Pregnant by the Maverick Millionaire (10 page)

Brodie grimaced as he said the word
wife
and Kade scratched his head. “Okay, so not wife. What?”

This was far too much to deal with so early in the morning. “I don't like titles. I don't believe in them. We are what we are...”

“I'll just tell the press that. It'll work,” Kade said, sounding sarcastic.

“I don't know, Kade!” Brodie cried. “Tell them we are friends, that we intend to remain friends, that we are having a baby together! That's all the information they are entitled to. That's all the information we have.”

“They'll make it up if we don't give them more. Or they'll dig and dig until they find more,” Kade warned.

She couldn't control their actions, Brodie thought. She could only control her own. And right now she had to get to work or else she'd be late for her breakfast appointment. Besides, she really didn't want to talk about this anymore. With Kade or the world. “I'm not ready to say anything yet. And I've got to go.”

“Dammit, Brodie! We have to deal with this at some point.”

Yeah, but not now.

“Think about it,” Kade told her, obviously frustrated. “Are you coming back here tonight?”

Brodie slung her bag over her shoulder and walked toward the front door feeling hemmed in. “Maybe.”

That one word was, right now, all she could commit to.

* * *

Brodie looked up when Colin tapped on the frame of her door and ambled into her office.

“Hey, Col.” Brodie rested her forearms on her desk and sent him a fond smile.

“How are you feeling?”

“I'm well. The morning sickness has passed, as has the tiredness.” Brodie bit her bottom lip. “Did you tell Kayla?”

A shadow passed through Colin's eyes as he nodded. Colin and Kayla had been trying to get pregnant for more than five years and were now trying IVF. Hearing Brodie had become pregnant via a one-night stand had probably rocked Kayla.

“She took it rather well, considering. She said to tell you she wants to meet the baby's daddy.”

Yeah, about that. Brodie still hadn't told Colin, or anyone else, about Kade.

“Maybe,” Brodie hedged.

Colin sighed. “You're going to keep us guessing, aren't you?”

Brodie rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. “It's complicated. We're trying to work through it and until we have a plan, I'd rather just keep his identity quiet.” She wrinkled her nose. “I might end up parenting on my own and he won't be a factor.”

Not that there was a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. This was, after all, Kade she was talking about.

“Understood,” Colin said, before straightening. “So, business...”

Business talk she could do. Mostly because it stopped her thinking about Kade and their future. Business wasn't complicated or demanding and it didn't mess with her head. Or her libido. “What's up?”

“I don't know about you but I am overwhelmed. My schedule is crazy.”

Brodie looked at her screen and the thirty unopened emails from prospective clients. Ironically, the publicity generated from being Kade's matchmaker had generated almost too much business. “It's crazy.”

“I was approached by a couple out of Los Angeles who want to relocate to Vancouver. They have a matchmaking business in the city.” Colin passed her a black-and-pink business card.

“I know the Hendersons,” Brodie said, flicking her nail against the card. “I investigated their business model when I was starting this business. They are reputable, smart and sensitive.”

“Well, they have just sold their business and they are moving here.”

Brodie immediately connected the dots. “Are they going to start up here?”

“They want to semi-retire. They want to work but they don't want the responsibility of running an office or staff.”

“Are you thinking about bringing them on board...with you?”

Colin picked up her pen and tapped it against his knee, leaving tiny blue dots on his khaki pants. “And with you, if you are as overwhelmed as I am. It's a win-win situation. We feed them clients, take a commission and we manage how big a bite they take.”

Brodie looked at the pile of folders on her desk and realized it might be the answer to her crazy workload. And she'd find it easier to juggle her career and being a new mother if she had some help. “Are they keen?”

“They are keen to talk,” Colin replied. “They'll fly out here if we ask them to.”

Her phone chirped and Brodie looked down at the screen.

Will be home late. Will you be okay?

God, she'd been okay for the past three months and for nine years before that. She'd managed to feed herself, dress herself, get herself to work, establish a career. Why did Kade and Poppy think she had dropped sixty IQ points just because she was now pregnant?

Arrrgh.

Brodie ignored Kade's message, pushed back her chair and stood up. She gripped the back of the chair.

