was fantastic.’ He brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. ‘So were your parents.’
‘Thank you so much.’
‘They love you.’
She nodded, unable to speak any more.
‘Sophy?’
She turned into his arms, hiding her tears in his neck.
‘I love you.’
She looked at him then. He was smiling, his face light, his eyes warm and free of shadows. ‘If I’d known how good it felt to say it, I’d have said it back that day when you rang for the doctor in my apartment. I wanted to make love to you then—I’m going to now.’
She reached up to him, placing the palm of her hand on the slightly rough cheek. ‘Thank goodness,’ she sighed. ‘I was worried you’d taken a vow of abstinence.’
‘I did,’ he said soberly. ‘I wasn’t going to be with you again until you were my wife.’
‘And now I am.’
‘Yes.’
They whispered quiet goodbyes to the others, then slipped away in the night—running together down the rows of vines, to the small cottage at the far corner of the land. It had been decked in flowers, the sweet scent filling the air.
His arms were tight about her. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘Everything.’ He looked down, a half-smile quirking his lips. ‘I talked to your father.’
‘You did?’ She felt some nerves twinge.
‘When I asked him for his blessing. It was a pretty frank talk.’ He looked rueful. ‘But he reckoned it’s impossible to control feelings or to stop them, but that it’s better to accept them. And then to deal with them.’ He laced his fingers through hers. ‘I want to deal with my love for you. Now and every day to come.’
And then he did—showing her the tenderness she’d made him feel, the happiness she’d brought to life in him. She cried as he told her, showed her, loved her. And she held him, loved him, until he shook in her arms.
‘Not alone,’ she whispered. ‘Not any more.’
He buried his hot face in her neck and she stroked him until both their tears were spent.
‘Are we staying here?’ She was finally back on earth and able to absorb something of her surroundings.
‘For a few days.’
‘Then why do you have my passport?’
He chuckled. ‘So you couldn’t say no and run away overseas.’
‘I’d only want to run away with you.’
‘And we will. Very soon. But I thought we could decide where together.’ He twirled her hair round his finger. ‘You’re tired.’
She was. But so happy. She snuggled closer to him and discovered she wasn’t that tired. ‘Once was not enough, Lorenzo.’
‘Demanding wench.’ He rose onto his elbow. ‘You’re always asking me for more.’
She laughed. ‘And isn’t it just such a hardship for you?’
‘No,’ he said, pulling her closer, binding her in his arms. ‘It’s heaven.’
Pure heaven.
† Hot Under the Collar duet
* The Royal House of Karedes
She’s pregnant...by the boss! Only from USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child!
Billionaire game designer Brady Finn’s latest business plan doesn’t include a feisty Irish lass who challenges him at every turn. But Aine Donovan, the stunning manager of the hotel he just purchased, is as determined to prevent Brady from ruining tradition as Brady is to have her in his bed. When a no-strings fling leads to an unexpected pregnancy, Aine runs from her sexy, stubborn boss. What Brady doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? But Brady won’t give up on claiming her—and their child—so easily...
Brady laughed, and the transformation was enough to take her breath away.
A handsome man when frowning, he was staggering when he smiled. “You’re one of a kind, Aine. I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”
“Thanks for that,” she said, then added, “and at the risk of inflating an ego too many women before me have stroked, I’ll say the same of you.” She tipped her head back to meet the shadowed eyes she felt watching her with tightly restrained hunger.
He gave her a nod. “Then it’s good we’re not doing this.”
“Absolutely. ’Tis the sensible solution.”
“This is business,” Brady said. “Sex would just confuse the situation.”
“You’re right again.”
He moved in closer. “It’s good we talked about it. Cleared the air. Got things settled.”
“It is.” She leaned toward him. “I’m sure we’ll both be better off now and able to focus on our shared task.”
Nodding, gaze locked with hers, he whispered, “We’re not going to be sensible, are we?”
“Not at the moment, no,” she said.
Then he kissed her.
* * *
Having Her Boss’s Baby
is part of the Pregnant by the Boss trilogy:
Three business partners find love—and fatherhood—where they least expect it
Having Her Boss’s Baby is the first book in my Pregnant by the Boss trilogy...and oh, did I have fun. Not only did I love these characters and their story, but I was able to visit Ireland again—one of my favorite places!
Brady Finn is a man who’s been alone most of his life. It’s what he knows and what he’s good at. Aine Donovan has never been alone. She’s got family, friends and, back home in Ireland, an entire village counting on her. Brady’s accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. Having Aine stand her ground and fight for what she believes in is irritating. And intriguing.
When passion explodes, leaving the two of them as unlikely prospective parents, they’re going to have to find a way to compromise. But finding common ground isn’t easy—even when you’re in love.
I hope you’ll enjoy Having Her Boss’s Baby, and please stop by Facebook to tell me what you think! Be sure to look for the next book in this trilogy, coming in December!
Until then, I wish you good times, many laughs and, of course, wonderful books!
Maureen
MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Harlequin Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award, Maureen is the author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’