They’d fought. Again.
It was exactly the opposite of last time they were together in the house. Instead of not being able to keep their hands off each other, she and Nick could barely exchange two words without squaring off about something.
The changes in his life were hitting fast and furious. First there was the reassignment. Then he found out about the baby. Obviously, he’d counted on having some time alone, and they were stuck together in this house and Lila didn’t know what to do.
Lila watched as he talked with one of the local police officers patrolling the beach. There’d been groups of kids making a lot of noise and causing trouble around their little stretch of coastline, and the local police had bumped up their patrols. She’d been picking up a few things at the Super Min the other day, and Charity had been railing at “…good for nothing parents who let their kids run wild.”
She almost reminded Charity that parenting wasn’t an exact science, and that as long as no one got hurt, it was mischief. Annoying to be sure, but just a nuisance.
Nick and the officer had taken that authoritative stance that men often do—feet planted, legs spread wide, arms folded—projecting an air of confidence and control. It made Lila chuckle because they didn’t know how to control the kids on the beach any more than any other resident.
If Lila had learned anything about kids from her years working in a school, it was that they were unpredictable.
Lately, everything about school was unpredictable. Especially what was going to happen with her job.
Refocusing, she had to figure out what she and Nick were going to do about each other.
They were still strongly attracted to each other. Wickedly attracted. Like a moth to a flame. That wasn’t something Lila could even think about.
But then she watched him on the beach. He wasn’t doing anything special. He was just there, and just like the first day they met, her heart raced and her breath caught and Lila felt like she was going down for the third time.
Nick turned his head and when he caught sight of her, he waved. His gaze lingered and when his mouth turned up ever so slightly on one side, Lila’s insides started to buzz with excitement. The man was potent. With a just a look, a sexy grin, he made her want. It was that chemistry which had exploded four months ago when they were together.
The reality she’d faced every day since she’d been with him was that he’d ruined her for any other man.
But she couldn’t lose control with him. Even though he wasn’t going to be running off to some unknown place halfway around the world, that didn’t mean he was going to stay on Mimosa with her.
She had enough problems without adding heartbreak to the list.
The slow burn intensified as he got closer. Once he was right in front of her, she breathed out.
“You okay there, beautiful?” he teased. “Are we speaking again?”
Taking the out he gave her, she turned on her best attitude. “I’m not sure yet. Are you going to apologize?”
“For what this time? I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours and I feel like I’ve apologized at least fifty times.”
“It’s hardly fifty. Don’t exaggerate.”
Bringing his body against hers, Nick’s hand settled on her hip. Warm and playful, his grin was killer, as always. “No? Maybe I have to do a little more misbehaving to reach my apology quota. What do you think?”
Lila was in such trouble. She’d happily help him misbehave and there would be no apology necessary.
“Lila?”
Finding her strength, she pushed away. “It’s not a good idea.”
Holding her at arm’s length, he examined her face. “Okay, but I don’t know if you really believe that. We were good together.”
“You’re fresh.”
“I’m fresh?” he countered. “You have the corner on that market.”
“Hmmpf. I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”
Once she said no, he kept a respectful distance, but the fact that he could read her so well was making her crazy. She wanted him so much she hurt. A missing him kind of hurt that would end very, very badly if she gave in to her feelings. He wasn’t the type to stay no matter what he’d told her.
Fight or flight. Normally, she’d fight like hell, but she was tired of fighting—exhausted—so she got away from him as quickly as possible, heading into the house. A pointless exercise, because he was right behind her. Nick wasn’t a quitter, and now, out of the sight of the neighbors, he was a man with a mission.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Fine. Just stay back there.” Lila scooted to the other side of the kitchen island.
“Over here?” He patted the granite opposite her and then leaned in. “You think this is a sufficient barrier?”
“I think…” She waved her hand around to make her point. “That if you are any kind of gentleman, you will do what I say and just keep yourself over there.”
Settling himself on one of the tall stools, he leveled his dark gaze at her. “Is this agreeable?”
