Daddy 101 (American Romance) (12 page)

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Authors: Jo Leigh

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“Of course it’s that mistress business. But it’s more than that, too. Alex, you’re Tiffany’s. I’m Wal-Mart. It would never work.”
“You don’t know that. How can you know that if you don’t take a chance?”
“Because I’m a realist. And when you get back to your home turf, you’ll be a realist, too. This is nuts. You’re making too much of a physical attraction.”
“Dammit, Dani, it’s not just that. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before.”
“Exactly. I’m a small town hick, and for some reason that’s caught your fancy. But what happens when you get bored with the shiny new toy? What happens to me, and to Chloe?”
He didn’t say anything for a long minute. His face was serious, his brows still together in a disapproving V. He ran his hand through his hair, turned away from her, then turned back. All she wanted to do was run into his arms and tell him everything would be okay. She wanted his smile back, his quick wit, and mostly she wanted to see that look of longing in his eyes. But she believed what she was telling him. It couldn’t end well. There was no chance of that. So best to get the hurt over and done with.
“What’s impossible to fight,” he said, his voice so low she had to strain to hear him, “is this idea you have that I don’t know what I’m doing. If you knew me better, you’d see that I’m not a romantic dope. I don’t make decisions like these lightly.”
“But I don’t know you better.”
“So the real enemy here is time, right?”
“That’s only a part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
“There’s too big a gap between us,” she said. She felt suddenly tired. More than tired. She pulled out a chair and sat down, knowing full well she couldn’t have stayed on her feet for another moment. “I’ve lived here all my life. My family has lived here for four generations. I’m safe here, and so is my daughter. I’m not willing to give that up.”
He took the chair next to hers and moved it over so he could face her closely, then he sat down. Reaching over gently, he captured her hand. His thumb rubbed her wrist softly, back and forth. “I don’t want to steal you from your family and put you in some ivory tower. I’ve got a company jet that will be at your disposal, and there’s no reason you and Chloe couldn’t use it as often as you like.”
She started to protest but he held up his free hand to stop her.
“The safety issue is a little trickier. New York can be a dangerous place, but there are ways to make yourself safer. I can help with that. I can’t guarantee nothing bad would happen, but you can’t guarantee that you wouldn’t be hit by a milk truck tomorrow on Main Street. But I don’t think that’s the safety you’re talking about.”
“No?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I think the reason you’re so safe here is because you don’t have to risk your heart. When’s the last time you went out on a date?”
She took her hand out of his. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything. Even if it was your business.”
He leaned deliberately forward and retook her hand, holding it tightly so she couldn’t break away. After a moment, she stopped trying to.
“Come on, Doc. Don’t pull back now. Tell me. Was it this year? Last year? Have you been out with anyone since Chloe was born?”
She nodded. “Yes, I have.”
“And?”
“It didn’t work out.”
“It? One guy?”
“So I’m not promiscuous. Sue me.”
He laughed. God, that sound weakened her more than any of his logical questions or illogical assumptions. That, and his hand on hers. If she didn’t make a clean getaway soon, she might crumble, and that would not be smart.
“Safety isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he said. “It’s damn lonely. What’s the worst thing that will happen if you come with me to New York?”
“I’ll feel horribly out of place. Out of my league.”
“I can safely promise that won’t happen. You’ll love New York. I know you will. Dani, it’s a thrilling city, and it has so much to offer you. As for being out of your league, that’s just plain not true. Despite the fact that I know a lot of wealthy people. They’re not all jerks. Some of them are pretty decent. Almost as good as the folks right here in Carlson’s Gap.”
She studied his eyes, surprised at the fervor she saw there. “Why are you fighting so hard?” she asked. “That’s what I don’t understand. You don’t know me well enough to want me like this.”
He sat back with a jerk. She could see her question had startled him. But it had to be asked.
“I guess I am fighting pretty hard,” he said. “But that’s just who I am. When I know something is right, I don’t let anything stand in my way.”
“And you know I’m something right?”
He nodded. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“I wish I could be so sure.”
