Читать книгу Dad In Demand - Metsy Hingle - Страница 8

“I’m going to have a baby.”

Sean Fitzpatrick’s size-thirteen foot slipped off the desk, and he grabbed the arms of his chair to keep from sprawling onto the floor. Stunned, he stared at Katie Malloy—the woman who had been his buddy and his best pal for more years than he cared to count. “You’re what?”

“I’m going to have a baby,” she repeated calmly, looking just as innocent now as she had nearly twenty years ago-right before she’d fired that first snowball across the backyard fence and hit him between the shoulders.

She was yanking his chain. Had to be, Sean decided, and reached for his coffee. “Quit joking around, Malloy. I’m not buying it. You might want to try selling that line to Michael and Ryan,” he told her, referring to his brothers and partners in the detective agency. “They’re more gullible than me.”

“But I’m not joking. I am going to have a baby. And I want to hire you to help me find the father.”

Sean choked, sputtering coffee across the stack of files on his desk.

“Are you all right?” Katie asked, already around the desk and pounding his back.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Stuff just went down the wrong way. You can stop beating me to death now,” he muttered, feeling as though the air had been sucked right out of his lungs. He couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it. Katie pregnant?

“You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, and waved her back to her seat. While he mopped up the mess, he glanced at her and recognized that I-am-woman-I-can-do-anything look in her eyes. A sure sign of nerves. Sheesh! Of course she’s nervous, Fitzpatrick. The poor kid’s probably scared to death. Anger shot through him like a bullet, and he decided murder was too good for the guy who’d left her in the lurch.

“So, will you help me?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find him.” And when he did, he was going to take great pleasure in rearranging the jerk’s face.

“I knew I could count on you,” she said, giving him that million-dollar smile that always made him feel ten-feet tall.

“You’d better believe it.” After all, Katie was practically family, had been almost from the time she and her mother moved to Chicago and bought the house next door to his parents. Katie had been a fixture at the Fitzpatricks’ home from the moment she’d teamed up with his cousin Molly and pitted herself against the Fitzpatrick brothers. Except for a brief teenage crush he’d suspected she’d had on him, he and Katie had shared a friendship every bit as close and enduring as the one she shared with his cousin. Heck, they’d grown even closer since he’d moved into her apartment complex two years ago. He considered her his best friend.

And now Katie was pregnant. He could hardly believe it. The last he’d heard, she wasn’t even dating anyone seriously. Sean frowned. At least, she hadn’t been seeing anyone when he left town a month ago on that insurance fraud investigation. A lot could happen in a month, he reminded himself, as he glanced at her still-flat stomach. Obviously it had.

“You have no idea how relieved I am. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about helping me.”

Sean snapped his gaze back to her face, stung that she’d doubted him. “You thought I wouldn’t help? That I’d turn my back on you when you needed me?”

A haunted look came into her eyes. Old hurts, he guessed, thinking of her father’s desertion, her stepfather leaving after the divorce, the turkeys who’d disappointed her, including the weasel who’d gotten her pregnant and then bailed. “You’re right. I never should have doubted you, Sean. I’m sorry.”

Feeling somewhat placated, his voice gentled as he said, “Just remember that I will always be here for you. All right?”

She nodded, then took a deep breath. “So, what kind of information do you need to get started?”

Sean paused a moment, searched for a way to delicately phrase the question he had to ask her. “I…um, before we get into that. Honey, are you sure about going through with this?”

“I’m positive. I’ve wanted a baby for ages.”

Her decision didn’t surprise him. Knowing Katie and how much she loved kids, he didn’t really think she would consider terminating the pregnancy. But he’d had to make sure she knew there were options. “All right.” Grabbing a pencil, he flipped to a clean sheet on his notepad. “The first thing I need is the name of the baby’s father.”

“Well, I’m not sure yet. I came up with five possibilities initially, but I’ve narrowed it down to three.”

The pencil in Sean’s fist snapped in two. He knew Katie could be reckless, even unpredictable, and he’d long suspected much of her bravado and bluff were her way of masking fear. But one thing Katie wasn’t, was stupid. Five lovers? Katie?

