The Negotiator (32 page)

She was quiet for what seemed like a lifetime. Andy’s fingers cramped where they gripped the steering wheel. At last, she spoke.

“You’re right, Andy. You’re absolutely right. You should have an equal say. And we’ll discuss things if we disagree. We’ll come to an agreement if we work at it. It will take some getting used to, but you’re going to be my husband and probably the only father Jack is ever going to know.”

His breath whooshed out in relief. Cally sighed and reached over to take his hand in hers. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she brought it up to her lips and pressed a soft kiss across his knuckles.

“I love you, Andy and I trust you with my life. Mine
and
Jack’s. Together we can make this work.”

He looked over at her and smiled. Fierce emotion surged through him and tears pricked the back of his eyes. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me. I want to be the best father I can be, but I have to know I have your support before we start, or it’ll never work. And you need to know you have my support.”

He shook his head. “I’ve had friends who’ve taken on step-children and as soon as the going gets tough—and it’s usually on a discipline issue—their partner undermines their authority and the whole thing unravels.”

She nodded. “I can see how that would cause problems and I don’t want that for us. We love each other. We respect each other. I know we can agree or find a middle ground.”

“You don’t have to say that. In fact, it’s unrealistic to think we’re always going to agree on what’s best for Jack or any other kids we may have. All I’m asking is that we never disagree with each other in
front
of them. We’ll work together, anticipate, and consider all sides, in order to present a unified front whenever he’s around.”

She gazed back at him, her eyes dark with emotion. He swallowed against the lump in his throat.

“I love you, Cally,” he added, his voice husky with emotion, “and I love your son. One day, I hope you’ll even let him become my son, too.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “You want to
adopt
him?”

He nodded. “Of course. You’re going to be my wife. I want him to be my son, in every way that’s possible.”

“What if we have to get Stewart’s consent? I’m sure the biological father must get a say in these things?”

He shrugged. “So, we get his consent. Or we go to court. There must be some way to do it. I don’t care what it takes or how much it costs, I want him to be ours. I want both of you.”

She smiled at him, her eyes full of love. “You make me so happy, Andy Warwick. I don’t care what skeletons you’re still hiding.” Her smile turned cheeky. “Unless of course you have some weird fetish for women’s underwear or collecting navel fluff or storing dirty, smelly socks under the bed…for like…
years.”
She grinned. “Any of those would be a deal breaker.”

Guilt flooded through him, knowing he still hadn’t told her about his wealth. His smile was strained. “Nope, can’t say I have a problem with any of those.”

“What about your personal hygiene…? You don’t shower every day? That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Nope.”

Her face turned somber. “It’s the toilet seat, isn’t it? You just don’t know how to put it down when you’re finished! I knew it!”

He laughed. “Well, now that you mention it…”

She hit him playfully on the arm.

“Hey!” he yelped in mock protest. “I’ve been living on my own for years. There’s never been any reason to put the toilet seat down.”

“Well, if that’s all you’ve been hiding, why all the secrecy?” Her voice was suddenly serious.

He brought the car to a stop outside her garage and killed the engine. Turning to her, his expression sobered. “I have something to tell you.”

He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away. This was not going as he hoped. He drew in a deep breath and prayed for the best.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“I have money, Cally. Lots of it.”

“Excuse me?” Her mind reeled in confusion. It was the last thing she expected Andy to say. “What do you mean, you have money?”

He shrugged, seeming almost embarrassed. “It’s like I said. I have a lot of money. A few years ago, I won first prize in a substantial lottery. I’m wealthy.
Very
wealthy.”

She shook her head, still bewildered. He reached for her hand again, and took another deep breath.

“I own a sizeable share of a multi-million-dollar mining company. I have a penthouse overlooking the beach at Bondi. I have a number of other investment properties around the city. I even own an apartment block in my hometown of Tamworth.” He shrugged. “I have money, Cally.”

“B-but what about your work? Why would you be working so hard and all those long hours if you didn’t have to?”

