Читать книгу Irresistible Forces - Brenda Jackson - Страница 7

Chapter 3

Taylor stood at the window that had the Jefferson Memorial as a backdrop as she thought about the kiss she and Dominic had shared. Lucky for her a slight reprieve had come when his cell phone rang and he’d excused himself to take the call in private.

She refused to believe that she had bitten off more than she could chew. She had known from the beginning that Dominic was the epitome of a sexy male, a challenge to any woman’s hormones and a mass of French-American testosterone all rolled into one. At the time she had decided she wanted him as the father of her child, there was no doubt in her mind that she could handle him. What she hadn’t done was take the time to consider all of the consequences.

She traced her lips with her tongue, still tasting him there. She hadn’t counted on not being in control of any situation with him, but if that kiss had lasted any longer than it had, she would have lost control. Completely. She had been kissed before, several times, but she had never considered or remembered the occasions as being the highlight of her life. One kiss was the same as another. Mouths connecting. Lips tasting. Tongues playing.

But what she had shared moments ago with Dominic was all those things and more. She hadn’t counted on the rush of desire that had radiated through every part of her body at the same time that her insides began a slow meltdown under intense heat. She wished she could claim her reaction had been the result of restless energy being tapped or the release of bottled-up sexual tension. What Dominic had done was place an all-out assault on her senses, each one of them, and it would take her some time to recover from the tingling rush of desire she still felt. It was desire of a magnitude that had never invaded her body before. Even now she could imagine his hands on her, stroking her naked skin, his lips tasting every inch of her willing body and their bodies connecting in the most primitive way known to man. There was no doubt in her mind that when and if they shared a bed they would literally burn up the sheets.

“Sorry about the interruption.”

She slowly turned around. He might have been sorry about it, but she had welcomed it. It had given her time to pull herself together or at least try to. “No need to apologize. You’re a businessman who works 24-7.” She smiled. “As your asset manager I can certainly appreciate that.”

Her eyes roamed over him, liking the way his muscles filled out the suit he was wearing. There were a number of other things she could appreciate at that moment but decided it would be safer not to think about them right now.

When he stood there staring at her without saying anything, she felt a bit cornered, placed under his personal microscope, and she couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking. So she decided to ask. “You seem absorbed in some intense thought, Dominic. What are you thinking?”

A smile stretched his lips as he crossed the room to her. And when he reached out and ran the back of his hand along her cheek, the throbbing between her legs intensified. “I was more envisioning than thinking,” he finally said in a deep, husky tone. “I was trying to picture in my mind you pregnant with my child.”

Taylor bit her lip. He should have said anything but that. She knew at that moment her fate was sealed. He had made a decision or was close to making one. And although what they would agree to do would be illogical, definitely outlandish to some people, to her it would be absolutely incredible, a dream come true.

“Does that mean you’ve made a decision, Dominic?” she asked in a quiet voice. Her pulse was racing a lot faster than her calm words would indicate.

“Yes. And I just hope it’s what you really want. You would not only be giving me a child, but also my parents their first grandchild. I might as well warn you that it won’t be easy being the mother of the Saxon heir.” Dominic’s mouth set in a grim line when he added, “That might be something you need to really consider.”

She knew how it was when it came to first grandchildren. Her cousin Chance’s son, Marcus, had been the first for her aunt and uncle and she had been around to experience the hoopla that for years seemed endless. “I would welcome your parents’ involvement in our child’s life, and if they get too overbearing I believe that I’d be able to handle them.”

When he didn’t say anything for a while and she felt the throb in her body becoming an ache, she asked, “What is your decision, Dominic?” She stared into the intensity of his green eyes, wanting to hear him say it, refusing to assume anything.

“My decision, Taylor, is to take you to that island, spend a week with you and get you pregnant.”

Taylor’s breath caught in her throat. His words had been straightforward. No way for any misunderstanding. He had agreed to what she’d asked for. Confident that he could. He was giving her just what she wanted and she couldn’t hide her happiness. It was there in her smile. She felt overwhelmed. Touched. Totally elated. “Thank you. It’s what I want.”

