Baby Bodyguard: Book #3 (Baby, Oh Baby! Series (chockful of matchmaking, soul mates, love at first s

Chapter 4

“That was fast,”Sami said in surprise as Noah walked into the kitchen, Loner at his heels. “I didn’t expect you back for at least a couple more hours.”

“Want me to leave again?” he asked.

Absolutely not! “You can stay.” Perfect. She’d managed to keep her tone light and casual, without a trace of an “I want to jump your bones now” inflection. She glanced at the black duffel bag he carried. Now why didn’t it surprise her that he’d chosen that particular color? “You’re moving in for at least a month and that’s all you brought?”

“It’s all I need, unless you expect me to wear a uniform.”

Yeah, right. “Do I strike you as the type of employer who likes being surrounded by uniforms?”

He shrugged, an easy movement of his shoulders that stretched his black shirt across impressively broad shoulders. “Just checking.”

“Are you hungry?” She gestured to the plate of fruit and vegetables she’d been munching. “Would you like something to eat?”

“I ate before I came.”

“Oh.”

How did he manage to disconcert her so easily? She’d never had that problem before. Good grief! She was twenty-nine years old. Again. By her age she shouldn’t lose her composure around an incredibly good-looking sexy, appealing employee. She should be above that sort of thing.

Instead, every time Noah shared her air space, her imagination ran riot, offering up all sorts of tantalizing possibilities involving hungry mouths and exploring hands and sweet words of passion. She dropped the carrot she’d been nibbling as though it had scalded her and leaped to herfeet.

“Why don’t I show you to your room?”

“Fine.”

“You can unpack and relax for the rest of the day. You won’t need to start work until tomorrow.”

“First I’ll unpack. Then we’ll discuss my duties. After that I’ll begin work.”

“Oh, for crying out— Remind me again who’s in charge around here?” His slow, easy smile answered her question and she shook her head, torn between amusement and frustration. “You know what? You’re hopeless. Why in the world do you have to be so pigheaded?”

“I’m pigheaded because I want to unpack? Or is it because I’ve asked you to outline my duties?”

“Come on, Noah. You know what I’m asking.” Sami gestured toward a doorway off the kitchen that accessed a steep staircase leading to the second floor. “Why do you feel it’s necessary to start work today?”

He followed her up the steps. To her surprise, Loner didn’t accompany them, but limped from the kitchen, toward the front hallway. No doubt he’d decided to explore his new surroundings.

“Your mother is paying me to do a job,” Noah explained. “And I intend to make sure she gets her money’s worth.”

Sami held up her hands. Why argue about something so ridiculous? “Okay, fine. Igive up. If starting work today is this important to you, then feel free.”

“Thanks. Ifigured I could put in a few more hours helping with your work project.”

Which one did he mean? Her imagination ran riot again and she fought for control. “Now it’s your turn to be more specific. Which work project are you referring to?”

His laughter rumbled in the narrow passageway, suggesting he knew precisely where her wayward thoughts had led. “I meant Widget. As for your other project, I’m hoping you’re through interviewing potential baby-makers and it’s no longer an issue.”

“Oh, Iam and it isn’t.” She glanced over her shoulder and flashed him a grin. “At least, for now. Fortunately, tomorrow’s a whole new day.”

The instant they topped the staircase, he grasped her arm, turning her to face him. Awareness hit hard. He had incredible hands. They were those of a man accustomed to hard work—long and tapered, strong and capable, yet with a light, careful touch.

She couldn’t see well in the dimness of the hallway and dressed all in black, Noah blended into the shadows. But his eyes stood out, clear and direct and piercing. She couldn’t look away, didn’t want to lookaway.

This man wasn’t for her, she struggled to remind herself. She longed for a child, not a lover. She could even picture her son, aboy with dark wavy hair and silver-gray eyes, asharp logical brain and a delightful sense of the absurd.

For a split second, she saw into the future, afuture bright with possibilities. It held a husband who loved her and a forever-after marriage. Children abounded, growing straight through to maturity. And happiness and security were hers for the taking. All she had to do was reach out and grab it. All she had to do was—

“Are you telling me you’re holding more interviews tomorrow?” Noah demanded.

