Книга - Billionaire’s Bargain

Billionaire's Bargain
Maureen Child


She’s always wanted him. Now he needs her too.When Adam Quinn becomes legal guardian to his late brother’s baby, he’s in need of reinforcements. Enter Sienna West the one-time wife of Adam’s brother who swore off Quinn men. But now Sienna can’t deny the desire in Adam’s gaze…







Her ex’s brother is the one she always wanted.

Now he needs her, bad.

When Adam Quinn becomes legal guardian of his late brother’s baby, it’s time to call in reinforcements. Enter Sienna West—the savvy, sexy photographer who once was married to Adam’s no-good brother. Sienna swore off the Quinns after her divorce, but she can’t deny the need in Adam’s voice...or the desire in his gaze. The desire they’re no longer forbidden to explore...


MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Mills & Boon Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time finalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.


Also by Maureen Child (#u4d2c756d-bb06-5c29-b449-2f8e75f28458)

The Baby Inheritance

Maid Under the Mistletoe

The Tycoon’s Secret Child

A Texas-Sized Secret

Little Secrets: His Unexpected Heir

Rich Rancher’s Redemption

Billionaire’s Bargain

Having Her Boss’s Baby

A Baby for the Boss

Snowbound with the Boss

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


Billionaire’s Bargain

Maureen Child






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


ISBN: 978-1-474-07648-7

BILLIONAIRE’S BARGAIN

© 2018 Maureen Child

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


To the Canterbury girls—Teresa, Patti, Mary, Colleen and Peggy. For the memories, for the laughs and because I love you guys.


Contents

Cover (#ucbfa7828-54fc-507f-9480-b8349612451d)

Back Cover Text (#ub44106ce-1ea2-5ba8-b163-31fc06f402c7)

About the Author (#u1c9bf576-6a7c-5a33-ae2e-f50c1ace2f87)

Booklist (#u1d76d1b5-0103-57f3-84c0-0164fd823b2a)

Title Page (#u7185b60a-237d-576a-9f71-d048255e8b09)

Copyright (#uc87d3fb8-e544-59da-8c4a-2d048305fa79)

Dedication (#ube49973b-6722-52d5-9d57-ce2330704249)

One (#ud8df454b-5991-529c-9ae1-c96beff8ee74)

Two (#ue3a5f5ce-4d9a-51c7-8ea3-93590152cd95)

Three (#u381e87f3-770c-5bf9-98ab-2d7219ef8241)

Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)


One (#u4d2c756d-bb06-5c29-b449-2f8e75f28458)

“Fifty thousand dollars and the baby’s all yours.”

Adam Quinn swallowed back a quick jolt of anger and studied his adversary. Kim Tressler was about thirty, with white-blond hair cut into a sharp wedge that clung to her cheeks. She wore a black, body-hugging dress that left little to the imagination. Her heavily lined blue eyes were narrowed on him and her mouth was a grim, red slash. She stood hipshot, with her infant son propped on her left hip.

Deliberately, he kept himself from looking too closely at the baby. His dead brother’s son. Adam had to keep his head on straight to deal with this woman and that wouldn’t happen if he looked at Devon’s child.

Adam was used to handling all sorts of adversaries. Owning one of the world’s largest construction and property development companies ensured that Adam regularly went head-to-head with many different types of personalities. And he always found a way to win. This time, though, it wasn’t business. It was personal. And it cut damn deep.

Glancing down at the DNA test lying open on his desk, Adam saw proof that the baby’s father was Devon Quinn, Adam’s younger brother. He kept his gaze fixed on the paperwork even as he admitted silently that the test hadn’t been necessary. The baby boy looked just like Devon. So that meant there was no way Adam could leave the baby with his mother. Hell, he wouldn’t want to leave a dog with her. Kim came across as cold and mercenary. Exactly the kind of woman Devon would go for. Adam’s brother had always had miserable taste in women.

With one major exception. Devon’s ex-wife, Sienna West.

Adam felt a flicker of something he didn’t want to acknowledge, then deliberately pushed all thoughts of Sienna from his mind. He was dealing with a very different kind of woman at the moment, and he needed to focus.

“Fifty thousand,” he repeated, slowly lifting his gaze to hers.

“It’s fair.” She lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug and when the baby started fussing, she jiggled him furiously to try to silence him. Rather than looking at her child, she slid a fast, careful glance around Adam’s office and he knew what she was seeing.

His inner office was huge, with a massive, mahogany desk that now stood between him and the woman. Wide windows offered a spectacular view of the Pacific, where surfers and boaters plied the water’s surface. Framed photos of some of his company’s more famous projects lined the battleship-gray walls, and wood floors were softened by deep, ruby-colored rugs. He’d worked hard to put his company where it was at the moment and damned if he cared for having her look around like everything in the place had dollar signs on it.

When the infant subsided into whimpers, she shifted her attention back to Adam and said, “Look. This is Devon’s child. He promised to take care of me and the baby. He’s the one who wanted a kid. Now that he’s dead, all of that’s over. My career’s taking off and I don’t have the time to take care of it. I don’t want the baby. But since he’s Devon’s, I’m guessing you do.”

No more motherly instinct than a feral cat.In fact, less, he told himself, immediately feeling sorry for the baby. At the same time, Adam couldn’t help wondering what the hell his brother had seen in this woman. Even considering that Devon had always been as deep as a puddle, why would he choose to make a child with a woman who was so clearly mercenary? She didn’t give a flying damn about her own child—or Adam’s brother.

He swallowed hard at how easily she dismissed Devon and his memory. Adam’s younger brother had had his issues, but damn it, he deserved better than he was getting from his former lover. But that was Devon. He’d never thought beyond the next adventure. The next woman. Sadly, he’d never had a chance to move on from this one. And though he’d known about his child, he hadn’t left a will because he’d expected to live forever.

Instead, he’d died in a horrific boating accident in the south of France just a little over six months ago. That wound was still fresh enough to bring a wave of pain that washed over Adam. When Devon died, it had been a year since Adam had spoken to him. Now he never would.

“Does he have a name?” Since she’d only referred to the child as “the baby,” Adam wouldn’t have been surprised to find she hadn’t bothered to name him, either.

“Of course he has a name. It’s Jack.”

After their father. Adam didn’t know whether to be moved or angry. Devon had cut himself off from the family, and then named the child he’d never know after a grandfather dead long before his birth.

Time for introspection later, he warned himself.

“What took you so long to bring the baby to me?” Adam leaned back in his chair and studied her, still keeping his gaze from straying to the child.

“I’ve been busy.” She shook her hair back from her face and winced when the child slapped one hand against her cheek. “Since all of the publicity revolving around Devon’s death, I’ve had several modeling gigs in France.”

Money made on the broken bones of his dead brother. Kim was trading on being Devon’s last lover and clearly her child was slowing her down. Fury, ripe and rich, boiled and bubbled in the pit of his stomach and he knew he couldn’t afford to let her see it. Damned if Adam wanted to give the bitch a dime, but he also couldn’t see himself leaving a defenseless kid with such a cold woman.