She didn’t miss the look of desire in his eyes when he said in a deep, husky tone, “Me and you both.”

* * *

Dominic knew it was time for Taylor to leave or else he would be considering things that he should not have—not at this point. Deciding to be the father of her child was enough for now.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” he asked, trying to control the situation.

“Yes.”

“Good. It’s getting late. I’ll walk you downstairs for Ryder to take you home,” he said, grabbing his jacket off the back of the sofa and slipping into it.

“I’m going home for the weekend,” she said casually. He knew home to her was Charlotte, North Carolina.

“If you change your mind about anything while I’m away then—”

“I won’t be changing my mind,” he said in an assured tone as they walked toward the door. “In fact, I’ll give my attorney a call to draw up the necessary papers.” At her surprised look he said, “I’m sure you know that I’ll feel better about the situation if we treat it like a legitimate business deal—which it is. That means a binding contract between us that we can agree on.”

“Of course.”

He glanced over at her. She said the words but to his way of thinking sounded none too pleased. Had she thought he would give her a verbal agreement on anything and not follow it up in writing? Not only would doing so protect him but it would protect her, as well. All he had to do was recall what had happened to his childhood friend Matt Caulder.

Matt had fallen in love and had gotten married a few years back. The woman had been bad news from the first, but love had blinded his friend to that fact. Within months the woman had gotten pregnant and had tried using the child as bargaining power whenever she’d wanted anything. Luckily, Matt had been able to take Rhonda to court and prove he was the better parent.

He couldn’t imagine ever having to take Taylor to court for anything, but still he wanted his rights regarding any child they made together protected.

“I’ll arrange for my attorney to get the papers to you within a week. That will give you time to let your own attorney review them,” he said as they walked toward the bank of elevators. “Do you have any idea when we’ll be leaving for the island? There’re a few business matters I’d want to wrap up before then.”

“In two weeks. I’m contacting my travel agent tomorrow to set everything into motion. I’m looking at the first week in April. Will that work for you?”

Whether it did or not, he intended to make it work. A week spent on an island with her was worth shifting anything around that needed to be changed. “Yes, it will work.”

When they stepped onto the elevator she said, “Sorry I didn’t get to meet your parents.”

He nodded. He was sorry, as well. They would like her. “They were meeting friends but I thought that perhaps they would return early. I was wrong. However, considering the circumstances of our business arrangement, it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually meet them.”

He had to continue to think of what they would be doing as a business arrangement and nothing more. He glanced over and caught her staring at him. Her head was tilted in a way that gave the impression she was trying to figure something out. Most likely it was him. Although she had been his asset manager for a couple of years she’d never really seen the personal side of him. Things had always been kept on a strictly business level.

“Will you tell your parents everything?”

“No. They have purely romantic minds and won’t understand how we can do such a thing without being in love, so the less they know the better.”

He sighed knowing in a few moments the elevator would be back down in the lobby. He turned to her. “Are you sure this is what you want, Taylor?”

Now he was giving her the chance to reconsider all they had agreed to this evening.

“Yes, I’m sure. I want a baby.”

“In that case,” he said slowly, “I’m going to try my best to give you one. To give us one,” he clarified.

Unable to resist, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It was a lot tamer than the lip-locker, tongue-thrasher of earlier, but he still managed to feel blood sizzle through his veins. Kissing her was definitely increasing his sex drive, arousing everything male within. Considering the number of beautiful women who routinely crossed his path, he found it strange that he would want her so intensely.

The elevator door opened and he saw Ryder across the lobby, standing and talking with one of the hotel workers. The older man caught his gaze and nodded. Dominic returned his eyes to Taylor. “This is where I must bid you good-night,” he said, trying to sound normal when he felt anything but. “Have a safe trip to Charlotte and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

He tried not focusing on her lips. They were lips he wanted to kiss again and was grateful when Ryder appeared. “Make sure she gets home safely,” he said.

“Sure thing.”

Not able to fight temptation and not caring that they weren’t alone—besides Ryder there were a number of people mingling around in the lobby—he leaned over and kissed her lips once more. The moment he did so, tingles of awareness shot through him. The thought that suddenly jackknifed through his mind was how was he going to spend a week with her on some exotic island and maintain his control? The answer came to him just as quickly.

