Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (78 page)

Well, never again. This time she truly had learned her lesson. She didn't need or want another man like David, cast in the mold of her mother. Rini was making her own choices now, and she didn't have to please a blessed soul except herself and her baby.

She'd see Colton Lonetree, demand to know what he wanted from her, and then march right out of there. Okay, waddle out, she conceded, and firmly squelched an unwanted spark of anticipation at seeing him again.

She puffed up the remaining flight and was greeted by a tidy room painted a warm adobe hue and with hardwood floors polished to a lustrous shine. On the walls hung several groupings of black-and-white photos of Indian Country. Behind a big old, scarred desk piled high with papers and computer equipment sat a young man.

He looked up impassively. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Colton Lonetree."

"He doesn't want to be disturbed." The young man went back to his work, apparently unperturbed that she didn't move.

"Will he be free anytime soon?"

He shrugged. "Dunno."

Rini tapped her foot in frustration, wondering if the kid was being deliberately rude or was just an idiot.

"I'm Rini Herelius. He said I should drop by his office. He said anytime. Could you tell him I'm here?"

"Doesn't want to be disturbed."

She was just about to bean him over the head with her purse and stalk into the inner office uninvited when the door opened and Cole stuck his head out.

"Charlie, could you please get me— Rini!"

She edged toward him. "I probably should have called first."

His expression traveled from shocked surprise to cool and professional in about two nanoseconds. "No problem. Come on in."

Smoothing his tie, he opened the door wide, and she barely resisted smirking at the man behind the desk as she walked past.

"Where did you get Mr. Personality?" she asked when Cole had closed the door.

He chuckled. "Camarillo."

Prison?

He shrugged at her gasp. "Assault with a deadly weapon."

She covered her eyes. "Terrific."

"Charlie's a great photographer and a passable receptionist. Just needed a little direction in life."

Oh, brother.
The man had a hardened criminal for a secretary. Her already-sagging optimism slipped a little more.

She ventured farther into Cole's office. Light poured through two large fanlight windows, reflecting off the Berber carpeting and bathing the room in a pink glow. Comfortably worn sofas and chairs surrounded a low-slung, battered wooden table half the size of Nebraska. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with a jumble of law books, paperbacks, magazines and stereo equipment.

"Jeez. You live here?"

"Seems like it sometimes." He walked to his ancient oak desk at the back of the room and closed some files, then went to the wet bar behind it. "Tea? I've got mint and chamomile."

"Mint would be great, thanks."

His jacket was off and his long white sleeves were rolled up to just under his elbows. His silk tie hung loose around his neck and suede moccasins encased his feet. When he bent over to pull a ceramic teapot from beneath the wet bar, Rini was assailed by a vision of his breechclout fluttering around his athletic thighs as he dipped and swooped in his hop dance at the powwow.

This had to stop.
She would not let herself be swayed by the man's flawlessly masculine body.

Turning abruptly, she tossed her purse on one of the sofas, then wandered over to a collection of Native American garments he had mounted on the long wall opposite the windows. "These are beautiful."

"Thanks," he answered, punching buttons on a microwave.

"Do you collect them?" Her attention was captured by a quill chest plate, identical to the one he had worn at the powwow. She stood very still in front of it, memories washing over her. Barely aware of what she was doing, she reached out slowly, as if by touching it some of the magic of that night would rub off. Magic she badly needed.

She'd forgotten she'd asked the question when his answer sounded quietly, right behind her.

"I make them."

She jerked her hand back and whirled to face him, her breath quick with surprise. "Oh! Really?"

The look in his eyes was wary, possessive, almost predatory. He watched her for several long seconds before breaking the charged silence. "Kind of a hobby of mine."

He was standing close. Much too close. Sexual awareness crackled through her body, completing her misery.

She shouldn't have come.
She didn't want to think of Colton Lonetree as a man at all, but preferred to keep him firmly in the neutral role of attorney, or better yet, heartless brute. Slipping past him, she went to one of the couches and eased herself down on it.

She bit her lip, picking imaginary lint off her knee-length sweater. "Did you make the costume you wore that day?"

He crossed to the table and started pouring tea into earthenware mugs. "Regalia. Yes, I made them."

Picking up her mug, she said resignedly, "So, I can blame all this on your hobby, then."

He looked up as he took a seat across from her. "My hobby?"

"It was that damned outfit—sorry, regalia." She smiled wryly. "Maybe if you hadn't looked quite so sexy, I wouldn't have been so easily seduced that day."

His eyebrow lifted in amusement. "Miss Herelius, I am shocked. You don't strike me as the type who would fall for just another pretty face."

"Oh, it wasn't your face I—" She snapped her mouth shut. Good Lord, what he must think. "I mean…"

The corners of his lips curved up as he watched her expectantly. He was obviously savoring every word.

"I mean I fell for the whole man. Hook, line and sinker—fool that I am. But I might never have noticed you if you hadn't been quite so...so...noticeable."

He took a sip of tea, his gaze heating her skin. "Because of my outfit."

She picked up a magazine from the table and fanned her face lightly, cursing herself for getting into this topic. Was it warm in here, or what? "More like because of your
lack
of outfit."

He smiled, and his eyes crinkled up. She watched, fascinated, as the already handsome man became utterly devastating. Like the pirate he was—he stole the very breath from her lungs. The magazine fell to the table. It was all she could do to hang on to her tea mug.

