Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise

Two

Cameron immediately stepped back two feet and smacked his elbow into the doorjamb.

“What the hell kind of a joke is this?” he demanded, rubbing his elbow. Damn, that hurt. “Trust me, it’s not funny.”

Apparently, someone disagreed as the baby let out a gut-deep laugh and clapped his hands together. “Ba-da-ba!”

Cameron frowned at the little guy, then glared at Julia, who seemed to be holding back a smile. That set him off even more. He wasn’t about to be played for a fool.

He knew the game. This wasn’t the first time a woman had tried to pin a paternity suit on him. That was the downside of having a lot of money. The upside was, he wasn’t an idiot, despite what he’d told her earlier in jest. He had plenty of lawyers and he knew how to deal with this nonsense. “Not that I believe one word of your story, but the kid’s not exactly a newborn. So why’d you wait so long? If he’s really mine, why didn’t you tell me before now?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Julia laughed sardonically. “Cameron, I emailed you a number of times asking you to call me. In the last message I sent, I told you everything. So what part of ‘I’m having your baby’ didn’t you understand?”

His eyes narrowed and he moved in closer. “And what part of ‘I don’t believe you’ do you not understand? This is the oldest trick in the book. If you think you’re going to get money from me, you’re crazy.”

“I don’t need your money,” she said crossly, then lowered her voice as the baby began to fuss. “I was just trying to let you know you were going to be a father. But you couldn’t return one lousy email. You couldn’t make one stupid phone call. No. You’ve got rules.”

She patted the baby to calm him down as she paced the floor in front of the crib. She rounded and came right up to Cameron, clearly riled as she poked him in the chest to emphasize her words. “But you know what? Maybe it’s just as well that you ignored Jake and me. With your lifestyle, you probably wouldn’t make a very good father anyway.”

He grabbed hold of her slender hand before she could take one more poke at him. “Don’t you ever insinuate that I would turn my back on my own child.”

He dropped her hand and watched her swallow apprehensively. “I didn’t. I just meant-”

“I would never hurt my own child,” he said through clenched teeth. “I know what it’s like to live with a-” Cameron stopped abruptly and raked his hand through his hair. “Hell, never mind.”

What was wrong with him? Except for his two brothers, he’d never told anyone about his childhood. He’d buried it all in the past, right where it belonged. And that ugly childhood was the very reason why he took every precaution to avoid bringing a child into this world. That’s why he knew this one couldn’t be his.

“I’m sorry,” Julia whispered.

Cameron pulled himself together, then turned and said calmly, “Never mind. The fact remains, I don’t believe you. We took precautions. I always take precautions.”

“Yes, I do, too. But nothing is 100 percent effective.” She looked down at the baby in her arms. “Obviously.”

“I don’t know what game you’re playing,” Cameron persisted, “but this is not my kid.”

“Baba, dada,” Jake said, enthusiastically wiggling in his mother’s arms. “Dada, ba-boo, dada.” He grinned and a tiny dimple appeared in his right cheek.

Dada? Cameron frowned and self-consciously scratched his own right cheek, suddenly ill at ease on a whole different level. “Tell him to stop saying that.”

Julia laughed. “He’s just babbling. It’s the first sound babies make. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Jake kept bobbing and grinning and the little dimple grew deeper. Cameron gritted his teeth. So he happened to have a dimple in his right cheek, too. Didn’t mean a thing.

“Come on, sweetie,” Julia whispered to the baby, and turned back toward the crib. “Let’s see if you’ll go back to sleep after all this excitement.”

“No! Baba! Dada!” Jake cried, waving his arms and turning to Cameron for help.

“Looks like he wants you to put him to bed,” Julia said wryly, and before Cameron could stop her, she thrust the baby into his arms.

“Hey, I’m not-”

“Baba,” Jake said, grinning as he bounced in Cameron’s arms. “Dada.”

Abruptly, the little boy stopped moving and stared meaningfully into Cameron’s eyes. Cameron couldn’t help but stare back as emotion washed over him. Confusion, affection, anger, frustration, joy, pain. Wonder. Cameron and Jake both blinked, then continued to stare, and Cameron felt as though he were gazing into his own soul. And where had that thought come from? This was just too weird. It couldn’t be happening to him. How could he be a father? It was the last thing on earth he ever intended to be.