She began digging in the monster-size bag she called a purse and pulled out a sheet of paper. “Here, I’ve written their names down for you.”

Dumbfounded, Sean stared at the woman offering him a slip of paper with the names of her lovers. As a man, he truly enjoyed the opposite sex, and had yet to meet a woman who didn’t garner at least a second glance from him. Because they were friends, he’d made a point of not giving Katie a second or even a third look. But he looked at Katie now-not as her friend, but as a man. She wasn’t beautiful, not even pretty or cute. But pretty or not, a man couldn’t help but notice those wide, whisky-colored eyes or think about removing the pins from those wild, notquite-red, not-quite-brown curls she wore piled up on her head. Noting his own flexed fingers, Sean curled them into fists.

Katie rattled off something about lists and candidates, and he shifted his gaze to her mouth—proud and sassy, just like her. He felt a tug, low in his body, and acknowledged that this wasn’t the first time he’d wondered about that mouth.

He skimmed his gaze down her body, noted the way her small breasts filled out the skinny white top, the way her narrow hips flared beneath the floral skirt. She was built on the thin side for his tastes, Sean admitted.

But damn if the woman didn’t have showstopper legs. Those legs alone could be a source of real trouble for a man.

“So, I put together this list of possibilities.”

She crossed those fantasy legs, and black lace winked at him. And Sean nearly swallowed his tongue. Trying to blot out the image of that black lace and the unholy thoughts it incited, he squeezed his eyes shut. Big mistake, he realized, because suddenly he had no trouble at all picturing Katie in bed-wearing nothing but that sin-black lace. Steamy sex and innocence, he decided, envisioning those long, slim legs of hers wrapped around his waist as she took him inside her.

“Sean? Are you okay?”

He slammed the brakes on his dangerous thoughts and snapped open his eyes. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice gruff.

Get a grip, Fitzpatrick. This is Katie, remember? Katie—your buddy, your pal, practically your sister. She’s the same pest who wore braces and pigtails, who annoyed the heck out of you as a kid. She’s the brat who kept beaning you with snowballs until you pinned her down and kissed her because your mother said a guy couldn’t hit a girl.

Only she wasn’t his sister, and he had definitely not been thinking of her as his pal. Somewhere along the way, little Katie Malloy had traded in her braces and pigtails for the face of a temptress and a body designed to make a man sweat.

And he was sweating, Sean admitted, aware that his jeans had grown painfully snug. Annoyed with himself and with her for being the source of his discomfort, he scowled. “So, which one of the guys do you think is the father?”

Katie flicked her tongue across her bottom lip, a nervous habit he’d seen her employ a zillion times. Only this time the innocent gesture had him squirming in his seat. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. That’s why I’m here. I need your help so I can decide which one will make the best father.”

Sean’s jaw dropped. He snapped his mouth shut and gave himself a mental shake. “Back up a minute. Are you, or are you not pregnant?”

Katie blinked. “Well, of course I’m not pregnant. At least not yet. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”

“What?”

“You thought—Oh!” Suddenly she started laughing.

“This isn’t funny, Malloy,” he told her. He loved women, Katie included, but no way was he going to get himself tied down with one. At least, not yet. Maybe never, he amended.

“Sorry,” she said, not looking the least bit repentant. “It’s just that your face.” Another set of giggles sneaked out.

“Katie,” he warned.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Fitzpatrick, relax. I didn’t mean you literally. I meant that once you’ve checked out my daddy candidates, I’ll be able to make an intelligent decision about which one to ask to father my baby.”

Sean swore. “Of all the dumb, idiotic-” Biting off the rest, he stomped over to her, gripped the arms of her chair instead of her throat. He shoved himself in her face. Through gritted teeth he asked, “And just what am I supposed to do? Act as your clearing house for sperm donors?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, meeting his angry glare. “If all I wanted was a sperm donor, I would have gone to a sperm bank-not a detective agency. I intend to choose the man who’s going to father my baby, not leave the decision up to chance.”

