The Billionaire's Borrowed Baby(5)

"I have my own sports cars. I'm not trying to pull anything."

"You know what I mean." He changed tack. "Do I know her?"

Luc shrugged. "You've met."

"How long have you known her? It's not like you to go all misty-eyed over a one-night stand."

"I can assure you that I've known her for a very long time."

"But you've just now realized you're in love."

"A man doesn't have to be in love to want a woman."

"So it's lust."

"I think we've gotten off track. I asked if you would be my best man. A simple yes or no will do."

"Damn it, Luc. Quit being so mysterious. Who is she? Will I get to see her anytime soon?"

"I haven't decided. We've been concentrating on each other. I don't want   to spoil things. Just promise me you'll show up when and where I say  on  the fourteenth. In a tux."

The silence was deafening. Finally, Leo stood up and stretched. "I don't   like the sound of this. When it all goes to hell, don't come crying to   me. Your libido is a piss-poor businessman. Be smart, baby brother.   Women are generally not worth the bother."

Luc understood his brother's caution. They had both been burned by love   at a tender age, but thankfully had wised up pretty fast. What Leo   didn't know, though, was that Luc had a plan. Revenge was a strong word   for what he had in mind. He didn't hate Hattie Parker. Quite the   contrary. All he wanted was for her to understand that while he might   still find her sexually attractive, he was completely immune to any   emotional connection. No hearts and flowers. No protestations of undying   devotion.

He was no longer a kid yearning for a pretty girl. This time he had the   power. He would be calling all the shots. Hattie needed him, and her   vulnerability meant that Luc would have her in his house … in his   bed … under his control. Perhaps revenge was too strong a word. But when   all was said and done, Hattie Parker would be out of his system … for   good.



Hattie was ready to scream. Moving anytime was a huge chore, but add a   baby to the mix, and the process was darned near impossible. She'd   finally gotten Deedee down for a nap and was wrapping breakables in the   kitchen when her cell phone rang. She jerked it up and snarled, "What?"

The long silence at the other end was embarrassing.

"Sorry," she said, her throat tight with tears of frustration.

Luc's distinctive tones were laced with humor. "I don't think I've ever heard you lose your temper. I kind of like it."

"Don't be silly," she said, shoving a lock of damp hair from her forehead. "What do you want?"

"Nothing in particular. I was checking in to see if you needed anything."

"A trio of muscular guys would be nice."

Another silence. "Kinky," he said, his voice amused but perhaps a tad hoarse.

Her face flamed, though he couldn't see her. "To help with moving," she   muttered. "I wouldn't know what else to do with them. This mothering   thing is hard work."

"Why, Hattie Parker. Are you hinting for help?"

"Maybe." Deedee was a good baby, but being a single parent was   difficult. Hattie no longer felt as panicked as she had in the   beginning. Much of the daily routine of dealing with an infant seemed   easier now. But Deedee had been restless the three nights since Hattie   had dined with Luc. Perhaps the baby was picking up on Hattie's   unsettled emotions. And to make matters worse, Eddie had begun sending a   harassing string of vague emails and texts. Clearly to keep Hattie on   edge. And it was working.

Luc sighed audibly. "I would have hired a moving crew already, but   you're always so damned independent, I thought you would pitch a fit and   insist on doing it yourself."                       
       
           



       

"I've grown up, Luc. Some battles simply aren't worth fighting. I know when I'm in over my head."

"I'm sorry. I made a stupid assumption. It won't happen again."

The conversation lagged once more. She looked at the chaos in her   kitchen and sighed. "Do you know yet when we're going to sit down and go   over the finer points of our marriage agreement?"

"I thought perhaps tomorrow evening. When does Deedee go down for the night?"

"Usually by eight … if I'm lucky."

"What if I come over to your place then, so she won't have to be displaced. I'll bring food."

"That would be great."

"Have you heard any more from your brother-in-law?"

"Nothing specific." No need at the moment to involve Luc in Eddie's   bluster. "He likes to throw his weight around. Right now, he's got the   perfect setup. I'm babysitting for him, but when he's ready, he'll grab   Deedee."

"I hope you don't mean that literally."

"He's not that stupid. At least, I don't think he is."

"Try not to worry, Hattie. Everything is going to fall into place."



For once, it seemed as if Luc was right. Deedee went to sleep the   following evening without a whimper. Hattie found an unworn blouse in   the back of her closet with the tags still attached. She'd snagged it   from a clearance rack at Bloomingdale's last January, and the thin,   silky fabric, a pale peach floral, was the perfect weight for a spring   evening.

Paired with soft, well-worn jeans, the top made her look nice but   casual … not like she was trying too hard to impress. Unfortunately, Luc   showed up ten minutes early, and she was forced to open the door in her   bare feet.

His eyes flashed with masculine appreciation when he saw her. "You don't look frazzled to me, Hattie."

She stepped back to let him in. "Thanks. Today was much calmer, maybe   because the moving company you hired promised to be here first thing in   the morning. And I was able to actually take a shower, because the baby   took a two-hour morning nap."

As she closed the door, he surveyed her apartment. "No offense, but I   don't see any point in storing most of this stuff. Let the movers take   the bulk of it to charity, and bring only the things that are personal   or sentimental with you."

She bit her lip. It had occurred to her that this subject would have to   be broached, but she hadn't anticipated it would come so soon. "The   thing is … "

"What are you trying to say?" He tossed the duffel bag he'd been   carrying in a chair and deposited two cloth grocery bags in the kitchen.   Then he turned to face her. "Is there a problem?"

She shifted from one foot to the other. Luc was wearing a suit and tie,   and she felt like Daisy Duke facing off with Daddy Warbucks. "This  union       won't last forever. After all the money you're spending to  help  Deedee and me, you shouldn't have to finance the next phase of my  life,  as well. I thought it might be prudent to have something to fall  back on  in the future."

He nudged a corner of her navy plaid futon/chair with the toe of his   highly polished wing tip, giving the sad, misshapen piece a dismissive   glance. "When that happens, I won't cast off you and the child to live   with cheap, secondhand furniture. I have a reputation to uphold in this   town. Image is everything. You're going to have to face the truth,   Hattie. You're marrying a rich man-whether you like it or not."

The mockery in his words and on his face was not veiled this time. He   was lashing out at her for what she'd done in the past. Fair enough.   Back then she had made a big deal about their stations in life. Luc's   money gave him power, and Hattie had been taught at her mother's knee   never to let a man have control.

The man Hattie called "daddy" was really her stepfather. As a   nineteen-year-old, her mother had been that most naive of clichés … the   secretary who had an affair with her boss. When Hattie's mom told her   lover she was pregnant, he tossed her aside and never looked back.

Hattie lifted her chin. "It was never about the money," she insisted.   "Or not only the money. Look at what your life has become, Luc. You're   the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I'm a public school teacher. I clip   coupons and drive a ten-year-old car. Even before I began helping with   my mother's finances, I lived a very simple lifestyle."

He curled a lip. "Is this where I cue the violins?"