The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement (3 page)

“Yes. It's my room.”

She whirled around and narrowed her eyes at him. “Surely, you don't expect…” She couldn't finish her sentence, her mind conjuring up hurtful images of the last time she'd been with Nick.

Nick set her bags down and leisurely looked her over
from the top of her bandaged head to her toes inserted in beach flip-flops. Tingles of panic slid through her.

“It makes the most sense, Brooke. There's an adjoining room where the nurse will sleep.” And finally, he added, “I'll take the guest room, two doors down.”

Her sigh of relief was audible and so embarrassing that she couldn't face him. What made her think he was at all interested in her anyway? He probably had scores of women dangling, just waiting for a call from him.

She scoured the room looking for a safe place to lay Leah down to sleep. Finally, she glanced at Nick, who was busy taking out a few items of clothing from his dresser. “There was a little play yard for Leah in the trunk of my car.”

“It's here.”

“It is?”

He nodded. “I got the rest of your things out of your trunk this morning.”

“And you brought them here?”

He shrugged. “I figured the kid needed them. I'll bring them up later.”

Overwhelmed with gratitude and ready to cry, she didn't know what to say. “I, uh…thank you, Nick.”

“No problem. Use whatever you need. There's a great shower and tub. Climb into bed if you want to. The nurse is due in half an hour. I'll send her up when she gets here.”

“What about you? You must have had plans today. Don't let us keep you.”

“Sweetheart, no one keeps me from doing what I want to do.” He winked and walked out of the bedroom.

How well she knew.

“Well, Leah, that was Nick Carlino.”

Leah looked around, her eyes wide, fascinated by her new surroundings. She made a cooing sound that warmed Brooke's heart. All that mattered was that both of them
were safe and provided for at the moment. She sat down on Nick's bed and bounced Leah on her knee. “Promise me you won't go falling for him, baby girl,” she said, clapping their hands together and making Leah giggle. “He's not to be trusted. Mommy did that once and it wasn't good. Not good at all.”

 

“That's a first for you,” his brother Joe said, as he toweled off from his swim in the pool. “You're letting a woman and her child stay at the house.”

“It's not like I had a choice.” Nick glanced at his middle brother with disdain. “What was I supposed to do? She's got a kid. She's injured and has nowhere else to go. I couldn't walk away. Her head's not right.”

“Must not be, if she moved in with you.” Joe toweled off from his swim and put his glasses back on. He was building his fiancée a house and though he lived at Ali's condo currently, Nick had to put up with his gibes when he came over to do his hundred laps in the pool. Joe was the geek in the family and swimming was his only means of physical activity.

“Good thing you know your way around a computer. You'd never make it as a comedian.”

Joe ignored him. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Brooke Hamilton. We went to high school together.”

“Brooke Hamilton? That name sounds familiar.”

Nick kept his mouth shut. Let his brother figure it out.

“Oh, she's the one who worked at that Cab Café, right?”

Bingo.

“I remember her now. She was the waitress who had a big crush on you.”

“Ancient history.” Nick didn't want to bring up the past.
It had been the one time in his young life he'd done the right thing. The one time, he'd put someone else's needs above his own. He'd let Brooke off the hook. Still, after all these years, when she looked at him, it was with wariness and contempt. Could it be she still held a grudge over what happened?

“So you're the Good Samaritan now?”

“Something like that,” Nick muttered, squinting into the sun. “Like I said, she's here temporarily. A few days at most. Just until Maynard gives her the okay to be on her own.”

“Yeah, speaking of that, how is it that my little brother gets in a car crash and doesn't tell his brothers?”

“I tried calling. Then I remembered you were in the Bahamas. Or were supposed to be.”

“We got back late last night. If you got our voicemail, it's probably because we were sleeping. So, how are you?”

Nick lifted his arms out wide. “I'm gonna live.”

“Amen to that, little brother. How old's the kid?”

“Leah is five months old.”