Sean swore again, then whirled away so he wouldn’t shake her as he wanted to do. Frustrated he prowled through his desk in search of his emergency stash of M&M’s. He scooped up a fistful, and automatically held out his palm for Katie to fish out the yellow ones. After she had done so, he popped the rest of them into his mouth. “Not that I’m agreeing to anything, but just what is it you expect me to do?”

“Check out the candidates on my list.” She waved the ivory sheet of paper in her hand. “You know, do a background check, sort of like the ones a company does when they’re considering a potential employee.”

Sean snorted. “Sweetheart, you’ve been sniffing way too many fingerpaints at that nursery school where you work.”

Practically vibrating with indignity, she planted her hands on her hips and met his mocking gaze. “I’m serious, Sean. I want to hire you to investigate my daddy candidates.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Save your money, and just have the poor saps fill out an application.”

“I can do without your sarcasm.”

“Better yet, try getting married first. You remember what marriage is, don’t you? It’s that old-fashioned thing that most people do before they decide to have a baby?”

Katie’s cheeks flushed. Temper flashed in her eyes, making them glow like amber. “This is the nineties, Fitzpatrick. A woman doesn’t have to get married anymore just to have a baby.”

“Yeah? Well, maybe they should.”

“It’s not your decision. It’s mine. And I’ve decided I want to have a baby.” She held up her hand before he could object. “This is important to me, Sean. Really important. The most important thing I’ve ever done or probably will ever do in my life. I don’t want to mess up and choose the wrong man. That means I need to learn as much as I can before I make a decision.”

“Fine,” he told her, his own temper fraying. “Then have a D&B report run on the guys on your list. You’ll get all the financial history you need.”

Katie’s lips thinned. “Who gives a flying fig about bank balances? I’m interested in finding out what’s inside here.” She poked her thumb at her heart. “We both know I don’t have the best track record when it comes to men,” she said, referring to her two broken engagements.

“So you had a couple of narrow escapes. You were too good for those clowns, anyway.”

“Maybe. But I need to be sure the man I choose is someone who’s going to stick around and be a loving and supportive parent.”

Sean heard the echo of the lonely little girl she had been, the one who had been so hungry for a father’s love and affection. It tore at him as nothing else she said could. It also made him want to spend ten minutes alone in a back alley with her father, her stepfather and every man who had ever let Katie down. Still, this idea of hers was crazy. He couldn’t let her do it. “Honey, the guys on that list could all be saints, and I’d still think you were making a mistake. Are you really willing to undergo artificial insemination and have some guy’s baby based on a PI report?”

“No, not exactly,” she said sheepishly.

“Well, I’m relieved to hear that. You had me worried for—”

“My insurance won’t cover artificial insemination. I’ll have to get pregnant the, um, normal way.”

“The normal way? You mean—” Sean swiped a hand down his face, tried to wipe out the sudden image of Katie in bed, her naked body tangled in satin sheets. Grateful for the shield the desk provided his lower body, he jerked his X-rated thoughts back to the problem. Clawing a hand through his hair, he muttered. “Of all the dumb, lamebrained—”

The intercom on his desk buzzed. “Heather Harrison is on line two for you,” his secretary told him. “She said it’s about dinner tonight.”

“Speaking of dumb—” Katie said.

“Tell her I’ll call her back.” He shot Katie a quelling glance and, using his most intimidating voice, he said, “I want you to forget about this crazy scheme of yours, Katie.”

“I will not.”

“I mean it,” he insisted.

“So do I. And given your narrow-minded attitude,” she said, her voice as stiff as her spine. “I can see I was right to scratch your name off my list.”

“My—You had my name on that list!” He wasn’t sure if he was angry or glad that she’d considered him.

“Obviously, I was desperate.”

The crack scraped at him, fueled his temper. “What were you going to do? Knock on my door, and ask me if I’d mind sleeping with you so you could get pregnant?”

She hiked up her chin. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

Don’t go there, man.

But it was too late. An image jumped to life in his mind’s eye—Katie lying beneath him, their bodies warm and damp from making love. The ache below his belt worsened. His sex strained against his jeans. Cursing the animal in him, Sean reminded himself that the woman he was lusting after was Katie—his friend.