“I think you already are. It’s the fear that’s stopping you, Dani. Trust me, you won’t feel lost or alone. I won’t let that happen.”
“There are some things even you can’t protect me from,” she said, pulling her hand free once more. She stood up before he could grab it again. “You can’t protect me from a broken heart.”
“I’d never hurt you, honey. Never.”
“Don’t say that. You know it’s not true.”
He stood, too, but he didn’t try to touch her again. He simply captured her gaze and held it steady with an intensity that kept her from moving an inch. “You can stay here,” he said, “and be safe and secure and watch your daughter grow up, and your practice flourish. You might even meet some nice guy, and decide to get married. But you’ll always know that you had a chance for magic, and you let it pass you by.”
“Magic?”
He nodded. Then he lifted his hand and brought it slowly toward her. He touched her arm with the tips of his fingers, and she jumped from the spark. She didn’t see it with her eyes, but she felt the shock course through her. Up and down her arms, through her chest, down her legs, settling at the juncture of her thighs. Just from a touch. Just from his touch.
“Magic.”
Chapter Twelve
“W
hat’s all this?” Dani stood in the laundry room, amazed and mystified by the stacks of neatly folded clothes on the low utility table. Everything was clean. Blouses, slacks and skirts were hung on the rack, towels and sheets were separated by color.
“Hmm,” Alex said, moving up behind her...close behind her. He put his hand on her waist, tentatively at first, then firmed his grip and pulled her back so she was flush against him. “Looks like the laundry fairy paid you a visit.”
“But you were sleeping. I saw—”
Alex turned her around. “You saw me? And when was that, you little voyeur?”
She felt her cheeks flush. Not just because she’d let it slip that she’d peeked in on him during the night, but because he held her so close to him that she felt her body get all moist and tingly. The magic was back, full force. As much as she’d like to deny that, she couldn’t. She betrayed herself every time she touched him. “I looked in on you, yes,” she said, trying hard to keep her voice steady and guard her eyes so he wouldn’t see what he was doing to her. “Just to make sure everything was okay.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. You were sleeping very soundly. I thought for the night.”
He nodded. “I did sleep through the night. I told you. It was the laundry fairy.”
“Alex, of all the things I could call you, a fairy isn’t one of them.”
He grinned. It was impossible not to grin back. Lord, how handsome he was. In his simple white shirt, sleeves rolled up revealing the muscled forearms with a smattering of dark hair that made him all the more masculine, and his jeans, just tight enough to show off his award-winning butt, he was devastating. But just because he turned her to mush, she wasn’t going to take back what she’d said last night.
“There’s only one thing I want you to call me, Doc.”
“What’s that?”
“Lover.” Then he leaned forward, her eyes fluttered closed and then his mouth took hers captive.
He didn’t use force. He used skill. His lips touched hers lightly at first, then the pressure increased until she knew she was being soundly, stunningly kissed. When he let up, she opened her mouth to protest, which must have been what he’d counted on, for in that second, he snuck his tongue inside her mouth and tasted her, awakening sensations that had no business being awake.
Using his hands on her back, massaging, exploring, squeezing her flesh oh so gently, he outmaneuvered her on both flanks. She pulled back for a second, realized it was hopeless and sent up the white flag. She kissed him back.
Alex knew the moment she let go. The moment she shed her inhibitions and responded like no other woman alive. Her taste, slightly sweet and slightly coffee, was as intoxicating as champagne. Her scent, a mixture of pure woman and summer flowers, snaked inside him and turned him into a cauldron of need. Her feel, soft, feminine, curvy and delicate, made him swell painfully against his jeans. And when she nibbled on his lower lip, teased him with her tongue, ran her hand down his back, he wanted to take her right there. On the dryer. On the table. Against the wall. It didn’t matter, as long as he could take possession of the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world. Dani. His Dani.
No longer thinking with reason, he moved his right hand to her breast and the second he touched her rigid nipple beneath her blouse, he groaned and pressed against her lower belly. He heard her moan in response, and that was it. He couldn’t take any more. Moving her back toward the low table, he grabbed her thighs just below her derrière, and lifted her onto the table. He spread her knees apart and moved into that space, never letting go of her lips, never letting the contact between them widen.
