The Proposition (3 page)

“Bad day, huh?”

She raised her head, and a sad smile
flickered on her face. “Not one of my best. I really can’t blame
Connor for the worst of it either. It was already shot to hell
giving Therese a baby shower.”

“Your boss?” he asked, and Emma nodded. The
waiter returned with their drinks. Emma took a dainty swig of her
margarita while Aidan pulled a hearty gulp from his bottle. An
anxious feeling came over her at his curious expression, and she
feared he was about to ask a pretty loaded question.

“What was so wrong about the baby shower?
Someone get shitfaced on spiked punch and not want to play one of
the silly games like Guess What’s in the Diaper?”

Okay, so that wasn’t the question she was
expecting. “How in the world do you know what goes on at baby
shower?”

He grimaced. “I have four older sisters.
Trust me, I’ve spent some time in baby shower hell.”

Emma grinned. “I guess you have.”

“So what happened?” he prodded.

With a shrug, she replied, “Nothing really.
It was just harder than I thought it was going to be.”

“Because you want a baby of your own?”

She gasped and almost knocked her margarita
over. “Wait, how could you…?”

“Connor told me.”

Emma widened her eyes as a warm flush danced
over her cheeks and neck. “H-He did? W-What else did he say?”

Aidan took another swig before he answered.
“That he was supposed to father your baby, but he backed out.”

Even though she’d only had one sip of her
drink, the room tilted and spun around her. She shook her head,
trying to shake herself free of the nightmare turn the conversation
had taken. This couldn’t be happening. “I’m going to
kill
him!”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma’s voice shot up an
octave. “It was bad enough when he was texting and calling all the
time. Now he’s shown up at my work to harass me. But worst of all,
he told
you
, of all people, the most private detail of my
personal life!”

Aidan leaned forward, bumping his elbows
against hers. “Me of all people…what’s that supposed to mean?”

Emma ducked her head. “Nothing.”

“Oh no. You’re not getting off so easy.”

“It’s just with the type of man you are, you
can’t possibly understand my problems or my desires.”

Aidan snorted. “Let me guess. Because of my
alleged womanizing reputation, I can’t fathom what it must be like
for you to want to be a mother so bad you’d get your gay best
friend to knock you up?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then tell me.”

Emma leaned over to where their faces were
only inches apart. “Since you think you know everything, tell me if
you understand this. Have you ever wanted something so bad you
think you’d die if you didn’t have it? That the mere thought of it
keeps you up at night. You can’t sleep, you can’t eat, you can’t
drink. You are so consumed by that desire nothing else matters, and
you’re not sure life is worth living if you can’t have it.” Bitter
tears stung her eyes, and she bit down on her lip to keep from
sobbing right in front of him.

While Aidan remained silent, Emma shook her
head and leaned back in her chair. “See? I rest my case. A man like
you can’t possibly understand what wanting a baby feels like for
me.”

“No, I get it. I really do.”

She arched her auburn eyebrows at him. “I
doubt that seriously.”

“Maybe to a certain extent…” A slow,
lascivious grin slunk across his face--one that sent warmth to her
cheeks and made her squirm in her chair. “I wanted you so bad at
the Christmas party I thought I’d die when you refused to come home
with me.”

The husky tone of his voice startled her.
“Excuse me?”

He scooted his chair so close to hers that
she fought the urge to back away. She gulped at his nearness. The
lustful gleam flashing in his eyes made him like the Big Bad Wolf
looming over her. “How much plainer can I make it? You were so damn
sexy in that green dress. Your hair was down and fell in waves
around your shoulders. And you kept giving me those innocent little
smiles from across the room.” His breath scorched against her cheek
before he whispered into her ear. “I’ve never wanted to fuck
someone so much as I wanted to you.”

She shoved him away with all the strength she
could muster. “God, you’re such an egotistical bastard! I’m baring
my soul to you about wanting a child and you tell me you want
to…to…”

Aidan crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’re a big girl, Emma. Can’t you say
fuck
?”