She sighed and tapped the toe of her high-heeled sandal against the hardwood floor. “Are you going to pay me or do I—”

“What?” He stood abruptly, planted both hands on his desk and stared into her eyes. He was willing to call her bluff. Remind her that he was the one in charge here. She’d come to him, not the other way around. He had the power in this little scuffle and they both knew it. “What exactly will you do, Ms. Tressler? Drop him off at an orphanage? Try to sell him to someone else?”

Sparks fired in her eyes, but wisely, she kept silent.

“We both know you’re not going to do either of those things. Mainly, because I’d put my lawyers on you and they’d tangle your career up so tightly you’d be lucky to get a job posing beside a bag of dog food.”

Her eyes narrowed and she breathed in fast, shallow gasps.

“You want money, you’ll get it.” He’d avoided looking at the baby, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her even touching Devon’s kid a moment longer. He came around the edge of his desk, scooped the baby boy out of her grip and held him uneasily. The child stared at him through wide, unblinking eyes, almost as if he were trying to decide what he thought about the whole thing.

Adam couldn’t blame him. The boy had been dragged halfway across the globe, and then handed off to a stranger. It was a wonder he wasn’t howling. Hell, it was a wonder Adam wasn’t howling. He hadn’t been around kids much and babies, almost never. By design.

That was, apparently, going to change. Fast.

“Fine. Then let’s finish our business and I’ll be on my way.”

He dismissed her with a cool look, then hit the intercom button on his desk phone. When it took a few seconds for his assistant to answer, he knew Kevin had probably been listening at the door. No doubt, the man was ready to toss Kim Tressler out on her well-toned ass.

“Kevin,” he said curtly. “Get legal in here. I need them to draw up an agreement. Now.”

“On it.”

“Legal?” Kim’s eyebrows lifted into high arches.

“You think I’m handing you fifty thousand dollars without making sure it’s the last time you come to me for money?”

Adam knew her type. Hell, before Devon died, Adam and the company had paid off dozens of women he’d grown tired of. Again, with the exception being Sienna West. When she and Devon had divorced, Sienna had refused a settlement—in spite of the fact that Adam had done everything he could to change her mind.

“What if I don’t sign?” Kim asked.

“Oh, you’ll sign,” Adam told her. “You want the money too much to refuse. And, I’ll warn you now, if you try anything—like renegotiating—I’ll file for custody. I’ll win. I can afford to fight you for years. Hell, by the time everything’s settled, you’ll be bleaching gray roots. Understood?”

Her mouth worked as if words were gathering there, trying to spill free, but she was holding them back. Finally, she managed to say, “Understood.”

There was no way she’d fight him on this. Mainly because she just didn’t care enough.

Adam looked at the baby boy in his arms and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do now. Adam knew nothing about babies. There was no family for him to call on for help. His dad was gone and his mother was living in Florida with her latest boyfriend—and she wasn’t exactly a “typical” grandma, anyway.

He was going to have to hire someone. A nanny. But until then... Reaching for the intercom button again, he pressed it and said, “Kevin, come in here, will you?”

A second or two later, the office door opened to reveal Kevin Jameson. Tall, with dark blond hair and sharp eyes the same shade of blue as his silk tie, Kevin paused long enough to give the woman in the room a hard look, then walked to Adam. “What do you need?”

Instantly, Adam handed the baby over and just managed to swallow a sigh of relief before it could escape. If the situation had been different, he might have laughed at the expression of pure panic on Kevin’s face, but Adam had a feeling his own features hadn’t looked much different a minute or two ago. “Take care of him while Kim and I get this situation resolved.”

“Me?” Kevin held the baby as he would have a stick of dynamite with a burning fuse.

“Yeah. His stuff is in that bag,” Adam added, then waved to the two men in staid black suits entering the room. “Thanks, Kev.”

As the lawyers huddled around the desk, Adam didn’t watch Kevin and the baby leave. But he knew he’d hear about it later. Kevin and he had been roommates in college, so they went far enough back that he’d feel free to let Adam know just what he thought about being made an instant babysitter.

With the doors closed, Adam looked at Kim and said, “This is it. A onetime payment and you’ll sign away all parental rights. Are we clear?”

She didn’t look happy—probably because she’d imagined coming back for more money whenever she felt like it. Adam wasn’t stupid enough to allow room for that.

“Fine.”

Nodding, Adam said, “Gentlemen, write it up. I want a document that turns over care of Devon’s infant son to me. And I want one that will stand up in any court.”

Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Seriously? You don’t trust me to keep my word?”

“You’re selling your son,” Adam reminded her tightly. “Why in the hell would I trust you?”

* * *

An hour later, Kim Tressler was gone and Kevin was back in Adam’s office, his feet propped on the edge of the desk. “I’ll get you for handing that baby off to me.”

“I figured you would,” Adam said, lifting his own feet to the desk. He leaned back in his chair, took a sip of coffee and wished to hell it was scotch. “You heard all of it, right? I mean before you came in to get the kid.”

“Damn right I did.” Kevin drank his own coffee. “As soon as I saw her come in with that baby, I knew there was going to be trouble.” He shook his head. “Kid looks just like his father. Adam, we both know Devon picked some crappy women in his time, but that one I think takes the prize.”

“If they gave prizes for selling your own kid, yeah, she would.”

“Man, it’s days like these that make me glad I’m gay.”

Adam snorted, then stopped. Looked around. “Where’s the baby?”

Kevin laid his head back and closed his eyes. “I put Kara in charge of him. She’s got three kids of her own, so I figured, hey. Experience counts.”

“Plus, then you didn’t have to watch him.”

“Major bonus, yes.” Kevin opened one eye to look at Adam. “I noticed you weren’t real anxious to cuddle up, either.”

“Well what the hell do I know about babies?”

“And you think I magically know something?” Kevin shuddered. “Kara’s taking care of him and I sent Teddy from accounting out to buy diapers and food and whatever the hell else it needs.”

“He. Not it.”

“Excuse me.”

“Okay, so the baby’s fine for now. But that won’t last.” Adam frowned. He needed help and he needed it now. “I have to find a nanny.”

“Well don’t look at me.”

“I wouldn’t do that to the kid.”

“Funny.” Kevin took another sip of coffee and sighed. “So do you want me to set up interviews or something?”

He could trust Kevin not only to advertise, but to interview and find the best possible person for any given job. Still, this was something he should probably do himself. “I’ll take care of it. But I need someone today.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

“What about your mom?” Adam asked, delighted when that brilliant idea popped into his mind. Kevin’s mother had practically adopted Adam into the family years ago. She was warm, kind, funny and already a grandmother thanks to Kevin’s sister Nora. “You think she’d help me out for a while?”

“She’d love it,” Kevin said, nodding. “Nothing Anna Jameson likes better than a baby.”

