Red Carpet Romance (4 page)

“You look like you haven’t eaten in
years.” He popped a scallop into his mouth.

“I haven’t eaten grown-up food in a
long time. Bunking in with Annie and her kids. We ate kid food all the time. If
I never see another chicken nugget…”

He laughed. “Enjoy yourself. More?”

She nodded enthusiastically. Quinn
spooned more of the creamy scallop dish onto her plate and poured more wine.

“Dessert on the terrace?” He asked,
raising his glass.

“The terrace?”
God, he’s turning on the heat, and I’m melting.

“You didn’t see that before? I guess
not. It’s on the other side of the living room.” He took two forks, put the
napoleons on a plate, and pushed to his feet. Quinn stuck his hand out, and
Susanna accepted it. He led her around the corner, then opened the sliding
glass doors. There was a round, wrought iron table with a glass top and four
wrought iron chairs with plush cushions in a floral print with green, white,
and coral.

He placed the plate on the table and
pulled a chair out for her. She sat down while her gaze scanned the view.
It’s a full court press. Can I resist?
“This is…incredible. This view…it’s…awesome. If I lived here, I’d be on this
terrace all the time.”

“You do live here,” he said, softly.
The sky had just begun to turn pink, indicating the next day would be sunny.
The air seemed fresher on the twenty-first floor, above the exhaust fumes
choking pedestrians below.

Heat flamed her cheeks. “Guess I do.
At least for now. But I’d be afraid to bring Junior out here, especially when
he starts crawling.”

“Get a playpen. Do they still call
those things playpens?”

“They do. Deal. I’ll tell Maggie. A
rocking chair will be nice…to soothe the baby.”

“Better make a list.” Quinn took a
forkful of the sweet confection.

“You’re going to be investing a
bunch of money for your son to have him with you for only a few months.”

“It’s…complicated.”

That’s
what they all say. The dads who don’t want to be dads.
She turned her gaze
away from his handsome face and back to the park. She could see across it,
though the blossoming trees were beginning to create a wall of green, limiting
the view.

“I bet you can see clear across to
the cars driving on Fifth Avenue in the winter.”

“You can. I prefer the spring and
summer view. The trees, flowers, horses and their carriages.”

“I like warm weather, too. Hate the
cold.”

“But you lived upstate, right?” He
cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Never liked it. At least not in the
winter. I prefer the city or the beach.”

“Me, too. I have a place in Malibu.
Near the ocean.” He moved his chair closer to the table.

“Makes sense. I mean, since you have
to be out there a lot, working.” She cut a piece of the napoleon with her fork.

“Hotels add up, and sometimes I like
to make a cup of coffee or have a drink when I want. Nice to have a place for
my stuff, too.”

“Place for your stuff? Reminds me
of…”

“George Carlin! Yeah!” And he burst
out laughing. She joined him. The sun fell lower in the West, darkening the
park, casting bigger shadows on the city. Susanna glanced at her watch then
pushed to her feet.

“Think I’ll read for a bit.” She
stood awkwardly, gathering up the dishes. He opened the door for her.

“I’ll do those. You had a long day.”

“Thanks,” she said, handing him the
dessert plate. She lingered at the doorway, uncertain what to do.

“It’s weird to have a beautiful
woman in my house who’s not here with…for…staying with me.” He blushed, casting
his gaze at the dishes in his hand.

Open
mouth, insert foot, Quinn?
She chuckled behind her hand before placing it
on his forearm. “I know, right? I was going to say sort of the same thing. I
mean, having dinner with a gorgeous guy who wasn’t going to jump me afterward.”

He laughed, his gaze connecting with
hers. “You’re here for Junior. No plans to jump you, not that I wouldn’t like
to. Maybe I should just shut up.” He walked toward the kitchen.

She snickered, heat coloring her
cheeks. “Goodnight then.”

He nodded back at her. The last
sound she heard when she closed the door to her room was the sound of water
sloshing over dishes and, perhaps, a small sigh.

* * * *

Susanna draped a short, pink
seersucker robe over the foot of the double bed. She pulled down the covers and
slipped her naked body between cool, high quality cotton sheets. She opened a
paperback she bought at the second hand bookstore on Broadway and positioned
two pillows to support her back.