Jake yawned and closed his eyes. He rested his head on Cameron’s chest, his tiny fist gripping Cameron’s shirt as though he were claiming ownership. Cameron touched Jake’s soft baby hand with his own larger, stronger hand, and felt something shift inside. He tightened his hold around the baby’s back, only because the kid might suddenly decide to try for a swan dive if he wasn’t careful. That was his story, anyway.

“He’s sleepy,” Julia said quietly. “Just lay him down on his back and rub his tummy a few times. He’ll be fine.”

“Sorry, pal, but your mom has spoken,” Cameron said in a low tone. He leaned over the crib and laid the baby down on the soft mattress. Cameron ran his hand over Jake’s head. The kid’s blond hair was impossibly soft.

Jake didn’t whimper or balk, but stayed right where he was. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and continued to stare up at Cameron in pure fascination.

Cameron had to admit Jake was a darn good-looking kid, but that didn’t make him his son.

Aw, hell. Who was he kidding? One look at the little guy with his shock of golden blond hair and the shape of his dark green eyes, not to mention the dimple in his cheek-though Cameron hated the word dimple, for God’s sake-and anyone would see it, plain as daylight. The kid was Cameron Duke’s.

Still, he couldn’t shake loose the idea that Julia Parrish was playing him for a fool. Who was to say she hadn’t gotten herself pregnant on purpose? Everyone knew the Dukes had money, so maybe she was looking for a handout. Cameron would never shirk his duty to his son, but that didn’t mean he was going to make it easy for Julia.

As the baby’s eyes closed and he began to sleep, Cameron led the way out into the hall. As Julia closed the door to the bedroom, Cameron turned and said sharply, “I’ll want a paternity test.”

She froze. He could see he’d shaken her. What? Did she expect him to just believe her with no proof? But watching her now, he remembered how her face had always been an open book. He’d known exactly what she wanted by her facial reaction to everything he did to her, everywhere he touched her. She’d been so forthright about how much she enjoyed his touch. Did she have a dishonest bone in her body? he wondered.

Of course she did. Most of the women he’d dated did.

“Fine,” she said grudgingly. “We’ll do a paternity test.”

Cameron’s mind jolted back to the present. “Okay. Good. I can get it done tomorrow.”

“I start my conference tomorrow,” she said, leading the way into the living room. Cameron watched her backside move with a graceful, long-legged sexiness. He remembered that, too.

She picked up the book she’d left on the coffee table and turned. “I won’t be able to take the baby to the doctor until I get back to town.”

“Wait a minute,” Cameron said, her words sinking in. “You’re here for the conference?”

She looked at him like he’d grown another head. “Of course I’m here for the conference. Why else would I be staying here in your hotel room?”

To seduce me into paying child support, Cameron thought, but didn’t say it aloud. He wasn’t a fool. Sometimes he needed to remind himself of that fact. He coughed to cover his hesitation. “We have a nurse on call at all times. I’ll have her come by the room tomorrow to draw blood.”

“Okay.” Julia shivered visibly and rubbed her arms.

“What’s wrong?”

She sighed. “I know it’s necessary, but I hate the idea of Jake having his blood drawn.”

“It’s important,” he said, then tried not to cringe himself at the thought of that needle going into Jake’s arm. Cameron was already having second thoughts. He’d only insisted on the paternity test to punish Julia, but she wouldn’t be the one getting stuck in the arm with a needle. No, that would be Jake, who seemed way too small to have to deal with stuff like that.

Who was Cameron kidding? Jake was his child. The blood test wouldn’t be necessary.

He wasn’t happy about the way Julia had sprung the news on him, but he believed her. He wouldn’t tell her tonight, though. Better to let her squirm for a few hours. He’d tell her in the morning after he’d had a few strong shots of caffeine.

“Fine.” Julia swiped the sexy camisole off the chair cushion and grabbed her high heels from under the dining room table. Then she headed into the kitchen and began gathering the baby bottles on the sink.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’ve got to pack our things.”

“Wait.” Cameron grabbed hold of her arm before she could go any farther. “No packing. You’re staying here.”

She looked up at him. “We can’t stay here, Cameron. You’re here.”

“Exactly,” he said decisively. “That’s why you’re staying here, too.”