“Good—”

“Unfortunately for you,” Kevin added, “she’s on that Alaskan cruise you gave her for her birthday...”

“Damn it.” Scowling, Adam took another drink of his coffee.

“Got a video email from her last night,” Kevin said. “She and Aunt Noreen are having a great time. Mom bought Nick and I fur coats for winter.”

“We live in Southern California.”

Kevin shrugged. “Didn’t seem to matter to Mom. Oh, and she said to say thank you again.”

“She’s welcome again. Your sister lives in San Diego, so I can’t ask her.”

“Nora’s got three of her own. If you don’t mind the drive she probably wouldn’t even notice a fourth.”

“Funny. I just wish—never mind.” Adam looked at his friend. “Who else do we know?”

“Any number of people.” Kevin shrugged. “None of whom I’d trust with a baby. Except for maybe Nick—and before you suggest it, no.”

Kevin’s husband, Nick, loved kids. He was already an uncle many times over through not only Nora, but his own two sisters and a brother, as well. “It wouldn’t be for long.”

“Overnight is too long.” Kevin shook his head firmly. “Nick’s still talking about us adopting and I don’t want to give him more ammunition.”

“Fine.” But it wasn’t fine at all. He’d done the right thing—saved his nephew from a mother who didn’t deserve him, and now Adam had to come up with some answers. He couldn’t think of anyone who might ride to the temporary rescue. Not as if he could ask his own ex-wife. Even the thought of that made him laugh quietly. Tricia was a TV reporter and had less knowledge of kids than he did. Besides that, he and Tricia hadn’t spoken since their marriage ended more than five years ago. They’d had nothing in common then and even less now. And to top it all off, Tricia was working at a Seattle station now, so geographically undesirable anyway.

Frowning, Adam realized how insular his world was. He set his coffee cup down and tapped his fingers against the desktop. Most of the people he knew were business acquaintances. He didn’t have time for friendships, so anyone he knew was just as busy as he was.

“You’re tapping.”

He stopped, looked at Kevin. “What?”

“Your fingers. Tapping. Either start playing a tune or cut it out.”

“Right.” Adam pushed to his feet and shoved both hands through his hair. “It shouldn’t be this hard to figure out.”

“What about Delores?”

Adam shook his head. “She’s a housekeeper, not a nanny.”

“But temporarily...”

“She leaves tomorrow to visit her sister in Ohio.”

“Perfect.”

“It’s the beginning of summer. People take vacations.” Of course, the reason his people were currently gone was because he’d bought them tickets. Was this some kind of weird Karma? Make him suffer for doing something nice for Anna Jameson and Delores Banner? It seemed like the universe itself was conspiring against him. And damned if Adam would surrender. There had to be someone—

As one particular thought sailed into his mind and settled in, Adam examined it from every angle. Okay. It could work. If it didn’t blow up in his face, first.

“Who are you thinking about?”

He looked at Kevin. “Sienna.”

Kevin’s mouth dropped open. “You want Devon’s ex-wife to take care of Devon’s kid with someone else.”

Frowning, Adam murmured, “It didn’t sound that bad in my head.”

“Well it should have. Adam, she left Devon because he didn’t want kids.”

He waved that aside. “That’s only one of the reasons.”

“Exactly.” Kevin stood up and faced his friend. “Devon was an ass to her and now you want to continue the Quinn family tradition?”

“This will be a straight-up business arrangement.”

“Oh well, that’s different then.”

Ignoring the sarcasm, Adam stalked across the room to the wide window that overlooked the sea. Kevin was right, but that didn’t matter because Adam couldn’t think of anyone else but Sienna.

One part of his mind took in the scene before him, the impossibly small boat, red sails billowing in the wind. A pod of dolphins leaping from the water like ballet dancers. Surfers riding waves toward shore. But while he could enjoy the view, most of his brain was talking himself into his best chance. “She’s the only one I know who could do this.”

“Maybe, but why should she?” The argument was a good one and they both knew it. Kevin walked over to stand beside him. “When she divorced Devon, she didn’t want his money. What makes you think she’ll take yours?”

Adam looked at his oldest friend. “Because I won’t give her a choice.”

* * *

Sienna West gently tucked the newborn’s arms beneath its chest, turned that perfect little face toward her, then stepped back and took the shot. The lighting was perfect. The pale, lemon yellow blanket beneath the baby highlighted the tiny girl’s copper skin tone and the yellow-and-white daisies scattered around and across the impossibly small, naked body gave an almost fairy-like impression.

Sienna took a few more shots in rapid succession, then her assistant, Terri, stepped in to gently lay a daisy against the baby girl’s ear. More clicks of the digital camera and finally Sienna sat back and smiled. She checked the screen on her camera and felt that familiar flush of accomplishment. They’d already been at it for half an hour while the baby quietly slept through prop changes, hair brushing and lighting changes. This couldn’t last forever. Quickly, she scrolled through the shots, seeing ones she liked, ones she would edit and others she would delete.

Glancing up at the proud parents hovering close by, she said, “I think that’s got it.”

“They’re going to be beautiful,” the young mom said, hurrying in to scoop up her daughter and hold her close.

“Hard to be anything else,” Sienna assured her. “She’s a gorgeous baby.”

“She is, isn’t she?” the baby’s father mused, reaching out to run one finger along his daughter’s cheek.

Quickly, Sienna lifted her camera and took several shots of the family, connected, touching, sharing a moment they weren’t even aware that they’d created. The tenderness of the young mother. The protective stance and gentle touch of the father and the sleeping baby nestled close. Checking her camera screen, Sienna smiled to herself. Since they hadn’t asked for a family print, this would be a gift from her. And, with their permission, she’d showcase it on her website, as well.

Standing up, she said, “In about a week, I’ll have some proofs to show you. Terri will give you the sign-in code for the website. Then all you have to do is decide which ones you want.”

Kissing her baby tenderly, the mother laughed a little. “That’s going to be the hard part, isn’t it?”

“Usually, yes.” Terri spoke up and began to herd the family from the room. “If you’ll come with me, you can get Kenzie dressed and I’ll get that code for you.”

Sienna watched them go, then turned to her equipment. Terri was good with the clients. As the mother of four and grandmother of six, she knew her way around babies. Plus, she had a calming touch with nervous parents and jittery kids. Hiring her had been the best move Sienna had ever made.

She took the memory card from the camera, inserted it into the computer and opened a new folder for the Johnson family. Once the images were done loading, she flipped through them with a critical eye, deleting those that didn’t meet her expectations and marking those that would be the winners.

Already, she loved the last-minute shots she’d taken of the family as a whole. It said something to her. The love in the mother’s eyes. The trusting curl of the baby’s body against her mother’s chest. The protective gleam in the father’s eyes and the visual element of his much bigger hand against his tiny daughter’s cheek.

