Beginning with Their Baby. Tracy Wolff

else could—had her taking a cautious step back.

      Pulling free of Matt’s embrace, she turned back to her bag. Rearranged the items in it, once, twice. Made sure her favorite brushes and palette were safe from shifting during travel as she struggled for the right words to say. But nothing came and silent minutes dragged by as Matt waited patiently for her answer, not pushing her but not backing down, either.

      As she slid her makeup case to the bottom of the bag, Camille wanted nothing more than to run—as fast and as far as she could.

      Wanted nothing more than to fling herself into Matt’s arms and stay until this thing between them burned itself out.

      But doing that was only asking for trouble, only asking for entanglements. Already Matt had sneaked through a crack in her defenses and taken up residence in an untouched spot in her heart. If she stayed, his presence inside her would grow until she was no longer complete without him. And that was something she would never, could never, allow.

      When she finally looked up at him again, Camille made sure none of her doubts—none of her longing—showed on her face. “I can’t stay, Matt. I was perfectly clear about the fact that I was leaving when we hooked up.”

      “I know. But plans can change.”

      “Not mine.”

      “Bull.” This time when he grabbed her, his hands weren’t quite as gentle as they had been. Somehow, the edginess was just as arousing as the care. “Your plans change all the time. They change with the wind, with your whims. Why can’t you change them now? For me?”

      “My plane tickets are nonrefundable.” Her answer was flippant, but her heart was pounding hard and fast.

      He cursed. “I’ll pay for the stupid tickets. I’ll pay for a hundred tickets if you’ll stay for just a little while longer.” His hands slid up her arms and neck until he was cupping her face. “Please, Camille.”

      “Matt.” She shook her head, fought against the lump in her stomach that was growing with every word he said.

      “Damn it, do you think this is easy for me? I’m not used to having to beg a woman to spend time with me.”

      Of course he wasn’t used to begging—he was gorgeous and smart, and if not rich, certainly well-off from his partnership in one of the city’s leading architectural firms. He was a prime catch—just one more reason she was determined to throw him back before he could do the same to her.

      Before she broke her own rules and forgot why she couldn’t settle down.

      Before she was the one pleading with him to stay.

      “I don’t want this.” The words came out sharp, stilted.

      “So what do you want?”

      “To see Carnaval. To dance in the plaza and run through the streets with the parades. To visit the art museums and hang glide through the hills. I want to stand on the beach at dawn and watch the tide roll in.”

      “Okay. All right.” He closed his eyes, ran a hand over his face. “Give me a couple days, let me rearrange my schedule and I’ll go with you. You’ll still see plenty of Carnaval.”

      The twinge turned into a full-blown panic attack as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “Come on, Matt. It’s been fun, but we both know it’s time to move on—before things get messy and predictable.”

      “They don’t have to—”

      “Sure they do, sweets.” With a sassy grin, Camille reached up and patted her soon-to-be ex-lover’s cheek. “That’s the way of relationships. Short and fun turns long and nasty, until both people wish they’d gotten out when the getting was good.”

      He clenched his jaw. “Do you really believe that?”

      “I do. And so do you—at least you did two months ago, when we first met.”

      “That was different.”

      “Baby, it’s always different.” She started to say more, but a car horn sounded from the street in front of his house. “I’ve got to go. My cab’s here.”

      “I thought I was taking you to the airport.”

      “It’s still early—go back to bed.” Standing on tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his once, twice. Then gasped as his mouth turned frenzied on hers.

      He kissed her like no one ever had—hard and hot and with a desperation that nearly overwhelmed her.

      That nearly had her dropping her bag and following him back into bed, where he was so sure they belonged.

      That nearly had her saying to hell with Rio and Italy and the world—she was more than content to stay right here, in Austin, Texas.

      But then the horn sounded again and she was pulling away. Smiling at him. Walking out the door and reminding herself, with every step, of all the reasons she was doing the right thing.

      After all, there was a big, bright world out there, and in her thirty-two years she’d only managed to see about three-quarters of it. It was time—past time—to get started visiting the last quarter.

      CHAPTER ONE

      MATT SMILED AS HE SLID his homemade lasagna onto the table, alongside the crusty loaf of garlic bread and fancy tossed salad that were already there.

      “Would you like some wine?” He dropped the oven mitts and reached for the bottle of red he’d picked out to go with the meal. Like his dinner companion, it was rich and voluptuous and very easy on the tongue.

      “I would love some.” Ariane smiled as she held up her glass.

      He filled it to the halfway mark, then did the same for his own before settling into his seat. It had been a long time since he’d cooked dinner for a woman, but he’d planned tonight carefully. Ariane was the first woman he’d been interested in since Camille, and after four dates, he was pretty sure she was amenable to his anticipated ending for the evening.

      And if he wasn’t nearly as excited as he should be about that ending, then he needed to get over it. Camille was gone, and after spending the first few weeks leaving messages on her cell phone and several more weeks moping around, he’d finally figured out that she wasn’t coming back.

      Even then, after he’d accepted that Camille was out of his life for good, it had taken him a while to move on. But he’d finally done it. He’d found a woman who was interested in him—as both a person and a good time. And now he was convinced this was for the best. His time with Camille, while lovely, had been an aberration, a step outside his comfort zone into chaos and insanity.

      It had been a bad move and one he had no desire to repeat. All he’d gotten from trying something different was a bruised heart, a battered ego and a headache the size of Texas.

      No, it was better all around if he stuck to his regular, controlled agenda from now on. And tonight, that agenda included taking his relationship with Ariane to the next step.

      “This was so sweet, Matt. It’s been a long time since a man cooked me dinner.”

      “It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked a woman dinner. I hope I haven’t lost my touch.”

      “I’m sure it will be delicious.” She smiled warmly at him.

      As he dished up the lasagna, he asked, “How’s that case going? The one that was giving you such trouble?”

      “It’s an absolute disaster. I’m defending this corporation and it’s obvious to everyone but them that they’re guilty as hell of violating state and federal sexual harassment laws. I start presenting my case on Monday and I can only hope I can pull some magic out of my hat to confuse the jury about what was really going on in that factory.”

      A curl of unease started in Matt’s belly at her words, but he ignored it. It was