Desire Collection: October 2017 Books 1 - 4. Maureen Child

eyes widened when he saw Dani. “You look stunning,” he said quietly. “Red is a great color on you.”

      “Nothing like new clothes to give a woman a boost. Thanks again.”

      “It was the least I could do.”

      “Are you getting hungry?”

      “I could eat.”

      The stilted conversation was at odds with the almost palpable hunger coursing between them. Dani trembled. “I’ll put Christmas dinner together. It will end up being a midafternoon meal, but we can snack later if we get hungry. Do you mind if I open a bottle of wine?”

      “Mi casa es su casa,” Nathaniel said. “Whatever you want.” His words were warm, caressing.

      In the kitchen, Dani was torn. Last night she had made use of the dining room for their dinner, and Nathaniel had freaked out. It didn’t seem right, though, to have Christmas lunch at the kitchen counter. So no matter how skittish her boss was, she went right ahead with her holiday preparations the same way she would have if this were an ordinary situation.

      She whisked together brown gravy. When it was warm and bubbling, she sliced the leftover roast beef in small pieces and added the meat to the pot. Peeling potatoes gave her too much time to think. Tonight the baby would fall asleep, and Dani would find herself alone with Nathaniel again. What was she going to do if he wanted sex? Could she hold him off? Did she want to say no?

      Maybe she wanted to enjoy whatever time they had left in this odd and emotionally charged situation.

      In less than an hour, she managed to put together a respectable meal—nothing too fancy, but far better than the peanut butter they had dined on the first night. Open-faced roast beef sandwiches on sourdough toast. Fluffy mashed potatoes. Cranberry salad and, of course, plenty of leftover pecan pie for dessert.

      The end result was gratifying.

      Nathaniel and Peaches appeared just as she was putting the finishing touches on the dinner table. Her boss frowned.

      “What now?” Dani sighed. “I left the tree in the den. Nothing holidayish, I swear.”

      “It’s not that,” he said. “I just realized I’m going to owe you half a dozen fancy dinners at four-star restaurants to repay you for all you’ve done.”

      “Sit down and don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I like eating as much as the next person. If I’d been at my parents’ house, I would have worked even harder. My mom puts on quite a spread.”

      Nathaniel consumed most of his meal without speaking. It was impossible to read his mood. Once again, Dani was glad to have the baby as a diversion. Breaking bread together was actually a very intimate thing to do. This time, Nathaniel was the one holding the child and eating one-handed.

      At last, Dani couldn’t bear the silence any longer. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” she asked. “Assuming the weather does what they say it will.”

      He stood abruptly. “I’m going to grab some pie. You want yours now or later?”

      “Later,” she said. Was he in that much of a hurry for dessert, or did he not want to answer her question?

      When Nathaniel returned, he held Peaches in one arm and a generous serving of gooey pie in the other hand.

      Dani raised an eyebrow. “You’ll make yourself sick,” she warned.

      His smile was wicked. “What a way to go.”

      While she appreciated the fact that her boss enjoyed her cooking, bigger issues loomed on the horizon. Sex. The baby. Dani’s imminent departure.

      “I talked to my mom on speakerphone while I was cooking,” she said.

      Nathaniel swallowed a bite of pie. “Oh?”

      “They thought about postponing our family Christmas until Wednesday, but my siblings can’t be off work that day. So we’re definitely celebrating Tuesday. I’ve promised to be there by ten in the morning.”

      “Sounds good.”

      Such a bullheaded, frustrating man. “Look at me, Nathaniel.”

      He lifted his head and eyed her with a deceptively mild expression. “What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing. Not exactly. But I’m worried about leaving you alone with the baby. Single parenting is hard for anybody.”

      “Especially a clueless male like me?”

      “I didn’t say that. Peaches is getting very comfortable with you and vice versa.” She shook her head, wondering why she was obsessing about this. Peaches wasn’t her problem. Still, it knotted her stomach to think about leaving man and baby to fend for themselves. “The trip from here to home is an hour and a half, give or take. Normally, I would simply drive up Tuesday morning. But first of all, we don’t know how much snow and ice will melt tomorrow, and second of all, any standing water will probably refreeze tomorrow night.”

      “I’d say you’re right.”

      “So I’ll have to go tomorrow afternoon.”

      “Whatever you need to do.”

      “Do you even care that I’m leaving?” she cried.

      He stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. Her statement echoed in the small dining room.

      “This was never supposed to happen.” He waved a hand. “I get it. You want to be with your family. I won’t stand in your way. You have no obligation whatsoever to me or even to Peaches.”

      He was saying all the right words, but he was breaking her heart. He was so very much alone. Dani took a deep breath and gambled. “Come with me to visit my parents,” she begged. “You and Peaches. I can’t bear the thought of leaving you here alone.”

       Eight

      Nathaniel blinked, feeling his anger and frustration winnow away to be replaced by something even more unsettling. He knew what it was like to have someone feel sorry for him, but it had been a very long time since he had been on the receiving end of that reaction. He didn’t much care for it. There were any number of things he wanted from Dani. Pity wasn’t one of them.

      “I have to be at work on Tuesday,” he said calmly, careful to reveal nothing of the confusion tearing him apart. “New Century Tech will be open for business. I have employees.”

      “What about the baby?”

      Dani’s dogged insistence on planning was commendable, but since he didn’t have any of the answers she wanted, his only recourse was stonewalling. “I’ll work something out. Besides, the baby will only be with me a day or two longer. I’m confident the investigator will find Ophelia quickly.”

      “I’m all in favor of positive thinking,” Dani said wryly, “but that’s not much of a strategy. Seriously, Nathaniel, come to Gainesville with me. It won’t be odd if you show up. Mom and Dad often have stray guests at the dinner table, even at the holidays. We wouldn’t sleep overnight at the house, of course. There are several nice hotels nearby.”

      “I appreciate what you’re trying to do,” he said, “but I’ll be fine.”

      The combative subject was dropped by unspoken consent when Peaches decided she was hungry. Dani fed the baby while Nathaniel cleaned up the kitchen. Already, they had blown through most of the groceries he’d brought home on Saturday. Even the baby supplies were getting low.

      When the kitchen was clean and the baby asleep on his bedroom floor, he realized he had to get out of the condo or risk making love to Dani. If they had sex again, she would make assumptions about the two of them. He wasn’t ready for that.

      The wonderful meal he had consumed sat like lead in his stomach.