“A baby?” Joe looked at him with suspicion. “You're not—”

Nick shook his head. “I just laid eyes on Brooke last night. I haven't seen her since high school. But thanks for the vote of confidence, bro.”

“Hey, don't take offense,” Joe said. “But you do have a reputation with the ladies.”

Nick couldn't deny it. He liked women and they liked him back. They had a good time together and then Nick would let them down gently and walk away. Or they'd get fed up with not getting a commitment from him and leave on their own. He never led them on or lied to them. From the beginning, he'd always let the women in his life know what to expect from him. It had been that way since he could
remember. As a young man, he assumed he'd grow out of it when the right woman came along, but his father had taken that option away from him in his attempt to control Nick. Santo Carlino had wanted one son to take over the family business and once Tony left to race cars and Joe took off to New York to develop software for a global company, the youngest son got the brunt of his father's manipulations.

Santo had done a number on him and Nick had taken a hard fall.

“I'm not interested in Brooke Hamilton. Hell, give me a break, Joe. I'm doing a good deed here, not looking for an instant family.”

Damn it! Nick glanced up to find Brooke standing behind Joe. The baby bottle she held slipped from her hand. Flustered, her face turned color and Nick couldn't tell if she was angry or embarrassed.

Angry, he decided.

Joe swept up the bottle quickly and handed it to her. “Here you go. Hi, I'm Joe.”

“I remember. Hi, Joe.” She took the bottle graciously and smiled at him. Those knock-out hazel eyes, the shade of tropical waters, lit up her whole face.

“Sorry to hear about the accident,” Joe said. “I hope you recover well from your injuries.”

“Thank you.” As if she had forgotten about her head injury, she touched her forehead. “I'm doing okay.”

“Shouldn't you be resting?” Nick asked. He'd shown the nurse to their room an hour ago and she'd promised to watch over both mother and child.

She glanced at him and the light in her eyes faded as fast as her smile. “I couldn't calm down so I thought I'd get some air.”

“With that?” Nick pointed to the baby's bottle. Seemed she only had a smile for Joe.

“Oh, I was on my way to the kitchen to store this. It's expressed breast milk.”

Nick blinked. “Expressed?”

“I think this is my cue to leave,” Joe said, adjusting the glasses on his nose. He darted glances at both of them then bid them good-bye and left.

“Sorry to bother you,” Brooke said to him, not sounding sorry at all as she turned to leave.

“Brooke?”

She stopped and whirled around. “It's not as if Leah and I have a choice in this, Nick. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I don't want to be here anymore than you want us here.”

“If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here. Why couldn't you calm down?”

Brooke fidgeted with the bottle in her hands. He didn't want to think about how she'd expressed the milk into the bottle. Some things were beyond male comprehension. She glanced away, looking at the pool, then the grounds, and finally back at him. “I, uh, it's the accident. I keep replaying it in my head. Every time I close my eyes, it's there. I hear it. I see it.” She took a swallow and her voice cracked then lowered to a bare whisper. “And when I think what might have happened to Leah…”

Nick walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “But nothing happened to Leah. You're going to be fine.”

“My brain knows that.” She closed her eyes for a second, then when she opened them again, granting him a soft look, something pierced through his gut. It was
something
that he didn't recognize.
Something
that was new and strange to him.

He touched her cheek and got lost in her eyes. He had a need to protect. To comfort. He brought his mouth
close and brushed his lips to hers. The kiss was meant to reassure, to help her find some peace, but Nick didn't expect the sensations to rip through him. He didn't expect to want more. Sure, he'd once been attracted to Brooke. She'd been different than the other girls he'd been with in high school. There was substance to her, a depth that other girls didn't have at that age. She hadn't been a party girl. Maybe that's why Nick had been attracted to her. She was unique and special and Nick had realized that during the one night they'd spent together when he'd almost taken her virginity.

For years after, he'd wondered if he'd been really noble or scared that she was the one who could tie him down. And for years after he'd also imagined what it would have been like making love to her. Her first time. He'd wanted it to be with him, yet, he knew enough to back off. He'd done the right thing back then.

