The CEO's Unexpected Child(14)

Six

Luca sat in a beach chair quietly scowling. Claire was with Eva as they  carefully splashed in the waves. The baby was wearing a rainbow-striped  swimsuit with ruffles on her bottom, although most of her was held out  of the water by her mother. Eva would squeal every time the cold water  rushed over her feet, then giggle as if it was the greatest thing she'd  ever experienced. If Claire let go of her hands, Eva would grab fistfuls  of wet sand and mush them between her fingers.

It should've been a happy and amusing sight for Luca. He should be out  there in the freezing water with his daughter. Instead, he was sitting  at a distance, practically pouting beneath his ball cap and sunglasses.  He had no reason to pout, really. He'd succeeded in pushing Claire away.  That was what he'd wanted to do, or at least what he felt he had to do  when she got that moony look in her eyes. He might have slipped up the  other night and let himself get carried away physically, but that didn't  change the fact that he was not the man for Claire. He wasn't a  romantic savior there to sweep in and rescue her from her loneliness. It  was better that she learn that now rather than later.

And yet the past few days had been miserable. At first, Claire had been  focused on Eva and caring for her as she got over her illness. When the  baby was well, she continued to keep her distance. She wasn't rude, but  she wasn't as open and chatty as she had been before.

He should've been content that she got the message. Instead, Luca was  surprised to find himself missing their talks. He'd also found himself  lying in bed at night thinking about the kiss they'd shared in the  kitchen. Lord help him, he couldn't stop himself. Once he got a taste of  her, it was as if something had been unleashed deep inside him. Every  touch, every soft sound she made, urged him on. If Eva hadn't woken up  with that fever, he wasn't sure what would've happened.                       
       
           



       

He could tell that Claire was relieved by the interruption. They'd been  caught up in the moment. Time and perspective would prove it wasn't the  best idea in their situation. It didn't change how much he wanted her,  though. The next morning, when she seemed more open to the idea than he  expected, he wasn't sure what to do. Claire was not a casual romance  type of woman, that was obvious. He'd done a better job of charming her  than he'd intended to, and suddenly he found himself in a position he  hadn't expected.

So he pushed back. It was the best thing to do, really. Claire deserved  a relationship with a man who could give her everything she wanted,  including love and another child. That wasn't going to be Luca, no  matter how badly he ached for her. It was better to put a stop to all  this before it went too far.

Looking back out at the sea, Luca couldn't help but admire Claire's  figure on display. Despite her claims of excess baby weight, she looked  great in her shorts and bikini top. Her skin was golden from their time  at the beach, and the blond in her hair seemed to be picking up some  lighter streaks from the sun. Her curves were highlighted by the halter  cut of the bikini, giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her full breasts.

There was nothing not to like about Claire. That was the problem. It  was too easy to like her. Too easy to find a reason to touch her. His  blood would sing in his veins whenever he caught a whiff of her scent.  There was a restlessness in every muscle when he lay alone thinking  about her upstairs in the dark. It was as if his body knew they had a  child together and was ready to start on another one as soon as  possible.

And if Luca could provide that for her, he might be in the water  instead of sulking in his chair. But he couldn't. Luca would rather live  his life a bachelor than a disappointment to the woman he loved. His  only alternative would be to find a woman who couldn't have children of  her own. They didn't exactly walk around advertising that fact, however.

Looking back at the water, he noticed Claire and Eva had moved to drier  sand to play with the plastic bucket and shovel they'd carried to the  beach with them. Looking at the dark curls of his daughter, all he could  do was shake his head. What a bizarre twist of fate that would give him  a child. It was like a perfectly imperfect storm that brought two  people together to have a child neither of them expected to have.

Wait a minute... Luca sat up taller in his chair. Claire may very well  be that woman. She hadn't spoken extensively about her fertility issues,  but she had to have some or she wouldn't have been at the clinic. He'd  avoided the subject, as well. He didn't like people knowing he had  cancer, much less the kind he'd had.

Luca wasn't the type to really believe in fate, but life certainly  seemed to be convincing him otherwise. What if Claire was the chance  he'd never let himself believe in? If he let their attraction evolve  into a relationship, this could be his second chance. It would work out  perfectly. They already had a child together. If they were to marry, it  would tidy up the whole custody situation. He'd get the full-time family  he wanted, and Claire wouldn't have to be away from Eva when it was his  weekend.

Claire approached his chair with a sand-covered baby in her arms. "I'm  going to hose this little monkey off and put her down for a nap."

"Okay. I'll pack up and be back at the house in a few minutes."

He watched Claire disappear, their dating scenario playing out in his  mind. Wooing her was the perfect solution. It had been dropped in his  lap, really. They'd both benefit from the scenario. Claire would get a  full-time father for Eva and a man to treat her the way she deserved to  be treated. Luca would get the family he never thought he'd have, and  he'd get his mother off his back once and for all. It would be nice to  have someone to come home to, to talk to. His apartment was becoming  unbearably empty.

Never mind the fact that he'd finally get to touch her. Seducing Claire  would be the best part of this plan. No holding back, no excuses, no  interruptions. He'd get to run his hands along those long legs and cup  her breasts in his needy palms. Luca was hardly celibate, but thinking  about Claire made him as eager as a virgin. And as nervous.                       
       
           



       

He'd only attempted to be in a relationship once before, and it hadn't  ended well. Even if he'd wanted to try again, he'd hardly had the time.  The best he could manage was a few dates with a woman before things got  in the way and she'd break it off. Aside from Jessica, he'd never even  dated a woman long enough to consider her his girlfriend, much less look  ahead to her being his wife. Could he do it now for his daughter's  sake?

Reluctantly, Luca got up from his chair and started gathering their  things in a bag. With every toy he stuffed inside, the more certain he  became that the answer was yes. He'd do anything for that little girl.  She was the child he never expected, and he wanted her to have a real  family. Despite what Claire thought, he didn't want Eva shuttled back  and forth between households, caught up in visitation agreements and who  gets which holidays. That meant taking a chance on having that real  family with Claire.

But would Claire want anything to do with him? He'd pretty much told  her he wasn't a candidate for any of her romantic notions. She'd had an  unhappy marriage and wouldn't settle for the same this time. She'd want  love and passion and everything that went with it. Luca would happily  give her the passion and attention she needed. Love was another matter.  He'd already made the mistake of giving that too freely once, and it had  blown up in his face. That could happen with Claire, too, if he wasn't  careful.

He slung the bag over his shoulder and started back up the sandy path  through the dunes. He knew that if Claire found out what was wrong with  him, she would feel betrayed, bringing up all the emotions of her first  husband's infidelity. To protect himself from the possibility of being  hit with emotional shrapnel, he'd have to keep his emotions soundly out  of the equation.

That meant she couldn't know the truth. Not about his cancer and not  about how he really felt. He'd have to make sure he did everything right  so she'd never question his love for her. It wouldn't be hard to treat  her better than Jeff had. Just a kind word was enough to make her melt.  She deserved better than he'd treated her. Luca might not let himself  love Claire, but he'd certainly do everything in his power to make her  feel loved.

By the time he reached the house, Luca knew exactly how he would start  his bid for Claire's affections. To do it right, he knew he'd have to  take the ultimate risk-to call his sister in Newport.

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