Someone Like Her (28 page)

“If you’re wrong, I don’t know—”

“I don’t think I’m wrong.” He traced the outline of her lips with a finger. “You have his mouth . . . and the same eyes.”

“You met him?”

“Yes. I also met his daughter. She’s three years younger than you, and she could be your twin, Maria.”

Could it be true? She tried to speak, but no words would come. There were so many questions she should be asking, but she couldn’t think of a one. If Miguel Garcia really was her father, that meant Fortunada wasn’t. It was too much to hope for, and if it turned out Garcia wasn’t, the disappointment would be too much to bear. She’d managed to quash the dream and now here it was, wanting to come back.

“There must be a thousand things going through your mind right now.”

She nodded.

“While you work on taking it all in, I’ll tell you what I know so far. He agreed to a DNA test, and it’s already been sent to one of K2’s contacts, marked high priority.”

Didn’t they need something from her to compare it to?

“You’re wondering if you need to donate blood or something?”

She nodded.

His smile was sheepish. “Yeah, about that. The hair I took from you, I plucked some of it out and as long as they have the roots, that’s all they need.”

“And Logan knew all this? Knew where you were?” Her voice sounded shaky to her ears, but at least she was over the shock enough to talk.

“Yes, but we didn’t want to get your hopes up until we were as sure as we could be and until I’d met him. You know, to make sure he was open to having a daughter. Well, another daughter, one he didn’t know about.”

“Is he?” She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid of the answer.

“Very much so, Chiquita. In fact, he’s waiting by the phone for you to call him. If you want to. He would have come back with me if his daughter’s baby wasn’t due any day.”

“I have a half sister,” she whispered, hardly able to take it all in.

“You do. Her name’s Elena, and like I said, she’s the spitting image of you. It was kind of scary, actually, seeing another you.”

Tears mixed with her laughter. “You better not get us mixed up.”

“Never.” He pulled her onto his lap so that she straddled him. “Are you happy?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

W
hen Maria burst into tears again while furiously nodding, Jake spread his fingers over her nape and pressed her face against his neck. These were happy tears, at least. He slid his other hand up a silky-smooth leg to her bare ass, cradling a soft but firm cheek. That she cried wasn’t much of a surprise considering all he’d hit her with. That she wore no underwear definitely was.

“Chiquita,” he growled into her ear. “You’ve been naked all night under this dress made for sinning and you didn’t think it was something you should tell me?”

She giggled, and her lips trembled against his skin. “I thought it was something you’d enjoy discovering for yourself.”

Couldn’t argue with that. He glanced around to make sure the beach was still deserted. “A few minutes ago, you listed all the things you loved about me, but you forgot something, maybe one of the most important things.” He took her hand and pressed it over his hard cock.

“I didn’t forget. I was just saving the best for last.” She fingered the hook on his pants, slipping it apart, then unzipped him.

His breath hitched when she took him in hand and began to stroke him. Although she was fairly new at sex play, she learned damn fast. She leaned away and watched as she toyed with him. He braced his hands behind him, half reclining, and let her have at him for a few minutes. Jesus, she excited him like no other.

“Lift up your dress and touch yourself, Maria.” He brushed her hand away and wrapped his fingers around himself. She gave him an uncertain look. “Do it. Make yourself wet for me.”

Fisting the skirt, she held his gaze as she tentatively slid her middle finger through her folds. “Does this turn you on?”

“Hell yes, it turns me on. Can you make yourself come?”

“If you’d close your eyes and not watch, maybe.”

Was she kidding? “Not a chance.” He stroked his hand up his shaft, pleased when her gaze followed his motions. Whether she realized it or not, she began to mimic him, pushing her finger inside her when his hand reached the base of his cock, then playing with her clit when he moved up to the head. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced, and he imprinted this moment in his mind so he’d never forget how she looked pleasuring herself in the moonlight.

“Jake.”

He heard her need and reached up, lightly pinching her clit between his finger and thumb. Her eyes closed, her body gave a great shudder, and she fell onto him. The beat of her heart thumped, thumped against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her back and held her close.

Mine,
his heart screamed, and the whole of him was in complete agreement. Always and forever, she would be his. When she quieted, he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

“If you’re reaching for a condom, we don’t need one.”

He stilled. What was she saying? With everything else they’d needed to talk about, he hadn’t gotten to the part about the broken condom. If she was pregnant, he would be joyously happy but if not, a little time together before any babies would be nice.

“I’m on the pill . . . never went off them after Jonathan. Even then, he always used a condom and I’ve not been with anyone else since. So I’m healthy, you’re healthy, and we don’t need that.”

“Then you’re not pregnant?”

“No, why would you think so?”

“No reason.” He lowered his mouth and nuzzled her neck, a little surprised he was disappointed she wasn’t pregnant. “How do you know I’m healthy?”

“I know everything. You had a company physical right before you left for Egypt and it came back clean.”

“And you know this how?”

She gave a little snort. “Seriously? Along with accounting, payroll, and all the other stuff, I’m also in charge of human resources. I saw the report from the doctor.”

It was something he’d never thought to wonder about, where those reports from the doctor went. K2 required an annual physical, so he went and then forgot about it. He stuck the wallet back into his pocket.

Smiling, she rocked against him. “Love me, Jake.”

“My heart’s desire,” he answered and slid into her. Sweet Jesus, he never could have imagined how good it would feel without a rubbery barrier between them.

Jake squirmed on the car seat. His pants were soaked through, his ass was wet, and his skin gritty with sand. Maria hadn’t fared much better. Her dress was probably ruined, but she didn’t seem to care as she talked to her brother on the phone, assuring him she was happy they’d contacted Miguel Garcia.

