The Baby Contract (The Billionaire Bachelor Series) by Olivia Starke Page A

less than a near sterile environment. Liam had a compulsion to keep things perfectly organized, whether by nature or nurture he couldn’t be sure. Living in a home that allowed dirty dishes and unmade beds was a novelty he couldn’t even begin to grasp.
    The front door of the bungalow opened, and Liam shrank in his car seat, watching as Abigail stepped outside. The inside light left her in silhouette, and Liam suddenly considered how it may appear to have him sitting outside her home, watching. She looked down the street then toward his SUV and Liam’s heart stalled. Damn it. Did she see him?
    Abigail turned away, walked to the side of her home, and poured something into a bowl. She was dressed in cutoff sweatpants and a light colored t-shirt. Casual attire that left her toned legs in full view. Liam swallowed as arousal hit his blood like venom.
    A small, dark shape appeared from behind the home. Abigail backed off and he realized it was a cat. It stuck its head in the bowl, but seemed skittish with Abigail so near. She slowly walked back inside, and the door closed. Abigail fed neighborhood strays. Liam didn’t want to work over why that pleased him so much.
     

Chapter 10
     
    Abby kept focusing on the end result of this week with Liam, and not what she’d spend the week doing with the man. When she pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine, she sat for several minutes, trying to still her racing heart. The jet sat behind the large building ahead of her, its glossy white nose just peeking out. She rarely flew and had never stepped foot on a private plane. Though she didn’t have a full-on phobia of flying, she still preferred having both feet firmly on the ground.
    She gathered her courage, trying to use it to squash the flutter of butterflies. The little beasts were too frantic in her middle and she gave up the effort. She got out of her car, collected her bags from the trunk, and headed inside. She spoke briefly with the person manning the desk, and he directed her toward a hallway. Someone appeared and took her bags, and Abby was then ushered outside. Boarding went much smoother than with commercial flights, and she could appreciate why someone who could afford it would own an airplane.
    She walked up the flight of stairs leading to the jet cabin and was greeted by a smiling steward. “Welcome, Miss Haden. Let me show you to your seat.”
    Abby spotted Liam when she stepped inside, and her heart leapt into her throat. He sat toward the front of the plane, a laptop on a table before him, looking completely at home. He glanced to his watch then he met her eyes. Thanks to traffic and her own faltering nerves, she’d arrived twenty minutes late.
    “Good to see you,” he said in greeting. “Is that the contract in your hands?”
    She clutched the manila folder to her chest, not quite ready to part with it and seal her fate. She nodded. He held out his hand. Behind her, the jet’s door was pulled closed. The sound of the engines firing vibrated through the interior. She took several deep breaths, trying to temper her instinct to flee.
    “You’ll need to take your seat and buckle up,” the steward said from behind her.
    Abby stepped forward and handed Liam the contract. He took it, remaining impassive while she took a seat on a long leather covered couch the steward directed her to. She fastened her seatbelt. Liam looked over the paperwork.
    “Everything’s in order.” He placed the folder inside a briefcase by his side. “Here’s my lab work.” He rose and handed it to her then returned to his laptop without further comment.
    Just like that, she’d made her deal with the devil. She glanced through his health reports, he was clean. She set the information aside and balled her hands in her lap as the plane taxied down the runway then began its ascent.
    Once they leveled off the steward reappeared. “Can I get you something to drink?”
    She peered up into his smiling and reassuring face. “Uh, do