Baby Steps (Yeah, Baby Book 2)(16)

Feeling accomplished, and much more in control, I shut off my computer and stretched. My stomach rumbled and I checked my watch, it was almost six. I’d let Jade sleep for a little more than three hours, but I was sure she’d be hungry soon. She and the baby needed to eat.

I was reaching for my phone when it started ringing.

“St. James,” I answered gruffly, annoyed at being interrupted when all I wanted to do was feed Jade and take her back to bed.

“Lucas, my boy!” I stifled an irritated sigh at the sound of Charles Finlay, one of, if not the most stuffy and self-righteous ass on the board of my company.

“What can I do for you, Finlay?” I asked, valiantly attempting to sound professional instead of sulky.

“We’re having a get-together at the L’étang tomorrow night. I know it’s late notice, but I’m hoping you’ll join us. We want to introduce you to some of our clients.”

Fuck. This was a golden opportunity to get to know the heads of the companies I would be trying to convince to stay with mine when I booted out the ‘Good Ole’ Boys Club.’ I really needed to attend, but I didn’t want to leave Jade.

“I’m not sure if I can—“

“Make sure you bring a date. We’ll see you at nine,” he interrupted, as though I hadn’t begun to decline, then promptly hung up.

My hand gripped the phone hard, my knuckles turning white. I needed to go since his request for me to bring a date was actually a semi-politely worded demand. These men liked their own kind and showing up younger, richer, single, and without a date would do nothing to bridge the already wide gap between us professionally. Some of them would be bringing their wives, but many of them would be with a girlfriend or, more likely, their current mistress. Conservative family men, my ass. It’s all about appearances with them, and a mistress is much less fodder for the tabloids than being in a relationship with your step-sibling. Although, to be fair, not all of them were such hypocrites.

I certainly couldn’t take Jade and I wasn’t about to take another woman. Damn it! I was about to toss my cell at the wall when I heard a soft knock. I looked up to see Jade lounging in the open doorway. She looked tousled and sleepy in one of my t-shirts, fucking adorable. Seeing her there, wearing my clothes, made the possessiveness I felt for her jump up about ten notches.

“Hey,” she greeted softly, “Everything alright?”

I smiled tightly, as tension built in my muscles. “Sure. Are you hungry?”

Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. “Starved.”

I laughed and crooked a finger at her before patting my lap. She rolled her eyes, but padded over and curled up in my arms.

My hand began rubbing circles on her back and I kissed the top of her head. “What would you like to eat?”

“Mmmmm...I could really go for a nice, juicy, steak.”

The little moan had my cock digging into her round little ass. One more moan like that and I could not be held responsible for my actions.

Steak? Her food choice broke into my thoughts. Maybe... No, what a stupid idea.

“Have you ever been to L’étang?” I asked, then immediately wanted to kick myself. Shut the fuck up, St. James.

“The steakhouse?” Her voice was incredulous as she leaned back to stare at me. “It’s like one thousand dollars a plate!”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Exaggerate much?”

She smiled and shrugged.

Ask her what she wants to order in. “I have a last minute work thing there tomorrow night. Want to go with me?” What the actual fuck, man? I almost winced at the voice screaming at me in my head. Yeah, that was stupid.

She hadn’t returned to her spot tucked into my chest. Her head was still up and she was studying me.

“As your date?” she asked cautiously.

Tread carefully. “Well, no. I can’t have you as my date.”

Her green eyes began to cloud with a dark emotion. Way to go, now get your foot out of your mouth.

I went on quickly, “Obviously, I’m not going to take any date. If I did, it would, of course, be you. I can’t go alone, though, not with this crowd anyway.”

Her face warned me of an impending storm, a riot of feelings I couldn’t quite nail down.

She raised an eyebrow. “So, you want to take me, but you can’t?”

Ah. No wonder, I wasn’t being very clear. I smiled, certain she’d be happy when I explained I’d still be taking her with me. “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t intend to take you, sweetheart. You’ll accompany me as my step-sister. A sibling is always an acceptable substitute for a date.”