“Yes. Fine.” It was so hard not to make eye contact with him. She wanted nothing more than to fall into their molten depths.
“Your southern is coming out. I love it when that happens.”
“I have no idea what that means. My southern.”
“Your accent gets stronger. You say things, that are… I don’t know…funny.”
“Funny? I’m not tryin’ to be funny, but if you try anything that’s when my southern is going to give your Yankee behind a big ole whoopin’.”
He started around the island. Lord help her.
“Really?” he asked. “You promise?”
“I cannot believe you just said that to me. To the mother of your child.”
“The mother of my child is a beautiful, sexy woman. And I want her, even though she says doesn’t want me.”
“I didn’t say that,” she uttered on a breath. Damn.
Proof again that she was weak, Lila didn’t move when he took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but while I was gone, you were the only person I thought about calling. Even when I was in the hospital.”
Those words. Those simple words forced her guard down.
“I was thinking about you all the time, but I’m glad I didn’t know you were hurt. I…it would have been terrible.”
Gently, almost like a whisper, Nick dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. He didn’t push. He didn’t try anything else. He just hung that out there between them.
“You call the shots. That hasn’t changed.”
Feeling like she could tell him the truth, Lila gave up a little more. “I don’t know what I want, but I worry about everything. There’s so much at stake now.”
“I understand.” He might have understood, but that wasn’t making this any easier on either of them. “But I’ll be there for you. You know that, don’t you?”
Nodding, Lila gave up what she imagined was a pretty weak smile. “I guess I’m still getting Old Nick out of the picture and making way for New Nick—the one who’s planning on sticking around a while.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well, remember that New Nick is currently unemployed. He’s going to need to find something to do.”
“I’m sure he will. He’s very resourceful. But in the meantime, maybe we could give each other some space?” It killed her to say it.
“Stay in separate corners, huh?”
“I think that’s best, don’t you? At least until we can get used to each other again. Figure each other out.”
“Last time I was here, it got hot pretty fast.”
“It did,” Lila breathed out, thinking about how fast things moved between them. This time they needed to take it slower.
Nick shrugged. Resigned. “I have a friend who lives up the coast in Fort Myers. He’s away right now, but once he’s back I can crash there.”
Nothing prepared her for the sadness that washed over her when she thought about him leaving. Even if it was the right thing. “Okay.”
“I’ll be around if you need anything with the house, and I’d like to go to your next doctor’s appointment, if that’s not too much.”
“No, I’d like that.” Without any warning, her cellphone started chirping. She ignored it at first, but that became impossible by the tenth ping.
“Someone really needs to talk to you.” Nick picked her phone up off the counter and handed it to her.
Checking her messages, Lila saw what she’d been most afraid of was pretty much inevitable. She was going to be suspended. She might be fired. “Awesome. I thought I’d at least get a week.”
Nick’s hand settled between her shoulder blades. It calmed her for a split second, but then worry took over.
“What happened?”
“A group of parents complained to the superintendent about me. They think it’s a bad example for a teacher in the school to be unmarried and pregnant. I still don’t know how they found out. I’ve barely told a soul.”
“Damn. What does that mean for you?”
“It means I could lose my job. I could be fired. The superintendent has indicated that’s probably what’s going to happen. For the short term, I’ll be suspended.”
The message was from a friend who heard the news through the district grapevine.
They stood in silence, sobered.
“There has to be a way to keep that from happening,” Nick objected “I mean, I’m here. It’s not as though you don’t know who the father is. That has to count for something.”
Rubbing her hand along the side of her neck, Lila had no idea what the hell she was going to do. Every nerve was buzzing from anger, from fear, from uncertainty. “Knowing isn’t enough. It’s not like we’re together. I’m just the math teacher who jumped into bed with the future queen’s brother.”
“That’s a load of shit. Are people really going to think that?”
Lila nodded. “They already do. I had a meeting a few days ago that was less than pleasant. The director of personnel wants me out.”
“That’s not right. Can you get a lawyer?”