She pulled back for a second and whispered, “Chloe.”
Without missing a beat, he stuck his leg out, caught the edge of the door and shoved it closed.
“Oh, my,” she said, and he inhaled the words as he brought his mouth down on hers once more.
He felt her arms come around his neck, and the insanely sensuous feel of her fingers in his hair. As his head swam and his body boiled, he used his fingers to unbutton her blouse. Quickly, carefully, and then he was touching the soft skin of the top of her breast and the silky bra that held her for him. His thumbs traced the outline of the bra, then slipped underneath, just for a second.
He pulled back from their kiss and looked at her. She took his breath away with her beauty. This is how he always wanted her. Hungry. Needing him. Mouth parted slightly. Tinge of pink on her cheeks. Eyes half closed and filled with desire. No mortal man could fail to be moved, and God knows, he was only flesh and blood.
Although he never wanted to stop looking at her, there was more to do. So much more. He leaned down, drinking in the sight of her breasts. Her nipples, as hard as erasers, pushed the silky pink fabric invitingly, and he lowered his lips first to her right bud. Circling the hard nub with his tongue, feeling it swell even further, he took the hidden flesh in his teeth, very gently, then sucked in sharply.
Her gasp was his reward. No longer content to toy with her, he unclasped the front opening of the bra and peeled it back, letting go with his mouth at the last possible second. She was completely exquisite. Her breasts, pale and high and firm, showed her arousal so clearly it made him crazy. He cupped her right breast in his hand while he gave her left nipple his mouth’s attention. Tasting her skin was too much. Feeling her arch her back was more than he could stand. And when he felt her hand on his jeans, and then, merciful heaven, on his erection, he nearly came right then.
“Oh, Alex,” she murmured as she felt his heat. “I want...”
He found her hand and pressed it to him more firmly, echoing her words with his body.
“Dani,” he whispered, not leaving her breast. Then words were impossible with his tongue and his lips so busy.
“Mom! I’m gonna be late again!”
He felt Dani freeze. Her hand pulled away. The arch in her back straightened, and he groaned in frustration.
“Chloe,” Dani said urgently.
What could he do? He backed away, unable to look at her. If he did, he’d never let her go, Chloe or no Chloe.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her struggle with her bra and then her blouse. He was struggling with something much more personal.
“I think Pete can come home today. If you want, you can come to the clinic this afternoon to get him, or I can just bring him home.”
He nodded, knowing that wasn’t an answer, but unable to speak.
“I’ll call you later.”
He heard her jump down from the table. “Or you can call me.”
She moved to the door.
“Oh, damn,” she said.
Then the door opened and closed. He leaned hard against the cold wall. It didn’t help. He had a terrible feeling nothing would.
 
SOMEHOW, DANI MANAGED to get through the day. Five dogs, seven cats, two parakeets and one gerbil took her mind off Alex intermittently, although nothing had taken him completely away. It was as if his touch had come with her to work. She could still feel every spot on her body that he’d caressed. She had never been more grateful for the white lab coat she wore, as her nipples had remained hard all day. She hadn’t known they could do that. Of course, she had to wonder if Alex had stayed that way, too. For his sake, she hoped not. Although the idea of doing that to him did appeal to some very primitive, very naughty part of her.
He’d phoned her at ten. She’d called him at noon. Then again at two. Since she was bringing Pete home with her, he hadn’t come to visit, which was for the best. If she was having this much trouble with him so many blocks away, everything would have fallen apart if she’d actually seen him.
But now that her last patient was gone, she couldn’t hurry enough. Pete was really doing well, and he was almost as anxious as she was to get home to Alex. His whole body quivered as she locked up the clinic, and never had she identified more with her canine friends. Her own quivering wasn’t quite so obvious, but it was there, all right.
Knowing it was all wrong, that a relationship with Alex would never work, hadn’t made a bit of difference. Her logic and her body were at odds with each other, and right now logic wasn’t winning. All she could think of was getting home. Seeing his smile. Hearing his voice. Feeling his touch.