He shrugged again. “You might find this hard to believe, but work’s not always about the money. I love my job. It wouldn’t matter if I could finance a third world country on my own, I’d still show up at the station every day.”

He caught her gaze and held it, his eyes intense. “My job defines me, Cally. It’s who I am. When I’m at work, I feel like I’m contributing to society, aiding in some small way, those who feel help is beyond their reach. What’s money, compared to that?”

His lips compressed. “Any psychologist worth their salt would tell you I’m trying to compensate for the fuck-up my father made of his life, and I’d be the first one to agree with them, but it’s more than that. Maybe it started out that way, but not anymore. My father was my father, with all his faults and failings. He was what he was. I’m through with him. He no longer has power over me or the way I feel about things and he has nothing to do with the way I live my life now, each day.”

He squeezed her hand. “I want to help those who can’t help themselves. If I manage to make even one person’s life a little easier for even part of a single day, then it’s a good day.”

When she realized how far off the mark she’d been, she shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes welled up with tears. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

He grimaced and looked away. “I wanted you to love me for who I am, not for what I could provide. It sounds stupid, but Nikki found my bank balance just as appealing as she found me—perhaps, even more so.”

Cally shook her head again. She ought to be offended he’d thought her so shallow, but she knew having experienced the tragedy he had, she could understand his reluctance to be forthright. She reached over and cupped her hands around his face. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

He leaned over and kissed her, his lips lingering on hers.

“I think the same thing every time I look into your eyes.”

Their kiss deepened and Andy’s hand stole down to cup her breast through her cotton blouse. Her nipple hardened in response and she arched her back to better fit into his palm.

“You’d better watch out, sweetheart or I might just toss you onto the backseat,” he teased before turning his attention to her other breast.

“Mm.”
She was almost beyond caring what he did as long as he didn’t stop the sweet torture.

“What time do we have to go and collect Jack?” he murmured, nuzzling on her ear.

She opened her eyes and grinned at him. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s having a sleepover.”

A single dark-blond eyebrow raised. “A
sleepover
? As in, a sleep-over-
all-night
sleepover?”

Her grin widened. “Is there any other kind?”

“And when do we get to pick him up from this all night sleepover?” His offhand manner belied the keen interest in his eyes.

She shrugged. “Oh, about four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. The boys are going to spend Sunday in the city at the Aquarium.”

His eyebrow lifted even higher. “Did you say
four
o’clock tomorrow?”

“Ah huh.”

Andy groaned. “In that case, you have way too many clothes on, woman,” he growled. “Let’s go inside.”

* * *

Stewart let the branch of the hibiscus bush snap back into place and did his best to keep his anger in check. Cally and her boyfriend had been at it for hours—they’d been fucking like rabbits when he arrived.

He’d slunk down her driveway earlier with the intent of canvassing the area. When he spied the Audi and her battered old Toyota both parked in the drive, he’d taken extra care to conceal himself. It was fortunate there were so many places to hide.

The blinds and curtains throughout the house had been opened to let in the sunshine. It made spying easier and for that he was grateful. He was easily able to locate Cally and her boyfriend in the house. He peered in through the louvered windows and stared at them as they rolled naked in the bedcovers.

He couldn’t help but admire Cally’s taut, rounded butt and full, pert breasts as she bounced up and down on her lover’s cock. A decade had passed since he’d last fucked her, but her body looked much as it had when she was a girl. A little curvier, perhaps, but that only accentuated her appeal. The sight of her lush body sent a surge of blood to his groin and he couldn’t resist pulling out his cock and stroking it to full erection.

He watched them fucking with narrowed eyes and stroked and squeezed the engorged flesh in his hand, faster and faster, until he swallowed a cry and spurted hot come up the side of the house. He stared at the thick cock of the stranger as it plunged over and over into Cally’s wetness and remembered what it had been like to fuck her—the mother of his son.

Jack.