“Or we could go to them.” God, a trip out of the city would be an unexpected blessing, Brodie thought. She could get some distance from Kade, have some time alone to think.

You just don't want to deal with the emotions Kade pulls to the surface.

I just want some time to think! Is that too much to ask?

You've got to stop lying to yourself...

Oh, shut up.

Brodie looked at Colin. “What do you think? You up for a trip?”

“Sure. Are you allowed to fly?”

Brodie tamped down her irritation. “I am only a few months pregnant. The baby is the size of pea so yes, I can fly. Jeez!”

Her phone beeped again.
I can cancel dinner if you want me to.

Kade! Really? She tipped her head at Colin and sent him an I-dare-you look. “Let's fly out tonight, see the Hendersons in the morning? I might stay in Cali for the weekend, do some sightseeing, some shopping.”

Colin jumped to his feet, nodding enthusiastically. He was always up for an adventure and was, thank goodness, impulsive. “That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll call the Hendersons. Can you book flights?”

She could and she would, she thought, glancing down at the screen of her phone. Because she
definitely
needed to put a border and a couple of cities between her and Kade Webb.

Ten

K
ade couldn't remember when he'd been this angry. Angry, disappointed...hurt, dammit. And the fact he was hurt pissed him off even more.

Gone away. Will be back in a few days.

A few days had turned into a week and he still didn't know where the hell Brodie was and, crucially, whether she was all right. She was ducking his calls and not returning his increasingly irate text messages. His...whatever the hell she was...was AWOL and he was not amused. Not amused as in ready to slam his fist into the wall. He'd do it but he recalled, from previous experience, it hurt like a bitch.

Kade stood on the balcony off his master suite and gripped the edge of the balustrade, peering past the trees to the street below, hoping to see Brodie's car. He wanted to make sure she was okay, to make love to her, to put her over his knee and spank her silly for driving him out of his mind with worry.

What if she never came back? What if she'd just packed up and left town, heading for...wherever? What would he do? How would he find her? Would he make the effort to track her down?

Of course he would. Apart from the fact she drove him insane, she was the mother of his child. For that reason alone he'd follow her to the ends of the earth...

Jesus, Brodie, where the hell are you?

Kade heard the subdued chime signaling someone had accessed his private elevator and since Quinn was out of town and Mac was home with Rory, it had to be Brodie.
Thank God.
She was the only other person who had the code.

Kade waited for the elevator doors to open and his heart both stumbled and settled when she stepped into his loft. He did a quick scan, confirmed she was physically in one piece and told himself not to lose his temper.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

Brodie only needed one look to see Kade was pissed and exceptionally so. His eyes were the color of bittersweet chocolate and flat with anger and residual worry. She'd needed time away but she'd been wrong to avoid his calls, to avoid talking to him.

She'd done him a disservice; Kade was a fully functioning adult and he would've understood her need for some time alone to think. But she'd been unable to pick up the phone and tell him that—due to embarrassment and pride. Instead she'd let him worry and, judging by the increasingly irate messages he'd left her, stew. She deserved the verbal slap she was about to get and she braced herself to take it.

She'd created this situation and she wasn't going to whine about the consequences. She'd acted like a child because she'd felt smothered, and she deserved to be treated like a child now that she'd returned. He'd yell and she'd apologize and hopefully it would all be over soon.

“Hey.”

Kade frowned and started to walk in her direction. Ah, hell, he was even angrier than she realized. Brodie lifted up her hands in apology. “I'm so—”

Her words were cut off by his hot mouth on hers and she could taste his frustration. His fingers dug into her hips and he yanked her into him, slamming her against his hard frame and his even harder erection. She couldn't help it; she encircled her arms around his neck and poured her own frustrations into the kiss...

I want you but I don't want to rely on you. I like feeling protected and cared for but it scares me spitless. I'm so close to falling in love with you but I can't let myself be that vulnerable again.

Brodie felt Kade tugging her shirt from her jeans and sighed when his warm hands spanned her back. His thigh pushed between hers and suddenly she was straddling his hard leg. Her body responded immediately by rocking against those hard muscles, moaning when the friction caught her in exactly the right place. Kade immediately responded by slipping his hand down the back of her jeans and he growled when her tight pants stopped his progress.

“Get them off.”