Her lips were warm and inviting. Devouring her heart-shaped mouth until she was swollen and puffy would be easy, but Nick pulled away. She gazed at him with a question in her eyes. He circled a lock of her long hair with his finger and tugged gently. “Just so you know, there aren't any strings attached to you staying here.”

“I know,” she said abruptly. “You're doing a good deed and you don't want an instant family. You're not interested, and buddy, neither am I.”

She turned on her heel and walked off. He watched her stop to fight off a dizzy spell before climbing the stairs. He waited until she made it up to the second floor before looking away and smiling. Now he remembered why he liked her so much. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and tell him off when she thought he needed it.

B
rooke lay in Nick's bed as fading sunshine spilled through the window. She'd never been one to sleep away the afternoon, but the doctor ordered rest and she would do anything to get out of the Carlino house as quickly as possible. So with Leah sleeping in her little playpen next to her and Nurse Jacobs in the adjoining room, Brooke punched the pillow and placed it under her head then forced her eyes closed.

But rest wasn't coming easy. Her little episode with Nick down by the pool played over in her mind.
Stupid, Brooke. You let him kiss you.

Nick Carlino wasn't lacking in the kiss department. He knew what he was doing and always had. He was sexy down to the bone. Even with a dozen internal warnings screaming at her to back away from Nick, the second his lips touched hers, magic happened.

Foolishly, she'd gotten lost in his touch and taste, wanting
more. More comfort. More reassurance. More magic. But Brooke wouldn't let the need inside her grow. She might have had a weak moment, but she'd be on guard now.

She took slow deep breaths, calming her nerves and letting all the tension ooze out of her body. The events of the past twenty-four hours had finally caught up to her. Her head ached less and less and sleep seemed possible now.

 

Nick left his group of friends at the window booth in the Cab Café, and headed her way. The minute Brooke spotted him approaching the counter her heart skipped some very necessary beats. Every time he came into the café with his friends she wanted to run and hide.

She wasn't one of them. The baseball jocks and their cheerleader girlfriends had their own exclusive club. Their friendliness ended with casual hellos. They wouldn't let her inside their circle, even if she wanted to be let in. She worked at the Cab Café and wore a purple and white uniform with an apron decorated with lavender grapes. She lived on the wrong side of town.

“Hi,” Nick said, straddling the stool in front of her.

“Hi. What can I get you?” Brooke asked, as she passed him to set down coffee and a slice of peach pie for a customer.

“Would love a vanilla shake, but I'm in training. Just a lemonade.” He smiled.

“You got it,” Brooke said, trying not to stare at him. Nick Carlino had a set of dimples that made mush of her brains. “How's the team doing?”

“We won last night. I hit home run number twelve.”

Brooke poured his lemonade and slid the glass over. “Is that a record?”

“Not yet, but I'm getting close. You should come to the games.”

“I, uh, thanks. Maybe I will.” Brooke had to work on the weekends. That's when they were the busiest. But Nick didn't know about things like that. He came from the privileged class and she doubted he knew anything about sacrifice or paying the bills.

“I hope so.” He stared into her eyes so long, heat traveled up her neck.

Why did he care if she came to his baseball games? “I'll try.”

He sipped his lemonade. “How'd you do on the trig test?”

“Got an A, but I sweated that one. You?”

“You beat me, Brooke.” His blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “I don't like to lose.”

It was official now. It wasn't just her brain melting—her entire body turned marshmallow-soft hearing him say her name. “Try studying. I hear it's a sure way to ace a test.”

Nick chuckled and rose from the stool, taking the last sip of his lemonade. He laid down some money on the counter. He was a good tipper for a high school student. She moved on to her next customer at the counter and Nick walked away. When he reached the middle of the café, he turned back around and caught her eye one last time. “I've got a game tomorrow at three.”

She nodded her acknowledgment just as the Victors' head cheerleader, Candy Rae Brenner, slipped her hand into Nick's and pulled him along, giving Brooke a dismissive look.

