A Tricky Proposition (9 page)

“She’s due tomorrow,” Nathan Case muttered, tapping his cell phone on his knee. “I told her it was crazy for me come to this bachelor party, but she was determined to go out dancing with Missy, Rachel and her friends.”

Nathan’s aggrieved tone found a sympathetic audience in Jason. Why were women so calm about the whole pregnancy-and-giving-birth thing? Ming wasn’t even pregnant, and Jason was already experiencing a little coil of tension deep in his gut. He hadn’t considered how connected he’d feel to her when he’d agreed to father her baby. Nor could he stop wondering if he’d feel as invested if they’d done it her way and he’d never made love to her.

“I’m sure Emma knows what she’s doing,” Sebastian Case said. Older than Max and Nathan by a few years, Sebastian was every inch the confident CEO of a multimillion-dollar corporation.

“I think she’s hoping the dancing will get her contractions started.” Nathan stared at the cell phone as if he could make it ring by sheer willpower. “What if her water breaks on the dance floor?”

“Then she’ll call and you can meet her at the hospital.” Sebastian’s soothing tones were having little effect on his agitated half brother.

“You’re barely into your second trimester,” Nathan scoffed. “Let’s see how rational you are when Missy hasn’t been able to see her feet for a month, doesn’t sleep more than a few hours a night and can’t go ten minutes without finding a bathroom.”

Sebastian’s eyes grew distant for a few seconds as if he was imagining his wife in the final weeks before she was due.

“Do you know what you’re having?” Even as Jason asked Nathan the question, he realized that a month ago he never would have thought to inquire.

“A boy.”

Jason lifted his Scotch in a salute. “Congratulations.”

“You’re single, aren’t you?” Sebastian regarded him like a curiosity. “How come you’re not downstairs with Max and his buddies slipping fives into the ladies’ G-strings instead of hanging out with a couple old family men?”

Because he wasn’t feeling particularly single at the moment.

Jason raised the cigar. “Charlie said no smoking in the salon.”

“But you’re missing the entertainment.” Nathan gestured toward the stairs that led below.

Some entertainment. Max might be downstairs with a half dozen of their single friends and a couple of exotic dancers someone had hired, but Jason doubted his best friend was having any fun. Max wasn’t interested in any woman except Rachel.

Up until two weeks ago Jason hadn’t understood what had come over his friend. Now, after making love with Ming, his craving for her had taken on a life of its own. His body stirred at the memory of her dripping wet in his kitchen. The way her white blouse had clung to her breasts, the fabric rendered sheer by the water. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if she’d denied him then. Gotten down on his knees and begged?

Probably.

Jason shoved aside the unsettling thought and smirked at Nathan. “When you’re free to hit a strip club any night of the week, the novelty wears off. You two are the ones who should be downstairs.”

“Why’s that?” Nathan asked.

“I just assumed with your wives being pregnant…”

Sebastian and Nathan exchanged amused looks.

“That our sex lives are nonexistent?” Sebastian proposed. He looked as relaxed and contented as a lion after consuming an antelope.

The last emotion pestering Jason should be envy. He was the free one. Unfettered by emotional ties that had the potential to do damage. Unhampered by monotony, he was free to sleep with a different woman every night of the week if he wanted. He had no demanding female complicating his days.

“Did it surprise either of you that Max is getting married?” Jason asked.

Sebastian swirled the Scotch in his glass. “If I had to wager which one of you two would be getting married first, I would have bet on you.”

“Me?” Jason shook his head in bafflement.

“I thought for sure you and Ming would end up together.”

“We’re close friends, nothing more.”

Sebastian’s thumb traced the rim of his glass. “Yeah, it took me a long time to see what was waiting right under my nose, too.”

Rather than sputter out halfhearted denials, Jason downed the last of his drink and stubbed out the cigar. The Scotch scorched a trail from his throat to his chest.

“I think I’ll go see if Max needs rescuing.”

They’d been cruising around Galveston for a little over an hour and Jason was as itchy to get off the boat as Nathan. He wanted to blame his restlessness on the fact that the bachelor party meant a week from now his relationship with his best buddy would officially go on the back burner as Max took on his new responsibilities as a husband. But Max had been splitting his loyalty for three months now, and Jason was accustomed to being an afterthought.

No, Jason’s edginess was due to the fact that like Nathan, Sebastian and Max, he’d rather be with the woman he was intimate with than whooping it up with a bunch of single guys and a couple of strippers.

What had happened to him?

Only two weeks ago he’d been moaning that Max had abandoned him for a woman. And here he was caught in the same gossamer net, pining for a particular female’s companionship.