This was too intense, too urgent, and Brodie knew they should back off, but she didn't want to. She wanted him out of control and reckless, demanding and insistent. He was feeling raw and so was she. It added an edge of excitement she'd never experienced before. It was primitive sex—hot, urgent—and she wanted to ride this maelstrom with him.

If they worked off enough frustration they'd be able to talk calmly and she'd be forgiven sooner. Besides, there was nothing wrong with channeling their anger into something that afforded them a great deal of pleasure...

Kade's fingers working the zipper of her jeans pulled her back into pleasure. He pushed her pants and her thong down to her ankles. Brodie stepped out of her backless wedges and kicked her feet free as Kade placed one hand behind her butt and lifted her up and into him. His tongue invaded her mouth again and she knew this would be hot and fast and crazy.

Bring it on!

Matching his urgency, she pulled his shirt up his back and over his head, forcing him to let her go so she could pull it off his arms. She ran her hands down his torso—she'd missed his body, missed
him
, more than she should. Far more than was healthy.

She hated that but she loved this. Loved his hot, masculine, hair-roughened skin. She placed her mouth on his chest to taste him as her hands dropped to his shorts, pulling his belt open with unsteady hands. She needed to feel him in her grasp, needed to taste him on her tongue, to fill her, to complete her.

She needed him.

She both loved and hated the need he stirred inside her.

Kade pushed her hands aside and quickly stripped. She reached down to touch him but he grabbed her wrists to stop her. He encircled them with one hand; easily restraining her while his other hand gripped her jaw and tipped her face up so her eyes collided with his.

Anger and desire were both still there. “We probably shouldn't do this.”

“I know.” Brodie licked her lips. “But I want to anyway.”

“You sure?” Kade demanded, his voice rough. “Because it's not going to be pretty. I'm going to ride you, hard.”

Brodie lifted her chin. “I can take everything you hand out, Webb. I'm not a hothouse flower.”

The fingers on her jaw loosened and his touch turned tender. “Dammit, Brodie.” He rested his forehead against hers.

It was her turn to touch his jaw, to allow her fingers to walk over his face. “You won't hurt me and I need you. I need you so damn much.”

Those amazing eyes hardened, just a fraction. There was hurt beneath the anger and she was sorry for it. “You could've fooled me.”

Brodie gave him what she could. “Right now, I need you as much as you need me. Give me that, Kade. The rest we can fight about later.”

“And we will fight.”

“I know.” But that was for later so Brodie stood up on her tiptoes to align her mouth with his.

“How are we going to do this?” she whispered against his lips. “Where are we going to do this? Bedroom? Couch?”

Kade's eyes darted around the room. “Too far. Too civilized.”

He spun her around and placed her hands on the hall table. Standing behind her, he put his palm on her stomach and pulled up her butt. Brodie swallowed, ferociously excited. So this was...new.

Kade's hand stroked her spine and her lower back, kneaded her butt before sliding between her cheeks to find the damp, moisture between her legs. She heard him sigh and then he was sliding inside her, the position filling her more deeply than he ever had before.

She felt exposed and dominated, but thrilled to her core, which he happened to be touching. His arms encompassed her, crisscrossing her from chest to thigh, and she felt protected and enveloped as her climax built. He was so deep inside he hardly needed to move and his thrusts turned gentle. Bright white lights sparked in her head as the warm, rushing wave pummeled her.

She screamed; he groaned. He pumped against her, once, twice, and then he exploded inside her, his arms tightening as a shudder ran through his body. Slowly coming back to herself, Brodie realized her fingernails were digging into Kade's forearms. The only thing keeping her from doing a face-plant on the floor was Kade's python-like grip. She sucked in a shallow breath and felt his lips on her neck. She was still half-dressed, her bra and shirt still on.

Whoa, Nelly.

Kade's arms loosened and he pulled her upright, sliding out as he did so. He dropped one arm but kept the other around her waist, anchoring her to his side. Brodie stared at the oil painting above the hall table and wondered if she could ever look at it again without remembering the hot sex they'd had beneath it.

“You okay?” Kade asked, his voice low, rough.

Brodie cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah.”

“I didn't hurt you?”

Brodie looked down at his arms and saw the deep grooves her nails had left in his skin. She traced her fingertip over the marks. “I should be asking you that.”