“It doesn’t work that way. The way the contract is written—the teachers’ association lawyers don’t even have a response.”
“I want to fucking hit something.” He was so angry. Lila had never seen Nick like this. Even when he found out about Josie and Anton, he didn’t go off like this and he was pretty pissed off.
Lila sat in a chair at the kitchen table, agonizing over the right words to put in a text to her colleague, but she couldn’t seem to form a thought that made sense. How did she respond?
“Don’t answer. Don’t say anything that could come back to hurt you.”
She froze. He was right, of course—there was no way to know who she could trust, but how could she fight back? Her job was her life.
“I have an idea,” Nick said quietly.
“What?” she asked, still staring at her phone.
“Let’s get married.”
Lila froze where she sat and looked up, the expression on her face completely blank. Nick had no idea if she was going to laugh in his face, cry, scream, or throw herself in his arms.
“Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?” she asked.
There it was. “Nope. I’m serious.”
“I’m thinking that, when you were hurt, your brain was a tad scrambled.” This was not going to be an easy sell.
“What would make that a good idea?” she continued.
“You’re having my baby, which has caused you a huge problem, and if you marry me, I can protect you.”
“Protect me?” Lila stood, and her long legs, tanned and shapely, carried her toward him. “Do I look like I need protecting?”
Dropping his hands on her shoulders, he kissed her nose. “Actually, you do. Because while you want everyone to believe you’re tough as nails, you’re human like everyone else…you have feelings. And this baby—” He touched her belly, and heat shot right to his groin; his reaction to her was visceral. They’d made a life together, and there was no getting around how much that meant. “Worrying about this baby is making it worse.”
“I didn’t set out to trap you. And that’s how this looks.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“I know. But you need me, Lila. You and the baby need me.”
With her arms wrapped around her middle, she stepped away and walked to the window. She was thinking. The woman was always thinking.
“How would this all go?” she asked. “I mean, you don’t love me.”
He wasn’t so sure about that, but he knew he cared for her deeply, and he did like her. That had to mean something. He knew a lot of couples who were ‘in love’, but couldn’t stomach being together. From where Nick stood, he and Lila were in a better place. Even when they were fighting, they were in a better place.
Approaching carefully, he mapped out his plan. “We had an affair and fell in love, and then I had to go away on a classified mission. I’m in the military, a marine lieutenant colonel, so it’s plausible. You decided to keep things quiet until you could tell me yourself.”
“Just like that?” Lila sounded damned cautious, which was understandable. “How married are we going to be?”
If he had his way, they’d be very married. Nick wanted her. Even now, having to resist the urge to kiss her senseless was making him crazy. Together, they could heal. They could both heal.
When he found out his sister and his best friend were in a relationship and he’d lost his shit, Lila didn’t tell him to suck it up, she tried to understand. She’d let him rant, and then she took him to bed and made love to him until nothing else mattered. He’d do the same for her every damn night if that’s what she wanted.
But that wasn’t what she needed to hear.
“How it goes when no one is looking is totally up to you,” he said. “But in public, I might take advantage of being allowed to touch you.”
“Oh…” she sighed. “Okay.”
“Good.” Letting his thumb graze her cheek, Nick fell into the softness. “Glad that’s settled.”
“And when I go back to work, I can tell everyone we’re engaged, and that’s that. The parents should just mind their own business.”
“Exactly. So whaddaya say? Want to get married?”
Lila nodded and gave him a tentative smile. “If you’re sure.”
Taking her hands in his, Nick dropped a kiss on her knuckles. “I’m sure. Let’s go get you a ring.”
* * *
When she and Nick walked into the high end jeweler in Naples, Lila had no idea she’d have a fancy diamond sitting on her finger when it was all over. But that’s what happened.
Nick told the saleswoman his budget, and the older woman squinted in disbelief at the number. Lila wasn’t looking for a big flashy ring, and she felt odd about the arrangement without the symbolic diamond. But Nick had been sweet and solicitous, like she imagined a real fiancé would be, and eventually they settled on the haloed princess cut solitaire in platinum. Nick wanted her to have a bigger stone, but Lila didn’t need bigger. The ring was perfect. Not too big, but perfect.