He met Max on the narrow stairs that connected the salon level to the upper deck, where Nathan and Sebastian remained.

“Feel like getting off this boat and hooking up with our ladies?” Max proposed. “I just heard from Rachel. They’ve had their fill of the club.”

Jason glanced at his watch. “It’s only ten-thirty. This is your bachelor party. You’re supposed to get wild one last time before you’re forever leg-shackled to one woman.”

“I’d rather get wild with the woman I’m going to be leg-shackled to.” Max punched Jason in the shoulder. “Besides, I don’t see you downstairs getting a lap dance from either Candy or Angel.”

“Charlie said no smoking in the salon. I went upstairs to enjoy one of the excellent cigars Nathan brought.”

“And this has nothing to do with the warning you gave Ming tonight?”

Jason cursed. “You heard that?”

“I thought it was cute.”

“Jackass.” Swearing at Max was a lot easier than asking himself why he’d felt compelled to tell Ming to behave herself and not break any hearts at the club. He’d only been half joking. The thought of her contemplating romance with another man aroused some uncomfortably volatile emotions.

“And it doesn’t look like she listened to you.”

“What makes you say that?”

Max showed him his cell phone screen. “I think this guy’s pretty close to having his heart broken.”

Jason swallowed a growl but could do nothing about the frown that pulled his brows together when he glimpsed the photo of Ming dancing with some guy. Irritation fired in his gut. It wasn’t the fact that Ming had her head thrown back and her arms above her head that set Jason off. It was the way the guy had his hands inches from her hips and looked prepared to go where no one but Jason belonged.

Max laughed. “I know Nathan and Sebastian are ready to leave. Are you up for taking the launch in and leaving the boys to play by themselves?”

Damn right he was. “This is your party. Where you go, I go.”

Eight

R
achel Lansing, bride-to-be, laughed at the photo her fiancé sent her from his bachelor party. Sitting across the limo from her, Ming wasn’t the least bit amused. Her stomach had been churning for the last half an hour, ever since she’d found out that there were exotic dancers on the boat. And her anxiety hadn’t been relieved when she hadn’t spotted Jason amongst the half dozen men egging on the strippers. He could be standing behind Max, out of the camera’s range.

She had no business feeling insecure and suspicious. It wasn’t as if she had a claim to Jason beyond their oh-so-satisfying baby-making activities. Problem was, she couldn’t disconnect her emotions. And heaven knew she’d been trying to. Telling herself over and over that it was just sex. Incredibly hot, passionate, mind-blowing sex, but not the act of two people in love. Just a couple of friends trying to make a baby together.

Whom was she kidding?

For the past two weeks, she’d been deliriously happy and anxiety-ridden by turn. Every time he slid inside her it was a struggle not to confide that she was falling in love with him, and her strength was fading fast. Already she was rationalizing why she and Jason should continue to be intimate long after she was pregnant.

It was only a matter of time before she confessed what she truly wanted for her future and he’d sit her down and remind her why they’d made love in the first place. Then things would get awkward and they’d start to avoid each other. No. Better to stay silent and keep Jason as her best friend rather than lose him forever.

“If you’re worried about Jason, Max texted me and said he’s on the upper deck with Nathan and Sebastian.” Rachel gave Ming a reassuring smile.

“I’m not worried about Jason,” Ming hastily assured her as she sagged in relief. She mustered a smile. “No need for me to be. We’re just friends. Have been for years.”

A fact Rachel knew perfectly well since the four of them had gone out numerous times since she and Max had gotten engaged. Ming had no idea why she had to keep reminding people that she and Jason were not an item.

“Jason’s a great guy.”

“He sure is.” Ming saw where this was going and knew she had to cut Rachel off. “But he’s the sort of guy who isn’t ever going to fall in love and get married.”

Rachel cocked her head. “Funny, that’s what I thought about Max and yet he lost his favorite car to Jason over a wager that he wouldn’t get married.” Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “What’s to say Jason won’t change his mind, too?”

Ming smiled back, but she knew there was a big difference between the two men. Max hadn’t found his father trying to kill himself because he was so despondent over the loss of his wife and daughter. And after getting the scoop about how Max and Rachel had met five years earlier, Ming suspected the reason Max had been so down on love and marriage was that he’d already lost his heart to the woman of his dreams.

“I don’t know,” Ming said. “He’s pretty set in his ways. Besides, you weren’t around when my engagement to Jason’s brother ended. It made me realize that I’m happier on my own.”

“Yeah, before Max, I was where you are. All I have to say is that things change.” Rachel nudged her chin toward her soon-to-be-sisters-in-law. “Ask either of those two if they believed love was ever going to happen for them. I’ll bet both of them felt the way you do right now.”

