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His kiss turned her body into a bow of tension, eager for him. His massaging fingers gentled her, clouding her mind, making her willing to do whatever he wanted.
His mouth continued to take hers while his fingers drifted across her collarbone and lower to the tops of her br**sts. She felt her ni**les strain against the cups of her bra. Restlessness and need swelled inside her.
He paused a half beat then slid his fingertips beneath the top of her blouse, brushing them over her sensitized nipples. She gasped in pleasure at the sensation.
He pulled his hands from her br**sts and placed them on her shoulders. He pulled his mouth a breath away from hers and it was all she could do to keep from asking him not to stop.
“I want you,” he said against her mouth. “I want you in every way you can imagine and probably a few you can’t. But now is not the time.” He slid one of his hands through her hair. “Promise me that you’ll take care of yourself while I’m away. No taking chances. And call me if you need me.”
Lilli closed her eyes. She’d felt the power of his desire. What frightened her was the fact that her desire for him matched his. What frightened her even more was the very real possibility that she could need Max in ways he would never dream.
Chapter 8
Two and a half weeks later, Lilli dragged herself from her little car up the steps from the mansion’s garage. Her back and legs had been aching all day. She felt tired and cranky and, heaven help her, she missed Max. He called frequently, and every time, she felt the tension between them twist a little tighter.
She’d spent more than one night flirting with the forbidden fantasy of Max being the father of her child. Right now, though, all she wanted to focus on was getting a sandwich, taking a shower and going to bed.
Stepping into the foyer, she stopped and drank in a moment of peace and quiet then walked toward the kitchen.
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices called, startling her so much she dropped her water bottle and purse.
Her friends clapped in delight.
“We did it,” her best friend Dee crowed. “We surprised you.”
“Yes, you did.” Lilli felt some of her weariness fade away and smiled. “How did you pull this off?”
“Because we’re your brilliant friends, of course,” Dee said. “And I think Mallory here has a magic wand. She knew how to deal with the staff, and just wait until you see the cake she brought.”
“Cake?” Lilli echoed and gave Mallory a hug as the woman walked toward her. She’d enjoyed a few lunches with Mallory during the last two weeks and Lilli already had a soft spot for the woman. “You shouldn’t have.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just glad to be a part of all this. Now come in and sit down. Let me get you some sherbet punch.”
After Lilli opened the gifts for her and the baby, Mallory presented Lilli with a large sheet cake decorated with a baby in a blue buggy inscribed with frosted letters, “Happy Baby, Lilli!” The cake was lit with one candle.
“Make a wish and blow out the candle,” Mallory said.
“But it’s not my birthday.”
“It’s your first baby. You can add more candles when you have more babies.”
Lilli looked at her in horror. “More?”
“Okay, let’s just focus on one, then,” Mallory quickly amended. “Make a wish and blow out the candle.”
Lilli closed her eyes and wished for a safe and easy delivery and good health for her baby. Secretly, she wished for a father for her child. An image of the man she would choose appeared in her mind. She blinked, pushing aside the thought. Crazy and impossible, she thought. Must be the hormones.
Just after she opened the last gift, the room abruptly turned silent.
“Major hot guy alert,” Dee whispered.
Lilli turned to see Max standing in the doorway, a wrapped package in his hand. “Max,” she said, stunned. “I thought you were still traveling.”
“I just got back thirty minutes ago. You didn’t tell me you were having a baby shower,” he said in a lightly chastising tone.
Lilli drank in the sight of him. Holding her breath, she wondered if he had looked forward to seeing her again as much as she had looked forward to having him back home. She wondered if he still wanted her the same way he had before.
Dee cleared her throat. “It was a surprise shower,” she said to Max. “What’s in the box?”
He gave a brief glance to Dee then moved toward Lilli. His gaze dipped to her belly.
“I’ve gotten bigger,” she said, unable to keep herself from smiling.
He gave a half grin. “So you have. And still glowing.” He gave her the small but beautifully wrapped box. “Myrtle left a message for me about the shower. I thought you could use this.”
Her hands trembled and she wished they would stop. She hadn’t seen Max in weeks and she would just like to sit down and talk with him. She managed to open the box and found a gift certificate inside. “One mother’s helper of your choice from Personalized Nanny Services for one year.”