Her dream shattered, harsh reality rising up to replace sweet fantasy. “Of course.” Her brow wrinkled in bewilderment. “Did you think I was going to quit because the first day went badly?”

“Hell, yes.”

“Not a chance. Iwant a baby, Mr. Hawke. That hasn’t changed just because your wolf scared off today’s respondents. Not that any of this is your business,” she added pointedly.

He expelled his breath in a long sigh. “Right.” He released her arm. “Which bedroom is mine?”

“Here.” She opened the first door off the staircase and gestured for him to enter. “I picked this one because it was my favorite as a child. Ithought you’d like it, too.”

The room was large and airy, with enormous windows overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. She swept aside the drapes so he could admire the seascape. As the afternoon faded, fog had wrapped the bridge in a ghostly embrace before tumbling into San FranciscoBay.

He joined her at the window enclosure. “That’s one hell of a view.” His eyes narrowed and his gaze pinned her with a disconcerting sharpness. “But this room seems more appropriate for a guest than an employee.”

She darted him a quick, mischievous smile. “I can put you in the dungeons, if you prefer.”

He ran a hand across the nape of his neck and tossed his duffel bag onto a nearby chair. “It might be safer,” he muttered. “How far is your room from here?”

The question caught her flat-footed. “Excuse me?”

“In case there’s a problem. Where’s your room?”

“Three doors down. It faces the bridge, too.”

“Got it. In that case, this room should be fine.”

She didn’t dare ask why the proximity of her room had prompted the abrupt acceptance of his accommodations. It might lead places they were safer avoiding. She seized on the first topic that occurred toher.

“You know, when I was little, I’d sneak in here any time I wanted to be alone, even though it wasn’t my bedroom.”

“Why would you do that?”

“It had a window seat, which mine didn’t and these drapes that I could hide behind.” She fingered the filmy curtain, swamped by long-buried memories. “I’d stare out to sea and imagine all sorts of mythical sea creatures lived in the mist. Some days I’d swear I’d caught a glimpse of a giant fin or a mermaid’s tail. Other times a great beastly head would lift out of the fog and blow smoke at me.” She turned and smiled, praying it didn’t look as shaky as it felt. “And I’d make wishes.”

“What sort of wishes?”

His words were a gentle wash across a painful bruise and she made a point of turning back toward the view, struggling to keep the conversation casual. “Oh, you know. The usual sort of wishes children tend to make. Wishes that would fix whatever had broken in one’s world.”

His hands cupped her shoulders and his breath stirred the curls at her temple. “Wishes about fathers who’d left?”

“Yes.” The word escaped in a painful whisper and she tilted her head so her cheek rested against the back of his hand. Strong hands. Capable hands. Careful hands. “Those sort of wishes.”

“I gather they didn’t work?”

“I eventually discovered that you can’t change the past. It was a hard lesson to learn.”

“No, you can’t. But you can choose to move away from it and build a future.”

She shut her eyes, compelled to confess the truth. “I told you my father left, but that’s not quite accurate.”

“No?” So soft. So gentle.

“Dad died in a car wreck.”

“Aw, hell, Sami. I’m sorry.”

“It was a terrible time. One day I belonged to a family. And the next my family was destroyed. Babe and I…” She shivered. “We looked and looked. But we never found what we’d lost.”

Noah remained silent for a long time. Then he squeezed her shoulders. “At least you knew what a family should be like. That’s more than I had. Inever knew my mother. She left my father when I was small.”

Sami pivoted in his arms, her hands slipping around his waist in a gesture of comfort. “Did your father try and replace her?”

“My father focused more on finding the quickest, easiest way to line his pockets.” His chin dropped to the top of her head. “I suspect good ol’ Dad could match Babe marriage for marriage. One big difference. Your mother looked for love, whereas my father looked for someone who could indulge his every financial whim. And trust me when I say Dad’s whims were expensive.”

“Oh, Noah. I’m so sorry.”

To her relief, he didn’t reject her sympathy. “We can’t do anything about our past, Sami. But we can choose how we go forward. We don’t have to be haunted by events beyond our control.”

