Rugged Daddy

“I’ve already got one I trust,” I said.

“Oh.”

“I didn’t mean for that to come out as harsh as it did. I just … I have all of that under control.”

“That’s fine,” she said.

She looked down into her lap, and I could tell I’d made her uncomfortable. I definitely didn’t want that. I scooted closer to her, so close I could feel her body heat against me. She looked back over at me and graced me with those beautiful brown eyes, and part of me wanted to reach up and smooth my thumb over her cheek.

I resisted the urge, though I felt her legs relax. She uncrossed them and settled her thigh against mine, and it rushed my body with fire. My eyes locked with hers as she unfolded her hands in her lap, and without thinking, I reached out and took her hand in mine. She didn’t pull back.

“Two million,” I said.

“What was that?” Heather asked.

“That’s what I’d like to pay you. Two million.”

“Come again?”

“The fee. The price I pay you for having my child.”

I grinned as the color drained from her face. “Two million spread out over the course of the nine months. That’s what I want to pay you.”

Her jaw dropped open, and it pulled a chuckle from my throat.

“Is that enough?” I asked.

“That’s, um, yes. Th-that will be just fine.”

I enjoyed the look of shock on her face and the way her cheeks filled quickly back with color. I smoothed my thumb over her skin, and her eyes immediately dropped to the connection. She was so close, I could smell her hair. The dazzling fragrance of honeysuckle and apple.

I wanted to bury my nose in it.

“I agree to your terms,” Heather said. She looked back up at me with a determined, strong stare.

I found myself hoping our child would have her stare.

“Then I’ll call the agency to let them know we’ve agreed on our terms,” I said. “We can meet at the office Friday morning to begin the procedure.”

“That’s perfect. I can just open up a little later. The rush won’t come until the afternoon anyway.”

“I figured. It was pretty silent when Rebecca and I came in yesterday morning. It’s why I wanted to organize things in this fashion. I don’t want to impede your business.”

“That’s kind of you. Thank you,” she said.

She was so close, I could feel her breath puffing against my face.

I jotted down the details we worked out, so I could feed the agency accurate information, and then I led her to the door. My hand pressed into the small of her back, and I could feel her leaning into my touch. I opened the door for her and escorted her out and then paused when I didn’t see a car.

“How did you get here?” I asked.

“I hailed an Uber,” she said.

I saw the headlights of a car coming up the driveway, and I froze. Other people were coming to my cabin. That wasn’t good. I eyed the person behind the car carefully, committing every single detail of their face to memory. I walked Heather to her car and helped her in, chastising myself further as I closed the door.

What the fuck had I been thinking? Now, two people I didn’t know knew where the fuck my house was!

Nope. She wasn’t coming back to my place. It wasn’t happening. Fuck. What the hell had I opened myself up to?