Sienna’s heart gave a hard squeeze. Once upon a time, she’d dreamed of having kids herself. Of building a family with a man she loved, who would look at her and see everything in the world he wanted. She’d made a grab at the brass ring a few years ago—only to discover that she hadn’t really caught it at all. Instead, she’d been grabbing at fog. Wisps of dreams that in the light of day lost all cohesion.

Devon Quinn had been both the dream and the nightmare. So handsome. So charming, with a wicked smile and a twinkle in his eyes that promised adventure and love. But she’d only seen what she’d wanted to see and it hadn’t taken her long to figure out that marrying Devon had been the biggest mistake of her life. Now Sienna was divorced, with a struggling business taking pictures of children that weren’t hers.

“Wow.” Shaking her head, she ordered, “Snap out of it, Sienna.”

She usually didn’t wallow. Sienna was a firm believer in letting the past go and concentrating on the now. She didn’t spend much time remembering Devon or the marriage that had been such a disappointment.

“Sienna?”

She looked up at Terri. “The Johnsons have a question?”

“No,” the older woman said. “They paid and left. But someone else is here to see you.”

Terri didn’t look happy about it, either. Which only made Sienna wonder who could have put the uneasy look on her friend’s face. “Who is it?”

“Me.”

Terri jumped when the deep voice sounded out from right behind her. Sienna’s gaze was locked on the man standing behind her assistant as she stood up slowly. Even if she hadn’t seen him, she would have known that voice. Though she hadn’t heard it in two years, she’d have recognized it anywhere. That voice was not just deep, it carried the ring of power, letting everyone know that the man speaking was used to being heard and obeyed.

Which just didn’t fly with Sienna.

Still, her gaze locked with his and a rush of heat filled her stomach, swirled around for a heartbeat or two, then rose up in her chest.

Adam Quinn.

Her ex-brother-in-law. Funny, looking at Adam now, she could see the family resemblance between him and Devon. But she could see so much more than she once had. For example, Adam’s chocolate eyes met hers squarely. They didn’t shift around the room as Devon’s had, as if he were looking for someone more interesting to talk to.

Adam’s mouth was firm, and some would say grim, but Devon’s smile, she’d discovered, was used to disarm, deceive. Adam’s hair lacked the wave of Devon’s, but somehow the expert, somewhat shaggy cut suited him. Devon had boasted a dark tan, which had come from so much time spent playing on lakes or ski slopes while Adam’s skin was paler, letting her know that he was still more focused on his business than in entertaining himself.

He was taller than she remembered, Sienna thought. At least six foot two, and even wearing the elegantly tailored navy blue, three-piece suit, he looked more of a pirate than a businessman. Maybe, she told herself, it was because he carried an air of, not danger, exactly, but as if he were issuing a silent warning to stay out of his way or be mowed down.

And just watching him had her heartbeat speeding up. It happened every time she was around Adam. Sienna hated acknowledging that, even to herself. Devon’s brother was off-limits. Or should be. While Devon had been completely self-indulgent, Adam was too straitlaced. Too much the corporate raider for her. What she needed to do was find a man right in the middle of those two extremes. The problem was, Sienna didn’t think she’d ever meet a man who could turn her insides into a blazing inferno with a single look like Adam could.

Two years since she’d spoken to him. Seen him. And the internal fire was sizzling away. Ridiculous or not, she really wished she were wearing something more flattering than a long-sleeved white shirt and an old pair of jeans.

When she realized the humming silence between them had been stretching out interminably, she cleared her throat. “Adam. What are you doing here?”

He stepped out from behind Terri and the woman sort of skittered sideways to keep out of his path. Sienna couldn’t really blame her. Adam was intense.

“I need to talk to you,” he said, slanting the other woman a look. “Privately.”


Two (#u4d2c756d-bb06-5c29-b449-2f8e75f28458)

Giving orders again. Sienna shook her head. The man hadn’t changed a bit. The last time she’d seen him, he’d begun their meeting by telling her exactly how to handle her divorce from his brother. He’d worked out a financial settlement that would have had most women flinging themselves at his manly chest, thanking him profusely. Instead, Sienna had told him what she’d told his brother. She didn’t want the Quinn money. She just wanted the marriage to be over.

Now here he stood, two years later, still trying to take charge. Well, she’d hear him out, then go back to her life. The sooner she could put out the fire slowly boiling her blood, the better.

“Terri,” she said, “would you mind?”

“Sure,” the woman said, but added, “If you need me, I’ll be right up front.”

Sienna stopped her smile before it could get too big. Good to have friends. Even though the thought of the older woman trying to rescue her from Adam was ludicrous. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Terri left, closing the door behind her. When she was gone, Adam asked, “What does she think I’m going to do?”

“Impossible to say,” Sienna admitted. “But you do look scary and she has an excellent imagination.”

“Scary?”

Well, she mused, he didn’t look happy about that. “To someone who doesn’t know you, yeah.”

“So I don’t scare you.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and watched her, waiting for an answer.

“No, Adam. You don’t.” But, she added silently, you worry me.

“Good to know.” Frowning, he glanced around what she called her “shoot room.” While he looked, so did Sienna, seeing it as he did.

This was by no means her dream studio, but it would do for now. The images that came to life here shone when the building itself didn’t. It was a plain room, really, the walls were a cool cream and unadorned. There were props stacked neatly on a series of shelves—everything from silly hats to baby blankets to old-fashioned slates that children scrawled their names on with chalk to be held in their photos. Right now, a sturdy table with the lemon yellow throw draped over a series of small pillows took up the middle of the set, with the lights focused down on where the baby had been lying. There was good light from the wide windows and when she had a night shoot, there were literally armies of lighting scaffolds scattered around the room.

Sienna studied him while he was unaware. To her, he looked way too good, and instinctively, she lifted her camera. Light and shadow played on his features, making him an irresistible target for her lens. In the late afternoon, she was losing the light, but there was enough to make him look almost dangerously alluring as he stood, half in shadow. She took two quick shots of him before he slowly swiveled his head to stare at her.

“I didn’t come here to pose for you.”

“I figured that. So why are you here, Adam?” She glanced down at the screen on her camera. Even the photo of him was hypnotic. Oh she was in bad shape.

“I need your help.”

Surprised, she looked up at him. That, she hadn’t expected. “Really? That’s so unlike you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“You’re just not the kind of man to ever ask for help.”

“Know me that well, do you?”

“I think so,” she said. As well as anyone could know him, she hedged silently. Sienna was willing to bet that not even his ex-wife could claim to know him completely. Adam Quinn kept his thoughts and his feelings to himself. He had the best poker face in the universe and trying to see past the shields in his eyes could give you a migraine.

After she and Devon were married, she’d met Adam for the first time and thought then that two brothers couldn’t have been more different. The fact that she’d also felt a quickening inside her for the quiet, stern-faced Adam was something that had embarrassed her at the time and was strangely even more mortifying now.

