Pregnant by the Maverick Millionaire(5)

"Well, well, well...isn't this interesting?" Mac drawled in Kade's ear.

"First time I've seen our boy gobsmacked, dude," Quinn added. "Shut your mouth, boyo, you're drooling."

Kade ignored his friends. Life had unexpectedly dropped Brodie back into  his realm again and he wanted what he'd always wanted every time he'd  laid eyes on her: Brodie in his bed, under him, naked and legs around  him...eyes begging for him to come on in.

Her perfume reached him before she did and he realized it was the same  scent he remembered. It took him straight back to those early-morning  runs in the park, to crisp air and the hesitant smile of the  black-haired girl who waited for him by the running store and kept up  with his fast pace along the seawall. He hadn't run in the park since  the morning he'd heard about Vernon's death.

And kissed Brodie.

It had been an incredible kiss and the one highlight of a couple of  really tough, horrible months. If only he had the memory of taking her  to bed, too...

So it turned out he didn't want long, hot sex with any random woman. He wanted to make love to Brodie. Interesting.

Crazy.

And pretty damn dangerous. He wouldn't-couldn't-allow her to know the  effect she had on him, how he instantly craved her and the crazy  chemical reaction he was experiencing. It wasn't clever to admit she was  the only woman he'd ever encountered who could thoroughly disconcert  him, who could wipe every rational thought from his brain.

Okay, he was officially losing it. Maybe it was time, as Wren had  suggested, he started acting like the CEO he was supposed to be.

With anyone else, he could do it with his eyes closed. Around Brodie, he might have to put his back into it.

So here goes...

* * *

Brodie held out her hand to Kade and hoped her smile wasn't as shaky as she felt. "Kade, it's been a while."

"Brodie." Kade took her hand and she held his eyes even though her pulse  skittered up her arm and straight to her belly. She met his eyes and  felt her heart roll over, as it always did. She knew his eyes were a  deep brown but today, against his olive complexion and dark blond hair,  they glinted black.

Oh, this wasn't good. He was a sexy man. They'd kissed but that wasn't  enough of a reason for her hormones to start doing their crazy dance.  She looked down at their intertwined hands and could easily remember  what his tanned fingers felt like on her back, his wide hand sliding  over her butt, his lips on hers...

Dammit, Brodie!

Kade touched her elbow and gestured to his friends. Hot, hot and  steamin'. Brodie wanted to fan herself. Quinn Rayne was the ultimate  sexy bad boy, Mac McCaskill was even better looking-if that was  possible-after falling in love with the attractive woman tucked into his  side, and Kade...? Why, with him looking as fantastic as he did, the  urge to jump him and do him on the nearest table was nearly  overwhelming.                       
       
           



       

This was the problem with Kade Webb, Brodie reminded herself. He had the  ability to turn her from a woman who considered all the angles into a  wild child who acted first and regretted later. She hadn't made an  impulsive decision for nearly a decade and yet, around him, that was all  she seemed to do! For weeks she'd met him in the park as the sun rose.  Then she'd accompanied him home, kissed him senseless and been so  tempted to make love to him. Around him, impulsive was her new middle  name.

Stewart, start acting like the adult you are!

Immediately!

Pulling herself together, Brodie greeted Kade's friends, kissed Wren  hello and looked, and sounded, like the professional she normally was.

Quinn smiled at her. Whoo boy, it was a potent grin and she could easily  imagine girls falling like flies at his feet. That smile should be  registered as a weapon of mass destruction, but Brodie caught the  wariness in his eyes and the intelligence he hid behind his charm. "So,  you're Brodie."

"I am."

"And you're a matchmaker."

"I am." Brodie tipped her head, assessing him. "Would you like me to find you someone?"

She had to smile when Quinn flushed and sent a help-me look at his  friends. Since Quinn's exploits, mostly in love, kept Vancouver  entertained on a weekly basis, she knew he had no problem finding a  date. Finding a partner was a very different story.

"You know, most of my clients don't have any problems meeting women and they often date a variety of women."

Quinn frowned. "So why do they need you?"