“Don’t sweat it, Fitzpatrick. You’re off the hook. I’m not going to beg you to have sex with me,” she said, her voice as icy as a Minnesota winter. “Like I said, I was feeling desperate at the time. Obviously, coming here today and asking you to help me was another mistake.”

She jammed the list into her purse and spun around, but not before he caught the flash of pain in her eyes. “Katie, wait. I didn’t mean—”

The intercom buzzed again. “Get a move on, Sean,” his brother Michael ordered. “Adam Stevens is here.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He blocked Katie’s path. “If you’d just give me a second to explain…”

“No explanation is necessary. And I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to hire you. Now get out of my way.”

“No,” he countered, angry with himself for being careless. It cut at him something awful to know he’d hurt her.

“Fine. Don’t move. I will.” Stepping around him, she moved past him and reached for the door.

“Aw, hell.” Sean streaked in front of her, slapped the door shut and twisted the lock. Snagging her by the shoulders, he spun her around and pressed her spine against the door, trapping her between his outstretched arms. “You’re not going anywhere until we settle this.” He couldn’t let Katie walk out now. If she did, he had a sick feeling that things would never be the same between them again. He didn’t want to lose her.

“There’s nothing to settle.”

The doorknob twisted. “Sean!” Michael pounded on the door. “Get your sorry rear out here. Stevens is cooling his heels in the conference room waiting to discuss his building’s security.”

“I said I’d be there in a minute. Go ahead and start without me.” Ignoring his brother’s heated reply, Sean kept his eyes trained on Katie’s face. “Look at me.”

When she failed to respond, he captured her face between his palms and more gently he said, “Look at me, Katie. Please.”

She shifted her gaze to his. There was anger simmering in the gold-flecked eyes. Anger. Pride. Hurt. Hurt he was responsible for, Sean acknowledged. His chest tightened with guilt, with regret. “I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter—”

“It matters to me. I’d sooner cut off my arm than hurt you.” And just as he’d done a hundred times before, he brushed his mouth against hers. It was meant to be a friendly kiss, a brotherly kiss between good pals. But heat licked through him like wildfire, setting his body and senses ablaze with desire. Awareness pulsed between them lightning quick. He watched her eyes soften, darken, and then he stopped thinking. He dipped his head again deepened the kiss. Her fingers curled into his shoulders as she parted her lips, and he dove in, wanting, needing to taste her. When her tongue found his, he groaned and pulled her closer.

A foot connected with the door, jolting them both. “Get your sorry butt out here now, Sean. Or I swear I’ll kick this door in and wring your fool neck.”

Sean lifted his head. His breath came in heavy rasps. So did hers. “I think he means it,” she whispered.

“Yeah. So do I,” he replied, and releasing her, he stepped back. Shock hit him first. Then panic streaked in. What in the devil was he doing? Coming on to Katie like this? Retrieving her purse where it had fallen to the floor, he eyed her warily. She looked dazed, nervous, arousedexactly the way he felt. “Are we all right?” he asked, handing her the purse.

“Sure,” she told him. But she looked ready to bolt. “You’d better go before Michael makes good on those threats. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

“Listen, about this baby business…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find somebody else to help me.”

Damn! “Katie, I don’t have time to argue now. Just promise me you won’t do anything until we can talk.”

“Really, Sean, I don’t think—”

Michael beat at the door again, issued another string of threats. “Tonight. Just hold off on doing anything until then. We’ll talk when I get home. I’ll even bring pizza.”

She hesitated.

“One with anchovies and a thick crust,” he bribed.

“Anchovies?”

“Anchovies,” he promised, no matter how much he detested the little suckers.

“All right.”

He flipped the lock on the door, and Michael stormed in, angry enough to chew nails. “Excuse me, Katie, while I rip my idiot brother’s head off.”

“Rip away,” she said. “I was just leaving.”

Michael snarled at him. “I ought to knock your block off.”

“Yeah? Well, stand in line,” Sean muttered, irritated with himself. He had a sinking feeling that kissing Katie had been a major mistake.