It was so perfect Lila couldn’t help looking at it. She was sitting on her bed, admiring her ring, when there was a light tapping on her door.
“Come in.”
Nick stepped into the room looking more handsome than should be legal. He smiled, picking up her left hand and examining the new addition. “I still wish it was a little bigger.”
“I think this one is just right.”
He was still holding her hand. “You’re no diva. That’s for sure.”
Lila smiled. That was a nice compliment. “Being a diva takes a lot of effort. Not my thing.”
She meant that. Lila wasn’t high maintenance as a rule, but Nick was doing all he could to make her feel like a princess.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner. I think we have a couple of things to celebrate.”
For a change, there was something to celebrate. She’d had a really tough month, but if she kept an open mind, things were looking better. “Um. Sure. I have to change.”
Like a gentleman, he left the room, but she didn’t know why. He’d seen everything. Lila went to her closet, and once she’d found a dress, she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. She had the tiniest bump; her normally flat belly was popping out ever so slightly. Just yesterday she felt a little flutter on the inside. It was exactly as the doctor described—like butterfly wings. It was magic, really, and Lila wondered if Nick would stay long enough to experience some of that magic for himself.
There was no doubt that he’d be a presence in their child’s life, but from where? Some military base? A consulate or embassy somewhere? Would he be in less danger, or would Lila still have to wonder when she was going to get the phone call that told her Nick wasn’t coming back?
Slipping the pretty blue maxi dress over her head, she slid her feet into a pair of jeweled sandals and threaded some earrings through her lobes. While she was putting on makeup, Nick stepped back into the room.
He was so tall, nearly six feet four, and even though he’d lost some bulk, he was still as strong and solid as an old oak. His Italian ancestry was clearly on display with his thick dark hair, dark eyes, and ruddy complexion. The man looked like a classical painting—as if he’d been plucked out of the first Olympic Games.
It made her think about the baby. Who would he or she resemble? For the first time since she found out she was pregnant, Lila felt excited instead of nervous, or scared. The future wasn’t looking like such a challenge anymore.
Nick stood next to her and stared at the bulge. “May I?”
He wanted to touch her.
“Of course.” She thought he’d do the same as he did before and just lay his hand across her stomach, but he didn’t.
Stepping behind her, his gaze locked on hers in the mirror, Nick started inching up her dress. She shuddered at first, but then she gave in to the way he made her feel. Every bit of skin he exposed was Lila surrendering to the desire. His movements were slow and sexy, teasing the heat from her core.
Once the dress was at her hip, he slid his big, rough hands over her tummy. He kept them there, letting the warmth penetrate her body, touching their child. Skin on skin, her memory flashed to the last time they made love. They teased and tasted, lingering in the moment. Never had she felt more desired…until that moment when the man who fathered her child caressed her body like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Lila closed her eyes, her head dropping to one side as his lips grazed her neck. “I love how you smell. Right here,” he said as he left a kiss on her collarbone. “This is where you are, your scent. When I was captured, I would dream about you, about being inside you.”
Lila turned in his arms, bringing her hand to his face. He smiled, kissed the top of her head, and let her dress slide back down her legs. Resting his forehead against hers, Nick breathed out.
“We should go,” he said, his voice strained. “Our reservation is in twenty minutes.” Pressed against him, she could feel his very healthy erection against her body, and his heart was pounding like a drum. Leaving him in that condition seemed mean, but he’d brought it on himself. Turning away, she tried to stop thinking about how much she wanted him.
“Where are we going?” she asked while dabbing on some lip gloss, pretending not to have been affected by his touch.
“Junonia. At the resort. I thought we should go someplace special. On the island.”
“Where we can be seen.” He was so smart. It was that super spy brain of his.
He cocked his head to the side. “Like the happy couple that we are.”
“I could get used to you,” she said without a thought.
There was a pause for a second, and then Nick responded. “Same.”