He wouldn’t have to.

* * *

Elated beyond belief, Taylor bid the driver good-night and walked toward her front door. She glanced over her shoulder. Ryder had not moved and was still stationed by the car. Dominic had instructed the man not to leave until he saw that she was safely inside her home and Ryder was definitely following orders.

After unlocking her door she opened it and went inside. After scanning the room, she quickly moved to the windows and flipped the blinds, letting him know she was okay. It was only then that he got inside the sedan and drove off.

She checked her watch. It was almost ten. To Taylor it was still fairly early, but someone like Vanessa, who was known to retire early, would normally have been in bed by now. But Taylor knew she’d want to hear this—she had news worth sharing. She picked up the phone to begin dialing. After she talked to Vanessa she would call Cheyenne, who was doing a photo shoot somewhere in China. The three of them would be together this coming weekend in Charlotte when they got fitted for their bridesmaids’ dresses.

“Hello.”

Taylor raised a brow. It was a man’s voice. Cameron’s.

“Yes, Cameron, how are you? Is Vanessa asleep?”

She heard his smooth chuckle. “No, she’s awake. Hold on a second.”

Taylor really liked Cameron and, unlike Vanessa, she had from the first. It hadn’t bothered her in the least that at one time he’d tried taking over her family company. She hadn’t taken it personally as Vanessa had. Increasing a person’s wealth was Taylor’s business and she couldn’t help but admire anyone who wanted to increase their riches.

“Taylor, what happened?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “What makes you think something happened?”

“Ha! Cut the act, Taylor. We both know what was supposed to go down tonight. So give up the details!”

“Details? Why did Cameron answer your phone? Isn’t it kind of late for him to be visiting?” Taylor asked, grinning.

“Nope. In fact he’s staying the night. And unless I change the locks he’ll stay the week. He likes keeping me in his sights and I like having him around.”

Taylor could hear the smile in Vanessa’s voice. Her sister was happy and she was happy for her. In fact she was happy for herself, as well, which was the reason she had called.

“So don’t change the subject. Tell me everything.”

“Can we talk now or am I taking you away from something?”

“I can talk. Cameron just got in the shower,” Vanessa said.

“He’s agreed to do it.”

“Dominic Saxon agreed to get you pregnant?”

She could hear the excitement in Vanessa’s voice. “Yes.”

“So I’m going to be an aunt?”

Taylor smiled. “More than likely. There’s no reason to think we won’t click.” Especially after tonight, she thought, remembering how Dominic had to be assured that they would.

“When you come home this weekend, we’re going to have to celebrate.”

Biting down on her lip, Taylor fought to control her happiness and discovered that she couldn’t. Both of her sisters knew how much she wanted a child.

“Can I tell Sienna?”

Taylor smiled. Sienna Bradford was Vanessa’s best friend and had been since grade school. “Yes, tell her but don’t tell the cousins anything. You know how overprotective they can be at times.”

“Okay. So there’s a chance you’ll be pregnant at my wedding.”

Taylor sighed. She certainly hoped so. If everything worked out as planned, she and Dominic would be going to the Caribbean the beginning of next month and Vanessa was having a June wedding. Taylor wouldn’t be so far along that she needed to worry about an adjustment to her bridesmaid’s dress, but she hoped to be very, merry pregnant.

“I’ll let you get back to Cameron and I prefer that you not tell him. He and Morgan have a friendship,” she said, thinking of her cousin, “and he might let something slip.”

“I hate to say it, but you’re probably right. You’ve taken a big step, Taylor. Are you sure you’re ready for the next one?”

Taylor felt a nervous flutter in her belly, the same belly that would be her child’s home for nine months. “Yes, I’m ready for the next one.”

* * *

“Tell me you’re joking about this, Nick.”

The look on Matt Caulder’s face indicated that he was expecting Dominic to say the diabolic plan he’d just laid out to him was a joke. But the more Matt studied his best friend’s expression the more he could tell Dominic was dead serious.