Ming glanced toward the back of the limo, where Emma, nine months pregnant and due any second, and Missy, four months pregnant and radiant, sat side by side, laughing. They had it all. Gorgeous, devoted men. Babies on the way. Envy twisted in Ming’s heart.

She sighed. “I’m really happy for all of you, but love doesn’t find everyone.”

“If you keep an open mind it does.”

The big diamond on Rachel’s hand sparkled in the low light. Ming stared at it while her fingers combed her hair into three sections. As she braided, she mused that being in love was easy when you were a week away from pairing your engagement ring with a wedding band. Not that she begrudged any of the Case women their happiness. Each one had gone through a lot before finding bliss, none more so than Rachel. But Ming just wasn’t in a place where she could feel optimistic about her own chances.

She was in love with a man who refused to let his guard down and allow anyone in, much less her. Because she couldn’t get over her feelings for Jason, she’d already lost one man and almost made the biggest mistake of her life. And as of late, she was concerned that having Jason father her child was going to lead to more heartache in the future.

Ming mulled Rachel’s words during the second half of the forty-five-minute drive from downtown Houston to the Galveston marina where the men would be waiting. Maybe she should have gone home from the club like Rachel’s sister, Hailey, instead of heading out to meet up with Jason. They’d made no plans to rendezvous tonight. She was starting to feel foolish for chasing him all the way out here.

If Jason decided to stay on the yacht with the bachelor party instead of motoring back to the dock on the launch with Max and his brothers, would she be the odd girl out when the couples reunited? Her chest tightened. Ming closed her eyes as they entered the marina parking lot.

The limo came to a stop. Ming heard the door open and the low rumble of male voices. She couldn’t make her eyes open. Couldn’t face the sight of the three couples embracing while she sat alone and unwanted.

“What’s the matter? Did all the dancing wear you out?”

Her eyes flew open at Jason’s question. His head and shoulders filled the limo’s open door. Heart pounding in delight, she clasped her hands in her lap to keep from throwing herself into his arms. That was not how friends greeted each other.

“I’m not used to having that much fun.” She scooted along the seat to the door, accepting Jason’s hand as her foot touched the pavement. His familiar cologne mingled with the faint scent of cigars. She wanted to nuzzle her nose into his neck and breathe him in. “How about you? Did you enjoy your strippers?”

“They preferred to be called exotic dancers.” He showed her his phone. “They weren’t nearly as interesting as this performance.”

She gasped at the picture of herself dancing. How had Jason gotten ahold of it? So much for what happens at a bachelorette party stays at a bachelorette party. She eyed the women behind Jason. Who’d ratted her out?

“It was just some guy who asked me to dance,” she protested.

“Just some guy?” He kept his voice low, but there was no denying the edge in his tone. “He has his hands all over you.”

She enlarged the image, telling herself she was imagining the possessive glint in Jason’s eye. “No he doesn’t. And if this had been taken five seconds later you would have seen me shove him away and walk off the dance floor.”

“Whoa, sounds like a lover’s spat to me,” Rachel crowed.

Confused by the sparks snapping in Jason’s blue eyes, Ming realized a semicircle of couples had formed five feet away. Six faces wore various shades of amusement as they looked on.

Jason composed his expression and turned to face the group. “Not a lover’s spat.”

“Just a concerned friend,” Max intoned, his voice dripping with dry humor.

“Come on, we’re all family here.” Sebastian’s gesture encompassed the whole group. “You can admit to us that you’re involved.”

“We’re not involved.” Ming found her voice.

“We’re friends,” Jason said. “We look out for each other.”

“I disagree,” Max declared, slapping Jason on the back. “I think you’ve finally realized that your best friend is the best thing that ever happened to you.” He glanced around to see if the others agreed with him. “About time, too.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason was making no attempt to laugh off his friend’s ribbing.

Ming flinched at Jason’s resolute expression. If he’d considered moving beyond friendship, Max would be the one he’d confide in. With Jason’s adamant denial, Ming had to face the fact that she was an idiot to hope that Jason might one day realize they belonged together.

“Oh!”

All eyes turned to Emma, who’d bent over, her hand pressed to her round belly.

“Are you okay?” Nathan put his arm around her waist. “Was it a contraction?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Emma clutched his arm. “Maybe you’d better take me home.”

To Ming’s delight everyone’s focus had shifted to Emma. What might or might not be going on between Ming and Jason was immediately forgotten. As Nathan opened the passenger door for Emma, she looked straight at Ming and winked. Restraining a grin, Ming wondered how many times Emma had used the baby in such a fashion.

