The Baby Arrangement (3 page)

Derek leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his hair which was now in total disarray and sexy as hell.  While staring at him, Kayleigh noticed the color of his eyes for the first time.  They were a golden brown, like honey.  How had she never noticed that before?

Because before today, he’s never even looked at you!  That’s why!

Kayleigh could tell that her words had indeed made him uncomfortable.  Unable to stand the silence any longer, she blurted out, “How about we work on t
hat list?”  She motioned toward the legal pad and then reached for it herself.  A list maker by nature, she felt that she would be less likely to forget something that Emery would need if she was the one who wrote it down personally.

Fifteen minutes and two full pages of items later, Kayleigh finally felt like they had covered everything.

“Are you sure?  I don’t think we’ve covered her first car yet,” Derek teased and Kayleigh couldn’t help but laugh.  He liked the sound of her laughter.  Her whole face lit up and he was finding it remarkably easy to let his guard down with this woman.  He was usually always on alert – had his radar on – with the women in his life.  They all seemed to want something from him and few, if any, had understood that his company meant the world to him.  It would always come first and Derek had no time for emotional entanglements at this point in his life.

But now he was faced with the reality that was the reason for Kayleigh’s being here; Emery could be his daughter.  If he hadn’t been able to find time for a casual affair with a woman, how was he supposed to handle being a father?  His heart began to race and he felt his face form a frown.

Kayleigh reached out and touched Derek’s hand.  “Are you okay?”  The concern on her face was genuine, Derek realized, and it touched him that she was worried about him.

“I guess the reality of all of this is just starting to hit me,” he admitted honestly.

With a small smile that was filled with understanding she said, “I’m sure it’s all very overwhelming.”

“You have no idea.”  Their eyes met and held and Kayleigh thought, for just an instant, that he was going to come around the desk and kiss her.  He didn’t, of course, but in her fantasy filled mind, he did.  Just thinking about it made her go warm all over.

Just as she was enjoying the butterflies that were tumbling in her belly, the door crashed open and Eileen walked through carrying the large box that contained the infant carrier they’d requested.  Breaking the eye contact, Derek rose and took it from her, thanking Eileen for taking the time to help him yet again.  Kayleigh, in turn, took the box from him and immediately began to unpack it and set it up while Derek paid his assistant for the purchase.

Within minutes, Derek was
amazed to find Emery changed into a fresh diaper and change of clothes and safely secured in her new seat and that they were leaving the office for their trip to the pediatrician.  Several sets of curious eyes watched their progress as they walked down the hallway, but one sideways glance from the boss had most people returning to their work.  Kayleigh stopped at her desk to grab her purse before continuing down the hall to the elevator.  Hanging back several steps, Derek took a moment to appreciate Kayleigh’s figure.  Wearing a simple navy skirt that came to just above the knee, a toast colored twin-set and navy pumps, she made a very elegant picture.  The soft sway of her hips and the confidence in her stride made his mouth go dry.  She seemed oblivious to the stir she was causing both within the office and within him.

How the he
ll long had she worked here and he’d never noticed her?
  He asked himself.  Was he that obsessed with this company that he no longer even noticed an attractive woman unless she was blatantly throwing herself at him?  At once coming to the realization that he was staring, he made a quick left turn into the customer service area and went directly to the desk of the department supervisor to inform her of his arrangement with Kayleigh.

Derek met up with Kayleigh in the parking lot.  Pulling
his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket, he watched her standing in the middle of the lot with a look of confusion on her face.  Quite the turn-around from the confident woman of a few minutes ago.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well,” she began while still looking around the lot, “I was wondering whose car we should take.”

“Mine,” he replied as if it were the obvious choice.

“Well, I guess we could but…” Kayleigh looked over at the sleek and sporty Porsche and frowned.  Fortifying herself to say what was sure to offend him, “It’s a little small for the three of us.” 

The flash of annoyance was brief but noticeable.  Then Derek shook his head at his own lack of foresight again.  “Where’s your car?”

“It’s the silver Pathfinder on the end,” she said as she started walking in that direction.

Once Emery’
s seat was fastened securely into the backseat, a task that Kayleigh handled with ease, they were on their way.  Silently.  It was a short drive and yet it felt like an eternity – what with all the lack of conversation.  Kayleigh wanted to be sensitive to Derek’s needs and if he needed some quiet time to think about the direction that his life was taking, then she was willing to sit and be as quiet as a mouse.  Although after several stolen glances at him, she began to frantically search for something witty to say to fill him with confidence. 

Her mind was a blank.

True to his word, Dr. Jared Mitchell had a room waiting for them when they arrived and saw them right away.  The two men eyed one another as if sizing the other up. 
Men!
Kayleigh thought irritably.  Jared was a protective big brother and she knew immediately that even though Derek was merely her boss, her brother would still view him as some sort of enemy out to threaten his sister’s virtue.

“Tell me about
your daughter, Mr. Sloan,” Jared began.

Derek paled at the question and snapped his head in Kayleigh’s direction.  Luckily she was quick on the uptake.  “As I mentioned to you over the phone,” she began, “Emery was left at the Sloan office this morning with little more than a note for identification.  It’s unclear whether she is Derek’s daughter or his brother Brian’s.” 

It was the first time Kayleigh had called Derek by his first name and he smiled inwardly with pure male satisfaction at hearing it. 
Focus, dammit!

After b
eing weighed and measured, Jared handed Emery back to Kayleigh for dressing.  “Any ideas on who the mother could be?” Jared asked as delicately as he could.

