. Just not tonight. This was our time to reconnect, to get our relationship back on solid ground before I sprang my surprise on him.

In no time, he was coaxing me to an explosive orgasm that left me panting, my hands on his chest as I felt his heart beat beneath my palm. The heart of the man I loved. The father of my child.

That thought struck me as I leaned over to kiss him, whispering in his ear, “I love you.”

His arms tightened around me. “I love you too, baby.”

Baby.
That word took on a whole new meaning for me now. Instead of making me melt, it reminded me that I was keeping a secret that would change his life. One he deserved to know. But before I could find the words to tell him, he distracted me with a gentle rhythm that made my eyes roll back as my body tightened in response. Again.

“That feels amazing,” I whispered, his palm flat on my lower back as he thrust deep inside me, finding the precise spot that made me question whether I could ever get enough. “More.”

“Mmm.” He responded by kissing my neck, which only heightened my arousal. “Like this?”

“Yes, God, yes.” He knew exactly what to do. Where to touch me. How to stroke me. How deep. How fast. How hard. He had making love to me down to an art form, one I hoped he would continue to master for the rest of our lives.

“Jesus,” he whispered as I clenched him in another toe-curling release that drew out his own. “Catia…”

I loved the way my name sounded on his lips, especially when his voice was husky with desire, as though he couldn’t get enough of me.

When I would have returned to my side of the bed, he held me close, kissing me reverently as he held my face. “I’ve missed you.”

My belly clenched in that way it always did when he said something sweet to remind me how lucky I was to have him in my life. “I missed you too.”

“You could have come over… after the girls went to bed.”

I wasn’t interested in hiding our relationship from them. I wanted to figure out how we could convince them I wasn’t a monster intent on taking their daddy away from them. Wait ‘til they found out his attention would be stretched even further and they would be getting a new little brother or sister they hadn’t asked for and probably wouldn’t want. They’d throw the mother of all temper tantrums, and poor Chase would have to deal with the fallout.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked when I shifted, rolling onto my side to face him. “I felt you tense up when I mentioned you coming over. Or was it the kids?”

“I don’t want to sneak around.” I sighed. “I’m trying to be patient, to give them time to adjust to living with you before they have to think about sharing you with someone else.”

He traced the curve of my shoulder with his fingertip, grinning when thrill bumps rose. “They’ll never get to know you if you’re not around, will they?”

“I know, but I just don’t want to make things any harder for you or them.”

“You’re a part of my life, and they’re just going to have to accept that.” He kissed me, obviously trying to reassure me. “As much as I love them, the tail doesn’t wag the dog, sweetheart. They’re going to have to realize that. I’ll admit I’m guilty of spoiling them. They’re my pride and joy. But that doesn’t mean I’ll allow them to mistreat the woman I love.”

I knew Chase wasn’t a pushover, but as a parent, it couldn’t be easy to take a hard line, especially when your kids had just been through major turmoil and you were wrestling with your own guilt about the part you played in it. He would have done anything to protect me, but I hated that he felt he had to. I’d always been able to hold my own in a battle of wills.

“How do you want to handle this?” I asked, stroking his chest. “You said maybe I should start coming over after the girls go to bed. Do you really think that’s the best approach?”

“You tell me.” He brushed my hair over my shoulder before bringing my hand to his lips. “You’re more than welcome to join us for dinner if you’d like to get to know them better.”

It wasn’t a question of whether I wanted to get to know them better. I had to. Whether they liked it or not, I was going to be the mother of their half brother or sister. “Why don’t you guys come over to my place for dinner one night next week?”

“You want the home court advantage, huh?” he asked, looking amused.

“Something like that.”

“If that’s what you want, baby, I’m good with it.” He kissed me again. “Anything to make you happy, Cat. You’ve got to know that.”

***

I invited them to dinner on Monday, only a few days after I’d suggested it, and as I scrambled to set the table, I realized I should have given myself more time to prepare. The stuffed shells were in the oven, the salad was tossed, and the bread was browning in the bread maker, but I was a wreck. I chastised myself for being so silly. I handled two-hundred-pound contractors for a living, yet I was afraid of two pint-sized divas? That was ridiculous.

I took a deep breath as the doorbell rang, and I repeated my new mantra, “You’ve got this, Cat.” I pasted on a smile as I opened the door. “Hey there, I’m so glad you could come!”

Emily raised a blond eyebrow as she hugged her white stuffed bear a little tighter. “Daddy made us come. We didn’t want to.”

So that was how it was going to be? Fair enough.

Chase curled his hand around his daughter’s shoulder as he said through clenched teeth, “What did I tell you about minding your manners, young lady? Last warning.”

“It’s okay,” I said, offering Elsie a half smile as she eyed me warily. “Please, come in. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Chase surprised me with a kiss on the cheek that made both girls scowl. He produced a bottle of wine. “For you.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling the blush creep up my cheeks. “Why don’t you all have a seat?” I gestured to the living room. “I’ll get us some drinks. What would you girls like?”

“Coke,” they said in unison.

“First of all,” Chase said, setting his hands on his hips as he studied them, “I didn’t hear that request followed up with a please, and second of all, when did we decide you were allowed to drink soda tonight?”

If everything turned into an argument with these three, I didn’t know how I would survive the night, much less the rest of our lives, under the same roof. Maybe I could keep my house across the street and raise our baby myself while Chase corralled his daughters. Of course I knew he would never go for that. He would want us to raise this baby together…while sharing a bed.

“Please, Daddy?” Elsie asked, folding her little hands under her chin as she pinned him with big blue eyes that would have melted an ice sculpture.

I tried to keep a straight face as he rolled his eyes before holding up his index finger. “This will be your one and only this week, so enjoy it.” As an afterthought, he turned to me. “Sorry, that’s assuming you have it.”

“Of course,” I said, earning a small smile from the girls. “Coming right up. Wine for you?” I asked him.

“Actually, I’d love a beer if you have it.”

“Sure thing.”

He gestured to the flat screen TV above the fireplace in my family room. “If you don’t mind, they can watch their program while I help you with dinner?”

“Help yourself,” I said to them. “The remote’s on the coffee table.”

“Thanks,” they muttered in unison.

One polite word was at least a step in the right direction. I’d take it. In the kitchen, I reached into the fridge for Chase’s beer and a bottle of water for myself.

“You’re not having a glass of wine?” he asked, frowning. “It’s one of your favorite merlots.”