Kissing Sean had been a mistake, Katie told herself for the umpteenth time. Gathering the ends of her hair, she secured it atop her head with a clip, then reached for the makeup bag. She coated her lashes with mascara, slashed the passion-pink lipstick across her too-wide mouth. For good measure she fastened on the pink sparkly earrings her stepfather had given her the Christmas before he’d split. Stepping back, she surveyed the results in the mirror of the dressing table in her bedroom.

Ordinary. Run-of-the-mill. Nothing special.

The words all but shouted at her like accusations. She stared at her heart-shaped face. Not one single feature stood out. Nothing about her stood out—except maybe her height. She cast a critical eye over the white blouse and cutoffs and sighed. Narrow curves on a five-foot, nine-inch frame might be great for models, but she felt like a scrawny chicken in a world full of peacocks.

Was that why no one in her life ever stayed? Because she wasn’t pretty enough? Wasn’t special enough? Wasn’t lovable enough?

She thought of those petite blondes and redheads that breezed in and out of Sean’s life—and no doubt his bed—women like Heather Harrison with her big blue eyes, chic blond hairstyle and double-D cups. Women who were nothing like her.

Not that she wanted to be one of Sean’s women. Despite that ripple of sexual awareness that kept popping up between them, she’d decided long ago that Sean Fitzpatrick was out of her league. And while she’d made some real stinker decisions when it came to men, she wasn’t fool enough to risk the kind of heartache a man like Sean would offer. Still a girl couldn’t help but dream a little, and wonder how it would feel to be the one on the receiving end of that unholy grin or the wink of those deep blue eyes. It was easy to see why women fell for him. The man had enough charm and sex appeal to be declared a lethal weapon. If that kiss this afternoon was anything to go by, she was darn lucky she wasn’t his type.

Kate shivered as she thought about that kiss again, recalled the feel of his mouth on hers, hot and demanding, the heat of his arousal pressed against her belly. He’d kissed her as though he’d wanted to swallow her whole. And for a few insane seconds she’d wanted him to.

Of course, he’d regretted the kiss almost immediately. Opening her eyes, she smiled ruefully and turned away from the mirror to make her way to the living room. That was the trouble with knowing Sean so well, she mused. She’d sensed his panic at once. And he’d been so pitifully obvious in his attempt to put things back to normal between them. She’d almost laughed aloud. And probably would have if it hadn’t hurt quite so much.

Plumping up one of the big throw pillows on the couch, she hugged it to herself for a moment. No question about it, Katie girl, kissing Sean was definitely a mistake. And one she’d be wise not to repeat.

Sean was her best friend. And she’d sooner walk barefoot through broken glass than humiliate them both by reading anything into that kiss. No way did she want to jeopardize their friendship. It was too important to her. He was too important.

So tonight she would share his pizza, reassure him that one teensy kiss, no matter how steamy, didn’t mean a thing. Sean could go back to the Heather Harrison goddesses he preferred, and she…well, she’d deep-six all these yearnings that kiss had stirred inside her.

After flipping on a Leann Rimes CD, she set about lighting the candles scattered around the room. Her thoughts drifted back to her thirtieth birthday and her painful selfassessment. She’d finally faced the fact that she attracted men who were snakes—men who were incapable of making a commitment. A genetic flaw, no doubt, rooted in her foolish quest for a nonexistent Prince Charming. The admission had been brutal, but she’d done the smart thing—ditched her quest for a fairy-tale prince. No more searching and waiting for some white knight to fulfill her dreams. But the one thing she just hadn’t been able to let go of was her dream to have a baby.

Mercy, how she ached for a baby of her own to love. As long as she could remember, she’d looked forward to being a mother. It was the reason she’d gone into child care and worked at the nursery. She loved holding the little ones, loving them, caring for them, and she hated letting them go at the end of the day. She wanted a baby of her owna child to cradle in her arms, to laugh with and sing to, to give all the love bursting inside her. She’d be a good mother, she promised herself. Her baby would never doubt for an instant that she loved him or her. And despite what Sean thought, her plan made perfect sense. Too bad she couldn’t ask Sean to be the father. That would be perfect.