"Miss Herelius, you certainly know how to inflate a man's ego. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were buttering me up for something."

She carefully put down her mug and straightened her spine, avoiding his eyes. "Certainly not. We're both adults. Anything we have to say, I assume we can say straight out."

He nodded through the steam rising from his tea. The smile disappeared. "I'm glad you decided to accept my offer to help financially. There is no reason this situation should be anything less than amicable."

Then why did the room feel suddenly cold?

"That's true," she agreed.

"I'm the baby's father. I only want what's best for my son. Nothing more."

Silence fell and moments ticked by as she gathered the courage to speak, watching her own fingers knit and unravel themselves in her lap. "Please, Cole, what is it you want from me? Exactly?" She held her breath.

He got to his feet and looked stonily down at her, then stalked to the window and surveyed the traffic below. "I want my child."

Rini wrung her hands. Could Alexa be right? "I promise you can be a part of his life. You can see him, teach him about his heritage. I'll even sign papers giving you that right." She rushed on. "I know you don't think—"

Cole rounded on her. His eyes narrowed to slits. "If you're so interested in sharing with me, why did you run off that day at the powwow? Why did I have to find out about my child six months after the fact?"

She nearly gasped at the ferocity of his accusation. Old fears nearly sucked her into their suffocating embrace. She battled in her mind, defending what she had done, fighting like hell against the tears that threatened to burst forth. "You know damned well why I ran away."

Rising clumsily, she grabbed her purse. She had to get out of there before she made things worse. Before she made a fool of herself all over again.

He blocked her path to the door. "Let's say I don't." His gaze bored into her. "Enlighten me."

Rini felt a tear spill over her lashes, and dashed at it angrily. She
hated
feeling like this. Guilty, powerless, confused. Like every choice she made was wrong, wrong, wrong. She knew she was right, but Lord help her, the man wasn't going to give her an inch.

Cole reached out and grasped her arms. His grip was firm, his shuttered expression insistent. "Please."

Another warm tear sluiced down the trail left by the first. She lowered her eyes, feeling ashamed and somehow at fault. Defeated. "All those women," she whispered. Her voice caught. "I know you never promised me a thing. Lord knows I probably got what I deserved for my rash behavior that day. But it still hurt. I couldn't watch you pick up your next conquest."

She glanced up in time to see shock lingering on his face. His fingers tightened around her arms. She tried to shake him off, but he held firm, bald emotion racing across his features. His mouth opened and then closed again, nothing coming out.

"It wasn't right, Cole. Not after—"

Those words apparently broke through to him. His eyes unglazed. "My God." His fingers loosened their grip. "Are you saying you thought I was...that I was chasing those women?"

She nodded morosely, pulling away and rubbing her arms.

His hands went to his temples. "How could you think that? After everything we did?"

Turning away, she shook her head. "I've bad lots of experience recognizing the maneuvers."

"Rini, I—"

She held up a hand. "Don't. I've heard all the excuses, believe me."

Cole couldn't stand seeing raw anguish extinguish the fire in Rini's eyes. "It's not true," he said. He ached to hold her close and reassure her. "Not true." To take things back to what they might have been. Before…

Moving slowly toward her, he lifted his hand, wanting to touch her cheek. "The only woman I was thinking about that morning was you, Rini. I swear."

She edged backward toward the door, avoiding him, until he'd nearly backed her up against it. She stared at him, her arms crossed, her fingers clutching at the fabric of her sweater.

His heart sank. She must think he was some kind of monster.

But, surely, it's not like this every time?

No? How would it be, then?

Her eyes squeezed shut, and he could see her bottom lip tremble. His stomach grazed hers, large with his child, and her eyes flew open. For an endless moment their gazes locked. He took a deep breath and smelled a hint of gardenia and mint, mingled with her sensual woman's scent—the scent that had haunted him for so many lonely months.

Need and regret slammed into him, filling his body with a longing he couldn't ever remember feeling before. He needed to taste her. To fill the aching void in his soul with the light she had given him that spring day seven months ago.

Her eyes said she still wanted him. He reached up and slid his hand behind her, gently pulling her toward him.

"Cole, no." Her lips stopped just short of meeting his.

He continued to coax her forward, but she resisted. "I can't do this."

He pressed close to her, his baby nestled snugly against his abdomen. He breathed in Rini's sweet, warm breath, and willed her to yield to his embrace. But he could see the doubt written in her expression, and had to steel himself against pressing his mouth hard to hers and claiming its moist, dusky depths with his tongue.

Honey, whoever he was, you're well rid of him.

Cole closed his eyes and struggled to compose himself. "Rini, those women have nothing to do with you and me. With us. They're—"

Suddenly, the baby gave a little kick against his stomach. He looked down, and his baby kicked him again.

Oh, God, his baby.

The baby she had planned to abandon.

What in the devil's name was he
doing
?

As if burned, he snatched his hand from her and looked up. She was staring at him incredulously.

"You arrogant, conceited bastard! How dare you tell me those women have nothing to do with us!"

She shoved hard against his chest, forcing him to take a step back to keep his balance. "You men are all alike! Only thinking of your own selfish needs. Never thinking of the wreckage you leave when you've taken your fill and moved on."

"Rini—" He reached out but was firmly slapped away.

"Don't even
think
about touching me. You want to live the merry bachelor life? That's your choice. But my choice is that I want no part of it. Or you. And neither does my baby."

"Your baby?"