He didn’t know the rest, the bits and pieces that would give lie to his statement. But she’d already said far too much. She’d bared enough of her soul for one day. “I’m trying to go forward. Can’t you see that?”

“I gather that means you’re still intent on having a baby.” He didn’t phrase it as a question. “Don’t you think your child will miss having a father? You did.”

She didn’t dare look at him, too afraid she’d break down. She fought for control. Tears weren’t her style. Laughter always made her feel far better. She straightened away from him. “Sorry, Noah. There’s no room for a daddy around here. What my parents had was unique and when my father died it nearly destroyed my mother. Idon’t intend to go through what she did. But that doesn’t mean I should live a life barren of children. I’m crazy about kids and I’m good with them, too. I’ve wanted to have a baby for as long as I can remember.”

“And now you’re going to do something about it? Why? Why now?”

Anger spurred her on. “Do you have any idea how old I’ll be when my son or daughter graduates from high school?”

A hint of a smile touched his mouth. “How old?”

“I’ll be—” She glared. “Never mind how old.”

“That bad, huh?”

“The point is I want to be young enough to enjoy motherhood, not chasing my toddler around in a wheel-chair.”

His smile grew. “Somehow I don’t see that happening even if you chose to wait a few more years to carry out your plan.”

“I’m ripe now! In another couple years I might be rotting on the vine, all dried up and turned to a prune.”

“You’re right. You are ripe,” he agreed, his voice low and husky. “Ripe to be taken advantage of. Ripe to be badly burned. Ripe for hurt.”

“It’s still my choice, Noah.”

Before he could respond to that, Loner burst into the room, astuffed animal clutched in his teeth, his tail wagging enthusiastically. Sami took one look and started hyperventilating. “Mr. Woof. Noah do something! He’s eating Mr. Woof.”

Her expression must have warned him that panic wasn’t far off. He turned and issued a sharp command. Loner set the stuffed wolf cub on the ground and backed away, his tail drooping pathetically. Noah crossed the room and gently picked up the toy, examining it. “There’s a small rip along the seam of the ear. Other than that, it doesn’t look like he damaged it. I’m sorry, Sami. I’ve never known him to do something like this. Would you like me to try and replace it?”

“No. It’s not valuable.” To her horror, her voice broke.

“Are you crying?”

Noah was beside her in an instant, gathering her into his arms. “Aw, hell. You are. Please don’t cry. Idon’t do tears. Istink at them. Ialways say the wrong thing and manage to make the situation worse.”

“Me, too,” she said, the words ending in a sob. “I hate people who cry. Don’t they know they should laugh at their problems?”

“Oh, damn. You really are upset. Please, sweetheart! Tears twist me into knots.” He thumbed the dampness from her cheek and stooped slightly so he could peer into her face. “Tell me how I can make it better.”

“I’m trying to stop. Honest.” She took a deep breath, fighting for control. “Crying is such a pain. It gets everyone upset. Look. Even Loner is a nervous wreck.” At the mention of his name, the dog shoved his snout between them, whining pathetically. It gave her the perfect excuse to laugh. “Good grief. He’s in worse shape than we are.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Noah muttered.

Sami dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Loner’s neck, giving him a reassuring hug. “You’re sorry, aren’t you, boy? You didn’t know how much Mr. Woof means to me, did you?” He licked her face, cleaning away the last of the tears. She smiled up at Noah. Granted, it was a bit wobbly, but with luck it should pass muster. “There. See? All better.”

He didn’t appear reassured. “Are you positive? Would you like to talk about why an ear injury to a stuffed animal caused such a reaction? I’m a good listener.”

She was tempted. Very tempted. “Maybe some other time.”

He must have sensed he wouldn’t get any more out of her. Giving a reluctant nod, he said, “I’ll hold you to that.”

She took the stuffed animal he handed over and crossed to his bed, sitting cross-legged on the end. “We seem to have gotten a bit off course.” She deliberately injected a cheerful note in her voice. “What’s next on our schedule?”