She gave him that big-eyed incredulous look of hers again. Why he found it so sexy, he couldn’t say. Maybe he enjoyed the challenge she provided.

Shaking her head, she said, “If you think something’s going to happen between us, you’re wrong.”

“Honey,” he drawled. “I think we proved awhile ago that it definitely could happen.”

“Now, look-”

“You’re right, though,” he continued. “It’s not going to happen tonight.” With a casualness he didn’t feel, he let go of her arm and walked into the living room. “But you’re still staying here.”

“Okay,” she said, following him. “I’d rather not disrupt the baby tonight anyway. We’ll move to another room in the morning.”

An irrational shot of annoyance ran through him and he covered it by grabbing another beer from the refrigerator and popping the top off. “You don’t get it, babe. You’re staying here until the paternity test is completed. In fact, you might as well stay through the conference. There won’t be any rooms available anyway.”

She gritted her teeth. “I gave my room away when your mother insisted I stay here. I don’t suppose it’d still be available.”

“It’s not, trust me,” he said. “Besides your conference, we’ve got a golf tournament here this weekend.”

She flashed him a frown of frustration. “But you own this place. You should be able to find another room for me and Jake.”

“I could, but I’m not going to,” he said flatly, then pointed toward the back bedroom. “If that is my son in there, I don’t want him staying anywhere but here. With me. And we’ll know the truth soon enough, won’t we?”

“I think that went well,” Julia muttered to herself as she slipped between the sheets of the twin bed in the guest room. Jake was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the drama going on around him. She was gratified to hear his innocent baby snores and wished more than anything that he would never have to be touched by unhappiness of any kind. She knew she couldn’t shield him forever, but for now, he didn’t need to know that his mommy and daddy were in such an emotional twist over him.

She tried to concentrate on her son, tried to picture his soft little hands waving in the air and hear his funny belly laugh, but visions of Cameron kept interfering. She winced as she remembered how easily she’d melted in his arms. How could he still wield that kind of power over her? She’d known that one day she would have to confront him with the reality of Jake, and she’d steeled herself for that moment. But he’d caught her unprepared. Now he knew how susceptible she was to his charms. He knew he could wiggle his finger and she would come running.

It was humiliating to know that he was right.

In a matter of hours, she would have to tangle with him once more. Would she come running to him again? Or would she be able to withstand his immense allure? It was almost as if he’d put a spell on her.

Yawning, she fluffed her pillow and tried to settle her active mind by breathing deeply for a count of ten. She knew she would need all the sleep she could get if she expected to put up a good fight tomorrow.

Cameron stretched, then tried to turn over onto his back-and landed on the floor.

“What the-?” he grumbled. Where the hell was he?

His brain slowly engaged and he groaned as he remembered exactly where he’d slept last night. Moving slowly, he pulled himself up off the living room floor, then sat on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees.

After Julia had gone off to bed, he’d finished his beer and tried to watch the football game, but it had lost its appeal. So he went to bed where he tossed and turned, unable to sleep with the knowledge that Julia was sleeping in the room just across the hall. He wanted her in bed with him. Wanted her lush body pressed against his. Wanted to bury himself in her silken warmth.

But you can’t always get what you want, he thought. Not right away, anyway. He was a patient man and he would have her in his bed soon enough.

Last evening, though, that thought had not been conducive to a good night’s sleep. So Cameron had come out to the living room couch, thinking he’d zone out on late-night television. He finally fell asleep and now he regretted it as he stood and tried to stretch out his spine. Damn, his couch looked spacious and luxurious, but spending the night on it had been a tactical error. His back was whimpering like a whiny schoolgirl. He stood and stretched and tried to remember when, exactly, had he turned into such an old man? He was barely into his thirties.

Determined to work out and get rid of the aches and pains, he slipped on a pair of gym shorts and sneakers, then left the suite for a brisk twenty-minute run around the resort grounds.

Forty-five minutes later, after a hot shower and two cups of coffee, he felt a whole lot better. A good thing, because he would need to be in peak condition to deal with the new occupants of his suite.

“Dada!”

Speaking of.

“Good morning,” Julia said as she carried Jake into the room. She had him in some kind of space-age kid carrier and without thinking, Cameron took it from her and placed carrier and baby up on the breakfast bar.

