The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda (16 page)

“Don't look at me like that,” she said.

His duffel landed with a thud on the floor beside him. “Like what?”

“Like I'm the main course on the buffet table.”

He grinned. “Is that how I look?”

“I can't, Adam.” But she wanted to. She wanted to slide her hands under his T-shirt, up his wide, muscular chest. She wanted to feel his bare skin against hers.

He took a step closer and her heart started to hammer. “I was just going to ask if I could feel the baby, that's all.”

She didn't believe him for a second. Once he got his hands on her, her belly wasn't the only thing he would touch. And she would probably let him, because she wanted him so much she could hardly see straight.

“Maybe tomorrow,” she told him. “I'm going to turn in for the night.”

“It's barely ten.”

“And I have to be up at five.”

“How about a kiss goodnight, then?”

Why was he doing this to her? “I don't think so.”

“Why?”

At the end of her rope, she asked, “Adam, what do you want from me?”

He shrugged. “I just…
want
you.”

Isn't that the way it always was? They wanted her…until they didn't any longer. Well, she wanted forever, and he wasn't a forever kind of man. Not anymore. “That's not enough for me.”

His expression was grim. “You want more.”

“I
deserve
it.”

“You do. And I'm being selfish.” He opened the bedroom door. “I'm sorry. I'll back off.”

“Do you need anything before I turn in?”

He shook his head. But as she walked past him to the door he caught her arm and pulled her to him. And heaven help her, she couldn't resist wrapping her arms around him.

Though it was packed with emotion, there was nothing sexual about the embrace. He just held her, and she held him. But it wasn't any less heartbreaking.

“I wish I could be what you need,” he whispered against her hair.

She nodded, because if she tried to speak she would probably start blubbering. Besides, they'd already said all they needed to say.

 

Since he'd popped in unannounced, Adam felt it was only fair to do his share of work while he was visiting, so when Gabe invited him to ride along while he repaired fence posts, he went with him. It was tiresome, backbreaking work, but it felt good to be out in the fresh air and not cooped up in an
office behind a desk for a change. Since Becca's death he'd become something of a shut-in. Now he was even thinking it was time to start living again.

They had finished replacing several busted fence posts when Katy's mom brought them lunch on horseback. Thick barbequed beef sandwiches, a plastic bowl full of potato salad and cold sodas. They sat in the truck bed and ate. Adam was so famished he wolfed down two sandwiches and a huge pile of salad.

“Don't they feed you in El Paso?” Gabe asked with a wry grin.

“I don't get this hungry sitting behind a desk,” he admitted.

“Out here you earn your appetite. When I think about sitting at a desk day in, day out…” He shook his head. “Being outdoors, that's my life.”

“You never considered doing anything else?”

“Nope. I know every inch of this land. It's who I am.”

“It sure is beautiful.”

He pointed to the east. “See past that fence line? That's ten acres of prime land, some of the prettiest around here. It used to be a horse farm but it went belly-up last fall and the property went into foreclosure.”

“I'm surprised no one was interested in buying it.”

“Times are bad. I thought about purchasing it and expanding the east pasture, but with this economy it's too much of a gamble. It would be perfect for a young couple, though. Build a house, raise a family. Maybe keep a horse or two.”

Adam couldn't help wondering if he was talking about Katy. Was it possible she was she seeing someone? No, she would have told him. But realistically she wasn't going to stay single forever. She was going to find a good man. One willing to give her everything he couldn't. What she
deserved.

“I understand you should be getting the DNA results
soon,” Gabe said, balling up the plastic from his sandwich and stuffing it in the paper sack from their lunch. “What do you plan to do if it's Katy's?”

The question put him on edge. Up until now they had avoided talking about Adam's relationship with Katy. But it was bound to come up. “I want to assure you that I'm going to take care of her and the baby. They won't ever want for anything.”

“You know, it makes sense in a weird way. You fell in love with one of my daughters. I guess it's not so unusual you'd fall in love with the other one.”

Love? Did he think…did he think Adam was going to
marry
Katy? “Katy and I…we don't have that kind of relationship.”