He started to say more, than shook his head. “Okay. We’ll play this your way. For now. Next on the schedule is unpacking.” He crossed the room to the dresser and tugged open a drawer. Returning to his duffel bag, he tossed it on the bed beside her and began removing clothes. “Were you planning to stay and watch?”

“I thought I might.” She peeked in his bag, hastily drawing back as he returned for another load. “Good grief, Noah. Are all your clothes black?”

“It’s a comfortable color.”

“Why?”

“Because everything always matches.”

“Oh.” More questions bubbled up, questions she didn’t have the restraint to resist asking. “Are you color blind?”

“Nope. Ijust don’t do colors.”

She chuckled. “I see. Afraid of committing a fashion faux pas, is that it?”

She’d actually managed to make him laugh, adelicious sound that filled her with warmth. “My secret’s out.”

Her nose disappeared into his duffel bag again. “And what’s in this small leather case under your boxers? If it’s a shaving kit, it sure is a weird shape. Ididn’t realize they made them triangular.”

He scooped the case out of reach and tucked it away in his top drawer, his reaction almost as extreme as when she’d seen Loner with Mr. Woof. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh.”

He’d made a mistake, hiding the case away. Curiosity consumed her. What could be in it? Something he didn’t want her to see, that was for sure. It reminded her a little of the gun case Babe-Husband #4 had. But that couldn’t be. What would a man Friday need with a pistol? If she’d been a less trustworthy person, she’d have found a way to discover what the case contained and confirm once and for all whether or not her lurid imagination had gotten out of hand yet again.

She released her breath in a gusty sigh and gave it up. Her nature didn’t suit spying. She didn’t sneak well enough. Nor would she be any good at making up a plausible excuse when he caught her pawing through his dresser drawers. The truth always had a way of tumbling out, even those few dark secrets that shadowed hersoul.

“As long as you’re invading my privacy,” Noah said, “why don’t we discuss my duties.”

He didn’t phrase it as a question. Once again she had the distinct impression she’d lost the upper hand as his employer. How did he manage to do that? Maybe she didn’t have what it took to be a boss, though she’d never had the least bit of trouble giving instructions to the cook or housekeeper or gardener. Only to Pudge. And now Noah. Who’d have thought after all these years she’d discover she was a pushover at heart?

“Fine. Why don’t we discuss your duties?” She offered her most innocent look. “Care to tell me what they’ll be?”

He leaned against the dresser and regarded her with an unblinking stare as impressively intimidating as Loner’s. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged. “Since you’re my birthday present, it’s a little difficult to know what you’ve been hired to do. Perhaps you should be asking Babe what she wants from you.”

“I’ve already explained this. I’ve been instructed to give you whatever you want.”

“I want a baby.” Had she really said that? It was the truth and for some reason, she couldn’t seem to help provoking him with it. “Were you offering your services in that department, too?”

His gaze never left her as he approached. Sami froze, unable to move or breathe. She could only watch as he walked toward her, his stride graceful and silent, his expression ominous. Even his eyes had darkened, the color the same dark gray of a fast-approaching storm front.

It took every ounce of self-possession not to tumble off the bed and scamper out the door. Why did Babe have to hire someone so tall, not to mention so aggressively masculine? Why couldn’t she have picked some sweet little old man who wouldn’t dream of planting himself inches from hernose?

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” she offered in her most conciliatorytone.

“Do you want me to take you to bed, Sami?” He’d pitched his voice low, the sound rumbling like distant thunder. It had the oddest effect, sending a desperate tremor straight through her, atremor that took root deep in the pit of her stomach and spread outward in a swift wash of fire. “If you do, just stay right there and I’ll join you.”

That did have her tumbling off the mattress. “Noah—”

“Not ready to get down and dirty? Then why don’t we start with something a little simpler?”

Sami swallowed, unable to resist the question he dangled before her. Who’d have thought she’d be so easy to bait. “Simpler? Like… like what?”

“Like this.”

She waited for the inevitable. Because Noah’s kiss was inevitable. The brief instant between his softly spoken “Like this” and his mouth joining hers lasted a heartbeat… and an eternity. When he finally kissed her she tumbled, every thought and emotion careening out of control. If he’d picked her up and dropped her off the TransAmerica building in downtown San Francisco, the fall wouldn’t have been longer or harder.