“Oh, and I’m engaged.” She glanced at him and winked. “And we’re going to San Diego on our honeymoon so I can meet my father.”

The closeness of the two had always been obvious. Jake was glad because without her brother, God knew what her life would be like today. The one thing he did know was that he’d have never met her and now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.

He turned the car onto his driveway. “Hang up, Maria. Tell him we’ll come by in the morning and you can talk his ear off.”

Maria told Logan she’d see him the next day, then handed Jake his phone back. She’d wanted to call her father—it still astounded her she could say that—as soon as they returned to the car, but Jake had convinced her she should wait until they got home.

She was still trying to take everything in. Jake had said he loved her, asked her to marry him, then told her he’d found her father. Her mind was so scrambled by the thrill of it all, she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“I know you’re dying to call your father,” Jake said when they walked inside his condo . . . their condo? “Let’s get you in the shower first so you’re not picking at pieces of sand stuck to your legs while you’re talking to him.”

The next thirty minutes, she was treated like a princess as he bathed her, washed her hair, dried her, and wrapped her into a fluffy white robe that still had a tag on it, explaining his mom had given it to him one Christmas. Obviously, he’d never worn it and just as obviously—and pleasing—no other woman had.

When he leaned back and looked her over as if approving his work, she put her hands on his shoulders, lifted up on her toes, and kissed him. “I love you,” she said as her lips brushed over his. He made a little growling noise and clasped her bottom with his hands, pulling her against him. Their tongues tangled for a few moments before he gave her bottom a little slap.

“Go make that call. I have plans for you the minute you hang up.”

“He really wants to talk to me?”

Jake flicked a finger under her chin. “Yes, he really does. His number’s on the coffee table. Go on.” He gave her a little push.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” She needed him beside her for moral support.

“No, I need to throw some clothes on, then check my e-mail.”

He was purposely giving her privacy, but she wanted him with her. “I’ll wait. Besides, I like watching you get dressed, especially the part where you remove the towel.”

Hazel eyes instantly heated. “Then we’ll never get around to your making that call. Go. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

The number was on the coffee table where he’d said it would be, and she stared at Miguel Garcia’s name. What should she call him? Could she ask him questions now, or should she wait until they met? Did he remember Lovey Dovey? Probably not. Had he ever wondered if he had another child somewhere in the world?

“I thought you’d be talking to him by now,” Jake said, setting two glasses of wine and a box of tissues on the table.

“I’m scared.” She was petrified to be honest. This was something she wanted too much and if she sensed Mr. Garcia—Miguel?—wasn’t particularly thrilled about learning of her existence, she’d be devastated. “I don’t even know what to call him.”

Without a word, Jake picked up the phone and dialed, then handed it to her. “Just say, hello, this is Maria.”

“Put it on speaker,” she said, surprised she could talk while her heart was in her throat.

It rang twice, then a man’s voice. “Is this Maria?”

No words came out of her mouth and she turned to Jake, panic welling up inside her.

He smiled and leaned toward the phone. “Miguel, this is Jake. Maria’s here, but she’s feeling a little shy. I think she’s worried you won’t like her.”

Maria punched him.

“Understandable,” a voice she liked very much said. “Jake said you look just like my second daughter, so how could I not like you?”

“You have another daughter? Jake only told me about Elena.” Thank God, she could speak after all.

An amused chuckle sounded from the phone. “Since you’re older, that would make you my first daughter, Maria.”

Oh. Oh.
She’d not dared to hope he would think of her that way, at least not until someday down the road after he got to know her. “Thank you,” she whispered before her throat completely closed up and she really couldn’t utter a word.

“I’m only sorry I didn’t know about you sooner. Jake promised you’d send me some pictures of you. He also said you might come here soon and we’d get to meet. You probably have a lot of questions.”

Jake handed her a tissue and she swiped at her eyes. “He asked me to marry him tonight, Mr. . . . I don’t know what to call you.”

“What would you like to call me?”

“I don’t know.” That wasn’t true, she wanted to call him Dad but couldn’t bring herself to tell him.

“Elena calls me Papa, but if that’s too uncomfortable for you, maybe we can work up to it. How about Miguel for now?”

Papa.
She liked how that sounded. “Okay. What I was going to say is, Jake asked me to marry him tonight, and we’d like to come to San Diego for our honeymoon. If that’s okay with you.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before agreeing to talk again in a few days. When they said good-bye, she could no longer hold back her tears. He’d hinted that he’d like to attend her wedding and that someday, he’d like her to call him Papa.

She looked at Jake through her tears and shrugged. “All I’ve done tonight is cry.”

And the man she loved wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried because there was so much joy in her heart it couldn’t be contained.

“Can you take the rest of the day off?”

Maria glanced up from the Excel spreadsheet to see Jake leaning in the doorway, looking just as hot in his K2 uniform of cargo pants and an olive-green T-shirt as he’d been in a suit and tie Saturday night. Maybe even hotter. It was hard to decide.

She might as well take the day off as she’d been pretty useless, unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. It had been such an emotional weekend and she was still riding on the high of all that had happened.

Tapping her pen on her lips, she sat back in her chair. “What’s the boss going to do if I leave? Fire me?”

A grin spread across his face. “I could kidnap you. Carry you out against your will.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” As soon as she said the words, she realized her mistake. His face went blank—warrior mode, she called it—but the little crinkles of amusement at the corners of his eyes gave him away.

“I’m on a mission and you’re my objective.”

“Jake, no!” she cried when he scooped her up.