The CEO's Unexpected Child(8)

Claire looked around, awkwardly shuffling her feet as she studied the  house. She probably wasn't sure how they were going to work out the  arrangements here. Obviously they wouldn't be sharing a room, as much as  he'd like to. They were here together as a family, but also to become  friends and soothe her concerns about him caring for their daughter. She  might be the most alluring woman he'd laid eyes on in a long time, but  sex would most certainly complicate their already complicated situation.

"You and Eva should take the master," he said. "Gavin said there's a  crib in there because they got the place not long before their daughter,  Beth, was born. There's also plenty of room for the playpen and all of  Eva's things there." Luca opened the door to the master suite and  gestured her to go inside ahead of him.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she stepped inside and surveyed the room  with its cheery yellow walls and iron king-size bed. There was a crib  and changing table along one wall and a large dresser along the other.  "We'll be just as comfortable downstairs."

"Nonsense. This is perfect for you." And it was. The room suited Claire  as though it was made for her. Elegant and cheerful, comfortable and  effortless. Claire was all that and more. Her beauty was natural, not  forced like that of so many other women. She wore just enough makeup to  highlight her features, not disguise them. Her clothes looked  comfortable, but stylish. Even the scent of her was perfection-like  vanilla and cinnamon. It all came together into a distracting and  enticing package.

It didn't stop at looks, either. Driving out here, he was impressed by  how intelligent and articulate she was. Working at a museum with a  degree in art history, she could just as easily discuss impressionist  pieces as ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. He hoped their daughter would  be as beautiful and smart as her mother. He doubted he could've picked a  better woman to have his child if he'd done it himself. The Fates  worked in mysterious ways.

The Fates? His mother's superstitious ways were creeping into his  thoughts today. With a dismissive shake of his head, Luca went back out  to the living room and started bringing Claire's bags inside. "I'll let  you get settled in. I'm sure you could use a nap or something after that  long drive."                       
       
           



       

Claire chuckled and settled on the edge of the bed with Eva. "I doubt  I'll get a nap, but maybe there will be some quiet tummy time in our  future."

He nodded and slipped from the room. Luca stomped down the staircase to  the first floor. Once there, he took a deep breath and exhaled Claire's  scent from his lungs. If only his thoughts of her could be expelled so  easily.

Grabbing one of his bags, he went into each bedroom, selecting the one  the farthest from Claire. He dropped the bag on the floor at the foot of  the bed and flopped down onto the queen-size mattress. The room was  tidy, with blue walls and distressed furniture. In the end it didn't  really matter. All he needed was a bed and space away from Claire to  keep a clear head.

Four weeks was a long time to be alone with her here. With the longing  she stirred inside him with only a glance, it would feel even longer.





Four

The morning light shone through the window and roused Claire from her  sleep. She yawned and stretched, feeling luxuriously lazy for not  setting an alarm. She could get used to this vacation thing. For the  first time in a long time she felt well rested. She'd slept like a rock  last night. She hadn't done that since before Eva was born.

Wait a minute... Eva!

Shooting up in bed, Claire looked over to the crib. If the alarm didn't  wake Claire up, the baby usually did, so if she was still sleeping,  something was wrong with Eva. Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar crib, but  there was no baby to be found.

"Eva?" she called out with an edge of panic in her voice.

Claire whipped the blankets back and leaped from the bed. A quick  search of the crib and the surrounding area confirmed what she already  knew. Eva was missing. "Eva!" she shouted again, throwing open the door  of the master bedroom and skidding into the living room. She came to a  sudden stop, not quite sure she could believe what her eyes were seeing.

"Good morning. Are you hungry?"

Luca was standing in the kitchen with Eva perched on his hip. Together,  they were cooking breakfast. The billionaire CEO was mixing pancake  batter while playfully gumming at her infant's fingers and making yummy  sounds. Luca looking so casual holding her daughter was a surreal sight  after their tense conference room showdown. Was this the same man who  had threatened her with prison time? "We've been enjoying our morning,  haven't we, bella? We had a bottle and coffee out on the deck and  watched the seabirds, and then we decided to make pancakes for  breakfast."

She was happy to find Eva safe, but she didn't appreciate the fright  he'd given her. Luca's brows drew together. "Claire, are you okay?"

She didn't answer him. Marching across the living room, she took Eva  from his arms and cradled her to her chest. Then, and only then, could  she respond to Luca. "Please don't do that," she said.

"Do what?"

"Take her without telling me."

"You mean take her like she's my child and care for her as a father would do?"

Claire frowned at him. He might technically be her father, but he  hadn't earned the right to just wander off with Eva without her  permission. Her daughter barely knew him. "The point of this trip was so  that I could get comfortable with you handling Eva. It's been less than  twenty-four hours and I can assure you that I'm not comfortable yet."

"I'm sorry," Luca said, coming around the kitchen island with a mug of  coffee in his hand. "I get up early, so I came and got her so you could  sleep. It defeated the purpose to wake you up and ask if you minded.  Would you like some coffee? I made this cup for you, but again, I didn't  ask permission first, so you may not want it."

Claire ignored his sharp tone. He was annoyed, but she didn't care. It  was far too early for him to start ignoring boundaries. Being  temporarily under the same roof didn't turn their situation into some  family sitcom. Of course, neither did her snapping at him.

"Sure," she replied quietly, still a little off-kilter from her scare  and not entirely pleased with how she'd handled all this in that state.  "Thank you."

Luca set the mug on the counter within her reach and turned to the  kitchen. With his back turned, Claire did a quick assessment of Eva and  found her to be fed, changed and clean. She seemed happy and not at all  concerned to be away from her mother with a strange man. Claire had  obviously underestimated Luca when it came to caring for children. He  knew more about it than he let on in their previous discussions.                       
       
           



       

"Do you want bacon?"

Claire turned back to Luca. He seemed to have cast aside their little  skirmish and refocused on breakfast. "That sounds great." She slipped  onto one of the stools at the kitchen counter to watch him work at the  range. The in-control businessman appeared to have stayed back in  Manhattan and in his place was a man enjoying his vacation. He was  wearing a blue T-shirt and flannel plaid pajama pants with bare feet.  His hair was slightly messy, and morning stubble lined his sharp jaw.

She imagined that this was a sight few people outside his immediate  family got to see. She liked it. More than she wanted to admit. She  wondered what his rough stubble would feel like against her cheek.  Against her thighs...

Claire squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to send that sensation out  of her mind. She wasn't allowed to snap at him, then fantasize about him  a moment later. That was craziness.

When she reopened them, she focused on Luca's cooking. Even in his  pajamas, he moved around the kitchen with purpose and fluidity. Luca  certainly knew what he was doing. For some reason that surprised Claire.  There was a lot about this man that wasn't what it appeared. "I knew  you ran restaurants, but I never thought about whether you could  actually cook," she admitted.

Luca flipped a pancake, then looked at her with a disarming smile. "In  my family, food is life. All our family gatherings revolve around the  meals we make together in the kitchen. Once a kid is old enough to peel a  potato, they're put to work helping with Sunday suppers."

"Do you have a large family?"

Luca chuckled and flipped over another pancake. "Yes. I'm actually the  oldest of six kids. My father is the oldest of five. When we all gather  together with the cousins and spouses, there's easily forty or fifty of  us."