It terrified her.

It thrilled her.

Don’t think! she ordered herself. This wasn’t a moment for rational thought, but a moment to appreciate each and every sensory explosion. His lips were warm and strong, capturing hers with a breath-stealing decisiveness. In that instant, she made an incredible discovery. Noah tasted better than chocolate, which was saying a heck of a lot considering her obsession with that particular necessity of life. She locked her arms around his neck and indulged her newest obsession, one she feared wouldn’t be easily sated.

She’d been anticipating this kiss almost from the minute he’d walked into her life and taken over their interview. Considering his formidable appearance and forthright manner, he should have intimidated her from the start. At the very least, she should have found such a take-charge sort of man unappealing.

Instead, she found him fascinating. He was a lone wolf dressed all in black, his silvery eyes blazing a path straight to her soul, his soft, rumbling voice seeping deep into the very fiber of her being. They were the perfect opposites, her vibrancy providing a blaze of aurora borealis color against his night-sky darkness.

His arms tightened, locking her flush with his deliciously masculine angles. Oh my, but this man had been well put together—large, powerful, and with a clear understanding of a woman’s most secret passions. He muttered something dark and delicious, asuggestion that sent an illicit thrill racing through her. Her tongue tangled with his, their lips melding and releasing, before melding again.

She groaned, desire shivering through her. “Look at how well we’re communicating. Maybe we should do this instead of talking.”

“We were doing this. Right up until you started talking.”

“Oh.” She glanced at him from beneath her lashes, offering a half-sultry, half-teasing look. “In that case, are we going to argue? Or are we going to kiss?”

His breath feathered her face in a soft laugh. “I believe that depends on whether or not you’re going to keep quiet.”

She gave the matter a whole two seconds of serious consideration. “I think I can shut up if it means more kissing,” she offered.

His head dipped downward, his mouth sealing hers. The heady lust-rush was every bit as instantaneous and intense as before. She stood on tiptoe, practically scaling him like a climbing wall. Her hands fluttered from his shoulders, down the definition of muscles across his chest to the flat planes of his abdomen. She didn’t have the nerve to explore any further, though she wanted to. Badly. Instead, she lifted upward, tracing the strong sweep of his jawline and high-angled cheekbones.

Too bad he hadn’t come for the daddy interview, the wistful thought teased through her mind. He’d have been a perfect choice.

“Oh, dear,” she murmured.

He drew back, his expression an explicit statement of intent. For a man who fought to maintain an air of implacability, she’d decimated it quite thoroughly. In any other circumstances she’d have relished untying his knots of control. But he wouldn’t appreciate exposing his inner needs only to have them shut down. And that’s precisely what she had todo.

“Um… Noah?”

“What’s wrong now?”

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“That’s only just occurred to you?” he asked dryly.

“You distracted me or I’d have thought of it sooner.”

A hint of laughter drifted into his darkened gaze. “Are you always so easily distracted?”

“Not often,” she admitted. “Maybe because I’ve never met anyone with quite so many distracting qualities.”

He grimaced. “Thank you. Ithink.”

“I meant it as a compliment,” she hastened to reassure. “But that doesn’t change one tiny—not to mention, pertinent—detail.”

“You mean the tiny, pertinent detail that involves Babe hiring me to work for you?”

“Right. That one.” Her fingers crept across his chest, intent on stealing a final caress or two. “You’re my employee, remember?” She hoped he did, since she was having difficulty keeping that troublesome fact straight.

“I remember.” He captured her hand in his, ending her tactile exploration. “I gather that means you don’t go around kissing all of your employees?”

“Not all. Not even some. It’s a definite no-no, I’m afraid.”

“But it would have been okay to kiss me if I’d answered your newspaper advertisement?”

“Yes, though that’s different.”

“Because I’d be your… your baby-maker, for want of a better term? You’d be paying me for a different kind of service, is that it?”

Why did he have to make it sound so darned sleazy? She scowled. “That’s about the size of it.”