The sharp knock pulled Katie from her musings. Plastering a smile on her face, she opened the door. And as it always did when she was near Sean, her pulse picked up speed. He still wore the same faded jeans. The sleeves of his denim shirt had been rolled up to the elbows, displaying hard muscles bronzed by the sun. His black hair looked as though he’d rammed his fingers through it one time too many. But it was the turmoil in those blue eyes that made her heart kick. “Ah, the pizza man,” she said, striving to be light.

“I’m sorry about the kiss.”

So much for light, Katie thought with a sigh. “Okay,” she replied and peeked inside the box. “You really did get anchovies.” Taking the pizza from him, she started for the kitchen.

“I was out of line today, and I’m sorry,” he told her as he followed her into the kitchen.

“All right,” she acknowledged, as she set down the pizza, lifted the lid again and sniffed. “Hmm. This smells delicious, and I’m starved.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a handful of napkins. “You want to get the plates?”

“It was a mistake,” he told her, sounding anxious. He grabbed two plates from the cabinet, placed them on the white wooden table. “It never should have happened.”

“Whatever you say.” She poured a glass of milk for herself and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator for him. “You want a mug?”

He snatched the milk and beer from her hands and set them down with a clunk. “Damn it, Katie. Have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“Every single one,” she assured him. And each one had been a swipe to her heart. “You were out of line to kiss me. It was a mistake. It should never have happened, and you’re sorry. That about cover it?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “Now, do you mind if we eat before the pizza gets cold?”

“Would you forget about the blasted pizza? I’m trying to apologize.”

Katie sighed. “All right, Sean. Go ahead. Apologize.”

“I’m sorry I took advantage of you today. I don’t know what got into me.what I was thinking, to make a pass at you the way I did.” Emotions swam in his eyes like a brewing storm. He jutted out his chin. “If you want to take a swing at me, go ahead. I deserve it.”

She couldn’t help herself. Katie laughed. The foolish man was really beating himself up over that kiss.

“I’m glad you find this amusing. I don’t make a habit of forcing myself on a woman, or…or of taking advantage of one when she’s vulnerable.”

“Is that what you think happened?” she asked, temper sparking, not only because he was apologizing for kissing her, but because he thought she was some twit. “You think I’m some weak, simpering female who couldn’t stop you from kissing me if I’d wanted to?”

“I think—”

“Well, think again, Fitzpatrick.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “I am not one of your big-chested Cupie Dolls. You may have kissed me, but I kissed you back. You didn’t take anything from me that I didn’t want to give. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good. Now can we eat before this pizza turns to ice?”

“By all means. Eat. Maybe food will improve that sweet disposition of yours. Anyone ever tell you, you’ve got a nasty temper, Malloy?”

“I believe you’ve mentioned it a time or two.” She brushed past him, flipped open the pizza box and dished out slices onto the plates. Sean said nothing as he took the seat across from her. But she could feel him watching her as they ate in silence. His assessing glances licked along her nerves. Finally, when she could stand it no longer, she dropped her pizza onto the plate. “All right. Out with it.”

“What?” He reached for another slice of pizza.

“Don’t give me that choirboy look, Fitzpatrick. I’ve known you too long to fall for it. Just spit out whatever it is that’s got you sizing me up like a piece of evidence in one of your investigations.”

He smiled. Slowly. Seductively. In a way that made her throat go dry. “I was just thinking about what you said. You know, how I didn’t take anything that you didn’t want to give?”

She narrowed her eyes. “So?”

“So, I couldn’t help wondering.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and Katie’s heart started to gallop. “I was wondering if you provoked me deliberately this afternoon so I would kiss you.”

“I provoked you?”

“Uh-huh. With all that crazy talk about needing me to help you find someone to get you pregnant.”

“There’s nothing crazy about it. And it wasn’t just talk. I intend to get pregnant. As for needing you to find me someone, I don’t. I’ve already got three candidates. It’s simply a matter of choosing the right one.” She snitched a piece of bell pepper from his pizza and popped it into her mouth. “And I don’t need you to do the investigations for me, either, because I’ve decided to do them myself.”

