AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Connor came back, Dylan’s cries intensified at the sight of the bottle.
“Give me a second, Dyl.” As Dylan protested she removed the plastic seal and replaced the top of the bottle, then sank onto the plump cushions of the couch and positioned him in the crook of her arm. “There you go,” she murmured, giving him the bottle.
She resumed humming a snatch of “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” then ceased as she became aware of Connor watching her, a smile lurking around his mouth.
“Don’t stop.”
Flushing, and terribly self-conscious under his intense scrutiny, she said, “I don’t hum—or sing—very well.”
“It sounded fine to me, and more importantly Dylan liked it. Look, he’s complaining because you’ve stopped.”
Victoria glanced down to see Dylan’s mouth working frantically, his tongue clearly visible as he prepared to let out a loud bellow.
“That’s not my humming he’s missing—it’s the teat.” Victoria offered the dislodged teat to him and the baby, latched on with gusto.
She slanted a faint smile up at Connor. “But thanks for saying he was missing it, even if it was the tallest tale I’ve ever heard.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“It was worse, but we’ll keep that our secret, okay?”
He gave her a long look. “Our secret.”
Suddenly feeling as if her skin had grown too tight, Victoria pulled Dylan closer. The silence surrounding the three of them seemed to quiver.
What in heaven’s name was happening to her? Victoria started to hum again. Anything to break that seething quiet. After a while she switched over to “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and Connor joined in.
Dylan sucked the last dregs out of the bottle and his eyelids started to droop.
“I’ve been thinking…”
Instantly Connor had all her attention. “What?”
“Dylan should stay here.”
Euphoria swept Victoria along. She’d gotten what she’d wanted. Now she had to make it work, prove to Connor it was the right thing for Dylan. “I’m so glad you realized I was right.”
His gaze narrowed to cool slits and all the easygoing camaraderie evaporated. “Hang on, we’re not changing the custody arrangement of the will. He stays with you for now, but we’ll review the arrangement in a month.”
No, that wasn’t what she’d intended.
She considered arguing that his solution only meant unsettling Dylan later down the line, then decided to quit while she was still ahead. When the time came, she was sure she’d be able to convince him that Dylan would be better off staying with her. As for her resolve to tell Connor that she wanted to keep their relationship formal as Dylan’s guardians, it appeared that would not be necessary. Connor was all business. He certainly showed no signs of being a man overwhelmed by desire. She suppressed a ridiculous stab of something suspiciously like disappointment.
He was speaking again. “Dylan needs you. I can’t deny it—you’re so good with him.”
Victoria stared at him, astonished. Connor thought she was good with Dylan? He wasn’t the kind of man to give false praise. A surge of happiness swept her. So much for all her fears that she’d be terrible at the mothering stuff.
He was still talking. “But it’s going to slow down your career track.”
“I know, and I’ve come to terms with that.” She would have to speak to Bridget and tell her that she wouldn’t be working late into the evenings anymore. She gave Connor a bright smile that faded a little as his gaze intensified in a way that made her shiver inside.
“So you’ll need to take leave for a couple of weeks.”
Take leave? Averting her face, Victoria placed the empty bottle on the coffee table. How could she take leave? Especially now when everyone at ACE was working to full capacity. She’d tell him later that she had no intention of taking leave. Now was not a good time. He might renege on his decision to leave Dylan with her.
When she was sure she had her emotions under control, she raised her head—and clashed with Connor’s intense gaze. Her stomach rolled over.
Victoria drew a steadying breath. Now was not the time to be sucked in by Connor’s lethal charisma. She wasn’t looking for a man. And he was the last one on earth that she’d pick. Surely she hadn’t forgotten that?
He was all wrong for her—he’d just proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. He’d never let her retain the financial and emotional independence she’d fought so hard to attain. He’d want a woman who he could control and command. A woman who would give up work at his demand. And that would never be her.
