The Billionaire’s Baby by Nicola Marsh Page B

was rather ironic she was having the most difficulty sticking to it.
    She’d see him first thing in the morning, his jaw covered in stubble, and want to caress his cheek. She’d smell him fresh out of the shower as he left a fragrant cloud of steam in his wake as she walked past the bathroom door and will herself not to inhale deep lungfuls of the heady stuff.
    She’d hear him humming softly to himself as he got dressed and try to blot out the vivid mental image that sprang to mind of what he looked like without clothes.
    Shaking her head, she stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth and hit Play on the remote. She needed to chill-out with this romantic comedy, have a few laughs, and forget about Blane for two hours.
    However, like most of her plans these days, they didn’t run smoothly, and as the opening credits rolled onto the screen, she heard the front door swing open.
    ‘Hey, there. What are you watching?’
    Her heart galloped as he plopped onto the couch beside her, looking wind-tossed and deliciously dishevelled in his rumpled tan T-shirt and faded denim, resident smile in place.
    ‘Some girly movie Anna recommended to me about three years ago.’
    He laughed. ‘Don’t get much time to watch DVDs, huh?’
    ‘Try never.’
    ‘Mind if I watch it with you?’
    Great. She’d look like a churlish cow if she refused, but what happened to her Blane-free time? Not only would she be forced to sit through one hundred and twenty minutes of having him less than three feet away, she could actually smell him, the faintest waft of cedar instantly transporting her back to a time she shouldn’t be remembering let alone craving.
    ‘What are you thinking?’
    Her gaze flew to his, her breath catching at the tenderness she glimpsed there, and, while it would be smarter to fob him off, she was too caught up in the moment to lie.
    ‘Remember that old cedar tree?’
    His eyes crinkled, his smile warm. ‘The one with the old tyre? Sure. You used to love playing princess, ordering me around like some lowly serf to push you for ages.’
    She chuckled at the memory, catapulted back to a time where they had nothing better to do than tease each other, laugh with each other, at total ease, secure in their love.
    What she wouldn’t give for a step back in time.
    ‘There were times you used to order me around, like when we used to walk miles through the National Park on the outskirts of town.’
    ‘Yeah.’ His eyes twinkled with amusement. ‘Though you made me haul a ten-tonne picnic on my back every time.’
    ‘That’s because you were always starving.’
    The minute the words popped out of her mouth, his eyes darkened to smoky grey, and she knew in an instant he was thinking of other appetites beside food.
    ‘Speaking of being starving, here, have some popcorn.’
    She shoved the bowl towards him, not surprised her hand trembled.
    He had that effect on her, always had, and she clampedher lips together to refrain from saying anything else she might regret.
    ‘Thanks.’
    He tossed a few kernels up in the air, tilted his head back, and caught them as they dropped into his mouth, like he’d always done, and, once again, she was transported back in time, to the weekly movie sessions at the town hall where they’d sat in the back stalls, holding hands so tightly her fingers had tingled, her head resting on his shoulder, snuggling into his warmth.
    Those had been good times, amazing times, and for those magical three months he’d held her spellbound, caught up in a whirlwind of passion and laughter and friendship the likes of which she’d never known.
    But he’d left, leaving a gaping hole in her life, a soul-deep emptiness which haunted her to this day, and, while she’d accepted his rationale for leaving, it didn’t mean she had a desire to go back there again.
    A good, sound decision. If only her body would agree, and sitting this close to him was doing serious damage to her equilibrium.
    Faking a yawn, she stretched.