“And you don’t see anything wrong with that? You’re paying a man to have sex with you.”

“I’m not paying for the sex. I’m paying for the same end product I’d receive at a fertility clinic. There’s no difference.”

“There’s a big difference and you know it. I’m not even sure what you’re doing is legal.”

“You’re being rude.”

He lifted his eyebrow at that. “Try honest. Frank. Blunt. It’s an outsider’s take on the situation.”

“I want a child.”

“Try marriage.”

She freed her hand from his grasp and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t want to marry. Not ever. I’ve explained that to you.”

“Then try adoption.”

“If I don’t find the right man, Ijust might. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“It is when you proposition me.”

Her brow crinkled in confusion. “When I…?”

“You asked if I was a full-service employee, remember?”

Oh. He must mean when she’d asked him if he wanted to help with her baby dilemma. Maybe one of these days she’d learn not to say the first thing that popped into her head. It had gotten her into trouble more times than she could count.

“I wasn’t serious!” she protested. “It came out that way because you offered to give me anything I want.”

To her disappointment, he’d regained control of both himself and the conversation. “Perhaps we should discuss my duties and not veer off course into more dangerous waters.”

She recovered her poise enough to smile. “It would certainly be safer.”

He stepped back, giving her some breathing space. It only helped a little. He filled the room with the sheer force of his personality. If he’d actually shown up for her baby interview, she’d have chosen him on the spot, no matter how dangerous she suspected he’d be to her emotional stability. No doubt he’d make magnificent babies. And no doubt he’d be quite magnificent in all he did leading up to those babies. Not that she’d ever find out. Heck, no. From this moment on, Noah Hawke remained strictly off-limits.

The next time they kissed, she’d tell him that,too.

“I have a suggestion,” Noahsaid.

“A suggestion. Excellent. What is it?”

“It’s about work. You do recall that’s why I’m here?”

“Right. Work.” She fought to focus. Why the heck did he have to be so darned distracting? “What’s your suggestion?”

“How about I stick by your side for the next week or so. That should give us both a feel for where I’ll fit in. Until we come up with a specific list of duties, I’ll pitch in wherever I can.”

“Like you did today with Widget?”

He inclined his head. “That worked out, don’t you think?”

“You were a bit on the bossy side,” she mentioned cautiously.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Crud. “Don’t count on it. Ilike things done my way.”

“Another reason you’re foregoing the pleasure of a husband?”

“Ouch. Ithought we were going to avoid that subject.”

“True.” He picked up his empty duffel bag and opened the closet door, placing it on the floor. “Talk to me about Widget. Where did you find her?”

Another subject she’d rather avoid discussing. “She found me.”

Noah glanced over his shoulder, studying her closely. She had the uneasy impression he busily analyzed everything she said and did. She found it uncomfortable in the extreme, as though every word, every expression came under intense scrutiny.

“Tell me more.”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Giving orders.”

“It’s a natural talent.”

“Cute.” Something in his expression prompted an explanation she hadn’t intended to offer. “We sort of ran into each other one day.”

“Sort of?”

She couldn’t get out of this. He had a way of staring at her until the truth tumbled free. She couldn’t even think of a good alternate topic with which to distract him. Now why was that? Going off on tangents didn’t usually give her any trouble.

“Sami?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m aware of that. I’m also aware that you’re trying to change the subject. That means the circumstances must have been unpleasant.” He nodded in satisfaction. “I see by your expression I guessed right.”

“How do you do that?”

He shook his head. “It’s not going to work, sweetheart. Iwon’t be distracted. Come on,” he coaxed. “Confess. How did you run into each other? Did you have a fender bender?”

“No.”

“Did you crash shopping carts?”

“Oh, please.”

“More interesting than that? Okay, let’s see… You both fell in a vat of chocolate down in Ghirardelli Square. You knocked each other over inline skating.” He snapped his fingers. “I have it. You were both locked up in the same prison cell on Alcatraz Island. Am I close?”

“No, no, no and—let me think—no.”

“You might as well tell me. I’m not going to give up or let you change the subject.”

“All right, fine!” Darn it all. “I met Widget when she snatched my purse. There. Happy?”