Tipping her head to one side, Sienna looked at him from across the room and wished she could flip the lighting on so his eyes wouldn’t be in the shadows. “I was sorry to hear about Devon,” she said abruptly, as a niggle of guilt pinged in the center of her chest. “I thought about calling you—after. But I didn’t know what to say.”

“Yeah.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and reached down to pick up a tiny stuffed rabbit she’d used in the photo shoot with little Kenzie Johnson. He turned the soft, brown animal in his hands. “I get it. Devon didn’t exactly treat you well.”

Regret jabbed at her in twin stabs with the guilt. As much as she’d like to completely blame her failed marriage on her ex-husband, she just couldn’t. Her mom always told her that it took two to make or break a marriage. So she had to accept her own share of the blame.

“It wasn’t entirely Devon’s fault,” she said. “I wasn’t what he wanted, either.”

One eyebrow winged up. “Awfully generous.”

“Not really,” she said. “Just honest. What’s going on, Adam? It’s been two years since I’ve seen you, so why now?”

He tossed the little rabbit onto the table, then turned to face her dead-on. “I had a visit today from Devon’s latest woman.”

That news didn’t even sting, which told Sienna as nothing else could have that she was truly over Devon Quinn. Heck, he’d had other women while they were married.

“And?”

“And,” he said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck in a gesture of complete irritation. “She sold me Devon’s son.”

“She sold her child?” Sienna said it again because she could not believe what she was hearing. “And you bought him? You actually paid this woman for a child? Your own nephew?”

Adam stiffened and his features went even more grim. Eyes narrowed on her and she noticed a muscle in his jaw twitch as if he were grinding his teeth.

“I can’t believe this. My God, Adam.” She thought about little Kenzie Johnson and the love that had surrounded her. How her parents had practically beamed with pride and adoration. She actually winced, thinking about Devon’s son being sold off like a used car. “You actually bought your nephew.”

“What the hell choice did I have?” Adam sounded furious and seemed to be asking himself the question as well as her. He started pacing, in quick steps fueled by rage. “Was I going to leave the boy with her? Jesus, she hardly looked at him the whole time she was negotiating.” He snorted and repeated the word. “No, she had a price, demanded it and waited for me to pay it. It wasn’t a negotiation. It was extortion.”

Watching him quieted her own anger in sympathy for his. He’d lost his brother and then six months later, his brother’s only son had been held hostage by a mercenary woman with her own agenda. Sienna was almost too stunned to speak. Almost. The reality was hard to get past. “She sold her child. Her own child.”

A tiny ripple of pain washed through her. When she’d married, she’d assumed that she and Devon would have a family eventually. But that was one of the things that had driven them apart. He’d flatly refused, saying he didn’t want kids slowing down the “fun.” He hadn’t cared how Sienna felt about it. His dismissal of her told her more than anything that their marriage was doomed.

Now he’d made a child with a woman who clearly didn’t deserve or want the baby.

“Fifty thousand dollars.” Adam snorted again, but there was no humor there. Through gritted teeth, he added, “Apparently motherhood was getting in the way of her career.”

“You shouldn’t have paid her a dime.” What kind of woman would sell her own child? And what kind of man would pay her price?

His head snapped up and his gaze pinned hers. For a split second, Sienna felt a jolt of white-hot fury sizzle in the air between them. His expression was thunderous and maybe she should have been intimidated. But she wasn’t. Maybe that expression worked on his employees, but not her. A second or two later, he seemed to understand that.

“What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

She threw her hands up. “Oh, I don’t know. Have her arrested for trying to sell a baby? Take her to court? You’ve got legions of lawyers at your beck and call, and instead you wrote her a check.”

He scrubbed both hands over his face and she could feel his frustration. “All I was thinking about was getting Devon’s son away from her. This was the fastest solution.”

Okay, she could see that, but her insides were still fisted and her heart pounding. “And what keeps her from coming back for more? For haunting that poor baby’s life, constantly letting him know that he’s nothing more to her than a bargaining chip?”

“I’m not an idiot,” he snapped, firing a look at her that was designed to silence her arguments. “My lawyers wrote up a contract. She signed away her parental rights to me. I’m Jack’s legal guardian now. God help us both.”

Sienna blew out a breath. “Jack?”

“Yeah.” He pushed one hand through his hair again and it occurred to Sienna she’d never seen Adam this unsettled before.

“Apparently,” he continued, “Devon named his son for our father. And now the boy will never know either of them.”

A twinge of sympathy for Devon, for Adam and mostly for the baby tugged at Sienna’s heart. She’d thought when she left Devon that she was finished with the Quinn family. She’d made it a point to stay out of Adam’s way over the last two years and that wasn’t always easy. She and Adam didn’t move in the same circles, of course. He was rich, powerful and she wasn’t.

But she did take photos of the wealthy and famous. She did do photo spreads of some of the buildings he’d designed and built. But somehow, for two years, Sienna had managed to avoid him. Yet now, here he was, standing right in front of her.

She took a steadying breath that didn’t really do the trick. “Fine. So the Mother of the Year took the money and ran, I’m guessing?”

“She was nothing but a blur when she hit the office door and she probably didn’t stop until she got to the airport.”

Disgusted, she muttered, “That’s something, anyway.”

Slanting her a look, he agreed. “Exactly how I feel about it.”

She watched him as he wandered the room, looking at the props on the shelf, reaching out to pick up the wooden framed slate.

“So now what?” she asked.

He took a piece of chalk and scribbled something on the chalkboard while he talked. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Uh-huh. That doesn’t tell me anything, Adam,” she pointed out.

He flipped the slate around to her and Sienna read what he’d written.

I NEED A TEMPORARY NANNY.

She read it again, then lifted her gaze to his. “And you’re telling me, why?”

“Because I need you.”

“Me?” Her brain was racing and her thoughts flew scattershot through her mind. Her? A nanny? For Devon’s baby? What the hell? Shaking her head, she said, “I’m not a nanny, Adam. I’m a photographer with a growing business.”

“I’m not asking you to give up your business.”

“Sounds like you are.”

“Look.” He tossed the slate back onto the shelf, and then faced her. “I know this is weird, but damn it, Sienna, you’re the only woman I know I can ask to do this.”

“Oh come on.” She laughed shortly and perched on the edge of a table. “You’re hardly a monk, Adam. You know plenty of women.”

“I know plenty of women who are great in my bed. Not so much with a small, defenseless human.”

“I’m not quite sure how to take that,” she admitted, even as her mind tried to settle down enough to figure it out. Naturally though, her brain went instead to images of Adam in bed. Naked. Not that she’d ever seen him naked, but Sienna had an excellent imagination.

“Take it as a compliment,” he said tightly. He pushed one hand through his hair again and Sienna noted that the excellent cut meant his hair fell neatly back into place. She wondered if that idle gesture was done deliberately.

“Sienna,” he said, releasing a long breath, “I know Devon treated you like crap and you have no reason to do any Quinn a favor—”

“Devon wasn’t that bad, Adam,” she interrupted him. “And I have nothing against you...”