 

The dream startled her awake. But it wasn't a dream—it was a real memory. Brooke hadn't thought about that day in a long time. She didn't know why that particular scene entered her dreams, but it must have to do with the fact that she'd hit Nick's car and was sleeping in his bed.

She glanced at Leah beside her, all rosy cheeks and dark blonde curls wrapped into a sweet sleeping bundle. Leah made everything possible. She held her mama's heart in those tiny little hands.

Concentrate on her, Brooke. Forget about Nick. And the past.

But Brooke couldn't do it. The dream had been so real, so vivid that it triggered more memories of Nick. Those next few weeks entered her mind with stunning accuracy.

“You didn't come to the game.” Nick caught up to her as she walked down the hall past the chemistry lab. School was out and she had a long walk home.

She glanced at him. Tremors of excitement erupted inside and she felt queasy from the turmoil stirring her stomach. Why was he walking with her? “I had to work. You know, some of us have to earn a living.”

“Little Miss Attitude today, aren't you?”

“Me?” She pointed to her chest then realized her mistake. Nick's gaze followed the direction of her finger and he studied her chest. He raised his brows and stared some more. It figured she'd be wearing a tank top that revealed a modest amount of cleavage today.

She scurried past him but he caught up to her. “Hey, are you working after school?”

“Why?” she asked, curious what he wanted with her. “Need a study buddy for trig?”

Nick laughed. “Hell no. I'm getting a passing grade, that's good enough. As long as I keep my grades up, I'm on the team.”

“And that's all that matters?”

Nick was a sure thing for the major league draft. The entire school rallied around him. He was the golden boy who earned okay grades and had a batting record that brought the scouts out in droves.

“For me, yeah. I'm not going to college. And I'm not working for my old man. It's baseball or nothing.”

He had dreams, Brooke thought, and he'd probably attain them. He was after all, the golden boy. While Brooke faced community college and working to help her mother pay the bills, others would be off pursuing a life that would mean something important to them.

“So, are you working or not?”

“Later tonight I am,” she answered.

“I'll drive you home.”

She was ready to say no thanks, but then she looked into Nick's midnight blue eyes and hope swelled in her chest. Her heart wanted to say yes, but her brain got in the way. “Why?”

“Why what? Why do I want to drive you home?”

She furrowed her brows and nodded.

“Maybe I'm going that way.” Then he leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Or maybe I like you.”

She laughed, thinking that would be the day, and looked away.

Nick moved in front of her so she had to face him. “Brooke?”

He said her name again in a tone that sounded sincere and…hopeful. It was the hopeful part that swept through her like a hurricane, obliterating all rational thought. She nodded and smiled. “Okay.”

His world-class dimples emerged, stealing her breath. “C'mon, my car's in the parking lot.”

Those last weeks in June before graduation were a combination of highs and lows. Whenever Nick didn't have practice after school, he'd drive her home and they'd sit on her front porch and talk about everything and anything. She'd learned a lot about his childhood, his baseball dreams and when he spoke of his mother, it was with fondness and
love. Each day, Brooke had fallen more and more in love with him. It was a young girl's fascination, but the feelings she had for him were real. He'd never asked her on a date or tried to kiss her, which contradicted his reputation. He'd dated every popular girl on campus, Candy Rae being the latest in the string. Rumor had it that they'd broken up and Nick had alluded to it, but one thing he didn't talk about with Brooke was other girls.

She'd resigned herself to the fact that she was Nick's “friend” who lived on the other side of town. When prom came, Brooke had waited, but Nick never said a word, so she accepted a date with the busboy that worked with her at the Cab Café. She'd shown up in a dress she'd splurged on from her meager savings. Her mother, who had a great sense of style, had curled her hair and helped with makeup. When she spotted Nick at the dance with Candy Rae her heart sank. Though Nick had never promised her a thing, she felt hopeless and dejected, but was determined not to take it out on poor Billy Sizemore, her date. They'd danced and danced, and took pictures under the corny grapevine arbor inside the hall where the prom was held.

