His Little Miracle: The Billionaire's Baby

‘The best.’

The words popped out before she could think, and she grabbed her fork and speared a piece of grilled calamari, concentrating on filling her plate with the deliciously aromatic garlic prawns, salmon fillet and scallops he’d barbecued to perfection, anything to avoid blurting out any more home truths.

‘Do you miss them as much as I do?’

She couldn’t lie to him, couldn’t hold him back for ever, and she nodded, forking a ring of butter-soft calamari into her mouth, savouring the fresh sea taste with a burst of lemon, using the scrumptious food as an excuse not to speak and betray the lump of emotion lodged in her throat.

‘We could have those times again, you know.’ He reached across and captured her hand, his long, warm fingers curling around hers like the most natural, comforting thing in the world. ‘I think you want it as much as I do.’

This was why she shouldn’t have come this weekend. A bit of light-hearted flirting she could handle, it was this revealing-your-soul thing she sucked at. And boy, would he get the shock of a lifetime when she bared her soul.

Swallowing, she washed the yummy seafood down with a sip of wine, much slower this time. ‘Honestly? I don’t know what I want.’

He withdrew his hand, and she raised her eyes, disheartened by the hint of wariness in his. ‘That’s okay. I didn’t mean to get all heavy on you. This weekend’s meant to be about relaxation, remember?’

The tension between them dissolved as he helped himself to seafood, but she could tell she’d hurt him. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to be honest, and while they were growing closer every day, she still couldn’t throw all her reservations away in one go.

‘Relaxation. Right, got it,’ she said, picking up her fork and twirling it between her fingers, emotions tumbling through her in a confusing torrent: fear and hope waging a fierce battle as she struggled to come to a decision. Married or not, for there would be no middle ground. She couldn’t go on being friends with her husband for ever, and she didn’t expect him to sit around and wait indefinitely.

She had to make a choice, and soon, for both their sakes.

Reaching for his wine glass, he raised it in her direction. ‘I propose a toast. To focusing on this weekend and making it a new and exciting time to remember.’

She’d drink to that, and she picked up her glass and clinked it against his. ‘To new and exciting times ahead.’

But excitement wore off. The gloss of getting reacquainted would soon fade and pale in the face of making tough decisions, the type of life-changing decisions affecting both of them once she told him the truth.

She would have to tell him about her infertility if they were to take a second chance on their marriage; there would be no holding back despite the sick, hollow ache deep in her soul every time she thought about what she’d been through and how it affected her future…their future.

Excitement was fine for now. It was renewing her commitment to her husband that was confusing the heck out of her.

CHAPTER SIX

CAMRYN sank onto the threadbare rug, tucked her feet under her, and cradled a mug of hot chocolate, staring out into the inky darkness, hearing the waves crashing on the shore but unable to see anything beyond the few low-wattage street lights dotting the foreshore.

This place might be a ramshackle cottage, with its loopy wood letting in the blustery wind through tiny cracks, and its mismatched furniture and broken-spring sofa, but it held a certain appeal. Namely the man walking towards her with a plate piled high with small, symmetrical squares of caramel slice, her favourite.

‘You certainly know how to spoil a gal.’

She selected a large piece, biting into the gooey caramel and coconut biscuit base and sighing. ‘Mmm…good.’

She flicked her tongue out to catch a stray crumb, unwilling to let the tiniest morsel escape her lips, when her gaze collided with his, the heat she glimpsed enough to send a thrill of excitement through her.

Considering the hash she’d made over dinner, bringing up her confusion about their relationship, she was surprised Blane felt anything other than compassion for her.

But there was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes, the smouldering glow of desire she’d seen many times before and had shrugged off with a witty quip or light flirtation.

However, this time was different.

This time they were spending quality time together, more than a snatched coffee as they ran out of his penthouse in the morning or a brief greeting as they passed in the hallway heading to their respective bedrooms at night.

Here, there was no hiding behind her busy schedule, and, while he’d made it clear he didn’t expect anything from this weekend beyond a bit of R&R, she knew all it would take to send them both up in flames was a little oxygen to the sparks already flying between them.

‘More?’

He held out the plate towards her, his steamy gaze stoking the fire between them, and she knew he wasn’t just talking about the caramel slice. Playing the nice guy, he was giving her the choice of how far she wanted to take this getting reacquainted business.

But she didn’t have a choice, not really.

The second she’d lowered her defences and let this incredible man back into her life was the exact moment any choice had flown out the window, for there was nothing surer than once the two of them started spending time together again they’d end up in each other’s arms. It had been a highlight of their brief relationship in Rainbow Creek, and it was still a feature now, with the constant underlying attraction between them.

Blane had been her first lover, her only lover, and it had been six long years since she’d known his exquisite touch.

The decision was a simple one as she laid a hand on his forearm, deliberately pushing the plate away as she leaned forward and breathed, ‘Yes, please.’

In what seemed like an eternity, but in reality couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, they shoved mugs and slice out of the way, made a frantic grab at one another and tumbled onto the rug in a flurry of tangled limbs and laughter.

‘Are you sure this is what you want?’

She silenced him with a kiss, pouring all her heart and soul into it, the type of kiss which expressed more than words ever could, the type of kiss welcoming him back into her life with a resounding yes!

Lips melded, fused, clung. He tasted of chocolate and coffee, sweet, strong, addictive, and she savoured the heady rush, bunching the soft cotton of his T-shirt beneath her hands, clutching at him, needing to anchor herself in a world gone deliciously, intoxicatingly mad.

‘I’ll take that as a yes,’ he murmured, his lips nibbling the sensitive skin behind her earlobe while his hands spanned her waist, his calloused fingertips gently rasping against her skin and sending pure, blinding desire exploding through her.

‘Just take all of me.’

She could sense rather than see his smile as his lips trailed down her neck, nuzzling the soft hollow above her collarbone.

‘I like the fact my wife knows what she wants.’

His hands slid slowly upwards, grazing the underside of her breasts, and she gasped as his head suddenly dipped and he placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss on the exposed skin of her cleavage.

‘Oh, I know what I want all right,’ she whispered, leaning back on her hands, thrusting her breasts upwards, offering herself to him, craving more of the same all over her hypersensitised body.

He stilled, his hands cupping her breasts while he raised his head to look at her.

‘Tell me.’ His eyes, pewter with passion, never left hers, the heat arcing between them sending her body into meltdown. ‘Tell me exactly what you want.’

Placing her palms against his rock-hard chest, she slid her hands upwards, savouring every muscular contour, relishing his matured body, her breathing coming in soft, short pants as he mimicked her action, before resting on his shoulders and giving him a gentle tug forwards.

There’d be no turning back from this.

She didn’t care.

This felt right, was right.

‘Cam?’