“You? Lord, help us all.”

“Funny. Besides, how hard can it be? All I have to do is lift a few fingerprints, snag a wallet for credit card and driver’s license numbers, maybe make a few phone calls to an employer or an old girlfriend.”

Sean shuddered. “Quit clowning around, Katie. The thought of you playing Mata Hari sends chills down my spine.”

“You’re a riot, Fitzpatrick, and I’m not kidding. I bet I’d make a good detective,” she countered, warming to the idea.

“You’d be about as good at investigating as I’d be at running a nursery school.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, tipping her head to the side. “I bet the little girls would love you, and I think you’d look awfully cute changing diapers.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

She smiled at him. Finishing the last of her pizza slice, she licked her fingers clean.

“You’re really determined to do this pregnancy thing?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll do the investigations for you—on one condition.”

“What condition?” she asked warily.

“If I come up with anything, and I do mean anything, that makes these so-called candidates unsuitable, you promise me that you’ll forget the whole idea.”

Katie hesitated. The truth was that if none of her candidates panned out, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. “I really do want to have a baby, Sean.”

“That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

She hesitated. “If none of them pan out, I promise I’ll rethink the idea. All right?”

He sighed. “Do I have any choice?”

Katie squealed. Jumping up, she ran over to Sean and threw her arms around his neck, then proceeded to cover his face with kisses. “Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Not that I mind having a woman throw herself at me, but you might want to hold off on a few of those thankyou kisses. You may not be happy with what I find.”

“Oh, I will be. I know it.”

“We’ll see. Now where’s the list?”

“I’ll get it.” Abandoning the kitchen, Katie dashed to her bedroom and retrieved the list from her purse. By the time she returned, he’d cleared away the pizza remains and was waiting in the living room. For a moment she allowed herself to just look at him. All six foot two inches of him were sprawled out on the couch, his head tipped back, his eyes closed. Lord, but the man was beautiful: those razorsharp cheekbones; that stubborn jaw; the sexy mouth that could make a stone weep when he smiled, and turned her brain to mush with a kiss. The fact that the man had a good heart, a kind heart, made him darn-near perfect-everything a woman who believed in fairy tales could want. Except that she no longer believed in fairy tales, and even if she did, Sean would never see her as a princess.

As though sensing her scrutiny, Sean opened his eyes and stared at her. Awareness stirred, sparked between them, charging the air with tension, just as it had earlier. “Here’s the list,” she said, walking over to him.

His fingers brushed her palm as he took the sheet of paper, and she fought back a shiver. Katie pressed her hand to her jittery stomach. “Those are the names,” she said as evenly as possible. “And of course, I can give you whatever personal information I have. The first one, Eric, he’s a salesman who—”

Suddenly Sean’s shoulders stiffened. He shot his gaze back to her face. His eyes were dark and stormy. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“You put Michael’s name on this list?”

“Well, yes. Initially,” she said, confused by his accusing tone. “I told you, I started off with five names and narrowed it down to three. You and Michael were the two I scratched.”

“You actually considered sleeping with my brother?”

“Well, I can’t say that I thought of it in quite those terms. But, yes, I guess I did. I mean if Michael had been the man I selected, then I would have…um…made love with him to get pregnant.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t put Ryan’s and Connor’s names on here, too,” he snapped, referring to his two other brothers.

“Ryan’s married and I draw the line at married men. But if I knew where Connor was, you can bet I’d have included him.” Temper drove her, loosened her tongue. “Besides if Connor kisses anything like you and Michael, I imagine making love with him would be a pleasant prospect.”

“Like me and Mich—” His eyes narrowed to angry slits.

“You kissed Michael?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. Michael and I kissed a number of times while we were dating.”

Sean shot to his feet. “I don’t believe this. You’ve been dating.kissing my brother?”

“Yes,” she said sweetly, furious with him for finding the idea so shocking. “Why? Is there some reason I shouldn’t?”

“You’re damned right there’s a reason. He’s…he’s—”

“He’s my friend. Just like you’re supposed to be. But unlike you, Michael doesn’t kiss me, then turn around and insult me by apologizing for doing it.”