She came out of the ladies room and was instantly grabbed by the waist and pressed against the wall of a secluded corner by the bathroom. “Nick? What are you doing?”

“Just wanted to say hello.”

“Hello,” she droned without emotion.

The dimples of doom came out and Brooke had an uncanny urge to touch her fingertip to one.

“You look amazing.” His gaze swept over her hair, her dress, her body and then he looked deep into her eyes. “You have incredible eyes. It's the first thing I noticed about you.”

Nick was deadly handsome and so near, she could
hardly breathe. What she couldn't figure out was why he was torturing her.

“I didn't want to bring Candy Rae here,” he confessed. “The fact is, she made me promise months ago.”

“And you don't break your promises?”

“Try not to. Her mother called my father last week to make sure I'd follow through. He put the old Italian guilt on me.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

He looked at her quizzically. “You don't know?”

She shook her head.

He reached out to touch her hair, his gaze flowing over her face. A long moment passed and then he bent his head and kissed her.

Brooke couldn't believe this was happening. His lips were just like she imagined, amazingly warm and giving, a prelude and a promise of more to come. Brooke had waited so long for this, for him, that at first she just remained there enjoying the sensations rippling through her, frozen like an ice sculpture and melting a little at a time.

He wrapped his arms around her and she found herself immersed in Nick Carlino, his touch, his scent, his body pressed to hers. And she was through holding back. She returned his kiss with everything she had inside. He kissed her again, his mouth more demanding now, and a wild sort of frenzy built. Lust combined with the love she held in her heart for him and everything else faded from her mind. He parted her lips and drove his tongue into her mouth. Sensations whirled and she let out tiny gasps as he devoured her, his desire overwhelming.

Overhead, an announcement rang out calling for the last dance.

“I've got to go,” he said with a low rasp. He backed away from her but the regret in his eyes bolstered her spirit.
Things had gotten out of control. Wonderfully so and she knew that when she went to sleep that night, her dreams would be of Nick.

 

Nurse Jacobs entered her room to take her blood pressure and temperature. Brooke waited patiently, sitting upright on the bed, while the older, sweet-faced woman removed the cuff and took the digital thermometer out of her mouth.

“All looks good, Mrs. Keating. Your blood pressure is normal and so is your temperature. How about the dizzy spells?”

She'd told the nurse once already not to call her Mrs. Keating. She hated the reminder of her marriage. “It's Brooke, remember? And I had a slight dizzy spell earlier, but nothing for a few hours.”

The nurse looked pleased. “The rest is doing you good. Now, if I could get you to eat something. Mr. Carlino said that dinner would be ready at six. Are you up to going downstairs or shall I bring food up to you?”

“Oh, no. That's not necessary. We'll go down.”

Leah began to stir and she knew her baby had enough of napping. She'd want some stimulation and learning about these new surroundings would satisfy her curiosity. Brooke would take her outside later to get some air as well.

“She's a good baby and a good sleeper.” Nurse Jacobs smiled at Leah. “My children weren't good sleepers. I tried everything, but they were determined to keep their mom up most of the night. But they were good kids after that. Didn't give me a wink of trouble as teenagers.”

“I guess you can't ask for more than that,” Brooke said, suddenly curious about the nurse. “Are they grown now?”

“My son is finishing up college at Berkeley. My daughter,
she's the older one, is married and I'm hoping she'll make me a grandmother one day.”

Brooke thought about her own mother. She'd had a tough life and was finally married again and living in Hawaii with her new husband, a widower and former naval officer with a kind heart who thought the sun rose and set on her mother's shoulders. Brooke was glad of it and though they missed each other, she knew her mother would spend some extended visits with them once Brooke and Leah settled into their new home.

“My mom is really crazy about Leah,” Brooke said. “We saw her last month and—”

Leah fussed, letting out a complaining cry. Brooke stood up to go to her, but the room spun instantly and she reached out for the bed to steady herself. She closed her eyes until the feeling passed.