“Alone at last,” Jason said, drawing her attention back to him. “And the night is still young.”

Ming shivered beneath his intense scrutiny. “What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking maybe you could show me your dancing skills in private.”

“Funny. I was thinking maybe you could give me a demonstration of the techniques you picked up from your strippers tonight.”

“Exotic dancers,” he corrected, opening the passenger door on his car so she could get in. “And I didn’t pick up anything because I wasn’t anywhere near their dancing.”

The last of her tension melted away. “I don’t believe you,” she teased, keeping her relief hidden. She leaned against his chest and peered up at him from beneath her lashes. “Not so long ago you wouldn’t have missed that kind of action.”

“Not so long ago I didn’t have all the woman I could handle waiting for me at home.”

“Except I wasn’t waiting for you.” Lifting up on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his and then dropped into the passenger seat.

“No, you were out on the town breaking hearts.”

The door shut before her retort reached Jason’s ears. Was he really annoyed with her for dancing with someone? Joy flared and died. She was reading too much into it.

“So, where are we heading?” Jason turned out of the marina parking lot and got them headed toward the bridge off the island.

“You may take me home. After all that heartbreaking, my feet are sore.” She tried to smile, but her heart hurt too much. “Besides, Muffin is home alone.”

“Where’s Lily?”

“Supposedly she’s out of town this weekend.”

“Why supposedly?”

“Because I drove past Evan’s house and her car was in the driveway.”

“You drove past Evan’s house?” Jason shifted his gaze off the road long enough for her to glimpse his alarm. “Are you sure that was a good idea?”

She bristled at his disapproving tone. “I was curious if my sister had lied to me.”

“You were curious.” He echoed her words doubtfully. “Not bothered that they’re together?”

“No.”

“Because you two were engaged not that long ago and now he’s dating your sister.”

“Why do you keep bringing that up?” Her escalating annoyance came through loud and clear. She’d known Jason too long not to recognize when he was picking a fight.

“I want you to be honest with yourself so this doesn’t blow up between you and your sister in the future.”

“You don’t think I’m being honest with myself?”

“Your sister is dating the man who broke off your engagement two weeks before the wedding. I think you’re trying too hard to be okay with it.”

He took her hand and she was both soothed and frustrated by his touch. No matter what else was happening between them, Jason was her best friend. He knew her better than anyone. Sometimes better than she knew herself. But the warm press of his fingers reminded her that while he could act like a bossy boyfriend, she came up against his defenses every time she started to play girlfriend.

“Right now I’ve got my hands full with you.” Ming wasn’t exaggerating on that score. “Can we talk about something else? Please?”

The last thing she wanted was to argue with him when her hopes for the evening required them to be in perfect accord.

“Sure.” Even though he agreed, she could tell he wasn’t happy about dropping the subject. “What’s on your mind?”

“I have the house to myself until late Sunday if you want to hang out.”

“That sounds like an invitation to sleep over.”

She made a sandwich of his hand and hers and ignored the anxious flutter in her stomach.

“Maybe it is.” Flirting with Jason was fun and dangerous. It was easy to lose track of reality and venture into that tricky romantic place best avoided if she wanted their friendship to remain uncomplicated.

Or maybe she was too far gone for things to ever be the same between them again.

The part of her that wanted them to be more than just friends was growing stronger every day. It was a crazy hope, but she couldn’t stop the longing any more than Jason could get past his reluctance to fall in love.

“Ming…”

She heard the wariness in his voice and held up her hand. They hadn’t spent a single night together this whole week. That had been a mutual decision based on practicality. Neither of them wanted Evan to pop over late one night and find her at Jason’s house. Plus, Lily had been in Houston all week and would have noticed if Ming had stayed out all night.

But she was dying to spend the night snuggled in his arms. And the craving had nothing to do with making a baby.

“Forget I said anything.” Her breath leaked out in a long, slow sigh. “This past week has been fun. But you and I both know I’m past my prime fertility cycle. It makes no sense for us to keep getting together when I’m either pregnant or I’m too late in my cycle to try.”

“Wait. Is that what this week has been about?” He sounded put out. “You’re just using me to make a baby?”

Startled, she opened her mouth to deny his claim and realized he was trying to restore their conversation to a lighter note by teasing her. “And a few weeks from now we’ll see if you’ve succeeded.” She faked a yawn. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

Jason nodded and turned the topic to the bachelorette party. Ming jumped on board, glad to leave behind the tricky path they’d been treading.

By the time he turned the car into her driveway, she’d manhandled her fledgling daydreams about turning their casual sex into something more. She was prepared to say good-night and head alone to her door.