Finally she opened her front door. The first thing she noticed was that Mimi wasn’t in the living room, and the TV was off. She led Pete toward the kitchen and he must have gotten Alex’s scent because halfway there, he started leading her. They’d just hit the kitchen door when they both saw Alex.
He stood at the stove, stirring something hot in a big pot. He put down the spoon, turned, and with a smile that was pure little boy, said, “Welcome home.”
He kept his gaze on her as he squatted down for Pete. The old dog bounded across the floor, and nearly knocked him over. But still, Alex looked at her. Until, that is, Pete started licking his face.
“Mom, guess what? Who’s that?”
Chloe stood beside her, staring at Alex and Pete. She still had on her school clothes—a green jumper with a turtleneck underneath—but she was also sporting a red baseball cap with the brim turned around. Dani was a little startled to see that her daughter had sprouted again. She came up to the middle of her upper arm, where just a few weeks ago, she’d reached her elbow. She was growing up so quickly.
She leaned over and kissed her little girl on the cheek. “That’s Pete,” she said. “Alex’s dog.”
“Cool. Can I pet him?”
“Sure. But I’d wait for the homecoming to be over first.”
Chloe nodded.
“What were you going to tell me?” Dani asked.
“Oh, yeah. Guess what?”
“What?”
“We have to make two cakes. It’s for the school booth. One’s supposed to be chocolate and the other is supposed to be something else.”
“We? You got a mouse in your pocket?”
“It’s supposed to be a mother-daughter project. And I’ve never baked a cake before.”
Dani narrowed her eyes. “When do we have to bake these cakes?”
“Tonight.”
“Uh-huh. And when did you find out about this project?”
Chloe blushed. “Two weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t tell me then because...?”
“I forgot. Oh, and we’re not supposed to use a mix. And I have to bring the recipes to school on three-by-five cards so they can be in the cookbook.”
Dani sighed. “No mix?”
Chloe shook her head. “Mr. Tompkins said that we should find out if there are any old family recipes, like from our grandparents. We’re supposed to write. something about that.”
“Good idea,” Dani said. “I’m sure Grandma would love to help you with the cakes.”
“I can help.”
Dani and Chloe both blinked, then turned to Alex. He’d risen, although his hand was still busy petting Pete’s head.
“You?” Dani asked. She tried really hard not to laugh out loud. She couldn’t do much about her grin, though.
“Hey, who do you think cooked dinner?”
She looked at her kitchen. In addition to the pot on the stove, there were several other pots and pans in or near the sink. Her old punch bowl, which was given to her by her aunt Esther, but which she’d never used, appeared to be filled with lettuce and tomatoes. There was also an assortment of spice jars, oil, vinegar, salt, flour, baking soda and some other unidentifiable food containers lined up on the counter. “My goodness,” she said. “Bored, were we?”
Alex approached her, Pete tagging along, obviously happy to be with his master again. “I wasn’t bored at all. This cooking thing is interesting. Easier than I thought it would be.”
“Oh?” She let him lead her to the stove. He took the lid off the pot, and she smelled chicken and garlic. Lots of garlic. “What’s this?”
“It’s soup. But that’s not the main course. That’s in the oven.”
She pulled down the door to the oven and saw a whole bird roasting inside. From here, it looked good. Brown-skinned, juicy. Next to it was a covered casserole. “And?”
“Stuffing.”
She closed the door. “I didn’t know I had everything to make such a sumptuous meal. Thank you. May I ask what brought on this mad rush of domesticity?”
“I promised you a good dinner. I didn’t want to leave Pete his first night home, so the next best thing was to do it myself.”
She crossed her arms and looked at him, standing there so proudly you’d have thought he’d just invented chicken itself.
“The only thing we don’t have is dessert.”
“We’re not big on desserts here—”
“We can make the cakes!” Chloe said, blithely interrupting. “We can make three, and eat one tonight.”
“Sure we can,” Alex said, before Dani had a chance to catch her breath. “It’ll be fun. The three of us can each work on one.”

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