The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby(3)

Her expression was a curious mixture of shy confidence. "A full-grown woman who can take care of herself."

Brooks grinned. "Point taken. So, oh experienced woman of the world,  what do you do for a living? Cole mentioned something about becoming a  nun?"

Leah opened her mouth, then grinned, a slight blush staining her cheeks.  "No, I am not becoming a nun. I'm a teacher at a private girls' school  run by nuns."

Brooks burst out laughing. "You're not even making that up, are you?"

Leah laughed. "Okay, fine. I guess I fit the stereotype a little. Hush."

"What's a nice girl like you doing hanging out with a boatful of  heathens like us?" he asked, nodding at the people milling about on the  boat.

"The ‘heathens' you're referring to aren't exactly the scum of the  earth," she said with a laugh. "Aside from their obscene bank accounts,  they all seem pretty nice. Most of them, anyway," she said, looking him  up and down.

He gave her a slow smile with as much smolder as he could lay on and  returned her roving gaze. Instead of blushing and backing off, she moved  a little closer.

"Besides," she said, "even nice girls like to have some fun. I'm on a  yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean with good friends, celebrating  the birth of my goddaughter. Can't think of any place I'd rather be. It  was good of you to host this getaway for them."

A rush of pride flooded through him, something he didn't feel very  often. He liked that she approved of him. It had been a long time since  he'd cared about what anyone thought. He didn't know what it was about  her, but she intrigued him, which scared the hell out of him,  truthfully. But that paled in comparison to his desire to get to know  her better. Much better.

"She's my goddaughter and they're my best friends. It was the least I could do. Besides, I'm always up for a party."

She smiled at that, though the expression didn't quite reach her eyes,  and then looked out at the view spread before them. They weren't far  from land, so the whitewashed walls and blue roofs of the Greek village  they were passing twinkled at them from the shores of the bay. The  crystal-clear turquoise waters beneath them beckoned invitingly though a  sudden cool breeze blew through, sending a fine shiver through Leah.

Brooks moved behind her, sheltering her with his body, his hands resting  beside hers on the railing. "What are you thinking about so hard?" he  asked, bending down so he could talk quietly. The scent of her hair  washed over him. Honeysuckle and jasmine. He inhaled deeply, imprinting  the scent in his mind.

"The future," she said. Instead of moving away as he'd feared, she  leaned back into him. A slight movement, but encouraging, though the  future was a subject he tended to avoid as much as possible.       

   





"Why think of the future when the present is so much more stimulating?"  He ran a hand up her arm and she turned until she faced him.

"You don't find the future stimulating?"

"When I have a beautiful woman in my arms right now?" He drew his thumb  over her cheek. "Why would I want to think of anything else?"

His heart pounded while he waited for her to push him away, giggle and  blush maybe, play hard to get. Or get offended and stomp off in a huff.  He didn't expect her to tilt her face against his hand so he cradled her  cheek. The sun highlighted her hair, illuminating shades of red and  blonde that reminded him of the fine mahogany table he had in his  office. He brushed a strand away from her eyes, pools of brown with  subtle flecks of green that had him mesmerized.

What had she done to him? He'd never wanted to kiss a woman so badly in  his life. He leaned down, his pulse speeding. She gave him a gentle,  encouraging smile, then froze. Her eyes widened, all the color in her  face draining, and before he could ask what was wrong she pivoted and  leaned far over the rail, her body tensing as she threw up what looked  like everything she'd ever eaten.

He grabbed her hair, gathering it at the nape of her neck and holding it  with one hand while he held her against him with his other arm,  supporting her while she retched. Kiersten was at their side almost  immediately with a towel and a bottle of water. He took both from her,  ignoring her shocked face.

Leah took the towel gratefully and quickly rinsed out her mouth. Brooks  led her over to a chair and ordered one of the passing waiters to bring  him a glass of ice water with mint leaves. Kiersten's eyes widened in  question.

"I read somewhere that mint calms the stomach. And the flavor might help get the taste out of her mouth," he said.

Kiersten looked like she was going to respond, but ended up shaking her  head with a small smile. Brooks knew exactly what she was thinking, but  ignored everyone other than Leah. Kiersten watched them for a moment and  then went back to where Cole held the baby, a speculative gleam in her  eye that he'd defuse later.

The waiter returned quickly, and Leah slowly sipped the mint water a few times before sighing deeply.

"Thank you," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Was the thought of kissing me that horrible?" he asked, smiling, though part of him really wondered if that had been the case.

Her gaze shot to his. "No, not at all!"

"Motion sickness?" They were on a boat after all.

She sighed again. "More like morning sickness." She put the glass down,  sat up straight, and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm pregnant."





Chapter Three

Leah watched his expression go from blank to surprised with what she swore was a moment of panic.

Brooks stared at her for a moment before the usual goofball glimmer was  back in his eyes. "Don't we have to sleep together first? Or am I  drunker than I thought?"

Her lips twitched, but she was not going to reward that remark with a  laugh. And now that the cat was out of the bag it was probably time to  move on and get ready for the christening anyway.

She stood and nodded to him where he still knelt at the side of the chair. "It was nice to meet you."

"Wait," he said, standing and catching her hand before she could make it too far away. "Sorry. Bad joke."

She shook her head. "It's okay. Just … a little awkward to nearly throw up on a guy you were seconds from kissing."

Her cheeks heated up, but she tried to ignore it. She blushed at the  drop of a hat. Always had. To say it was irritating would be an  understatement.

He still held her hand. She glanced down at where he was entwining his  fingers with hers and then back up to meet his gaze, her eyes wide in  question.

"We were seconds from kissing, weren't we?" he asked, drawing her  closer. "I'm definitely going to need a rain check when you're feeling  better."

"Oh, I'm fine now. Once I … you know, I actually feel pretty good for a while."

"Well then," he said, pulling her against him with a grin. "If you're feeling better … "       

   





He bent down and she pulled from his grasp, hand clapped over her mouth.  She'd just puked over the side of the boat. She was not going to start  making out with him now. "That's not what I meant," she said with a  little laugh.

"Why?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer."

"Sure it is. Just not one you like."

He grinned. "This is true. So give me another one."

She pressed her lips together to keep her smile in check and put her  hand on his chest to push him away. "Now isn't a good time."

"Now is always a good time." He paused, frowning slightly. "Would the father object? I mean, is he-"

"He's not in the picture." No matter what he decided he wanted his role  to be with the baby, if she could ever get ahold of him, they weren't in  a relationship and she had no plans for them to ever be.

"Well, then … "

"We've got to get ready for the christening." And she had to brush her teeth before she got anywhere near him again.

Brooks checked his watch, then frowned and sighed. "I guess we do. Well  then, I'll meet you in front of your cabin in half an hour so I can  escort you to the boats that will take us ashore."

"That's not necessary."

"It would be my pleasure." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it like some medieval knight.

Okay, he was kind of over the top but still … swoon.

"Besides," he said. "We're the godparents. We'll have to stand together at the church. Might as well arrive together."

She couldn't argue with that, though she had no idea why he'd still want  to spend time in her company now that he knew she was pregnant.

"All right, then. Half an hour."

He gave her a playful wink that had her stomach flip-flopping. Or maybe  it was just another round of morning sickness. Either way, it would  probably be best to quickly make her escape.



Not that escape seemed possible.

When she opened her cabin door to head to the boats that would take them  ashore, Brooks was there waiting. He sat beside her on the boat and  helped her to the shore, and then insisted on escorting her into the  small stone chapel on the banks of the tiny Greek island owned by one of  Cole's friends.