What the hell did I think I was playing at?

I knew that circumstances demanded we both play the roles of a loving couple. And that we needed to be comfortable touching each other, showing physical affection. With the family introductions only one night away, it had hardly seemed too early to start practicing. Libby seemed to take to it naturally, to understand the necessity. But I wasn't sure how the fuck I was going to manage any of this. One touch and I was rock hard in my jeans and already wet with precum. It struck me as overselling our story, to spend the evening with my parents, my new girlfriend, and a hugely obvious erection.

I broke the moment abruptly, awkwardly, by taking her hand and pulling her onto her tiny feet.

"Come on," I said too loudly. "I've got something to show you… a surprise."

I kept her hand tight in mine, pulling her along with me, out to the deck and down the stairs to the where the guest house sat. It was behind the main house, but unshadowed by the larger trees. I'd planned to wait until morning to show her, when the light inside would be clean, perfect. I wasn't an artist myself, but I understood the importance of light to someone who was.

"Close your eyes," I said, feeling excitement like I hadn't felt in years. It was almost like Christmas morning and I got to be Santa. "Don't open them until I tell you. You'll have to imagine it in daylight… I just couldn't wait any longer."

I unlocked the door and then placed the key in her hand. Standing behind her with my hands on her waist, I guided her inside and turned her toward the windows. My heart was beating fast. I could tell hers was too.

"It's my gift to you, Libby. A place just for you." I lifted her fist that held the key and gave it a kiss. "Open."

I couldn't see her face, but I felt her chest fill with her breath. The next thing I knew, my arms had folded around her, and she was leaning back into my chest. She was warm and round and luscious. The answer to my dreams. This was the least I could do to thank her.

"A studio," she breathed. Her head turned and her curls caressed the nape of her neck. "You're giving me a studio to work in…"

"Nine months is a long time, Libby. I want you to be happy here. To do the work you were meant to do." I'd seen a number of her sculptures and the woman had the kind of natural born talent other artists would kill for. "Tell me if there are any changes you need and I'll make them. If there's anything at all I can give you…"

She turned in my arms, her full, round breasts pushed up against my chest, her arms around my hips. Her face was partially hidden in the twilight of the evening, but I could tell her cheeks were wet. Something inside me shifted the throbbing ache in my loins to the center of my chest. "What, Libby? What's wrong? Tell me…"

And then her lips were on mine. I didn't know if she was pleased or upset about my gift. I only knew that our bodies had a far deeper understanding. What might have only been a kiss of thanks had deepened in a heartbeat, into a savage hunger. Her curves were the luscious release my aching hardness demanded. I molded her to me, my body unforgiving, hers yielding. I threaded my hands through her thick curls, taking her mouth the way my body wanted to take her body…

"Jack… god, Jack…," her words came after each gasp of air. I pulled back, looking into her eyes.

But I never found out what might have happened next. My phone rang, vibrating my pants and ending the moment. Libby broke away, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed.

"What?" I answered sharply. My blood was racing, my mind anything but clear. Interruption was the last thing I'd wanted.

"Jack?" It was India. "What the hell, Jack. You always this cranky?"

"What is it, India? This isn't the best timing."

"Sorry…," she faltered for only a second. "I just thought you'd want to know. Spence and I had our meeting tonight."

"And?"

"And besides finding out the man is a bit of an ass, I found out something else. That the takeover…"

"You mean the merger…"

"Whatever. The deal he's been working on with Warner may have taken a turn."

"He told you this?" I asked, angered at the thought he was telling anyone in the company anything, before he told me.

"It was a phone call I overheard," she said. "Enough to make me call you, interrupt your evening with Libby."

"I'll be in the office tomorrow. And thanks for the heads up. I'll make Spencer my first meeting of the day."

"So, how is it, having Libby living with you now? Didn't I tell you she was terrific? How are the two of you getting along?" Her questions shot out rapid fire.

Always the nosey one in the family, India had always been way too interested in my personal life. But thank god for it this time, I thought, watching Libby explore her new studio. I felt my frustrated cock throb, still angry at the interruption.

"Good, India. Really… good." I swallowed hard. "See you tomorrow."

Libby closed a cabinet door and turned back to me. The air between us was still crackling with the energy of our kiss.

"Is this what you want?" I asked. I meant the studio, but the question came out with a weight I hadn't intended. "I'm sorry if I overstepped just now…" She was still looking around the room, not meeting my eyes. "It's good for us to have an attraction." It seemed best to address it head on. "It'll make things go smoother with my family tomorrow." I felt like I was grasping at straws.

"It will," she answered slowly. "And considering the circumstances, it's probably pretty common…"

"For any two people having a child to feel a bond between them…"

"That's right," she said. "But we're both adults here. And it's really just a business agreement, in the end. Attraction is just proof that my eggs are ripe and ready… It makes it more likely the insemination will work on the first try."

"And we're both very focused on being successful here," I added. "So, we're good?" If this was all purely business, why did my heart speed up when she turned those green eyes up to mine?

"We're fine," she said, smiling unevenly. "And I can't tell you how much I appreciate all this," she waved a hand around the room. "It's perfect. Everything is perfect. I can't even tell you…" She broke off. "But it's been a long day and a birth mother-to-be needs her rest.

Can we go back up to the house? I think what I need most right now is a shower and a good night's sleep."