The Baby Bargain

“That information should render every man in Portland impotent,” he grumbled, crossing his legs. The action looked so self-protective Eden nearly spewed her sip of iced tea.

LJ watched her. The smile she’d withheld from him before emerged freely now as she laughed. Her impossibly thick hair brushed her shoulders. Everything about her was generous—eyes, nose, lips and shoulders as gorgeously round and curving as her bosom.

He certainly didn’t consider himself old fashioned, but he couldn’t comfortably discuss sperm with a woman whose presence reminded him of sex every time he looked at her. So sue him.

Why was he here, anyway? He wasn’t convincing her of a thing.

Mystified, he shook his head. It wasn’t like him to chase after approval. And, really, he didn’t need hers. It would make his job easier, yes, but he didn’t need it. He should leave.

“What is it about you?”

She blinked the huge, heavily lashed blue eyes he kept losing his way in. “What do you mean?”

“I want you to support my plan for the Children’s Connection. I’m not sure why.”

His candor threw her off, which afforded some satisfaction. His ego had taken a bruising with her.

After a pause during which her brows almost touched, she repeated the reason he’d offered earlier. “Because you like me.”

“I guess I must,” he murmured.

LJ had studied body language in his determination to be the best salesman of his business. A firm, well-grounded stance communicated confidence, strength and assurance. He never fidgeted. Except now.

Moving to the edge of his seat again, even though he’d just relaxed back, he searched her baby-blue eyes. “How long have you been single?” he asked quietly.

Her full lips parted. Her breath quickened. Just a bit, but he noticed.

“What does this have to do with business?”

“Absolutely nothing. How long?”

If she’d chosen not to answer, he wouldn’t have been surprised. He was beyond pleased when she did.

“I’ve never been married, Mr. Logan.”

“LJ,” he corrected calmly. “Is your son—Liam, isn’t it?” She nodded, still wary. “Is Liam’s father involved in his life? Or are you truly flying solo?”

Her breath had been shallow. Now she released a long sigh. “I’m truly flying solo. But I knew I would be. I planned for it. When I say single parenthood is difficult, I’m not complaining. It’s simply a fact.”

“Why did you plan for it?” His frown moved from the inside out. “Did the father walk out while you were pregnant?” He’d never had children and never intended to. The thought that she’d been left high and dry by someone she’d trusted annoyed the hell out of him. He’d long ago given up unprotected sex. As he saw it, no one in any relationship should enjoy that privilege if he didn’t plan to stick around for the consequences.

Her long hair swung as she shook her head. “Nobody walked out. I told you, I don’t just work at the Children’s Connection. I’ve used their services.”

It took a moment to compute that properly. She’d already mentioned that she had Liam in the child care center. The Children’s Connection also had an adoption division. But except for darker, curlier hair, the baby looked just like her. So that left—

Holy—

“It’s impolite to look shocked when you realize someone has used a sperm bank,” she reprimanded with that honeyed twang.

“Too bad. That’s the only look I have at the moment.”

Dimples appeared in her cheeks. “Honestly, I don’t know whether to laugh or rap you on the knuckles. You are going to promote an agency that specializes in alternatives to traditional pregnancy. You cannot look shocked every time you meet one of our mothers.”

“I won’t look shocked every time. I’m shocked now because you’re young. Not a victim of the biological clock. And you’re objectively attractive to men. It’s hard for me to believe you couldn’t find someone with whom to start a family. And now I think you’re blushing, but it’s getting dark, so I can’t quite tell.”

She lowered her head, allowing her hair to fall into her face for a few moments before she raked it back with her fingers.

“Do you say everything that’s on your mind?” she demanded.

“Of course not.” He brushed aside the idea. “I’m in public relations. Discreet is my middle name. Do you know who your sperm donor was?”

“Mr. Logan!”

“LJ.”

Eden was blushing, right down to her toes. She felt heat surging, well, pretty much everywhere.

Before she’d decided to pursue alternative insemination, she hadn’t had a steady relationship in almost a year. She certainly hadn’t had a relationship since, so that put her in the middle of a two-year dry spell.

The truth was she didn’t miss any specific person with whom she’d been in involved. What she missed was the idea of someone, all the terrific fantasies she used to build up during the honeymoon phase.

But “forever” had remained for her nothing more than an increasingly uncomfortable yearning. Finally, she’d decided that the hunt for happily-ever-after was like looking for the lost city of Atlantis.

The truth was that she was better, calmer, steadier without all the drama.

As for sex, at first she’d only missed it every now and again.

Then she’d pursued alternative insemination and gotten pregnant with Liam, and her hormones had gone haywire. She’d experienced the normal rise in libido during pregnancy, with unfortunately no one to help her exercise it.

Mothers with partners complained all the time about lack of desire and about their significant others’ frustration with a greatly reduced sex life.

In a seriously ironic twist, Eden found herself still highly charged after childbirth. Hormones. Couldn’t live with them, couldn’t live without them.

She was certain her hormones were at least partly responsible for the fact that she was attracted to LJ Logan.

True, he was handsome, had a sense of humor and a way of staring at her that made her skin feel hot and goose bumpy at the same time. But he was also impertinent, a little arrogant and very single-minded.

He really annoyed her.

When she wasn’t completely turned on.

“Of course I know who the sperm donor was,” she said, not sure why she’d decided to answer, except that she didn’t want him to think that either she or the Children’s Connection were irresponsible. “I chose him.”

He pondered that awhile. “I want to know more. Like why you chose a donor instead of the real thing.”

“I got the ‘real thing,’” she countered. “Without unnecessary complications.”

A smile eased across his face. “You consider sex an unnecessary complication?”