India had told me plenty about her rich, successful brother. But she'd completely failed to mention the fact that he was also drop-the-fuck-dead gorgeous. He was tall and tanned, with deep brown eyes and sandy hair that looked like it was probably in constant disarray. My hand twitched with a sudden urge to smooth it…

I followed India into the… what? Cabin? Rustic lake house? Waterside fucking palace? Really, why hadn't she warned me?

The exterior was traditional split log, as unpretentious as a house on Fontana Lake could be. The inside was exquisitely casual, a study in spacious, yet intimate comfort. Every overstuffed chair, every carpet, every carved fireplace mantle oozed wealth and class. I could feel Jack's gaze behind me and for just a moment, wondered if I was in over my head. Way out of my league…

"Can I get you something? Libby… India?" Jack had stepped behind a small, built-in bar in the corner of the room and was opening the fridge, but his eyes had never left me. I could feel them warming my skin, like sunlight on a hot day.

"Beer… um, no… Water, please?" The words stumbled out awkwardly. It wasn't like me to be off balance. But then, I'd never agreed to let a stranger knock me up for money…

"Well, it's beer for me," India said, pushing her brother out of her way and rummaging behind the bar. She stood smiling, a frosty bottle in her hand. "I love these imported ones." She took a long pull. "You always have a better selection than I do." She dropped a kiss on his cheek and I watched as he smiled at her. It gave me a strange feeling I couldn't quite place, whenever I watched how real families interacted with each other. What would that feel like, I wondered, to have known someone from the very moment you were born? And to have them know you in the very same way… from your very beginning…?

"And I think I'm taking mine for a walk," India added, giving my hand a squeeze before heading for the front door. "You two hardly need me in the way right now." She leaned down and whispered in my ear, "He likes you, I can tell." A moment later, she was gone and Jack and I were alone. He walked over to the sofa opposite mine slowly and sat down.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked, settling in. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No. Thanks. This is great…," I said. I took a sip from the sweaty glass he handed me and put it down on the coffee table. "India's told me a lot about you, of course," I began. "And about the kind of person you're looking for…" He was the kind of guy women would line up for a crack at, but I knew he wasn't looking for a relationship. What he wanted was a professional…

"She's told me a great deal about you, as well," he answered softly. "It takes a lot to impress my sister. She says she can't imagine anyone more perfect for me." His velvety brown eyes blinked. "For this position," he added quickly. "For the surrogacy, that is."

"She and I hit it right off," I said, shifting slightly. "When she brought up the idea that this might be the right solution to both of our problems…" My sentence trailed off as his eyes blazed into mine. They were dark as sin and so warm they made me damp in some very sinful places. What the hell was I thinking? I was here for a job interview. There wasn't any room for the kind of feelings I was having.

"I have questions," he said, in a deep voice that made me think of whispers in the dark. "You must as well." I nodded, unable for a moment to think of a single one. "We could go out on the deck, if you like. Get to know each other… go over the contract." The word contract snapped my ovaries back to reality and I nodded, following him outside.

The sun was starting to set and long, wavy stripes of color moved slowly from the water just beyond us all the way to the horizon. "It's beautiful," I said, without thinking. "This is where you actually live, like, all the time?"

"This is home," he said easily. "Would you like to go down?"

The blush had just started to heat my cheeks when I realized he'd gestured to the stairs leading to his own private beach. I nodded and followed him, aware of how tall and lean he was. He had the body of an athlete, even though I knew he was the CEO of Mason Steel Corporation. He was the man in charge, although his entire family was heavily involved as well. India too.

He ran a hand through his hair and his broad chest expanded with his deep breath. I felt that warm, unsettling sensation low in my belly again and looked away. The next thing I knew, his hand was at the small of my back, just above the curve of my overly generous ass and I inhaled sharply. Yeah, I'm sort of in hormonal overdrive these days. Hesitancy to get too close to people also has the unfortunate consequence of very little sex. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen, let alone been so close to such an attractive man.

"We can sit in the gazebo, if you'd like," he gestured. "Or on the sand, if you prefer."

I walked to the edge of the water and kicked off my boots. "Here," I answered with a sigh, the cold water lapping my toes. "This is perfect."

He walked up behind me and I could feel the warmth coming off him. "You go first," I said. "You can ask me anything you want. Nothing's off limits. I get it, that this won't work if I'm not an open book." I turned to look up… way up, into his eyes. "I know this is business for you. And India's told me how important it is for you to have a child. I can see for myself the kind of life you can offer." I didn't blink, or look away as those sexy eyes burned into mine. "So ask away, Jack. I'll answer you as honestly as I know how." He looked into my face for a long, long time without speaking. Instinct told me that somehow he'd already made his decision. I'd already made mine, even before I'd met him.

My choice was easy. It was this, or face an uncertain future, going from one acquaintance's house to another, my artistic career permanently on hold. Or have the baby my body was screaming to have anyway, and give it to a good man who desperately wanted to be a dad. And who came from a fine family and had money in truckloads. Just because I never wanted to be anyone's mom didn't mean I didn't want to experience the creation of another human being. I did. I just wasn't convinced I could ever be the kind of mother a baby deserved…

Jack put his hand under my chin, lifting it, tilting my face. The warmth of his hand, and the clean, woodsy male scent of him had my whole body tingling. He was quiet, thoughtful. Examining me in a way that made me both uncomfortable and aroused all at once. He exuded a sense of power, and yet he had a quiet gentleness about him at the same time… He was like no man I'd ever met before…

"Can you share the most intimate experience a man and a woman can share, Libby?"

The words made my breath catch.

"Can you let me put my seed inside you, let my child grow in your belly?" He let his hand fall from my chin and it nearly, very nearly grazed my stomach. "Can you live here… with me, for the next year… with your belly swelling? Will you let me watch you bring my child into the world and hear him cry for the very first time? Let me put my child to your breast for the first time…?"

I felt my mouth soften, my lips fall open. His words painted the picture in my head as he spoke. A tiny baby, wrinkled and red. His huge hands bringing her closer to my bare, aching breast. For just a moment, I felt a flicker… a question deep inside me I couldn't answer.

"Can you do all that for me, Libby?

And then walk away?"