Mallory nodded in approval. “PNS is the very best.”
“A nanny?” Lilli said, staring at Max. “I hadn’t planned—”
“Oh, no,” Dee said. “You’re not turning this one down. She loves it,” Dee said to Max. “Perfect gift. Thank you very much.” She turned back to Lilli. “If you get tired of having her around, you can send her over to my place. I would love for someone to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies for me.”
Several of the women moaned in agreement. “Will she do laundry? Will she grocery shop?”
Max met Lilli’s gaze. “She’ll do whatever Lilli wants her to do.”
There was another group moan followed by a collective sigh.
“Can I see you privately for a moment?” he asked.
Lilli felt a combination kick from the baby and a flutter from her heart. “Sure,” she said, rising from her seat.
“Ask him about Alex,” Mallory whispered.
Tearing her gaze from Max, she glanced at Mallory. “Ask him what about Alex?”
“Where he hangs out after work. I introduced him to my father and haven’t seen him since.”
“From what Max says, that could be for the best. Alex is supposed to be a major player.”
“I’d just like the opportunity to find out for myself,” Mallory said.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do,” she said, but her mind wasn’t on Alex or Mallory. It was dominated by Max. She followed him into the foyer, noticing subtle changes in his appearance. His hair was just a little longer, more wavy. When he turned to face her, she noticed his eyes looked a bit weary as he studied her.
“It’s a nice surprise to see you,” she said. “I had no idea you’d be back so soon.”
“I’m glad I could make it. Are you okay? Any of Tony’s friends hanging around?”
“I’m fine and I haven’t seen any of Tony’s friends in a long time.”
“Good,” he said and held her gaze. “I have another event I’m expected to attend tonight, but we need to talk sometime soon. Have you looked over the agreement I left with you?”
She felt a rush of disappointment. “Yes, I have.”
“Good,” he said again. His gaze seemed to say so much more, but Lilli wondered if she was imagining it. “I won’t keep you from your friends.”
She felt another twist of disappointment. That was it. No I’m glad to see you, I want you… Nothing. She stared, waiting, wanting.
“Good night,” he said and turned toward the door.
Lilli continued to stare after him, starting to feel like a fool. Had she misunderstood? “Wait,” she said.
He stopped just as he reached the door and turned around. “Yes?”
Her heart raced. Confused, she didn’t know what to say. “I…uh…” She groped for something to say. “Mallory asked me to ask you about Alex.”
“Alex Megalos?” he said with a frown, walking back toward her.
“Yes. I think she’d like to get to know him better. She was wondering where he usually hangs out after work,” she said, suddenly feeling like a middle schooler.
He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
She gave a slow nod. “Okay” she said. “I’ll tell her.”
He shrugged. “I can probably find out something from my assistant.”
“Thanks.” She hesitated a half beat, hating the awkwardness between them. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just tired and harassed. I’ve been on longer trips, but this one felt like it went on forever.”
She nodded again. “Yeah, it did—” She broke off before she added for me, too. Feeling her cheeks heat from his knowing gaze, she cleared her throat. “Why do you think it felt so long?”
“I think you know,” he said and moved closer to her.
“You want me to sign the agreement about the baby,” she said in a husky voice.
“That’s part of it.” He lowered his head. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes then stepped back. God help him, if he started kissing her, he wouldn’t stop. Being away from her hadn’t cleared his perspective or dampened his desire for her. And Max knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about wanting her at the moment. He’d missed the sound of her laughter and knowing she would be there at home for the end of the day.
Maybe it was a good thing he had to attend the charity fund-raiser tonight after all. Being with Lilli was a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have.
“I should go,” he said in a low voice. “We can talk more on Friday. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
“Okay, thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and held her gaze for a long moment before he left.
The following evening, Lilli flipped through the newspaper as she put up her feet at the end of a long day. She glanced at the bad news on the front page, skipped the Sports section and stopped at the Lifestyle section. The front page featured photos of a charity function sponsored by Max’s company. In one of the photos, Kiki stood next to Max, her arm looped through his. He didn’t look as if he were suffering at all.