Although she tried to read, her mind
kept wandering, and her gaze settled on the closed door.
I’m naked in a bed in Quinn Roberts’ apartment. He’s down the hall,
soon to be naked in his bed, too. I’m totally safe. He won’t bother me. And I’m
disappointed.

She switched out the light and
scooted down, pulling the sheet up over her breasts. She rolled over on her
side, listening to Junior’s even breathing, and let her mind wander.
Quinn Roberts. Generous, sweet…but doesn’t
want to interact with his son? Hunky. I want to run my fingers through his
hair. I bet even one night with him would be amazing.

She tried to banish the sexy
thoughts from her head, but they kept coming back.
He’s right down the hall. Damn.
Before long, she fell into a
restless slumber until early morning sunlight and infant cries woke her up at
six.

Susanna threw on her robe and picked
up Junior. She changed him, kissed his cheek, and settled him on her hip as she
opened the door quietly and crept into the kitchen, not wanting to awaken
Quinn. Bustling about preparing the baby’s formula, cereal, and fruit, Susanna
hummed to herself. Junior kicked his little legs and gurgled as he watched her
move around. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and shoveled the first
spoonful into his open mouth.

Softly she sang
BABY BELUGA
, a Raffi song she used to sing to her nieces and nephew,
as she fed him. Junior moved his eyes from her face to the spoon and back to
her face, totally caught up in the sound of her voice. When she finished, he
gave out with the loudest shriek she’d ever heard from a baby. It was a cry of
delight, but it startled her, and she jumped, dropping the spoon on the
ceramic, tile floor with a clatter.

She glanced nervously at the
hallway, unable to see Quinn’s doorway from the kitchen. Susanna sat still,
holding her breath, but didn’t hear any noise from the other end of the
apartment.

Another cry and giggle from Junior
brought her attention back to feeding him. She put the utensil in the sink and
took a clean one. The happy child kept trying to grab it from her hand. “No,
no, the spoon is mine. When you get bigger…we’ll get a baby spoon… and…”

“Do you think he understands you?” A
deep voice surprised her. She dropped the clean spoon, causing sticky food to
spill on the highchair tray and the baby. Flustered, she stole a look over her
shoulder as she wiped up the mess to see Quinn standing in bare feet and
boxers, rubbing his face. Heat colored her chest and rose up her neck.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.
I heard a scream. Movie calls start around five, so I’m not a late sleeper.”

His gaze slid over her body,
creating a tingling sensation in places hidden from his view by a very thin
piece of cloth. She put the spoon down to draw the scanty robe snugly around
her body and tighten the sash.

“What do they call that fabric?” His
stare followed her curves.

“Seersucker,” she said through dry
lips.

“Oh. Pretty.”

Pretty
thin, almost see-through. Make note. Buy new robe.
“Thanks,” she choked
out, embarrassment lodged in her throat.

He chuckled and shook his head. “New
experience
.
Never had a girl in a
robe like that in my kitchen who hadn’t come from my bedroom…
”
He laughed. “Weird. Damn weird.”

“If it makes you feel any better,
I’ve never been in a kitchen at six in the morning with a man in his boxers who
I hadn’t spent the night with.” She slid her gaze down his amazing chest,
following the line of dark hair that led down, down, down below the waistline
of his boxers, hanging low on his hips. He looked down and blushed bright red
before he turned and ran toward his bedroom.

She giggled as she wiped Junior’s
face and pulled him out of the highchair. “Time to go.”

She took him into the bedroom and
placed him in his crib. He immediately started to wail. “No, no, I’m not
putting you back to bed, just for a few minutes…” she said, bustling around the
room, pulling clothes out of drawers. His wail turned into a full cry as she
ripped the robe off and grabbed her underwear, slipping on her panties first.
Before she could fasten her bra, the door burst open.

“Susanna…I don’t know what’s bugging
Junior, but…”

With her back to the door, she
turned halfway around to see Quinn standing there in jeans, his mouth hanging
open, his gaze fastened on her bare breasts. She shrieked and covered her chest
with her arms, Junior wailed even louder now that he had competition, and Quinn
stood firmly planted.