To put it mildly. She had already been married to Devon when she met his older brother for the first time and Sienna hadn’t been able to deny she felt a flash of something tantalizing the minute Adam had shaken her hand. And as her marriage crumbled, she’d often wondered what might have happened if she’d only met Adam first. But that was not the point at the moment.

“Good to know,” he said, nodding. “I need you. That baby needs you.”

She sucked in a gulp of air. “That was low.”

“Yeah,” he smiled briefly. “I know. But I learned a long time ago that you use whatever weapons you have to win the day.”

He’d picked a good one to use on her was all Sienna could think. There was a reason most of her work centered around images of babies and children. “Great. That poor baby’s a bargaining chip to his mother and a weapon to you.”

“You know what I meant,” he argued.

“Yes, I do.” And she could see that he was really trying to do his best by his brother’s child. Most men, she thought, would probably be trying to slip out of caring for the baby entirely. But that fact didn’t make this any easier.

“Temporary, you said.”

He nodded. “Just until we find someone permanent. You could help me with that. Pick out the right person.”

“I don’t know...” She looked around the room, at her equipment, the business she’d built from the ground up. If she did this, she’d be taking time away from the very thing that was most important to her. But how could she not help care for a baby who’d really been given a lemon from the garden of mothers?

“I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

Sienna stiffened and lifted her chin as her gaze met his. “Just because you bought off the baby’s mother doesn’t mean that every woman is for sale. I don’t want your money, Adam. I told you that when Devon and I divorced. I wouldn’t take it from him. Didn’t take it from you when you offered. Nothing’s changed. I make my own way.”

“Fine.” He walked toward her, his eyes flashing as he stared at her. “I respect that. Admire it even. But I can’t be in your debt like this, either, Sienna. So instead of paying you, why don’t I help you with your career?”

She laughed shortly. “How do you plan to do that? Pose for me, after all?”

“No.” He came closer. Close enough that Sienna was forced to tip her head back to meet his dark brown eyes. His scent came to her and she noted it was just like him. Subtle, rich and tempting. She held her breath.

“Your studio’s a little on the small side,” he mused, giving a quick, assessing glance around the space.

Insulted, she argued, “It works just fine.”

His gaze snapped back to hers. “You should never settle for ‘fine,’ Sienna.”

“I don’t plan to. I’ll get something bigger one day.”

“Why wait?” He gave a shrug that was deliberately careless, but she didn’t believe it for a minute.

“What?” He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying.

“Here’s the deal. You help me out with the baby—”

“Stop calling him ‘the baby,’” she interrupted. “You said his name is Jack.”

“All right. Help me with Jack and you’ll get your dream studio out of it.”

“Adam—”

“You find the building you want,” he continued, steamrolling over whatever argument she might have made. “And my company will take care of the rest. We’ll rehab, remodel, set it all up to your specifications.”

Her heart was pounding. His words hung in the air like helium party balloons, bright, pretty. Her studio now was small, but she’d been saving her money, building her reputation. The long-term plan was to have a higher-end studio that would draw bigger clients. Eventually, she dreamed of being the top photographer in Huntington Beach, California, maybe even on the whole West Coast.

And if she did this for Adam, that could happen a lot faster. God, she was so tempted. But if she did this...

“What?” he demanded. “You’re thinking and they’re not good thoughts.”

Irritated, she muttered, “Stop trying to read my mind.”

“Don’t really have to try when whatever you’re thinking or feeling is stamped all over your face.”

“Well that’s insulting.” And unsettling.

“Didn’t mean it that way.”

She waved one hand at him. “I was just thinking...if I do this, would I be any better than Jack’s mother? She used him for profit. Wouldn’t I be doing the same thing?”

“No.” One word. Flat. Final.

She looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. Too bad it didn’t convince her.

“You’re nothing like her, Sienna.” He paused. “Hell. No one is. If you do this, it’s not about Jack at all. It’s a favor to me.”

God help her, she was wavering. Shaking her head, she continued her argument against doing this by saying softly, “I have a job, Adam. And I can’t take a baby along with me on photo shoots.”

“I understand and we’ll work it out. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll find a way.”

He would, too. Nothing stopped Adam Quinn from doing whatever it was he wanted to. According to Devon, his older brother was a human bulldozer, plowing down everything in his path. Once, she’d thought Devon was like that, too. She’d met him and seen ambition where there was only charisma. She’d thought him charming but hadn’t realized the charm was practiced and not at all genuine.

Adam, on the other hand, clearly didn’t care a damn about charm. He was practically a force of nature. He’d come here for the express purpose of getting Sienna’s help no matter what it took and he was very close to succeeding. Adam didn’t need Devon’s easy smile or quick wit. He had the power of his personality going for him. He was absolutely up-front about what he wanted and how he was going to get it and that could be hard to take even if it was safer in the long run.

“I’m not asking you to give up your work,” he said. “Hell, I’m offering to give you a dream studio so you can build your business faster than you would have been able to. I just need some temporary help.”

His mouth screwed up as if even the word help left a bad taste in his mouth. This was not a man accustomed to needing anyone.

“In exchange,” he added a moment later, “I’ll give you the best photography studio in California.”

He’d laid her dreams out for her on a silver platter. They were right there, within reach and Sienna felt a little light-headed at the prospect. She wanted it. Fine, she could admit it, to herself at least, that she really wanted a beautiful, state-of-the-art studio. She could build the career she’d dreamed of with the right tools. And if she didn’t take Adam’s deal it could take her years to earn that reality on her own.

This was a bad idea, though. There was history between them, not to mention the ghost of his dead brother. She didn’t want to be attracted to him but she most definitely was. And as that thought skittered through her mind, she deliberately kept her features blank. She really didn’t need him reading her expression at the moment.

He was watching her and Sienna fought to keep what she was feeling off her face. Now that she knew he was reading her expressions, it put her at a real disadvantage. But how could her mind not wander to his broad chest, his deep brown eyes, his strong hands? Oh God. One corner of his mouth lifted briefly as if he knew what she was trying to do.

So she took a breath and got it over with. “Okay, I’ll do it. But—”

“Great.” He pushed his sleeve back, glanced at the heavy platinum watch on his wrist, then looked at her. “What time are you finished here today?”

“Just hold on a second. We need to talk about a few things and—”

“We will,” he said quickly. “Later. So, when can you leave?”

“Uh—” If he kept cutting her off in an attempt to hurry this arrangement along, she’d never be able to say what she needed to. She had a few ground rules of her own to lay down and she knew he wouldn’t be happy to hear them. But the man was like the tide, pushing inexorably toward shore. No point in arguing with him here. “Fine. I can leave in about an hour.”

“Good. That’ll work. I’ll meet you at your house, help you move your stuff to my place.”

She blinked at him. “You’ll what? I’m sorry. What?” She shook her head as if to clear her hearing.

“If you’re going to take care of the baby, you’ll have to be where he is, right?” He looked at her steadily and his gaze was strong enough that she felt the power of the man slide into her.

