Chapter 16
Claudia rolled over and glanced at the clock. This was the first time in two days she woke before ten and Brody wasn’t beside her. She groaned when she realized it was Monday morning. The weekend had gone much too fast.
She cuddled deeper into the soft covers, bringing Brody’s pillow to her face. She softly inhaled as she thought about all the time they’d spent together the past two days. They’d squandered away most of the weekend between the sheets. Friday afternoon on the back porch of the estate seemed like a lifetime ago. When she’d left for work that morning, she hadn’t known what the future held for her and her baby. She still wasn’t certain, but at least now she knew she had Brody. He made everything seem possible.
“Good morning.” He came into the bedroom, completely dressed and ready for work. “I didn’t think you’d be awake.”
There wasn’t a hair out of place, his suit was perfectly pressed, and he smelled of spice. “Why are you up?” Claudia wished he was still wrapped around her body, and not headed out the door.
“Because, my love, I have a company to run.” He leaned down and kissed her nose. “You can stay in bed all day and relax if you’d like. I’ve asked Lena to make you some herbal tea with lemon and fix you anything you’d like for breakfast.”
“Autumn told you about the tea and lemon?” It was sweet of her to let him know what she liked to drink.
He nodded.
“I can’t stay in bed all day, and Lena can’t wait on me,” she said. “That doesn’t feel right.” It would be awkward having a fellow co-worker waiting on her.
He sat on the edge of the bed. “Lena is my housekeeper, so she doesn’t mind tending to you. She knows we’re together.” He smiled. “I think you’ve had a hectic and stressful few weeks, so you should rest.”
“I have to go to work.”
“I thought we settled that. I’m not going to allow you to work at the main house anymore.”
“You’re not going to allow me?” She arched a brow at him. “Really?”
“Let me rephrase that.”
“Please.”
“I would like it if you didn’t work at the main house anymore. You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.” She sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I need the money and my health insurance.”
“I’m having your insurance taken care of this morning, so you don’t have to worry about that. You and the baby will be covered.”
“How?”
“Just let me take care of it, okay?” He placed his hand on her leg. “As for a job, well, you don’t need one, but I would never tell you not to work. My offer at Callahan Industries still stands. You can intern for us and we’ll send you back to school. I’ve shown your sketches to the art department and they think you have talent.”
“They do?” A flash of excitement flickered inside her. She wanted Brody to like her work, but she never expected his art department to see them.
“Don’t seem so surprised.” He gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. “I told you they were good.”
“I thought you were being polite.”
He rolled his eyes. “Trust me, baby, if they were crap, I wouldn’t have shown them to my people.”
“But I have no training. What am I going to do there?” Claudia wanted to take him up on his offer, but she worried people would think he was giving her a job because she was his girlfriend.
“I’ll speak with the department today, and we’ll come up with something for you. My father always brought in interns and he liked to promote from within. You could learn so much from being hands on.”
“What should I do today?”
“Can you please take a few days to rest? I’d like to speak with your doctor and hear about your blood pressure.”
“I’m fine.”
“Claudia, humor me.”
“Just until after the ultrasound, but then you have to give me a job. I want to learn.”
“You’ll come work for me?”
“Not for you,” she said. “Your architecture department, but I’d like to go back to school.” She was so close to getting her degree and it was important for her to accomplish that goal. If Brody really wanted to help her, she’d take him up on his offer.
“That’s a great idea. Whatever you want.”
“Thank you.” She crawled into his lap. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I have a feeling you would have figured it all out, but now you don’t have to be alone.” He wrapped his arms around her. “And neither do I.”
* * * *
A few days later, Claudia found herself in Brody’s private elevator at Callahan Industries. She’d never had so much time on her hands before. From as far back as high school she’d always had a job. She wasn’t used to hanging out at home, or in this case, Brody’s lavish penthouse. It wasn’t that she didn’t like his home, but the downtime drove her crazy. Brody’s concern for her health made him a bit neurotic. She had hoped that a conversation with her doctor would ease his mind, but it only seemed to make him more nervous.
The only outing she had all week was to the doctor’s office for her ultrasound. Brody accompanied her and when they were finished, he took her to lunch. They decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Claudia wanted to be surprised in the delivery room, and Brody agreed. She was much calmer these past few days, knowing she had Brody by her side. His support made the whole pregnancy thing less scary. She wanted to ask him if he’d come into the delivery room with her, but she didn’t want to freak him out. Maybe he’d take a parenting class with her. She could start slow and feel him out.
He looked up from his computer screen when she tapped on his office door. Her stomach flipped when his blue eyes sparkled in her direction.
“What a pleasant surprise.” He got up from his desk, walked over to her, and pulled her into a hug.
“I’m not bothering you?”
“Never,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“I missed you.”
“That’s sweet.” He kissed the top of her head and then led her over to the sofa. “Did you go to your apartment today?”
“Yes,” she said. “I sorted through the mail, did laundry, and brought a few things back to your place. I hope you don’t mind.”