“Do you mind?” She yelled at him.

“Mind? Oh. Oh my God. I’m sorry…so
sorry,” he stammered, turning redder and redder.

“The door!” She yelled, causing
Junior to scream louder. “Go! Out!”

Quinn regained his senses and turned,
exiting the room quickly and closing the door behind him. Susanna fastened her
bra, pulled on her jeans, and tossed a T-shirt over her head. Then she picked
up the squalling, red-faced baby and hugged him. She sneaked out onto the
terrace, holding Junior.

“Look, Junior. Look at the pretty
view,” she cooed. As the vast blue sky and green trees below diverted his gaze,
the baby’s last two big tears rolled down his face. She swayed slightly,
rocking him in her arms, talking softly to him. He rested his head against her
shoulder, and his eyes began to close. She continued the steady movement until
she was sure he was asleep. When he went limp against her, she turned to bring
him back to his crib for a nap.

Once again, she was startled by
Quinn standing in the doorway grinning at her. “You’ll make a good mother.”

“Think so?”

He nodded. “Sorry about barging in
on you. Again, I’m not used to having women here who require…uh…privacy. When I
heard him squawk, I thought something was wrong, and so I just well, I didn’t
think…I…”

“I get it. Next time knock. I’m not
one of your
women
and prefer a bit of
formality. So if you could knock…”

“Absolutely! I will. I promise.” He
chuckled.

Susanna moved toward her bedroom
with Quinn following behind. “What’s so funny?”

“Not funny, amazing. The view.”

“Oh, yeah. It knocked Junior out,
too.”

“Not that view. The view in your
room. Wow. I mean, just saying…I can’t ignore…what I saw…you are…beautiful,” he
said, obviously embarrassing himself as his blush deepened, and he ran his hand
through his hair.

“I hope you enjoyed it because it
was the first and last time you’ll see that view.” She stuck her chin out,
turned on her heel, and huffed out of the room.
Are you sure about that?
“Oh shut up,” she murmured to herself as
she put Junior down. She picked up her book, stretched out on her bed, and
promptly fell asleep.

Chapter Three

“Good afternoon, little man.” She
picked Junior up, changed his diaper, and took him into the living room. While
he amused himself on the blanket on the floor with his toys, Susanna called
Maggie and gave her the list of necessities. Then she went online to a site
called
At Your Service
, an Internet
New York City gourmet food service that delivered.
Quinn wants lots of salad but not me.
She placed an order and
charged it to his account.

Obviously, Quinn wasn’t home as the
apartment was quiet. She smiled to herself.
Scared
him away, I guess.
After gathering formula and snacks for a trip to the
park, Susanna glanced at the front door for the stroller. There, sitting where
Junior would, was a brand new basketball. On it was taped a note.

Best basketball courts are
in Riverside Park at 76
^th
Street.

A wide grin graced her face.
For me? How did he know?
She removed the
ball, placed Junior in the seat, and strapped him in. After putting the
basketball on the package platform, Susanna slipped a little purse in her
pocket and headed for the elevator.
You’re
forgiven, Quinn.
She shot a broad smile at Crash when he opened the door.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was
a brilliant blue. The air had softened and warmed to a gentle caress on her
neck as she walked along the sidewalk. Dazzling sun bounced off windows to
reflect on outdoor boxes of peonies and roses. Junior babbled and gurgled in
the stroller as if he was having a conversation with Susanna, so she spoke to
him, remarking about the day and the scenery.

When they reached the area Quinn
mentioned, Susanna lowered herself down on a bench to watch. The court was
huge, with at least six basketball hoops, three on each long side. Three were
being used, but there was one on the end, facing the benches, which was
unoccupied.

Still, she couldn’t bring Junior in
there.
Too many basketballs bouncing
around. He could get hurt
. A gentleman with steel gray hair, sitting on the
end of the bench, put down his newspaper to eye her. She lifted her eyebrows.

“Are you looking for something,
young lady?” He asked.