“Is that why you two talk on the phone for hours practically every night?”

“Gabe—”

“And you can't keep your eyes off of her?”

“No disrespect to you or to Katy, sir, but I don't want to marry anyone.”

“You've got something against marriage, son? I know Becca could be a handful, but—”

“Becca was a good wife. And the day I buried her, I swore it was something I would never do again.”

Gabe took a swallow of his soda, then said, “So you'll spend your life alone instead? Sounds like a pretty miserable existence.”

Not alone. He would have his child. “I don't see it that way.”

Gabe shrugged, like it was no skin off his nose. “We should get busy. We have a lot to get done before supper.”

He didn't want Gabe, or Katy's mom, deluding themselves
into thinking he was going to whisk Katy off her feet and carry her into the sunset. They would just have to get used to the idea of him and Katy being good friends.

K
aty barely made it to three o'clock when she was so exhausted she had to lay down. And though she only planned on sleeping an hour or two, when she woke to the sound of the water running in the bathroom, it was almost six.

Her dad must have given Adam quite a workout if he needed a shower.

She knew she should get up, but she was so comfortable she didn't want to move. She curled in a ball, the tops of her thighs pressed against her belly. She was just starting to drift off when she felt it. A soft bump.

Her eyes flew open. Could that have been the baby kicking?

She lay there very still, waiting to see if it happened again. Then she felt it, a distinct kick. Maybe those flutters she'd been feeling had been the baby moving after all.

Nearly bursting with excitement, she rolled onto her back and pulled her shirt up so she could see her belly. It only took
a few seconds before she felt another kick, and it was so hard this time she could actually see her stomach move!

She lay there frozen, afraid that if she moved the baby might stop, and she wanted Adam to feel it, too.

She heard the shower shut off and the sound of him tugging open the curtain.

“Adam! Get in here!” she called. “Hurry!”

Only a few seconds elapsed before the bathroom door swung open and Adam appeared, fastening a towel around his waist, hair mussed and still dripping. When he saw her lying there he must have thought the worst because all the color seemed to drain from his face. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” She gestured him over. “Hurry, it's kicking.”

He was across the room in a millisecond, and perched on the edge of the mattress. “Are you sure?”

“Just watch,” she said. “Right below my navel.”

They waited several seconds then there was another quick bump-bump. “Did you see that?”

Adam laughed. “Oh, my God! Can I feel?”

She nodded, and he very gently placed his hand over her belly. His hand was warm from his shower and still damp. And there it was again, a soft little jab, as if the baby was saying, “Hey, I'm in here!”

She had been trying so hard to stay disconnected, to not think of it as
her
baby. But in that instant, feeling the baby move, she fell hopelessly in love. And she wanted it to be hers, so badly her heart hurt.

“What does it feel like to you?” he asked.

“Just like you would think. Like someone is poking me, but from the inside. I should call my mom in here so she can feel it.”

“She's not here. She and your dad went out. She said they were going to catch a film in town and they would be back late.”

They hardly ever went to the movies, so odds were good they were just giving Katy and Adam some time alone. They both seemed to have it in their minds that Adam was going to have a change of heart and suddenly decide that he loved her. What she didn't think they realized, what she hadn't realized until last night, was that he
did
love her. Even if he couldn't say it, she could see it in his eyes. And knowing that made his rejection a little easier to swallow for some reason. She wasn't damaged Katy, whom no one could love. Someone finally did. It just sucked that he was afraid to acknowledge it.

“It stopped,” he said, sounding disappointed, but he didn't take his hand from her belly. And the fact that she was lying in bed wearing nothing but a shirt and panties, and he was only wearing a towel, started to sink in. Suddenly she felt hot all over and her heart was beating double time.

She would never know what possessed her, but she put a hand on his bare knee.

Dark and dangerous, his eyes shot to hers. “That's
not
a good idea.”

Probably not. But for all the energy she'd spent convincing herself that this was never going to happen again, it didn't take much to have a total change of heart. And though she knew it was a mistake, and she was asking for heartbreak, she wanted him so much she didn't care what the repercussions would be.

