Twins Times Two!

“You hired a baby-sitter so that you could come tend my kids?”

“Not exactly. One of my partners was watching them. She thought I would be back by now.”

“Ah.”

The silence pulsed between them, fraught with the memories of the passionate embrace they had just shared.

Staring at Ross, she saw her own discomfort reflected in his eyes. They had just shared a terribly intimate embrace and yet they were strangers. Complete and total strangers?

So what did they do now? What were they supposed to say to each other?

Cara was the first to speak. “I, uh…I’ve got to go.”

So why wasn’t she moving?

Ross nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. “Sure. I understand. After all, I know all about getting back in time to relieve the sitter.” His lips twitched in something akin to chagrin. The expression had a little-boy charm that tugged at her heart. Before grief had tainted this man’s expression, he must have been devastating. If a slight twitch of his lips had the ability to knock at her defenses, what would a full-blown smile do?

Just as quickly as the smile had appeared, it disappeared again. He grew instantly serious, and she regretted the hint of gentleness. Before she could reconcile herself to the transformation, Ross was once again the epitome of a powerful businessman. In a heartbeat, the approachable person who had kissed her so spontaneously disappeared so completely, she might have imagined the interlude if her body didn’t still tremble with the aftereffects.

“Listen…” Ross slid a hand into the pocket of his trousers and stared down at the toe of his shoe. “I want you to know I don’t usually go around…kissing my baby-sitters.”

She hitched the duffel bag over her shoulder, her own cheeks growing hot. “Of course not, and I don’t—”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

Again the room shimmered in a heavy silence.

“Well,” she whispered. “I’ve got to go.”

He gently lifted the bag, relieving her of its weight. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

As they made their way to the front of the house, Cara was even more conscious of Ross beside her—and the awareness frightened her.

What was wrong with her? She’d sworn off men after Elliot. What was it about this particular male that urged her to abandon all those heartfelt promises? Had she totally lost her mind? Why couldn’t she remember everything that was at stake as soon as Ross discovered the truth about their children?

Needing something to distract her from her troubling behavior and the uncertainty of the future, Cara asked, “So what do you do, Ross? For a living, I mean.”

“I’m a lawyer.”