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

her triumphant smile a blow to his stomach that took his breath and squeezed his heart.

      Was he simply damned glad to have her help, or was the prospect of spending time with Dani enticing him to do something stupid? Every logical cell in his brain shouted at him to send her away. He was fine. He could cope.

      Besides, though it was true he wanted Dani, he didn’t “want” to want her. As long as he kept that in mind, he’d be okay. Despite his confusion and the alarm in his gut, he didn’t tell her to go. That was undoubtedly his first mistake.

      Somewhere, she had found a shopping cart. It was loaded with diapers, wipes, formula and bottles. He stared at the bounty of baby supplies, incredulous. He’d been so focused on getting the kid to his condo, he’d never even thought about the fact that he had nothing—zero—with which to care for a child, especially one this small.

      If this were a test to see what kind of father he would make, he was already failng miserably.

       Two

      Fortunately, Dani didn’t appear to notice his turmoil. “I did a lot of babysitting in college,” she said. “I’ve tried to remember everything you’ll need, but I don’t know if I have it all. It’s hard when you’re not used to taking care of an infant.”

      “Tell me about it,” he muttered. He wasn’t going to admit he would have forgotten half of the items in that cart. “We’re lucky somebody’s still open,” he said. This was a hell of a time to feel arousal tighten his body. Dani was irresistible with her pointed chin and her flyaway hair.

      She gave him a cute little half frown that said she thought he was an idiot. “You should unbutton your coat,” she said. “Your face is all red. We need to hurry.”

      “I was hoping to be home before she wakes up. If she starts crying, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

      Dani looked better than any woman should while negotiating the beginnings of a blizzard with her brain-dead boss and an unknown baby. She was average height for a woman, though her snow boots lent a couple of extra inches. Her body was curvy and intensely feminine. The clothing she wore to work was always appropriate, but even so, in recent months, Nathaniel had found himself wondering if Dani was as prim and proper as her office persona would suggest.

      Her wide-set blue eyes and high cheekbones reminded him of a princess he remembered from a childhood storybook. The princess’s hair was blond. Dani’s was more of a streaky caramel. She’d worn it up today in a sexy knot, presumably because of the Christmas party.

      While he stood there, mute, with melting snow making the wool of his overcoat steam, Dani fussed over the contents of her cart. “If the baby wakes up,” she said, “I’ll hold her. It will be fine.”

      “I hate to be the voice of reason in the midst of your impressive knowledge of babies, but the Mercedes trunk is small. We’ll never fit all that in.”

      Dani’s tired grin was cheeky. “The guy back at the pharmacy said they’ll be making deliveries until ten tonight in a four-wheel drive. Right now, you and I will take only the essentials. I stressed to him how important it is that we get our order. He swears he won’t let me down.”

      It was no wonder. Dani’s smiling charm would be hard to say no to under any circumstances. She was an appealing mix of girl-next-door and capable confidence. In that moment, Nathaniel realized he relied on her far more than he knew and for a variety of complex reasons he was loathe to analyze.

      Clearing his throat, he fished out his wallet and handed the cashier his credit card.

      Baby paraphernalia was remarkably expensive. Once the transaction was complete, the clerk gave Dani a large plastic bag. The two women ripped open packages and assembled an only-the-essentials collection that would hopefully suffice for the next few hours until the delivery arrived.

      “I think that’s it,” Dani said with satisfaction. “Let’s get this little angel home.”

      Unfortunately, their luck ran out. The baby woke up and let the world know she was hungry and pissed. Her screams threatened to peel paint off the walls.

      Dani’s smile faltered, but she unfastened the straps of the carrier and lifted the baby out carefully. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know you want your mommy. Nathaniel and I will have to do for the moment. Do you have a wet diaper? Let’s take care of that.”

      The clerk pointed out a unisex bathroom at the back of the store, complete with changing station. Nathaniel found himself following in Dani’s wake. The tiny room was little bigger than a closet. They both pressed inside.

      For the first time, Dani seemed frazzled. They were so close he could smell the faint, tantalizing scent of her perfume.

      “You’ll have to stand in the door and hand me things,” she said. “We can’t both fit in here.”

      “Sure,” he said, feeling guilty for not offering to take charge of the diaper change. On the other hand, the baby’s needs should be paramount. God knows Nathaniel was the last person on the planet qualified for the task.

      Was it weird that being this close to Dani turned him on? Her warmth, her femininity. Hell, even the competent way she handled the baby made him want her.

      That was the problem with blurring the lines between business and his personal life. He couldn’t let himself be vulnerable. On the other hand, he would be lost without Dani’s help, so he didn’t really have a choice.

      It was clear Dani hadn’t overstated her experience with children. She extracted the baby from the snowsuit, unfastened the romper and made quick work of replacing the baby’s extremely wet diaper with a clean and dry one. Fortunately, no poop...at least not yet.

      Then it was everything in reverse. When they were ready to go back out into the cold, Dani hesitated.

      “What’s wrong?” he asked.

      Dani grimaced. “I’m wondering if we should try to feed her before we start walking again.”

      Nathaniel brushed the back of his hand over the baby’s plump cheek. Her skin was warm against his chilled fingers. “I think she can make it. She’s a trouper.”

      “Are you basing this on your personal DNA?” Dani asked wryly.

      “I told you, she’s not mine,” he said sharply. “The only reason we’re taking her home is because of the storm and Christmas and the fact that every emergency worker in the city is covered in snow...literally.”

      “Okay. Calm down.”

      He bit his tongue to keep from making a cutting remark. Dani was helping him. He couldn’t afford to alienate her, and he definitely couldn’t risk wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

      Outside, they faced the next hurdle. Three cars had slammed into each other right in front of the drugstore, effectively blocking the only exit from the parking lot.

      Nathaniel cursed beneath his breath. “Well, that’s just great.”

      “We can’t wait,” Dani said. “Besides, aren’t we close to your condo?”

      “I don’t like leaving my car.”

      She grinned. “Might be safer here than out on the road.”

      He squared his shoulders. “I suppose so. I’d forgotten how insane drivers can be when this happens.”

      To be fair, the streets were a mess. Road crews hadn’t been able to salt anything more than the interstates, and the swift drop in temperature had added a layer of icy danger to the situation.

      In the short time he and Dani had been inside the store, the situation had grown exponentially worse. People in other parts of the country couldn’t understand, but Atlanta was particularly vulnerable to weather events like this one.

      After