Claudia didn’t want to overstep, but Brody had asked her to stay with him. She liked being close to him, especially at night, but she wanted some of her personal items with her.
“Whatever makes you comfortable,” he said. “I’m just glad you’ve agreed to stay.”
“I love your house, but I’m a little bored during the day.”
“I see.”
“I’m not used to just hanging out, you know?”
“I do,” he said. “I’m not one to sit still myself.”
“I understand why I couldn’t go back to work at the main house, but I need something to do. The baby won’t be here for another four months.”
“Do you want to go back to school?”
Claudia had thought about it, but the timing was off. “The fall semester starts next week, and if the baby comes early, I may not be able to finish.”
“It’s probably wise to wait until after the baby is born.” He placed his hand on her stomach. “If you want to finish your degree, I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Thank you.” She traced small circles on the back of his hand. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to be touched until she moved in with him. She craved his touch. “I would like that, but what am I going to do until December?”
“I may have a project for you.” He stood and retrieved a file from his desk. “A client of ours has acquired a large piece of land about a half hour from the city. They want to build a house on it and asked me to assign an architect to it.”
“I’m not an architect.”
He handed her the file. “Not yet, but someday you will be.” He smiled. “The client is an associate of mine. He’s not in a rush to have the house completed. Why don’t you look over the specs, come up with some ideas, and design something for me?”
“Really?” Her stomach fluttered. “You’d trust me with this?”
“Yes. Don’t be so shocked. Once you’re finished, I’ll get a few members from the design team to work with you. It’ll be a great learning experience. You can come in at the beginning of the project and see how it moves through the various stages.”
“I don’t know what to say.” His trust and confidence meant so much to her.
“I hope you’ll say you’ll do it.”
“Yes.” She hopped off the couch and lunged herself at him, placing a big, loud kiss on his lips.
“Wow.” He laughed. “Excited much?”
“You have no idea.”
“Good.” He pushed the hair from her eyes. “There isn’t much to go on in that file other than dimensions, property lines, and where the main driveway should be. You have free reign with this. Houses aren’t something we usually take on at Callahan Industries. Research this as much as you need and come up with something spectacular. If you have any questions or ideas, just bounce them off me and I’ll relay them back to the client.”
“Can I work here?”
“At the office?”
“I don’t need much room,” she said. “Just a cubicle and a computer.”
“You can have your own office, but your blood pressure... I don’t know.”
“Please.” She knew he worried about her, but she wanted to do this. “Maybe we can have lunch together when you’re not busy. Down by the boats.”
“We can have lunch together every day,” he said. “But I don’t want you to have any stress. How about you come in with me in the morning and John takes you back to the penthouse after lunch?”
“Brody, you’re hovering.” She found his protectiveness sweet, but she needed her independence. She’d been making her own decisions for years.
“I spoke to the doctor on Tuesday, remember?”
“He said I was fine. He told you not to worry. Remember?”
“He also said your pressure was higher than he would like. They put you on medication and told you if it went up, you’d be on bed rest.”
“I won’t do anything to stress myself out.” She traced his lips with her fingertip because he liked her touch too. “I promise. It will be worse if I have to sit home alone all day. Please.”
“Half days,” he said. “This project only, and I’ll compensate you for your time.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “You’ve already done so much for me. I can help you do this.”
“We’ll try it for a few weeks, but if you can’t handle it, you go back home to bed.”
“Hmm, will you join me?”
“I’m serious.”
“Guess what? I’m not the first woman to have a baby.” She kissed him. “But I love you for taking care of me.”
“You may not be the first woman to have a baby, but you’re the first woman I’ve loved who is having one. Please take care of yourself. I want you and the little one safe.”
“I will.”
“I have a conference call in a few minutes. If you want to hang out with Autumn for a bit, we can ride home together. Maybe kiss in the backseat?”
“I like the way you think, Mr. Callahan.”
“I thought you might, Ms. Samson.” He hugged her. “I love your appetite when it comes to me.”
“I’d like to say it’s the pregnancy making me so hungry, but we both know that’s not true.” She licked his bottom lip. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Go,” he mumbled. “Before I miss my call.”
“I’ll meet you in the backseat.”
“I need half an hour.”
“That long?” She pouted as she ran her fingers down his chest.
“Stop.” He grabbed her wrist before she made it to his stomach. “If you keep that up I won’t be able to have you work in the same building.”
“I’ll behave.” She wouldn’t give him a reason to make her stay home all day. She’d find a way to keep her hands off him.
“I thought so.” He twisted his fingers in her hair and pressed his lips against her mouth, kissing her with a desperation he usually reserved for the bedroom. “Twenty minutes,” he breathed out. “I’ll be in the car in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be there,” she whispered. “Waiting.”
He released her, and she staggered toward the door. Her body hummed for his skin pressed against hers. Her nipples brushed against the thin silk of her bra when she thought about kissing him. The things this man did to her always left her needing more.