"Because they are dating the wrong type of women. They want to be in a  relationship," Brodie patiently explained. "Do you want to be in a  relationship, Mr. Rayne?"

She was taking the circuitous route to find out what she desperately  wanted to know: would Kade be bidding for her matchmaking services? The  thought of matching him to any of Colin's clients made her stomach roil.  Colin's clients were wonderful women, but Brodie thought the ick factor  was a bit too high to match her fantasy man with a flesh-and-bone  woman.

She'd rather pick her eyes out with a cake fork.

"Hell no! And why am I the focus of attention?" Quinn complained. "Kade is as much of a lone wolf as me!"

Brodie lifted an eyebrow in Kade's direction, as if to say "Are you?" He  immediately read her question and responded with an inscrutable smile.

Brodie looked around, her eyes falling on the honey blonde surgically  attached to Mac's side. Rory's look was speculative, bouncing from Quinn  to Kade and back again. Brodie recognized her assessing, mischievous  look. This was a woman wanting to cause trouble...

Mac's deep voice broke her train of thought. "Your hands are empty, Brodie. What would you like to drink? Wine? A soda?"

A small glass of wine couldn't hurt, could it? "I'd love a glass of Tangled Vine Chardonnay."

Rory tipped her head and looked at Quinn. "Is that the wine you brought over the other night? It was seriously yummy."

Quinn nodded. "I'll bring a case over tonight. What's for supper?"

"Risotto. Troy is joining us tonight," Rory replied.

Mac looked appalled. "We're having them for supper again? Troy I don't  mind, but these two? Babe, they are like rats, if you keep feeding them,  we are never going to get rid of them."

"Kade and I are the rats," Quinn told Brodie, smiling. He lifted a huge shoulder. "What can I say? She's a good cook."

Brodie looked into Mac's eyes and noticed the amusement under his fake  scowl. Yeah, he looked hard-ass and a bit scary-they all did-but she  could see these men shared a bond that went beyond love. It was too easy  to say they loved each other, but it was more than that; there was  loyalty here and support, a deep and profound desire to make sure their  "brothers" were happy. She couldn't help feeling envious of their bond  despite knowing she'd chosen her solitary state. She'd had friendships  like that; bonds with Jay and Chels that couldn't be broken by anything  except death.

She still missed them, every day. She missed the people who could finish  her sentences, who got her jokes. She missed the  I-know-it's-after-midnight-but-I-brought-you-pizza conversations. She  missed Chelsea, missed those crazy antics-"I'm outside your window and I  have a date. Toss down your lucky belt/new shoes/red lipstick/flirty  dress."

She missed Jay, the boy who knew her inside out, the man she'd just been  getting to know. His sweet kisses, his endless support, his newly  acquired fascination with her body. She still missed the man she thought  she'd spend the rest of her life with...                       
       
           



       

She hadn't been able to reconnect with people on that level again. She  wasn't prepared to risk heartbreak. Having her heart dented by loss and  being left behind without any emotional support sucked. It stung. It  burned. It made her cautious and wary. Scared.

She was very okay with being scared. "And I'm sending you a bill for the food we buy," Mac grumbled. "Spongers."

"Rory's a great cook and she likes having us around. Maybe she needs a  break from you," Quinn told Mac as he took the glass of wine Kade had  ordered for her off the waiter's tray and handed it to Brodie, ignoring  Kade's scowl. "I'll bring the wine."

Rory grinned. "Excellent. I love that wine."

"Might I remind you that you won't be able to drink it for a year or so?" Mac muttered.

Rory frowned and then her expression cleared and a small, tender smile  drifted across her face. She touched her stomach and Brodie immediately  caught on. It took Mac's friends seconds longer to catch up. And,  judging by Quinn's and Kade's stunned faces, that wasn't news they'd  been expecting. But once they realized what Mac had revealed, they swept  Rory into their arms for a long, emotional hug. Kade hugged Mac, as did  Quinn, and Brodie felt tears prick her eyes at their joy for their  friend. She stepped back, feeling she shouldn't be here, sharing this  precious, intimate moment. She half smiled when she noticed Wren doing  the same thing.