She stroked his knee, scratching lightly with her nails.

“You're sending some pretty serious mixed signals,” he told her, his voice uneven.

“Then let me be 100 percent clear.” She slid her hand under the towel and up the inside of his thigh. He groaned and closed his eyes.

“I can't let you do this,” he said, but he wasn't making an effort to stop her. And when her fingertips brushed against
the family jewels he sucked in a breath and said in a gravelly voice, “Katy, stop.”

“I can't. I want you, Adam. Even if it's just for a night or two.”

He still wasn't ready to give in, so she took his hand that was still resting on her belly and guided it downward, between her thighs. “Touch me,” she pleaded, and that was his undoing. He leaned over and kissed her. And kissed her and
kissed
her, and it was so perfect, she wanted to cry. He tugged the towel off and slid under the covers beside her. She expected it to be urgent and frenzied, like the night after she found out she was pregnant, but Adam took his time, kissing and touching her, exploring all the changes to her body, telling her she was beautiful. She'd never felt so sexy, so attractive, in her life. And when he made love to her it was slow and tender.

Afterward they lay curled in each others arms and talked. About work, and the baby, and the ranch—anything but their relationship.

Around ten she threw on her robe and went down to the kitchen to get them something to eat while Adam checked his phone messages. When she came back up with a plate of leftovers, Adam was dressed and shoving clothes into his duffel bag.

“You're leaving?” she asked.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I had a message from my COO. There's been an accident at the refinery.”

“What kind of accident?”

“An explosion.”

She sucked in a breath. “How bad?”

“Bad. At least a dozen men were hurt.”

Katy's heart stalled. “How seriously?”

“Second-and third-degree burns.”

“Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry.”

“Since I took over, safety has been my number-one priority and we've had a near-spotless record. Not a single accident that required more than the need for a small bandage. Injured employees means negative press and lawsuits and OSHA investigations.”

“So this could be bad?”

He nodded. “This could be very bad. But my main concern right now is making sure those men are being taken care of.”

“What caused the explosion?” she asked.

“We're not sure yet.” He sat on the bed to pull on his socks and boots. “They're still trying to put out the blaze. Jordan said they had just completed a maintenance cycle and were bringing everything back on line when something blew. Which makes no sense, because everything had just been thoroughly inspected.” He rose from the bed and grabbed his duffel. “Katy, I am going to try like hell to be back in time for your appointment, but I just don't know if I can.”

“Adam, don't even worry about that. If you can make it, fine, if not, there's always next month.”

“Yes, but I've been saying that for two months now. I
want
to be there.”

She smiled. “I know you do. That's why it's okay if you're not.”

He dropped the duffel, gathered her up in his arms and planted a kiss on her that curled her toes and shorted out her brain. And if he didn't have to leave, man would he be in trouble.

“What was that for?” she asked when they came up for air.

“Because you're being so understanding.”

“That's what you do when you love someone,” she said.

It wasn't until she saw the stunned look on Adam's face,
that she realized what she'd just said. How could she have just blurted it out like that?

And he obviously had no clue how to respond. It might have been amusing if she wasn't so mortified.

“Wow,” she said, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “I did not mean to just blurt that out.”

“Katy—”

“Please,” she said holding up a hand to stop him. “Anything you say at this point will only make it worse, and I'm humiliated enough. Just, please, let's pretend it never happened.”

If there was any hope that he might have ever returned the sentiment, it died with his look of relief. “I really have to go.”

“Go,” she said, forcing a smile.

“We'll talk about this later.” He gave her another quick kiss, then grabbed his duffel.

No, they wouldn't talk about it, she thought, as she listened to his heavy footfalls on the stairs, then the sound of the front door slamming. She resisted the urge to get up and watch him drive away. It would just be too hard, because it was a symbol. A symbol of the end of their relationship as she knew it. Not just their sexual relationship, but their friendship, as well.

Remaining friends after this would just be too…awkward. She didn't doubt that he knew she had strong feelings for him, maybe even loved him. But knowing it, and actually hearing the words were two very different things. He had no choice but to shut her out. She just hoped he would always be there for the baby.

