remember how to breathe. In the other room, the baby stirred. Damn it. How did couples with babies ever talk? No that he wanted to talk, not really. He was screwed and he knew it.
Dani would have to go to another division, another boss. The idea made his skin crawl. But he wasn’t in denial. There was no way he could work with her now and not be constantly sidelined by lust. Already, he wanted her day and night.
The depth of that wanting scared him more than anything he had ever faced. No woman had ever mattered to him this way. He’d never allowed it. Now, though, he was torn between wanting to keep Dani at arm’s length and being wildly jealous of any other man at NCT who might cross her path.
Incredulous that he had allowed himself to stray so far from his life’s plan, he felt a lick of despair and panic.
He needed to think. He needed a plan. Unfortunately, this entire situation was spiraling madly out of control.
Dani shoved at his shoulders. “Let me go get her, please. She slept forever. I’m sure she’s starving.”
Rolling to one side, he slung an arm over his eyes and tried not to freak out. In his peripheral vision, he saw Dani take his terry robe from the back of the door and belt it twice around herself. The way her narrow waist flared into a curvy ass was an image he would never get out of his brain. His hands tingled with the need to touch her again.
He decided to let Dani tend to the kid for a few moments while he pulled himself together. Once he was dressed again, he felt marginally more normal. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever.
When he opened the door to the bedroom, woman and baby were gone. Made sense. The formula and bottles were in the kitchen. He found his missing houseguests there. Dani perched on a stool. Peaches was in her lap.
Dani didn’t look at him, but she muttered a greeting. Her gaze was fixed on the baby. “I’ve seen how you look at her,” she said. “You’re already halfway in love with this baby. It’s going to hurt like hell if she’s not yours, isn’t it?”
He poured himself a cup of coffee. “Sharing custody of a child with Ophelia would be a nightmare, so no.”
“I wasn’t talking about Ophelia. I was talking about you and Peaches. I’ve watched you with her. Deep down, you wouldn’t be too upset if this baby carries your DNA.”
“Quit trying to psychoanalyze me, Dani. I’m not a kid person. Never have been. Never will be. The baby is cute. I’ll give you that. But believe me, I’ll be happy to hand her back to her real parent. Hopefully sooner than later.”
The inquisition should have bothered him far more than it did. But his body was relaxed and sated from really great sex, so it was almost impossible to get mad at Dani for weaving her naive theories.
“I do have a Christmas present for you after all,” she said. Peaches finished the bottle. Dani put the baby on her shoulder and patted her back. “It’s on my phone. Take a look.”
The photograph Dani had captured at some point this weekend when he wasn’t aware was beautiful. Even he had to admit that. He’d been in the den with the baby showing her the Christmas tree. The damned shot could have made the cover of a parenting magazine. Man in Love with His New Child. Father Shares the Joys of Christmas with the Next Generation. Innocence and Trust. Daddy and Daughter.
He clicked out of the photo app and laid the phone on the counter. “Thank you. Text it to me. It will be a good reminder to vet my future bed partners more carefully.”
When Dani’s face went blank, he cursed. “I’m sorry,” he said stiffly. “That was a stupid thing to say. I’m sorry, Dani.” He went to her and put his arms around her and the baby. “I’m not usually so clumsy. I was trying to be funny, but it wasn’t funny at all. You’re the only woman I want in my bed, I swear.”
“For now. Not forever.”
“I thought we both agreed this was a for-now kind of thing.” Was she trying to make him feel guilty? It was working.
“We did. Of course.” Dani wriggled free of his embrace and stood. “I think this would be a good time to finish that movie we started earlier.”
Nathaniel released her reluctantly. Somehow they had segued from mind-blowing sex in his bedroom to acting like stilted strangers. He knew it was his fault. What he didn’t know was how to fix it.
The remainder of Christmas Day passed slowly. Their snowed-in weekend was drawing to a close. Outside, a few of the main thoroughfares had been plowed and salted. Traffic was moving again, albeit slowly. The temperature had climbed above freezing for a few hours, but there was still plenty of snow cover. The side streets would be a mess.
Peaches was content to play on a blanket for long periods of time. She had napped a great deal of the day, so now she was awake and in a good mood.
Nathaniel was glad to have the child as a chaperone. Again and again, he revisited the invitation to accompany Dani to her parents’ home. Was there a trap hidden in there, a trap he didn’t see?
Dani was the least manipulative woman he knew. Then again, he had allowed her unprecedented access to his private life. Something had changed. Something more than the initiation of a physical relationship. He found himself wanting to lock the door and never let her leave. Here in his condo, he could control the outcome.
Once the real world intruded again, all bets were off.
Christmas supper was leftovers, but damned good leftovers. Afterward, Nathaniel entertained the baby while Dani spoke on the phone again to each of her siblings and her parents. It was clear to him that the Meadows clan was a tight-knit bunch. If Dani showed up with her boss and a baby in tow, wouldn’t everyone think it was odd?
Again, he tried to sniff out danger. Finally, he asked Dani outright, “Won’t your family think it strange if Peaches and I tag along with you?”
In her red sweater and black pants, Dani looked elegant and not nearly as approachable as the woman wearing his shirts. “Why? Are you thinking about changing your mind?”
“That’s not an answer,” he pointed out wryly.
Dani wrinkled her nose. “I’m the youngest. My parents have seen it all. Before my sister got married, she dated an insurance salesman with three boys under the age of seven. The man was looking for a built-in babysitter. Fortunately, Angie wised up before it was too late. He wasn’t the only weirdo, though. There was a musician in an alternative rock band and a tax accountant turned street preacher.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Angie went through a rebellious stage before she settled down with my brother-in-law, who, by the way, is pretty much a saint.”
Nathaniel grinned. “What about your brother?”
“He’s not married yet. For the last couple of years, he’s been dating a string of short-term partners. Nice women, but they haven’t a clue what to do with Jared. He has an IQ in the hundred fifties. The man needs intellectual stimulation, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
“I’m sure it will dawn on him eventually.”
“We can only hope.”
“I’m not sure where I fit in,” Nathaniel drawled. “I’m not a musician or much of a churchgoer. But I do temporarily have a baby to look after.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Dani said earnestly. “If you decide to come with me to Gainesville tomorrow, I’ll simply introduce you as my boss. They know your name, of course, because I’ve spoken about you. I’ll say you’re caring for a friend’s baby and that we got snowed in together. That’s all they need to know.”
“In their shoes, I might have a lot of questions.”
“Even if that were true, they wouldn’t make you uncomfortable. My parents are the consummate Southern hosts. They may feed you too much, and you might have