Have Baby, Need Billionaire(14)

Damn it, things used to be simple. He saw an attractive woman, he talked   her into his bed. Now, Tula was all wrapped up in a tight knot with  the  child who was probably his son and Simon was walking a fine line.  If he  seduced her and then dropped her, couldn't she make it more  difficult  for him to get custody of Nathan? And what if he had sex with  her and  didn't want to let her go? What then?

There was no room in his life for a woman as flighty and unorganized as she was. She thrived in chaos. He needed order.

They were a match made in hell.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes," he muttered, though he was actually trying to not listen to her.

Which was no more successful than trying not to think about her.



Tula wasn't comfortable in the city.

Ridiculous, of course, since she'd spent so much of her childhood there.   Her parents separated when she was only five and her mother,  Katherine,  had moved them to Crystal Bay. Close enough that Tula could  see her  father and far enough away that her mother wouldn't have to.

Crystal Bay would always be home to Tula. Right from the first, she'd   felt as though she belonged there. Life was simpler, there were no piano   lessons and tutors. Instead, there was the local public school where   she'd first met Anna Cameron. That friendship had really helped shape   who she was. The connection with Anna and her oh-so-normal family had   helped her gain the self-confidence to eventually face down her father   and refuse to fall in line with his plans for her life.                       
       
           



       

Now being in San Francisco only reminded her of those long, lonely   weekends with her father. Not that Jacob Hawthorne was evil, he simply   hadn't been interested in a daughter when he'd wanted a son. And the   fact that his daughter didn't care at all about business was another big   black mark against her.

Funny, Tula thought, she had long ago gotten past the regrets she had   for how her relationship with her father had died away. Apparently   though, there was still a tiny spark inside her that wished things had   been different.

"It's okay though," she said aloud to the baby who wasn't listening and   couldn't have cared less. "I'm doing fine, aren't I, Nathan? And you   like me, right?"

If he could speak, she was sure Nathan would have agreed with her and that was good enough for now.

She sighed and pushed the stroller along the sidewalk. Nathan was   bundled up as if they were exploring the Arctic Circle, but the wind was   cold off the bay and the dark clouds hanging over the city threatened   rain.

She and the baby had been in that house for days and it was harder and   harder to be there without thoughts of Simon filling her mind. She knew   it was pointless, of course. She and Simon had nothing in common except   that flash of heat that had practically melded them together during  that  amazing kiss.

But she couldn't help where her mind went. And lately, her mind kept   slipping into wildly inappropriate thoughts of Simon. Which was exactly   why she had bundled Nathan up for a walk. She needed to clear her head.   Needed to get back to work on the book that was due by the end of the   month. It was hard enough eking out the time for illustrations and   storyboards while the baby was napping. Forcing herself to work on the   Lonely Bunny's antics while daydreaming about Simon made it nearly   impossible.

Whenever Tula was having a hard work day, she would take a walk, just to   feel the bite of the fresh air, see people, listen to the world  outside  her own mind. Ideas didn't pop into an idle mind. They had to  be  fostered, engendered. And that usually meant getting out into the  world.

Actually, one of her most popular books had been born at the grocery   store in Crystal Bay. She remembered watching a pallet of vegetables   being delivered and immediately, she'd felt that magic "click" in her   brain that told her an idea was forming. Soon, she'd had the story line   for Lonely Bunny Visits the Market.

"So see, Nathan, we're actually working!" She chuckled a little and picked up the pace.

There were so many people scurrying along the sidewalks, Tula felt lost.   But then she'd been feeling a little lost since settling into Simon   Bradley's house. She hadn't written a word in three days and even her   illustrations were being ignored. She couldn't keep this up much longer.   She had deadlines to meet and editors to appease.

And Simon was taking up so many of her thoughts, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to think of anything else.

The only bright side was that she knew Simon was feeling just as   frustrated as she was. That he wanted her as much as she did him. And   she couldn't help relishing that sweet rush of completely feminine power   that had filled her when he'd practically thrown her out of the   bathroom during Nathan's bath time a few days ago. He hadn't trusted   himself around her.

Which was just delicious, she thought. Of course it would be crazy to   surrender to whatever it was that was simmering between them. She had   Nathan to think about, after all. She couldn't just give in to what she   was feeling and not think about the consequences.

Don't I sound responsible? she thought with surprise.

Well, she was. Now. Now that she had Nathan in her life, she had to   judge every decision she made along the measurement of what was good for   him. And sleeping with his father couldn't be a good idea. Especially   knowing that it was up to her to decide when Simon was ready for   custody.

She stopped short.

Was that why he had kissed her?

Was he trying to seduce her into giving him Nathan?

"Now, that's a horrible thought," she said aloud.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Hmm?" Tula looked at the older woman who had stopped on the sidewalk to   look at her. "Oh, sorry. I was actually talking to myself."

"I see." The woman's eyes went wide and she hurried past.

Tula laughed a little, then stepped to the front of the stroller to   check on Nathan. "Well, sweetie, I think that nice lady thought I was   crazy."

He kicked his legs, waved his arms and grinned at her. All the approval   she needed, Tula thought, and stepped around to push him along the   sidewalk again.                       
       
           



       

There were stores, of course. Small boutiques, coffee bars and even a   cozy Italian restaurant with tables grouped together on the sidewalk.

But what caught her eye was the bookstore.

"Let's go see, Nathan."

She stepped inside and paused long enough to enjoy the atmosphere. An   entire store devoted to books and the people who loved them. Was there   anything better? Crossing to the children's section, Tula smiled at the   parents indulging their kids by sitting on the brightly colored rugs to   pick out books.

When she saw a little girl reading Lonely Bunny Makes a Friend Tula's heart swelled with pride.

She wandered over to the shelf where her books were lined up and, taking a pen from her purse, began signing the copies there.

A few minutes later, a voice stopped her mid-scrawl.

"Excuse me."

Tula looked at a woman in her mid-forties with a name tag that read Barbara and smiled. "Hi."

The woman looked her up and down, taking in her faded jeans, blue suede   boots and windblown hair before asking, "What are you doing?"

Tula dug into her purse and pulled a roll of gold-and-black autographed   copy stickers that she always carried with her. "I'm the author and I   thought since I was here I would just sign your stock, if that's all   right."

She had never had trouble before. Usually bookstores liked having signed copies of the books on the shelves to help with sales.

"You're Tula Barrons?" Barbara asked with a wide grin. "That's   wonderful! My daughter loves your books and I can tell you they sell   very well for us here in the store."

"I'm always glad to hear that," Tula said and hurried her signature as Nathan started to fuss.

"You live locally?" Barbara asked.

"Temporarily," Tula told her and felt a slight wince inside at the   admission. She didn't know how long she would be staying in the city,   but she was already dreading having to leave both Nathan and Simon.

"Would you be interested in doing a signing here at the store?" the   woman asked. "We could set it up for you to do a reading at the same   time. I think the kids would love it."