She was dressed in a sleek, navy pinstriped suit with a crisp white blouse and black heels. Her wavy blond hair was tamed back into a simple ponytail. And why he found that look so damn sexy, Cameron couldn’t figure out, but he knew he was on a slippery slope, watching her walk around the kitchen as she grabbed an apple for herself and warmed a bottle for the baby.

“Dada,” Jake whispered, gazing up at Cameron’s face.

“He says that a lot,” Cameron said, staring at the kid. He realized as he spoke that Jake’s repetition of the word dada didn’t bother him half as much as it had last night.

“It feels good on his tongue,” Julia explained, then blinked and quickly turned toward the coffeemaker.

Cameron laughed as she crisscrossed the kitchen, her cheeks blushed pink after realizing what she’d just said. Obviously, she hadn’t thought about the words before uttering them, and now he could think of a few things, too, that would feel good on his tongue.

“I’ve got a conference panel in forty minutes,” she said briskly, back to business after a few hurried sips of coffee. “I’ve arranged for a babysitter to watch Jake for the day, and she should be here any minute. But if you’d rather not have anyone in the suite while you’re here, I’ll understand. I can check with the concierge for another place to-”

“It’s fine if the babysitter stays here.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Good. Thanks.”

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Wonderful, thank you,” she said, and rinsed her coffee mug. “You?”

“Like a rock,” he lied.

“That’s great.”

Well, this was awkward. He leaned against the bar, watching as Julia put the mug in the dishwasher. Then he glanced over at Jake, whose eyes were closed. He was already sleeping peacefully, Cameron realized. Must be nice.

The doorbell rang and Jake’s eyes flew open. His mouth quivered in a pout, and Cameron realized he was about to cry.

“Hey, kiddo, it’s okay,” he said softly, and stroked his tummy. “Shh. Don’t worry. Doorbells scare me, too.”

Jake stared up at Cameron as though his words were written on stone tablets. A wave of something powerful swept through him and he felt as if he just might be the most important person in the world in that moment.

“That must be the sitter,” Julia said, her voice a little hoarse. “I’ll go let her in.”

Ten minutes later, the babysitter and Jake were ensconced in the back bedroom, and Julia was ready to leave. She had her purse strapped over her shoulder and she carried a soft leather briefcase. She looked like a lawyer instead of the best pastry chef on the Central Coast. Cameron walked her to the front door and opened it.

“I showed her where everything is and gave her my card in case she needs to call me,” Julia said nervously. “I won’t turn off my phone.”

“Everything will be okay,” he said, and leaned against the door jamb, blocking her way out. “Look, we haven’t talked about the paternity test yet.”

“Oh,” she said. With a frown, she dropped her briefcase and folded her arms across her chest. “I was hoping you’d changed your mind about that.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t think I’m handing you a child support check until I’ve verified that Jake is my son, do you?”

“I don’t need child support, Cameron,” she said testily. “You can keep your money.”

“Yeah, that’s what they all say.”

Her lips thinned in anger. “First of all, it’s Jake’s comfort I’m concerned about. Do you have any idea how many immunizations he’s been through in his short nine months? I’ve lost track of the number of needles he’s had to suffer through. But don’t worry, you’ll have your damned paternity test. Second of all-”

“Look, Julia, I-”

She held up her hand. “Just let me finish before you say anything else you’ll regret later about the money thing. Do yourself a favor, go online on Google and look up the Parrish Trust. When I get back, we’ll talk about money.”

“Fine.” He realized he’d pushed her a little too far, but where did she get off thinking he’d just accept her word on everything?

She picked up her briefcase and started to walk out, but stopped again and glared at him. “And as long as you’ve got your computer fired up, you might want to take a look at those emails I sent you a while back. They just might paint a different picture than what you think is going on here.”

“Julia, I’m not-”

“And while you’re at it,” she said, pulling a flowery scrapbook from her briefcase, “I brought this to show some friends, but you might want to take a look at it first.”

He stared at the thick journal, then began to thumb through it casually. There were photographs of the baby affixed to the pages, along with handwritten passages describing the pictures. Frowning, he gazed at her.

“And one more thing,” she continued before he could say anything. “You caught me in a weak moment last night, but it won’t happen again. We’re willing to stay here with you for the next ten days, but there’s no way I’m having sex with you. That’s a deal-breaker.”

With that, she left the suite in a huff.