And it occurred to her, as close as they had become these last few months, not only did she just lose her lover, but she'd also lost her best friend.

 

It never ceased to amaze Adam how, when his company did something positive, like adopting new and innovative
environmentally friendly practices, he was lucky to get an inch on page twelve of the business section. But toss in a suspicious inferno, a few injured workers and an OSHA investigation and they'd made the front page of every national newspaper in the country. He personally had been hounded by the press at the office and even outside his home.

They had gone from being praised as having the most impressive safety record in the local industry to being labeled a deathtrap overnight.

Already they had been served with lawsuits by six of the thirteen injured men, the ones whose burns had been the most severe. The board, on the advice of their attorneys, had already agreed to settle the suits. It would set them back financially, but Adam was steadfast in his belief that it was the right thing to do. He was just thankful that no one was left permanently disabled, or, God forbid, killed.

Since the refinery had been in maintenance mode, the number of men on the line had been reduced by nearly half. The majority of the damage had been to the infrastructure. And now, every day they had to remain off line while the equipment was checked and rechecked, they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.

Monday afternoon Adam called an emergency executive meeting in his office. OSHA had begun their investigation and it was beginning to look like the accident really wasn't an accident after all. If they ruled that it had been a case of gross negligence on the part of the men on the rig, the company would be slapped with a hefty fine.

Jordan, loyal to the death to his men, refused to believe they could possibly be responsible.

“My men work damned hard,” he said, wearing a bare spot in the oriental rug with his pacing. Unusual considering he was by far the most laid-back of the four. “I would trust most of them with my life. There's no way they would be so
careless. Not to mention that the entire line in question had just been thoroughly inspected. It doesn't make sense.”

“Something about this does smell fishy to me,” Nathan said. He sat in the chair opposite Adam's desk, looking troubled.

“You suspect foul play?” Adam asked.

“I say we shouldn't rule anything out. It would have to be an inside job, though.”

Jordan stopped pacing to glare at his brother. “Impossible. Our people are loyal.”

“Who then?” Nathan asked.

Jordan looked as though he wanted to deck him. “
Not
one of mine.”

Adam didn't like the idea that one of his own employees could be responsible, but they had to know for sure, before there was another accident. “I think we need to hire our own investigator.”

“We'll have to keep it quiet,” Emilio, who had been standing by the window quietly observing, finally said. “If it was sabotage, and someone on the line is responsible, if they find out we're digging, any possible evidence will disappear. If he thinks he got away with it, he may be careless.”

“Nathan,” Adam said. “I want you in charge of this one.”

“Why him?” Jordan scoffed, outraged. “I'm the one who understands the day-to-day operations. Those men trust me.”

“Which is exactly why I'm assigning it to Nathan. It's going to get out eventually and you should have a certain degree of deniability. Not to mention that you're biased.”

Jordan knew he was right. “Fine. But I want to be kept in the loop.”

“Of course. If we do have suspects, you'll be in the position to keep a close eye on them, so this doesn't happen again. And
I suppose it goes without saying that until this is resolved, I won't be stepping down as CEO. However long that takes. But that does
not
mean I won't be watching all of you.”

“How is the pregnancy going?” Nathan asked.

“Great. In fact, I have to be back in Peckins tonight. Katy has her five-month checkup tomorrow.” And he and Katy were long overdue for a serious discussion about the future of their relationship.

“Wait a minute,” Jordan said. “You're actually leaving town? After everything that just happened?”

“I'll only be gone a day or two.”

“What if we need you here?”

Jordan's reaction was understandable. Six months ago Adam wouldn't have dreamed of leaving town during a crisis. Not for a couple days. Not for five minutes. But his priorities had changed. Hell, his whole life had changed, and he had Katy and her family to blame. Or thank.

He kept thinking about what Gabe said, about how spending his life alone would be a miserable existence. Well, Adam
had
been miserable. For three years now. Until he got tangled up with Katy, he had genuinely forgotten what it felt like to be happy. To have something to look forward to.