and he didn’t want to deviate from them.
Still, Olivia Anderson—business barracuda and proprietor of two sensual, sexy lingerie shops—wanted to make love with him.
Who would have ever thought she’d ask for such a thing? She was always an enigma, a mix of styles and personalities, but even so, this development had thrown him for a loop. He’d sometimes wondered, when he’d been in her shop and seen the very stimulating garments she carried, if she ever wore any of those little bits of nothing, if she spoiled her body with silks and lace. It hadn’t seemed likely. But now…
She had him totally confused, and he didn’t like it one bit. He also didn’t want to have to start looking for a new mother. Time was running out. He wasn’t getting any younger, and if he didn’t act soon, he’d be past the age of thirty-five when he brought his baby home.
No. He’d chosen her, dammit, and he wouldn’t give up without at least trying to reason with her.
He ran a hand through his hair, then knocked sharply on the door. Immediately three doors opened. Olivia and two neighbors stared at him, the latter with narrowed eyes and curious expressions. Just what he needed, an engrossed audience.
Olivia tried for a smile, but it wasn’t her best effort. “Come on inside.”
“No.” He shook his head, glaring at the neighbors. An elderly couple now stood at one door, and a younger woman with curlers in her hair at the other; they glared right back at him. Tony turned his gaze back to Olivia. “Let’s go for a drive instead.”
Olivia hesitated, seemingly oblivious to the onlookers, then finally said, “All right. Just let me grab my jacket.”
Tony cursed under his breath. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. He didn’t need anyone speculating on his relationship with Olivia, because he’d never intended to have a relationship with her. In his simple, uncomplicated, male-inspired plan, he would have given her the address of the doctor and then heard from her later to learn if she’d conceived. He certainly hadn’t intended to stand in her doorway providing entertainment to the masses. Not that three people could be considered a mass, but with their eyes glued to him, he felt very uncomfortable.
Olivia finally produced herself. She stepped outside the door, turned to make certain it was locked, then dropped her keys into her pocket. “I’m ready.”
Then, as if on cue, she turned to the neighbors and nodded to each one in turn. “Hello, Hilda, Leroy, Emma. This is Tony Austin. Hopefully I’ll be opening another of my shops in his hotel chain. Isn’t that marvelous?”
Everyone nodded, their suspicions visibly dissipating and en masse they began to sing Olivia’s praises. Tony did his best to make an exit, but he had to spend several minutes nodding in agreement before he could leave.
As they walked out of the building onto the street, he said, “That’s the last time for that.”
“What?”
“Meeting at your apartment. It gives rise to too much speculation. If we’re not careful, we’ll have that scandal yet.”
He opened the door to his car for Olivia, but she didn’t get in. “Does that mean you intend to meet with me again? You will agree with my terms?”
Pushy woman. Why had he never realized before just how pushy she could be? Savvy was one thing, pushy was another. He summoned his most noncommittal tone. “We’ll see.” He practically tossed her into the passenger seat, before going around to his own side.
“There’s really not a whole lot to see, Tony. I don’t like the idea of the clinical approach, that’s all. If you can’t see your way clear to actually touch me, then there’s nothing to talk about.”
He clenched his hands on the steering wheel. He clenched his teeth. He even clenched his thighs, but still, her words affected him. Touch her? He’d like to touch her all right—now, this very minute, with his hands, his mouth, his entire body. But he wouldn’t. Oh, no. Touching was bad. Touching would only lead to more touching, and then he’d be in over his head and…
“Tony?”
“How about doing me a favor, Olivia? How about keeping your thoughts to yourself for a few minutes until we get off the road and then we’ll discuss your…terms.”
“All right.”
She sounded too damn agreeable and that rankled, but at least she kept her words behind her teeth for all of five minutes, giving him a blessed chance to gain control of his libido. Then she asked in a very tentative voice, “Have you considered the possibility that I won’t conceive? After all, there’s no guarantee that I’ll prove to be…fertile ground for you to…plant your seed. How much time are you willing to devote to trying to get me pregnant?”
Fertile ground? Plant his seed? Tony’s five minutes of calm were suddenly shot to hell. How was it such bland, ridiculous terms sounded sexier than the most erotic whispered words he’d ever heard? Perhaps it was because of the envisioned result. He’d never before considered a woman carrying his child, and that must be the reason every word out of her mouth aroused him to the point of pain.
He cleared his throat and kept his gaze steady on the darkened road. “The doctor mentioned that several attempts may be necessary before the insemination takes.”
“But doing it naturally? Is there a projected time span on that?”
He felt strangled. “I never actually asked him that.”
“Perhaps you should.”
Out of sheer necessity, he pulled the car off the main street and onto a small dirt road that led to a dead end. When Tony was younger, he and his brother had come here to make out with girls. In those days there was a wide cornfield, but it had been replaced by a small park with a street lamp. Obviously things had changed, but the premise was the same. Isolation.
Despite the fact that he was sweating, he left the car running, for it was a cold night in early November. He killed the lights, though, giving himself some illusionary concealment. When he turned to face her, he already had his mouth open to start his argument, but he was brought up short by the picture she presented.
Moonlight poured over her, revealing the sheen of dark hair, the shape of her ears, her high arched brows. Her eyelashes left long feathery shadows on her cheeks and shielded her eyes from his gaze. Her hands were folded in her lap. She appeared somehow very unsure of herself…vulnerable. It wasn’t a look he was used to, not from her. She lifted her gaze to his face, and once again he felt that deep frustration.
It wasn’t that Olivia was beautiful. She was by far the most elegant woman he’d ever known, but she wasn’t classically beautiful. He had dated more attractive women, made love to them, had long-standing affairs with them that had left him numb. But Olivia was the only woman whose personality, intelligence and disposition were attractive enough to entice him into asking her to carry his child. That was something. More than something, actually, when you figured it was usually looks that drew a man first, and the other, more important features of a woman that kept him drawn.
When he remained quiet, she said, “I know what I’m asking seems absurd. After all, you could have any woman you want, and after knowing you for so long, it’s obvious you don’t particularly want me. That’s okay, because up until you mentioned your plan, I hadn’t
