Mr Destiny (24 page)

“And you would have the upper hand letting a surrogate have your husband's child because?”

“I made John agree that the surrogate had to meet all of my qualifications. She has to be Caucasian. Brunette. IQ of at least
190. College graduate. And between twenty-five and thirty years old.”

Kate laughed. “In other words, you, with maybe fudging a little bit on the IQ.”

“Exactly. I convinced John that if a surrogate was going to have his child, it only made sense that she should be as much
like me as possible.”

“Knowing all along your qualifications could never be met.”

“Are you implying I'm that devious?”

“I
know
you're that devious,” Kate said, “that's one reason I'm calling. Gram has already left me two messages, Alex. I want you
to call her for me. Tell her I'm okay. Make up a good lie about why I can't call her myself.”

“Not a good idea,” Alex said. “If I call Grace, that will only alert her to the fact that something really is going on. Other
than your just taking time off to collect your thoughts.”

Kate thought about it. “Yeah, maybe you're right.”

“Use the low battery on your cell phone trick. Call her, but before she can quiz you or lecture you, tell her your battery
is going dead and you'll have to call her later.”

“You're a genius.”

“So I've been told,” Alex boasted. “But back to Tony. Where is he now? Have you left the poor guy in a sex-induced coma?”

“Tony's in town at the moment,” Kate said. She added quite happily, “He just happens to be picking up things for the scrumptious
dinner he's going to make for me later. And then I suspect he will carry me up the spiral staircase like he did earlier, to
his loft bedroom in his A-frame cabin, which couldn't be any more romantic, where he'll again kiss every inch of my body and
have me screaming and begging for more.”

“Dear God,” Alex said. “You really do have it bad. You should be careful here, Kate. Afterglow can be misleading. You should…”

Kate cut her off. “The quickest way to end this conversation, Alex, is to keep starting every sentence with ‘you should.’
I'm
over
everyone telling me what I should and shouldn't do.”

“Don't get pissy with me, Kate. I only…”

“Alex? Alex?” Kate feigned. “I'll have to call you back later. My cell phone battery is going dead.”

Tony had taken more time in town than he'd intended. He'd just wanted to make sure everything was perfect— the trout, the
wine, even the fresh greens he'd picked for the salad. He'd also stopped by the drugstore again, this time for a few personal
items for Kate—a comb, a brush, her own toothbrush.

A change of clothing wouldn't be necessary.

If Tony had his way about it, she'd never get a chance to wear them.

He grabbed the sacks from the passenger seat, whistling happily as he bounded up the steps to the deck and into the cabin.
When he walked into the great room and dumped the sacks on the kitchen counter, he looked up and saw her coming down the stairs.

His heart melted.

Breathtaking doesn't do her justice.

She'd obviously taken a shower. Her hair was still damp, clinging to those magnificent high cheekbones and framing her beautiful
face. She'd changed clothes, too. Not a bad idea since it did tend to get a little chilly in the evenings.

Whoa!

She's changed clothes?

Her soft-looking pink sweater was certainly alluring. Seeing her in those tight jeans definitely made his mouth water. Even
her hot-pink-painted barefoot toes completely turned him on.

Still, Tony couldn't resist saying, “Nice jeans.”

She blushed.

“I…” She looked at him for a second and put her hands on her hips. “Okay. I admit it. It was presumptuous of me to assume
you were alone up here, much less come prepared to stay. But if it makes any difference to you, I've never wanted anything
more than finding you here alone and you asking me to stay.”

Tony walked over and slid his arms around her waist.

“I was only teasing,” he told her, and kissed the top of her head. “I forgot to ask when I left for town if you needed anything.
But I bought you a comb and brush and toothbrush just in case.”

She looked up at him. “You did that for me?”

Tony nodded. “Does that sound like someone who's ready for you to leave anytime soon?”

“I did try to call you first,” she said after he bent down and kissed her. “You didn't ask how I'd found you when I first
got here, so I assumed you'd figured out your mother gave me directions to the cabin.”

Tony laughed. “I'm surprised my mother didn't offer to bring you up here herself.”

“She would have had to fight Alex for that privilege,” she said. “Alex was ready to bring me Saturday night.”

Tony bent down and kissed her again.

“Your mother gave me your cell phone number, too,” she said. “And if you'd bothered to keep your cell phone on, I wouldn't
be trying to explain myself now.”

“I have a confession of my own to make,” Tony told her.