“You’re seriously disgusting.” She gripped
the edges of her glass and narrowed her eyes at him. “If I didn’t
desperately need the rest of my margarita, I’d throw it in your
arrogant face!”

He chuckled at her outrage. “Now is that
anyway to talk to the future father of your child?”

She snapped back in her seat like a rubber
band. “E-Excuse me?”

“I’m talking about a little proposition for
us both to get something we really, really want. I give a little,
and you give a little.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about offering up my DNA for
you. Connor said you refused to go to a sperm bank because you
might end up bearing Satan’s spawn, so I figure I’d make a good
candidate.”

Emma widened her eyes as the shock waves
rolled violently against her. “You can’t be serious.”

“About which part: me being a donor or that
I’m a better choice than Satan’s spawn?” he asked, with a wicked
grin.

“Both…but mainly that you would want to be
my
sperm donor.”

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

“Do you have any idea what being a sperm
donor entails?” she questioned.

He smirked at her. “I have a pretty good
idea.”

Emma shook her head. “How can you act so
flippant about it? It’s a huge commitment.”

“Give me a break. We’re talking about jerking
off into a plastic cup, not donating an organ.”

“It’s a little more than that actually.”

“I had some buddies do it in college. Nothing
too strenuous.” Aidan shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like I’m
agreeing to marry you and bring up the kid. It’s just a little DNA
shared between acquaintances. I’m sure Connor was going to sign
something saying he wasn’t raising the kid, right?”

“Yes, we had discussed a contract when Jeff
continued not to want Connor involved.”

“I bet I’m an even better candidate than
Connor was.”

“And how is that?”

“Everyone wants a healthy, smart, and
attractive kid, right? Well, I just got a clean bill of health with
my yearly company physical. My family doesn’t have a history of any
major diseases or mental illness. I graduated top of my class from
the University of Georgia,
and
I have my MBA.” He winked at
Emma. “And I think it’s safe to say I’d bring some mighty fine
looking genes into the picture.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “But what’s the
catch? No offense, but besides us working at the same company, I
barely know you. And what I do know isn’t very flattering.
Regardless of how lightly you’re taking it, offering a part of your
essence is a huge sacrifice on someone’s part. I just can’t imagine
you doing anything so unselfish.”

Aidan swept his hand over his heart. “Damn,
Emma, that really wounds me. I mean, I just put my life on the line
not an hour ago when you and Connor were fighting, yet I’m still a
selfish prick.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just answer the
question.”

He grinned. “Okay, okay, you’re right. My
motives are not completely unselfish.”

“I knew it!” she huffed.

“Here’s my proposition. I offer to father
your child, and you in turn, promise to conceive it with me
naturally
.”

Fear radiated over her, causing to her to
shudder. “Naturally? As in you and I…have sex?”

“Most women would find that a little more
appealing than you just did,” he mused.

She shook her head furiously. “I can’t have
sex with you!”

“Why?”

“I just can’t.”

“You’re going to have to give me a
reason.”

Emma twisted the paper napkin in her hands
like she was prone to do when she was nervous. “It’s just I believe
sex is something sacred and special meant to be done between two
people who are deeply committed to each other and who are in
love.”

His brows furrowed. “And how many times have
you been deeply committed to someone?”

She refused to meet his expectant gaze.
“Once,” she whispered.

“Holy shit.” He shook his head. “That’s
unbelievable.”

Emma snapped her gaze up to meet his. “I’m
sure it’s hard for you to comprehend anyone who doesn’t bang
everything that moves! But I don’t play that game. And yes, I was
twenty when I lost my virginity to a guy I’d been dating for over a
year who later became my fiancée.”

“I didn’t realize you were divorced.”

“I’m not. He got killed in a car accident six
months before we were supposed to get married.” Emma fought the
deluge of emotions that arose from Travis’s memory. Regret was
there as much as grief. How many times had she tortured herself for
pushing their wedding date back? At the time, she thought she was
being practical and sensible. She wanted to finish college, and
then she wanted him to get half-way through medical school. That’s
how she had met Casey. Her boyfriend, Nate, and Travis were best
friends at Emory.

