Have Baby, Need Beau (20 page)

“You can always dance for me,” he said, surprising himself at how much he wanted her to do that.

She wagged a finger at him, a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Don’t tell me, you, Seth Broadhurst, doctor of psychiatry, get off on this harem costume.”

He had to smile. “Honey, I may be a doctor of psychiatry, but I’m a man first. And any man who saw you in that getup would be turned on.” He raised a hand and wiped a drop of raspberry sauce from her chin, then licked it with his tongue.

“You mean any woman wearing this costume would excite you?”

Did he notice a hint of jealousy? “No, not any woman. Just you.” He ran his thumb along her temple, then down her jaw. “Dance for me, Mimi. Please.”

She closed her eyes on a feathery sigh and began to move her hips, gyrating slowly, seductively, as the beat of the music slowed and faded into a love song. He touched her as she moved, his breath collecting in his lungs in a painful surge at the way her curves fit beneath his palms, the way her body swayed, the way her breasts rose with every breath she inhaled, the way she threw her head back, uninhibited, daring. His finger drew a soft line down her neck to her breastbone, then dipped to circle a taut nipple beneath the sheer fabric. She arched and groaned, rotating her head slowly, seductively, so he could see the muscles in her throat work as she swallowed. His heart thundered at the scent of her exotic perfume, then stilled when she opened her eyes and reached for his shirt.

His hands dropped to her waist, where he savored the feel of her bare skin while she slowly drew each button from its encasement, taking her slow, sweet time as if performing a striptease for him. Then her hands were inside his shirt, rubbing, stroking, teasing his hard nubs, her hips gyrating into his heat, stroking, tormenting him. She pushed away his shirt and reached for his belt. He sucked in a breath, hoping he didn’t lose control as he allowed her to strip off his clothing. Their gazes locked for a moment, resting in surprise on his black briefs. He blushed.

“You are full of surprises, Doc.” Her gaze swallowed his burgeoning erection, then lifted to his eyes. “I approve, very much.”

He pulled her against him, moaning when her soft heat cradled him. “I want you, Mimi. It feels like it’s been forever.”

Her hands sank into his hair. “I want you, too, Seth.”

He laughed when she squeezed his hips with her thighs, but his voice turned serious when he asked, “We won’t hurt the baby?”

She shook her head. “No, Doc. You should know that.”

“I’ve never made love to a pregnant woman before.” He cupped her face with his hands and drew her mouth to his for a tender kiss.

“Is that what this is all about?” she asked softly. “Seducing the mother of your child?”

“No.” He slowly removed his skimpy underwear, wanting her to see how naked and raw and exposed he felt. “This is because I want you, because I care about you, Mimi. Because I can’t stand not being with you.”

She drank in his size, the length of his body, the evidence of his need for her and melted into his arms. His hands skated down her sides, searching for buttons or snaps, but Mimi stood back, lifted the top over her head and dropped the flimsy material to the floor. The billowy pants had an elastic waist, so she skimmed them off in seconds. His eyes feasted on bare flesh, the swollen mounds of her breasts arching toward him, taut pink tips begging for his mouth, the kitchen light painting her porcelain skin with a golden glow.

He lifted her onto the yellow-laminate kitchen table, dipped his finger into the raspberry sauce and traced a path over her nipple, then down to her waist, then licked it off, one delicious inch at a time. Mimi writhed beneath him, begging him with her body and hands to ease her torment, but he continued the sensual foreplay by planting kisses from the tips of her toes to the soft folds that cradled her womanhood. Chocolate and raspberry and the tantalizing taste of Mimi filled his senses, and he drove her wild with his mouth and hands, painting her thighs with the sauce and licking it off until she was clawing at him to end the torture. Finally he parted her legs, looked into her eyes and smiled, then dipped his head and drank deeper, refusing to take her until he’d tasted her release.

And when he did, the sweet heady taste drove him wild. He was like a starving animal as he pushed into her, pumping and grinding their bodies together with an intensity he’d never imagined, channeling all his emotions into giving her pleasure. And when she cried out his name and clutched his back, winding her legs around his waist, her body rippled with waves of ecstasy. He groaned her name and drifted to the clouds with her. And in his heart, he knew he’d just made her his forever.