She pushed back from him.

“Look,” she said, “if your confession has anything to do with female guests you've invited to come up here later, that's really
none of my business.”

He pulled her back against him. “No female guests, Kate. Not ever. You're the only person besides my family who's ever been
to Trail's End.”

When she settled her head against his shoulder, he said, “I was referring to why you couldn't reach me on my cell phone.”

Kate laughed when he finished his confession.

“You're serious? You really threw your phone in the lake?”

Tony nodded. “That's how disappointed I was when I'd given up all hope that you were going to call. And if it makes any difference
to you, the first thing I thought when I turned around and saw you standing behind me, was that the only thing I'd ever wished
for had just come true.”

Could I possibly be any crazier about him than I am right now?

Knowing she could scared her.

But that didn't keep Kate from circling her arms around his neck and kissing Tony so thoroughly she felt his instant response
as he pressed hard against her. She reached down, her touch saying everything he needed to know.

He led her to the sofa.

She sank back against the soft cushions.

Her breath caught as he unfastened the top button of her jeans. Her pulse raced, watching his own desire change the expression
on his handsome face.

Afterglow?

Or ever after?

It didn't matter.

She would never get enough of this man.

Never tire of him touching her.

Never be able to spend another day without a desperate yearning for his kiss.

Madly.

Truly.

Deeply.

Whatever this was, it was simply beyond her control.

Kate snuggled closer when Tony leaned forward and kissed her ear. They were relaxing on the deck now, both sitting in the
same lounge chair. His arms were around her, holding her close. She was settled between his legs, leaning back against his
broad chest. Both of them listening to the night sounds—the lulling cadence of the crickets, an occasional splash from a fish
jumping in the lake below, a screech from an owl somewhere in the distance.

He snuggled even closer to her.

She didn't resist.

The meal they'd just finished had been superb—once they'd left each other alone long enough to prepare dinner. The effort
had been a joint one. He attended to the grill. She made the salad. She teased him mercilessly because all of his CDs were
strictly eighties pop music. He teased her right back because she knew all of the words to each and every song.

“Are you cold, baby?”

“No, I'm fine,” Kate said, but she couldn't keep from smiling happily to herself. How could she possibly be cold when a warm
feeling spread through her every time he called her baby?

Such a simple endearment—baby.

Some people probably even found it silly.

But it wasn't silly to her, not when Tony said it.

Maybe because she'd never forget the first time he'd called her that—his voice husky with emotion, urging her to let it happen.

Let it happen, baby.

But exactly what in the hell
was
baby letting happen?

Besides the obvious, of course.

The obvious was that baby had lost her freaking head over Tony Petrocelli.

Maybe baby should call a proctologist and see if they can find it for me!

He nuzzled against her neck, flipping her emotions upside down again. Kate wanted more than anything to believe Tony felt
the same way about her—that he couldn't stand the thought of losing her now that they'd finally found each other.

Yet, every time she felt herself slipping into that delirious state of happiness—exactly the way she'd been doing only a few
minutes earlier—her better judgment tapped her on the shoulder, quickly reminding her that:(a) she was thirty years old; (b)
she'd never truly been in love in her life; and (c) the probability that she was in love with a guy she'd seen a grand total
of four times was as likely as poor John finding a surrogate to meet Alex's unmatchable qualifications.

However.

If Tony's only interest in her was just being a regular orgasm donor in her life, he was sure putting on one hell of a great
act.

Excuse me?

Talk about great actors.

Does the name Harold Wellington ring a bell?

To hell with Harold.

Harold didn't deserve to share her same brain space with Tony.

She'd put an end to that embarrassingly sad chapter in her life. Or, technically, she
would
put an end to Harold. Forever. Once she showed up for afternoon tea at the Waldorf.

She hadn't told Tony that part.

About Harold's big surprise wedding, and that she still had a face-to-face meeting with Harold looming in the distance.

But she would tell him.

Just not tonight.

The day had been too perfect.

The night had the promise of being even better.

She'd tell Tony about her upcoming meeting with Harold in the morning, before she went back to Manhattan.

Gulp.

And if he never wants to see me again?

He shifted their position and kissed her.

“Don't go back to the city tomorrow,” he said, his strong arms circling around her even tighter. “Say you'll stay with me
at least one more day.”

“I'll stay,” Kate said, slipping right back into delirious happydom. “I'll stay until Tuesday morning.”

Pushover!

Kate was too happy to care.