Derek didn’t keep a mental time-
line of his relationships and had to rack his brain for a moment.  It wasn’t as if he had a harem at his beck and call.  Truth be known, he’d been known to go for months at a time without being with a woman.  Brian used to dangle his female companions in front of his brother in hopes of luring him out of the office.  But ever the professional, Derek put the company first.  A little fact that Brian seemed to be oblivious to – with no one running the company properly, no more cash flow.  Why couldn’t Brian be more damn responsible?  Why was all the weight on
his
shoulders while Brian went out and played the playboy? Derek thought to himself miserably.

But the fact still remained that he
had
been intimate with several women in the past year, he just needed to remember their names.  God, what a piece of crap he was that he couldn’t even remember the women he’d slept with!  And not because there was so many of them, but merely because they had been nothing more than a needed distraction.  Correction, a
temporary
needed distraction.  He never made a commitment that went beyond the evening.  It just wasn’t his style.  There was no time in his life for relationships.  Sloan Design was growing and about to go international.  Why?  Because Derek Sloan had made the commitment to take it global and by God he was going to succeed!

He could remember pattern numbers for every design his company had created in the last five years, surely he could remember a couple of name
s!  Before he could reply, Jared added, “It might do well for you to research that so that we could have an accurate medical history for Emery.”

His ass was getting sore from all the kicking of it he was doing himself today; Derek cursed the fact that he hadn’t jumped on
that
bandwagon earlier.  Grabbing the cell phone out of his pocket, he punched in some numbers and turned his back on the Mitchell siblings.  Jared watched him through narrowed eyes for a moment before turning his gaze to Kayleigh.

“So,” she began hesitantly, “is she all right?  Has she been well-cared for?”

Jared scribbled some notes onto his chart.  “As far as I can tell, she’s the picture of health.  My guess would be that she’s a full-term baby.  You mentioned that you gave her a bottle earlier, any idea what kind of formula was used?
              Kayleigh shook her head.  “I have no idea.  It was just in a bottle.”  Glancing at Emery and smiling, she quietly asked Jared, “Are you sure she’s okay?  She seems so tiny.”

He
laughed.  “Not everyone gives birth to ten pound babies like our family does, Kay.  Don’t worry.  She’s responsive and her coloring is good.”  He paused before adding, “Besides, she’s not your concern.  I mean, I think it’s great that you got him to bring Emery in for a check up and all, but honestly, her well-being is Derek’s responsibility.”

“Well get me so
me answers, dammit!”  Both Jared and Kayleigh’s heads snapped at Derek’s loud voice and Emery started to cry.  Turning around to face the looks of astonishment that were facing him, Derek quickly mumbled a quick “I’ll call you later” into the phone and put it away.  “Sorry.”

Picking the baby up to comfort her, Kayleigh walked the room
while Derek conferred with her brother about Emery’s health.    By the time they walked out of the office several minutes later, their arms were filled with formula samples, spare diapers and pamphlets for everything anyone could ever need to know about the health and care of a newborn.  Derek’s eyes had glazed over and he was very subdued as they climbed back into Kayleigh’s car.  In all of her wayward fantasies about spending time alone with Derek,
this
bizarre little scenario never came to mind.  What exactly was it that she was supposed to do here?  Was it her place to offer him comfort?  Words of encouragement?  And if so, what could she possibly say?  Or would she be expected to just act as an employee and pretend not to notice his mood and focus fully on her charge?  Oh, why didn’t this damn day come with a handbook?

When several minutes had passed and she hadn’t started the car, Derek turned to her.  “I guess it’s off to shop now, right?”  There was no joy or even the slightest inflection to his voice – it was very flat and
monotone.

Kayleigh had never been known as one who was overly cautious with her words and so she wasn’t about to start now.  “Are you alright, Mr. Sloan?  I mean, that was all great news in there.  Emery is healthy.  You should be relieved.”

“Oh, you’re right, Kayleigh,” he began sarcastically.  “I should be just over the friggin’ moon that I’ve had a baby dumped on me this morning that I know nothing about and I can’t be sure if she’s even mine!  And hey, never mind the fact that my irresponsible brother could be behind this and he’s conveniently out of the country – yet again leaving me to clean up a mess!  But thank God the baby’s healthy because otherwise this could be a real problem.”

In that instant, she saw red.  Not just red with annoyance
, but full-blown, ‘
I’m gonna let you have it, mister’
red.  Fully facing him, she poked a finger at his chest.  “Now you listen to me.  I am well aware that you did not ask to be put in this position, but the fact is that here you are!  Now, I was more than willing to help you and Emery out but I will
not
sit back and listen to any more of your bitching because you’ve been inconvenienced.  If anyone’s being inconvenienced here, Mister, it’s me!”

“All I did was come to work this morning like I always do and for the last couple of hours I’ve had to put of with your foul mood, your assistant
’s nasty attitude, a heart-broken baby and a lecture from my brother!  And besides that, I haven’t even had lunch yet, thanks to you.”  She took a deep breath and squirmed in her seat when she saw the surprise in his whiskey eyes. 

By this point, Kayleigh was trembling and she didn’t care.  She took a deep breath and gave her final say.  “And to tell you the truth, Mr. Sloan, I don’t think that I can help you.  I think this has been a complete mistake.  It would be best if you called an agency because I am just not up to this kind of situation and…”  Derek’s mouth crushed against hers and thoroughly brought an end to her tirade.

At first Kayleigh was too stunned to respond.  Then her brain got on board and she found herself participating in what could only be described as one heck of a hot kiss.  Her mouth opened under his and in an instant his tongue swept inside.  Kayleigh heard herself sigh and that small sound had her breaking the contact. 

Derek had no idea what had caused him to act so recklessly and kiss her, but just watching her bristle next to him and just the force of life, energy and passion behind her words had been his undoing.