* * *

Mimi had never felt so peaceful and loved and sated. She drifted into a blissful sleep and dreamed about Seth and love and sex and babies and a wedding in the gazebo on her grandmother’s property on
Pine
Mountain
with her entire family, even her mother, in attendance. When she awoke in Seth’s arms, she half feared the night had been just a dream, but his warm, tender smile caressed her and his arms cradled her tightly.

“How about some breakfast and a shower, then we go to my place for a while?”

Mimi searched his face. “Your place?”

“Yes.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “I have a surprise for you.”

“You do? More wild underwear? Leather, maybe?”

He threw back his head and laughed, a deep, sexy rumble that sounded so masculine Mimi imagined waking up to it every morning. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’ll even give you a fashion show if you want, but I have another surprise.”

Mimi tossed the covers back, revealing their naked bodies, rosy in the aftermath of love. “Race you to the shower.”

Seth chased after her, and Mimi found herself in deep lust again when she saw the spray of water cascading across his muscular chest and corded thighs. Temptation won again and she twined her arms around him, kissed him senseless and climbed in his arms for a wild morning ride. Several minutes later they finally bathed and left the shower.

“I’ll throw together some breakfast while you get dressed,” Seth whispered against her neck.

Mimi luxuriated in the offer and dressed in a casual blue shirt and jeans, wincing when the zipper once again hesitated over the small bulge of her stomach. She would have to resort to wearing looser clothing soon, she realized. Maybe even visit that store Seth had found. Surprised that the idea of maternity clothes didn’t bother her as it once had, she went in search of Seth and food.

* * *

Seth’s hands trembled as he clasped Mimi’s fingers and dropped to the soft gray carpet in his bedroom. He’d just given Mimi a tour of his house, except for the nursery, which he wanted to save until their engagement was official. Then he wanted to end the tour with a mind-boggling kiss and a romp in his bed. But first things first. He pulled out a velvet ring box, lifted a diamond ring and slipped it on her finger. “Mimi, I want us to get married.”

Mimi stared openmouthed at him. “Oh, my goodness. Is this … your surprise?”

“Well, no. I mean, yes, sort of.”

“Seth…”

“Shh. Just listen. I have everything worked out. We can get married right away and you can move in here. That’s why I wanted to show you the house today. So what do you think? Because if you don’t like the house, we can sell it and get something more contemporary, more modern, more … more whatever you want..” She shot an odd look at the Chippendale love seat, and he realized he was rambling, but Mimi still hadn’t replied, and her stunned expression didn’t look optimistic. “It’s just a house to me.”

“It’s a lovely house, Seth. A little formal, but lovely.”

“It’ll be a home with you and our baby here.”

Mimi’s eyes filled with tears. Happy or sad? He still couldn’t completely read her.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine. I have everything planned.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the nursery. “We need to get married soon before … well, we both want what’s best for the baby, and that’s us together. See, I’ve already started a nursery. I thought you liked yellow, but I waited to choose the rest of the decor until you were here.” He smiled, proud of his planning. “I have several furniture catalogs, and I’m researching the safest kind of car seats—”

“Car seats?”

“Yes, you have to know which kind to buy. And we need a playpen and educational toys and…” He was babbling again. God, what this woman did to him. “What do you think of the room?”

Mimi’s gaze traveled the pale yellow walls. “It’s nice. But I haven’t even thought about furniture or a baby’s room.”

“Oh, we have plenty of time, but I thought I’d get the ball rolling, plus, it’ll take a while for me to check all the consumer reports, do some comparison shopping.”

The doorbell rang and Seth frowned and checked his watch. “I wonder who’s stopping by so early.”

The bell chimed again. “You’d better go see who it is, Seth.”

“All right. You wait here and think about the room and what kind of furniture you’d like while I get rid of whoever’s there.”

Mimi nodded, and a slight moment of anxiety attacked him. She still hadn’t said yes to his proposal, he realized as he raced for the door.