“I'm good.” Kade's arm tightened once and his hands flexed on her hips before he let her go. He picked up her jeans and handed them to her. “Go on up. I'll get clean downstairs.”

Normally they'd shower together after sex and frequently showering would lead to round two. Brodie sighed. Guess that wasn't going to happen today.

He was still mad. Well, he'd warned her. Brodie nodded and walked toward the stairs, embarrassed he would watch her bare butt the whole way.

But when she turned around at the top of the stairs he'd disappeared to the lower level and his solitary shower.

Wishing she could run away again, Brodie headed into his bedroom and the en suite bathroom. She wouldn't get away with running again.

* * *

Brodie found Kade on the balcony, dressed in a faded pair of jeans and a pale blue T-shirt. He sat close to the edge, his bare feet resting on the railings, a beer in his hand. Brodie, dressed in the clothes she'd arrived in, saw there was a diet cola and a glass on the table so she sat down and perched on the cushion.

Kade poured her cola into the ice-filled glass and handed her the cold drink. He sat back and linked his hands behind his head looking like the urban, relaxed businessman he was. Except she also saw the tension in his jaw, the banked anger in his glittering eyes.

“You missed your doctor's appointment and the first ultrasound.”

“I called and rescheduled.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Kade said, his tone bitter.

Brodie frowned. She'd briefly mentioned the appointment to him and he'd never indicated his intention to go with her. “I didn't know you were planning to go with me.”

Kade cut her a look. “Of course I was, Brodie.”

Wow...okay. “I thought you'd only take an interest in the baby once it was born.”

“I. Take. An. Interest. In. You.” Kade spat out the words.

“Oh.”

After a couple of minutes, Kade broke the silence. “I was worried about you. I thought something had happened to you, to our baby. I couldn't find you. I didn't know where to start looking.”

Brodie closed her eyes at the note of desolation in his voice, the hurt he was trying so hard to hide. Brodie turned her head and looked at his hard profile, the way the evening breeze picked up his hair and blew it over his forehead.

“My dad did that once.”

Oh, God, no.

“Did what?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer because she knew it would make her feel ten times worse than she already did.

“Disappeared. I was about ten and I came home from school and he wasn't around. By eight that night I was worried, by midnight I was terrified. Three days later I was out of food and out of my mind with worry. Ten years old and I had cramps in my stomach from hunger. The morning of the fourth day I decided to skip school and go to the police. I was leaving the house when he pulled into the driveway, looking like he'd rather be anywhere rather than back in whatever town that was, with me.”

Brodie gripped the arms of her chair and closed her eyes, silently cursing Kade's waste-of-space parent. She heard Kade stand up and felt the brief kiss on the top of her head. “I was terrified then but that had nothing on what I felt this past week.” Kade's voice sounded like it had been roughened with sandpaper. “Everything is up in the air with us and I get that. I don't want to take over your life or control it or you. But if—when—you go, keep in contact, okay?”

Brodie nodded once, sharply, and forced the words past the tears in her throat. “I don't know what you want from me, Kade.”

Kade walked around the chair and stood between her and the railing, the dim lights on the balcony casting shadows over his taut face. “I have no idea, either. I'm as confused about where to go, what to do as you are. But the one thing I do know for sure is that running away doesn't help. My father ran from town to town, from creditor to creditor, nothing ever changed. Because wherever you go, there you are.”

Kade's fingers raked through his hair. “But maybe you could talk to me before you run. And I need you to come to grips with having me in your life. Because, even if we aren't going to be together, I am still going to be part of your life because—” he pointed to her midsection “—that is my kid, as well. We're in this together. So, on some level, I need you to trust me, to believe I won't let you down.”

But he would. Everyone did.

Before she could respond, he continued, “But, Brodie, you only get this one chance. You run again and that's it. That's you telling me you don't want me in your life, in any capacity.”

Brodie bit her bottom lip. “And the baby?”

“I will not abandon my child.” Kade rubbed the back of his neck. “Lawyers, supervised visits until the baby is old enough and formal arrangements for custody. We'll be handing over the baby in parking lots. We'll be apart and separate, co-parenting but not communicating.”

God, that sounded...awful. Dismal. Depressing.