He’d seen no sign of the boy. He wondered where he was and why Cally wasn’t with him. Typical of the slut—leaving the boy in someone else’s care while she spent the day fucking. He ought to storm in there right now and demand to know where the boy was.

Rage lit up inside him. His breath came fast. He clenched his fists and took a few steps forward but a voice inside his head urged him to be cautious. He’d come this far. There was no need to blow it now.

Sanity prevailed. He drew in a few deep breaths and forced his heart rate back under control. Slowly, the red haze receded. There would be time enough for action. The boy wasn’t even at home.

Patience, that’s what he needed. Just a little more patience and the boy would be his.

The man continued to pound into Cally and finally shuddered and then groaned in relief. Rolling off her, he gathered her in his arms and promptly fell asleep. A moment later, Cally also appeared to succumb.

He could do it now.
He could kill them both. There were enough sturdy branches around. He could bludgeon them both and make it look like a burglary. After all, she’d already been robbed once. It could be the perfect solution. What better way to take back his son? With Cally’s death, the boy would be orphaned. A DNA test would quickly prove Stewart’s claim to be the boy’s father. And who had better rights to the boy than the man who sired him?

The phone in his pocket chirped and he cursed the fact he’d forgotten to turn it onto silent mode. He grabbed for it and noticed the call was from his father. With another curse, he turned it off and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He wasn’t ready to deal with his father, yet.

He stared through the window at the couple in the bed and saw the man stir.
Had he heard the phone?
Stewart froze and counted long seconds until Cally’s lover sighed and went back to sleep.

His shoulders slumped. The moment he’d waited for was lost. He’d revert to his original plan. It was easier, less messy and he’d spent many hours perfecting it. So much could go wrong with a spontaneous plan and he was nothing, if not careful. Retracing his steps, he hiked back up the driveway and came to his car a distance up the road. For now, Cally and her lover were safe…

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Cally came awake slowly, feeling deliciously content. Jack had spent the night at his friend’s house and she’d enjoyed a night wrapped up in Andy’s arms. Sunlight peeked through the louvered windows letting her know that morning had arrived. She stretched and tried to smother a yawn. It had been late when they’d finally fallen asleep.

“Don’t tell me you’re still sleepy?” Andy grinned. “You must have had at least three or four hours’ rest.”

She tossed a cushion at his head and then grinned. “You’re awfully cheerful this morning.”

“And why wouldn’t I? I’ve spent the night with a beautiful woman who was only too happy to fulfill all of my fantasies. I’m kind of hoping she’ll be keen to do it again.”

Heat crept up Cally’s neck and she looked away, but the smile remained in place. Talking about their intimate moments still made her embarrassed, but she had to admit, she was learning to enjoy it.

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” she murmured and watched his eyes go wide. Before she knew what he was up to, he flipped her beneath him and pressed himself against her. He ground his hips into hers and she felt the unmistakable evidence of his desire.

“It’s never too early to start,” he teased and lowered his mouth.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Andy opened his eyes for the second time. Cally stirred beside him and slowly woke. She smiled when she saw him.

“Good morning,” she murmured.

“Good morning, yourself.” He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “Although, technically, it’s almost ‘good afternoon.’”

“Really?” She shot a look at the clock. “I can’t believe I slept so long.”

“You must have been tired.”

Cally nodded. “I was. I haven’t been sleeping well for the last month or so—since the burglary.”

Andy’s gut tightened at the reminder, but he nodded in understanding. “I’m glad you’re resting a little easier, now. After all, that’s one of the reasons you wanted a roommate.”

She smiled. “You’re right. Little did I know I was getting a roommate with benefits.”

He swiped at her backside. “Cheeky girl. Aren’t you glad I moved in?”

Her eyes darkened with emotion and he was filled with warmth. “You bet I am.”

He bent his head to kiss her, then gently pulled away. “We’d better not start any of that again or you know what will happen. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

Cally nodded. “Me, too.”