The Baby Bargain

Yes. No. “I wasn’t referring to sex.”

He grinned. “Answer, anyway.”

He was flirting with her, no question, but the flirtation was playful. Because her heart skipped several times, she answered honestly to eliminate any notion that she might be waiting for a man.

“Yes. Okay. Sex is a complication. Relationships in general are a complication.”

If she was expecting an argument, she was mistaken.

He spread his arms in a gesture that said, “See? We agree.”

He might have elaborated, but Liam didn’t give him the chance. The baby started bawling, the quality of the cry suggesting he’d had a bad dream or was wet. Eden jumped up. More slowly, LJ rose also.

They stared at each other, neither moving until Liam cried louder.

“I’d better go.” This time they both spoke at once.

Eden did her best to ignore the foolish side of her that felt disappointed. Instead, she nodded. “Thank you for dropping by,” she said perfunctorily, figuring that if he’d driven all the way out here to secure her support he was leaving disappointed, so she ought to at least be polite.

He opened the screen door for her, a chivalrous move that surprised her. She hadn’t seen a man move that swiftly to open a door he didn’t intend to walk through himself since she’d left Kentucky.

A hiccupping cry from her baby had her muttering, “Thanks,” and heading inside, leaving LJ Logan to do…whatever LJ Logan did with his evenings.

“He’s dry and doesn’t want his teether. Must have had a bad dream, poor little guy.” Cradling the baby, Liberty greeted Eden at the door to the bedroom Eden shared with her son.

She’d positioned the chair by a window to take advantage of silver moonlight when she nursed late at night and it seemed that she and Liam were the only people awake in the world.

“Do you want the Boppy?” Liberty asked. Eden nodded and Liberty placed a sturdy crescent-shaped pillow on her friend’s lap.

Settling Liam atop the Boppy, Eden raised the T-shirt she’d changed into after work, deftly released the flap on her nursing bra and urged her fussing son to nurse himself back to sleep.

Liberty sighed. “Have I ever told you how jealous I am?”

Eden glanced up in surprise. “What? In the past thirty minutes you’ve decided you want kids?”

“No. I want bodacious boobs.” She glanced at her own modest breasts and sighed again. “You think you’ll get to keep yours when you stop breast feeding?”

Too preoccupied by the conversation on the porch to smile, Eden answered distractedly. “I don’t know. If they’re a package deal with my new hips, I’ll pass.”

“Don’t be silly. You look like Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Men love that.”

“Sure. Men born in 1932.” Leaning her head against the cushioned back of the chair, she rocked gently. “Did you catch anything that was said on the porch, or were you in the back of the house?”

“Are you kidding?” Liberty plopped herself onto the bed. “The front door was open, so I sat on the couch and listened to everything.”

“What about studying for your tests?”

“Oh, I learned plenty.” She raised dark brows and swiveled in her chair.

Eden rolled her eyes. “Meaning? Or shouldn’t I ask?”

“Meaning—” Liberty put her legs on the bed and crossed them beneath her “—that the two of you were doing a verbal dance that makes salsa look slow.”

“I wasn’t!” Eden protested.

“Oh, no? You want to tell me you weren’t even a little hot and bothered over the boy?”

“Please.” Eden rolled her head against the cushion. “I’m hot and bothered over everything lately.”

“Still?”

Eden nodded. “Ironic, isn’t it? I wouldn’t do a thing about it now, not with Liam. Anyway, this is generic hot and botheredness. It’s not about an individual. I’m going to see my doctor and tell her my hormones are still in an uproar.”

“What? And ruin a perfectly good libido? Why not take advantage of it? You’ve been living like a nun for, what? Two years?”

“I like living this way. It keeps me sane. And I’m certainly not going to drag Liam through a series of boyfriend experiments. Romance is absolutely not my priority.”

“Who said anything about romance?” Liberty grabbed a pillow, placed it on her lap and rested her elbows on it. “You forget that I sing the same song. I’m not in the market for marriage any more than you are. But we’re young. Don’t you want sex at least once more before you give it up in the interest of motherhood?”

Eden considered the question seriously. “Honestly? Looking back, I’ve always thought relationships were more bother than the sex was worth.”

“That’s not good.” Liberty looked thoughtful. “The big difference between you and me is that you’ve always had expectations, and I never have. Trust me, sex is much better when you don’t care if Mr. Right Tonight is still with you in the morning.”

“Hmm.” Eden didn’t completely discount what her friend had to say, but neither did she believe she had the right temperament for a one-night stand. In the past, her temporary liaisons had been flops. She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway, because with Liam—”

“Liam is a baby, who won’t have any idea what you’re doing right now. That makes this the perfect time to take advantage of your new—and possibly temporary—libido. Your son will never have to know. You deserve great sex before you turn celibate until his high-school graduation. It’s empowering.”

“It’s complicated. First I’d have to find someone.” She shook her head, swirling a finger through one of Liam’s curls. “Nope, I’ll be better off getting my hormones under control so I won’t feel like turning into the parking lot every time I drive by a sex shop.”

She raised her head to grin…and looked into the startled face of LJ Logan.

Chapter Four

His gaze drifted to Liam’s downy head and her, uh, bodacious bosom.

When he cleared his throat, he sounded as awkward as she felt. “Excuse me. I, uh, wanted to let you know I put our glasses…the ones we drank from…in the…” He pointed in the correct direction, but couldn’t find the word for the room. “Uh…”

“Kitchen?” Liberty supplied.

He had to think about it. “Yes. And then I was just going to say…”

“Goodbye?” she filled in again.

He nodded. “Right. Goodbye. Again.”

Eden closed her eyes. “Just tell me one thing. Are you staring because you’ve caught me breast feeding or because you heard what we were talking about?” Might as well know right up front how embarrassed she ought to be.

“I would say…both.”