* * *

Mimi stared at the teardrop diamond glittering on her finger, then the spacious room painted her favorite color, and the stack of consumer reports and furniture catalogs. She felt so overwhelmed a lump lodged in her throat. She did love Seth, she could no longer deny it, yet he still had never used the L-word. Although, he had shown her he cared—he’d tried to be impulsive in planning their dates, he’d even bought new underwear and that ridiculous Hawaiian shirt, and had made friends with her animals. He must love her. Surely he wouldn’t go to this much trouble if he was only acting out of a sense of responsibility.

Her gaze rested on a big teddy bear perched on a blue-and-yellow wooden rocking horse, making the room come alive and look playful, something she would never have imagined Seth choosing. But that stack of catalogs in the corner of the floor mocked her, screaming out the differences between the two of them.

Seth was so prepared, already planning and thinking of everything, while she felt at a loss, like a failure because she hadn’t thought of anything the baby would need. She’d been too busy thinking about herself and the changes in her life and the audition and now … what kind of career she would have. Would she continue managing the café for the rest of her life? Quit work and become Seth’s wife? Jump from letting Hannah and her father take care of her to letting Seth?

Shaken by the thought, she tiptoed to the doorway, heard Seth’s parents’ voices in the foyer and decided to stay out of sight. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back into Seth’s bedroom, trying to picture herself living in this house. Lying in his bed at night, sharing the bathroom, raising their child here, her things scattered around… Would her disorganization drive Seth crazy?

The house was spacious, with lots of windows and natural light, and if she added a few splashes of color here and there and got rid of some of his uncomfortable furniture, especially that hideous pea-green love seat, it could be extraordinary. Her gaze fell on a stack of books beside Seth’s bed, and she walked over to examine them, half expecting some psychology textbooks. Odd. Instead, a book on dating topped the pile. Curious, she thumbed through the book. Her pulse jumped. Certain sections had been highlighted in yellow.

Favorite Dates
. For a fun, innovative change, try an evening of Putt-Putt golf. Surprise your girl with tickets to her favorite concert. Take her to the zoo.

The dates listed were the same as the days Seth had arranged their outings—spontaneous, huh?

Seth’s laptop stood open on the desk. Curious, she glanced at the screen and saw the title of his entry—Every Baby Needs a Daddy. Plan to Win Mimi. Her breath stalled in her lungs. The first paragraph described his desire to raise his baby and be a part of its life. He’d even scribbled notes—advice from Wiley? Her father had talked to Seth? What had he done? Threatened him with a shotgun if he didn’t marry her? Anger and hurt welled up in her chest.

She searched the folder for any sign that Seth really wanted
her
, any note that he loved her and hadn’t been strong-armed by her father or acting out of his sense of responsibility, but no. He’d very methodically and carefully outlined a plan to win her affection, detailing each date, when to send flowers, when he should spring the proposal. It was nothing more than a business plan.

Mimi’s heart thundered with fury. Seth hadn’t fallen in love with her at all. The big lug had formulated a well-ordered plan to sucker her in so he could gain access to his baby.
He
should have been the actor, not her. And she’d fallen for every ploy. Even worse, she’d fallen in love with him!

She was so angry she was shaking. Uncaring now whether his parents were privy to her relationship with Seth, she stomped into the foyer.

“Mimi?” Seth looked agitated, as if he’d been arguing with his parents.

“Miss Hartwell, what are you doing here?” Mr. Broadhurst asked.

Mrs. Broadhurst smiled a brittle smile. “Yes, it’s a little early, isn’t it?”

“I—”

“My parents and I were discussing the funding for the support group,” Seth said, cutting her off. He pulled her toward him, and draped his arm around her shoulders. “And Mimi’s here because I invited her. Father, Mother, Mimi and I are getting married.”

“What?” Mrs. Broadhurst brought a hand to her forehead as if she might faint. “She would be an embarrassment to the family.”

“You can forget the money for the support group if you marry
her
,” Mr. Broadhurst snarled.

Mimi decided to save the project and save Seth’s mother from any more theatrics. Besides, family was everything, and she’d never forgive herself if she came between Seth and his parents. She would never fit in with them, either. “Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Broadhurst, your son is mistaken.” She turned to Seth, her heart breaking. “Seth, we’ll work out some kind of shared custody for the baby, but—”