Aidan brought her out of her thoughts.
Grimacing, he said, “Jesus, Em, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“How long ago was it?”

“Four years.”

He choked on the beer he had just guzzled.
After he recovered from a coughing fit, he asked, “You haven’t have
sex in
four
years?”

“No,” she whispered, running her finger along
one of the deep grooves in the table’s wood. She hated herself for
admitting it to Aidan, but he had to understand why his proposition
was so absurd. Even though her need for a baby was desperate, it
wasn’t desperate enough to warrant having casual sex with a
notorious womanizer. Or was it…

“Fuck me,” he murmured. “How do you stand
it?”

Emma narrowed her eyes at his incredulous
expression. “When the last four years of your life have been a
living hell, sex doesn’t really rank high on your list of
priorities.”

Aidan furrowed his brows. “What do you
mean?”

She stared down at the napkin, which now lay
shredded in her lap, and tried to keep her emotions in check. The
last thing she wanted to do was become hysterical in front of him
for the second time that evening. “After Travis, my fiancée, was
killed, I just shut down for a year. I guess you could say I was
like a zombie. I got up, went to work, and came home. Then just as
I started to see sunlight again, my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
She was my whole world, and for eighteen months, my entire life was
consumed with taking care of her.” Tears blurred her eyes. “And
then she just slipped away.”

At the sight of Aidan’s stricken expression,
Emma gave a nervous laugh. “I can only imagine right now you’re
wishing you’d never asked me out for a drink, least of all
propositioned me.”

“That’s not what I was thinking at all.”

“Oh really now?”

“If you must know, I was thinking more about
how I’ve never met a woman like you before.”

“Is there supposed to be a compliment in
there?”

“Of course there is. I’m not that big of an
asshole, you know.” After she rolled her eyes skeptically, he took
her hand in his. “You’re like a paradox to me. One minute you’re
like this fragile flower and the next you’re tough as unflinching
steel.”

Emma couldn’t keep her mouth from gaping
open. “I can’t believe you just said something that deep and
sensitive.”

“I have my moments,” he replied, with a
grin.

“By all means, please try to have more of
them.”

Aidan’s jovial expression turned serious.
“I’m truly sorry about everything you’ve been through in the last
few years. No one should have to endure so much and do it
alone.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, as she tried not
to stare at him like he had suddenly grown horns. Was it actually
possible that underneath his self-centered persona there was
actually a good heart? One that truly cared about all she had been
through?

“And I’m also sorry about giving you such a
hard time about the sex thing. It’s quite refreshing to meet a
woman with old fashioned ideals.”

“You’re serious?”

Aidan gave Emma a sheepish grin. “Yes, I am.
It’s also nice to know that you’re very public rejection at the
Christmas party wasn’t just about me but more about your personal
beliefs.”

“Honestly, could you be more egotistical?”
Emma replied, but she couldn’t help smiling at him.

“All joking aside, I can see why you want to
have baby.”

“Oh you can?”

He nodded. “You’ve had so much death and loss
that you just want a little life in you.” He squeezed her hand.
“Right?”

Emma sucked in a raspy breath as his words
reverberated through her. How was it possible for someone like
Aidan to tap into the very heart of her emotions when even Casey
sometimes didn’t understand her deep desire for motherhood? “Yes,”
she murmured.

“Then let me give you that. Let me give you a
baby.”

She fought the urge to pinch herself at the
absurdity of the situation. How had she gone from being an
emotional wreck at the baby shower to having a man offering to
fulfill her wildest dreams? The rational side of mind her railed
against her heart. “Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds? I
don’t even know you! Why are you even offering up a part of
yourself to me of all people?”

“I already told you why.”

Emma gave a frustrated sniff. “So you can
sleep with me. That’s your only motivation?”