That hadn’t occurred to her at all and now she had to wonder why. Of course she’d have to be with the baby to take care of him. But she just hadn’t put that together with living in Adam’s house. And now that she was, Sienna was pretty sure this was a bad idea.

“I didn’t think I’d be living with you.”

“Not with me. At the same address.”

“Oh.” She nodded and shrugged. “Sure. That’s a whole different thing.”

He blew out a breath at her sarcasm and that told her he was a lot closer to the edge of exasperation than she’d thought. “It’s a big house, Sienna. You’ll have your own suite.”

Her eyebrows arched. A suite? Not the point, Sienna. “I don’t know...”

“Remember our deal. You find any building you want, Sienna. You can design the remodel yourself.”

The snake in the garden had probably sounded a lot like Adam Quinn.

“Put in shelves and workrooms and prop rooms and any kind of lighting you need.”

She ignored the inner tug she felt toward that tasty carrot he was holding out in front of her. He knew all too well that he was getting to her. And she imagined her expression told him everything he wanted to know. “You’re still selling me on an idea I already agreed to. Feeling a little desperate, Adam?”

For a second she thought he’d deny it, then he clearly thought better of it.

“Not quite,” he admitted. “But it’s close. Look, Sienna, we can help each other here. That’s it. So are you in or not?”

She met his gaze for a long second or two. She could say no, but why should she? There was a baby who needed to be cared for and a man completely out of his depth asking for her help.

And okay, the photography studio.

But there was another reason to do it. One she didn’t really want to think about. It was Adam, himself. It was his eyes. The deep timbre of his voice. And the way he looked at her. Foolish? Probably. Irresistible? Absolutely.

“Okay,” she said before she could talk herself out of it. “I’m in.”

Relief flashed across his features briefly. “Good. That’s good. So I’ll meet you at your place in two hours. Help you move what you need to my house.”

“Okay.” Decision made, her stomach was still spinning. She’d have to get her neighbors to watch the house and bring in the mail and—“I’ll write down my address.”

“I know where you live.”

She looked up at him. “You do?”

His gaze locked on hers. “I’ve always known, Sienna.”


Three (#u4d2c756d-bb06-5c29-b449-2f8e75f28458)

Two hours later, as promised, Adam pulled up in front of a small bungalow in Seal Beach and parked beneath the shade of an ancient tree. A hell of a day. He had a headache that pounded hard enough to shatter his skull and it didn’t look as if it would be going away anytime soon.

Staring at the house, Adam frowned a little. Bright splashes of color lined the front of the house, flowers spilling out of the beds onto a lawn that hadn’t been mowed in a while. The paint was faded and the roof looked as old as the tree.

“Why the hell would she refuse a settlement when she divorced Devon?” he wondered aloud. There was a place for pride—no one understood that better than he did. But damn it, pride shouldn’t get in the way of common sense. Clearly, she could have used the money.

The street the house sat on was old and settled. Most of the houses were small, but well kept. A crowd of kids across the street were playing basketball against a garage and the throaty roar of a lawn mower sounded in the distance. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and glanced at Sienna’s faded green sedan parked in her driveway. The rusted bumper irritated him more than he could say.

“Hardheaded woman,” he muttered. “She should have taken Devon for millions.”

Climbing out of his car, he walked up to the house, noting the cracks in the sidewalk, the chipping stucco alongside the garage door. Grinding his teeth together, he made a dozen mental notes on the short walk to the porch. They had a deal, but he was adding to it whether she liked it or not. His company would give her the best damn photography studio in the state, but they would also redo this house. And if she argued with him about it—which she would—he’d steamroll right over any objections she came up with.

Sienna had married his brother and Devon had proven quickly just what a bad decision that had been. Adam couldn’t ignore his family’s mistakes. He’d fix them if he could, and this he could definitely take care of. By the time he was finished with this tiny house, Sienna would think she was living in a damn palace.

She answered the door before he’d had a chance to knock, which told Adam she’d been watching for his arrival. Her eyes were wide and her expression wary. Had she changed her mind? Was she going to try to back out of their deal? If so, she would fail.

“You don’t look happy to see me,” he mused.

“Stop reading my mind.”

He laughed shortly. “Well, that was honest anyway.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, of course, I’m happy to see you. Well, not happy, but I was expecting you and—” She stopped, scowled and took a deep breath. Once she’d released it again, she started over.

“Hi, Adam.”

“Hi.” He liked knowing that he made her nervous. Liked that she got a gleam in her eyes when she looked at him. He knew that same gleam was in his own eyes every time he saw her. How could it not be? Tall and curvy, with those big blue eyes, Sienna was enough to bring most men to their knees.

She pushed the screen door wider for him, then turned back into the house as he stepped inside.

His gaze swept the interior quickly, with a professional eye that missed almost nothing. Inside at least, the house appeared to be in better shape than the exterior. The walls were jewel toned, a deep scarlet in the living room, fading to a soft rose in the hall. He could only imagine what the rest of the house looked like, but realized he was curious about her home. About her.

The old, scuffed wooden floors had been polished and she had what looked like fifties-style braided rugs in a variety of colors spread throughout the hall and the front room. Her furniture wasn’t new or contemporary but it suited her. There were framed prints of photos on the walls. Her work, he imagined. Seascapes, meadows, people and, for some reason, babies dressed up like flowers and fruit.

She followed his gaze and grinned. “They’re so cute when they’re tiny—it’s fun to dress them up.”

“Sure.” He shook his head, studying one baby in particular. “What is that? A peach?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” He shrugged and looked at her. “I like the beach scenes.”

“Thanks.”

“We’ve actually got a new building going up down in Dana Point,” he said thoughtfully. “Sits above the beach and it’s a different kind of design.”

“Really?”

It was easy enough to see how intrigued she was, so Adam kept talking. The idea had only just occurred to him, but now that it had, he went with it. “The architect really outdid herself. The building is a curve of glass that faces the ocean, but there are open areas all over the face of it, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sort of mini balconies, I guess you’d call them,” he said, staring again at one of her framed seascapes. “There will be some kind of ivy trailing on the railings so that the whole thing will give the impression of the building itself growing out of the land.” He could see it now, in his head, as he could every project he’d ever done. Adam liked doing projects that challenged him. That worked his imagination as much as his skills. “With the sky and the ocean reflecting off the glass panels, it will make the trails of ivy even more alive, I think.”

“Wow.”

One word, spoken in a kind of hush. Adam looked at her. “What?”

Smiling, she shook her head and said, “I’ve just never heard you talk like that. I mean, you’re obviously good at what you do, but—”

“But most buildings these days are fairly boring?” he asked, one corner of his mouth tipping up. “Sort of generic.”

“Well, yes.” She led the way into the living room and he looked around as he followed her.

