Inheriting His Secret Christmas Baby by Heidi Betts Page A

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    Shaking her head, she tried to clear the haze of lust fogging her brain and focus on his words.
    “I’m sorry, what?”
    “I said maybe I can keep Bradley once in a while when you’re busy with Erica or whatever. It will give us a chance to get to know each other—man to man.”
    He offered a lopsided smile that had her heart flip-flopping inside her chest.
    “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked with a mental wince. “Babies are a lot of work.”
    Instead of backing down, his expression hardened. “According to you, Bradley is my son. Which means I might as well start learning the ropes now.”
    Dark eyes flashing, he stalked toward her, closing the distance between them and making her shrink back.
    Placing his hands against the marble countertop on either side of her waist, he leaned in, crowding her. She fought the urge to squirm as his warm breath danced across her face and his chest brushed the tips of her breasts. They might both be fully clothed, but she felt the touch right down to her soul, her nipples budding inside the cups of her bra.
    “And I thought you could teach me what I need to know,” he whispered, his gaze locked on her lips. “In the evenings, when you’re not busy with plans for Erica.”
    She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that in order to be ready for a Christmas Eve wedding, she would likely be working mornings, evenings and every minute in between. Sleep would be a luxury, never mind taking the time to give him child-care lessons.
    But having him close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his chocolate-brown eyes and smell his cologne like it was a part of herself sent logical thought flying right out the window.
    “All right,” she agreed, almost as though someone else were speaking for her.
    His head dipped in what she thought was a nod, and then he lifted his gaze to hers. The heat and intensity there made her want to rear back…but she couldn’t seem to move.
    “I’m going to kiss you now, Haylie Smith,” he murmured in a low, mesmerizing voice. “Why?”
    He grinned. “Because I’ve been thinking about it all night. I want to feel your lips, know what you taste like.”
    Oh, he should write greeting cards. His assertion melted her insides until she could barely hold herself upright.
    She knew she should say no, push him away, but darned if her body would listen to reason. Instead, her lips parted and she whispered the only two words she could manage.
    “All right.”
    Haylie’s acquiescence was nice, but he didn’t need it. At that moment, a herd of wild horses couldn’t have stopped him from kissing her.
    But even as Trevor covered Haylie’s mouth with his own, he knew he shouldn’t be doing this. The obstacles between them were enough to add an extra mile or two to the Great Wall of China. He couldn’t have picked a more complicated woman to be attracted to if he’d walked into a psychiatric ward and announced he would pay a million dollars for a willing bride.
    She was practically a stranger. She’d shown up in his office with a baby she claimed was his—and her dead sister’s, no less.
    And that was just the tip of the iceberg. If Bradley really did turn out to be his, then there was the whole custody issue to deal with. Custody, and the fact that he didn’t know the first thing about being a father.
    Trevor would never be able to turn his back on his own child. Say thanks for letting me know about my kid, but I’m not interested in being a dad and be content with sending a support check every month to assuage his guilt.
    But he knew, with every fiber of his being, that if he voiced his desire to keep Bradley and be a true father to the little boy, Haylie would fight him every step of the way. She was bonded to the baby like nothing he’d ever seen before. Of course, given what he knew about her sister, he had no doubt that Haylie had stepped in to mother Bradley from the moment he was born.
    He admired the hell out of her