More framed prints here. His gaze swept them, empty beaches, lonely people, cheerful babies. Each one was perfectly lit, with shadows sliding in giving them all a depth they might not have had otherwise. But he had to wonder if she was aware of just how much of herself was displayed on her walls.

“I don’t mean they’re not beautiful, but this project you’re talking about sounds amazing.”

He nodded. “It will be, once it’s finished. But now I realize I’d like some pictures taken during the process of building.”

“So you want a before, during and after series?”

“I guess so. Interested?”

Her eyes lit up and he was glad he’d asked her, just to see that brightness fill her eyes. “Absolutely. Yes.”

“Okay, in a day or two, we’ll take a ride down Pacific Coast Highway so I can show you around.”

“Good.” She nodded. “That’s good.”

She was close, Adam realized. Standing so close to him, he inhaled her scent with every breath. Her eyes caught his and held and Adam felt a throbbing tension erupt between them. He read her expression easily and knew she was feeling the same thing. For a long second, he stared down at her and fought the urge to pull her in close and—

Yeah. Don’t go there. “You ready?”

“Yes. At least, I think I’ve got everything,” she said, grabbing up a lightweight jacket off a nearby chair.

His eyebrows lifted as he looked at the duffel bag and a small, wheeled suitcase sitting beside the front door. “That’s it?”

She looked too, then turned to meet his gaze. “Yes, why?”

Chuckling, he said, “Most of the women I know take more luggage than that for an overnight trip. I don’t even want to think about what they’d be hauling for two weeks.”

She grinned and a ball of fire flashed instantly to life in his gut. It was all too familiar to him. From the moment they’d first met, Adam had felt that jolt of something hot and dangerous. Naturally, he’d kept it on a tight leash, since she was his brother’s wife. Then when Devon and Sienna divorced, Adam had kept his distance because he’d figured she’d had enough of the Quinn family to last a lifetime.

Now here he was, taking her to his home. If he couldn’t find a way past the hard tug of desire, it was going to be a long couple of weeks. He would handle it, though. That’s what Adam did. When faced with a situation, he found a way through it, or around it. And if there was one thing Adam was good at, it was focusing. That’s all he had to do. Focus. Not on what he wanted, but on what he needed. And damn it, he needed Sienna’s help.

“Adam?” she asked, dropping one hand onto his forearm. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” A light, friendly touch, and yet, it felt like lightning striking between them. She felt it too because she let her hand fall away. Brusquely, he stepped back from her. Distance would be key, he told himself. Best to stop now. “You’re sure this is it.”

“If I need something else, I can always come back here to get it. Not like I’m going to the other side of the country.” She smiled again. “Besides, I’m not like most women. I travel light.”

And a part of him was impressed by that. The women who came and went from his life were interchangeable in their attitudes toward clothes, jewelry and being in the right place at the right time. After a while, they all seemed to be practically clones of each other. None of them were interested in anything beyond the next society function or charity fund-raiser. They didn’t even care what the charity was for. It was mainly a chance to see and be seen and it bored Adam beyond the telling of it.

He couldn’t imagine Sienna bothering to put on makeup before she so much as left her bedroom in the morning. Hell, all she was wearing now as far as he could tell, was a little mascara and some lip gloss. And damned if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a long time.

“You really didn’t have to come pick me up,” she was saying, and Adam paid attention. “I’ve got my own car and I remember where your house is.”

“I don’t know,” he mused. “Car is a pretty generous description of what’s parked out in your driveway. I doubt you’d have made it all the way to Newport.”

His home in Newport Beach was fourteen miles from Seal Beach, but as far as neighborhoods went, it might as well be light-years from here. Adam frowned at that random thought and wondered when the hell he’d become a snob.

“Hey.” Insulted, she insisted, “Gypsy is a great car.”

“Gypsy?” he snorted. “You named your car?”

“Don’t you?” She shook her head as she swung a giant brown leather purse onto her shoulder, then wheeled the suitcase closer.

“No.”

Now she shrugged. “Cars are people, too. We yell at them, bargain with them—‘please don’t run out of gas here’—why shouldn’t they have names?”

“That is possibly,” Adam said thoughtfully, “the weirdest argument I’ve ever heard.”

“Think about it the next time your car doesn’t start and you’re cursing it.”

“My cars always start.”

“Of course they do.” She laughed. “No adventure in that, is there?”

“Adventure?” This was the strangest conversation he’d ever had with a woman. And Adam realized that he was enjoying himself more than he had in a long time.

“Well sure,” she said. “If everything goes right all the time, where’s the fun in that?”

“I don’t consider a car breaking down to be fun.”

“It can be.” She dug in the oversize bag and came out with a set of keys. “The last time my fan belt snapped, I found the greatest bakery/coffee shop. I waited for AAA there and had an amazing slice of German chocolate cake.”

“Fascinating.” And she was. Not only did her looks appeal to him, but the way her mind worked intrigued him.

“You just never know. One time I got a flat tire and took the most amazing sunset pictures.” She sighed a little as if remembering. “I was on my way to an appointment and never would have seen it if I hadn’t been forced to stop.”

So, in Sienna’s world, a flat tire or a snapped fan belt was a good thing. “You’re an interesting woman.”

Her smile brightened. “Isn’t that a nice thing to say?”

A laugh shot from his throat, surprising them both. “Only you would find a compliment in there.”

“I’d much rather be interesting than boring,” she quipped. “So maybe you’re hanging out with the wrong women.”

“Maybe I am,” he admitted. Hell, he hadn’t laughed with a woman in far longer than he liked to think about.

She tipped her head to one side and her blond hair swept out in a golden fall. A smile teasing her mouth, she looked up at him. “There may be hope for you, Adam.”

His gaze locked with hers. “Hope for what?”

“Well,” she countered, “that’s the question, isn’t it?”

His body stirred and his mind filled with all kinds of things he might hope for. Then he got control again and reminded himself that no matter how much he wanted her, Sienna West was off-limits. “Is every conversation with you going to be this confusing?”

“If we’re lucky.” Still smiling, she lifted her suitcase.

“I’ll get that.”

“Nope. You can carry the bag with my clothes. Nobody carries my cameras but me.”

“Cameras? Plural?” he asked, looking at the rolling suitcase. “How many do you need?”

“Well I don’t know, do I?” she said patiently. “That’s why I bring a selection.”

The tone in her voice was patient, as if she were talking to a three-year-old. Irritating. Amazing how quickly she could turn what he was feeling from attraction to annoyance. And it would be best all the way around if he just stayed annoyed. “Right.”

“And remember, I’ll be going to work when I have to, Adam.” She looked up at him. “You already agreed to that. I’ve got four appointments this week.”

He nodded. Safe ground. Hell, he was willing to compromise. After all, the baby wasn’t really her responsibility. No, little Jack Quinn was now Adam’s charge. Just for a second or two, Adam’s legendary self-confidence wavered. He knew next to nothing about raising children. Hadn’t exactly had prime role models in his own parents. He’d be feeling his way through this blind, but he was determined to succeed.





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