Billionaire's Secret Baby Page 9

  “Your patient. Dr. Cordon has an emergency patient, Greyson Maxwell.”

  For a moment I stared at her.

  “Get moving, Dr. Cordon’s in the restroom. He’ll be out any minute.”

  Right. I closed my laptop and packed it away. There was no way that this Greyson could be my Greyson, right? I shook my head. He wasn’t my anything. The odds were too great, anyway. This had to be a different Greyson. Greyson Maxwell, when the Greyson I was seeking, Greyson Father-of-my-child, was somewhere else in the world.

  I walked into the examination room. When I opened the door, Greyson Maxwell stood in front of the computer James used, staring at the staff picture that was up on the wall. My stomach did a little flip. It was the very same Greyson I had been searching for in the break room, the very same man I had slept with.

  This had to be some kind of a joke. There was no way something like this happened in real life. It was the kind of thing that happened in movies. Serendipity, or whatever they called it.

  When he turned and saw me, surprise registered on his face before he broke into a smile. The first thing I noticed was that his tooth looked horrible. He had chipped it somehow and it made him look like he had crawled up out of the gutter. His piercing blue eyes above that awful smile were as beautiful as ever. I could stare into those eyes all day and almost not even notice the tooth. Almost.

  “I can’t believe it’s you,” Greyson said, nodding at the picture. “Of all the places you could live in the world, you live and work right here in Twin Falls?”

  I closed the door and shrugged. “Yep. Have a seat,” I said.

  Greyson frowned, but did as he was instructed. I didn’t know what to say to him. I had been obsessing over him for the last twelve hours, trying to figure out how I would find him. And now he stood in front of me as if my thoughts had conjured him out of thin air. I had no idea what to make of it.

  Turning my back to him, I unpacked the things I needed to prep him. I had already rehearsed what I would say to Greyson when I found him, running it over and over in my mind. But now that he was here, I drew a blank. I had no idea where to start. We had run into each other by chance, not because I had managed to track him down.

  When I turned around, Greyson watched me with an expressionless face. I had no idea what he was thinking, and that only made me more unsettled.

  “How did you chip your tooth?” I asked. When all else failed, the normal small talk I made with patients was my fallback.

  “I tripped over a rock on one of the trails here at the canyon. My hands were stuck in my backpack straps and I didn’t have anything to save my face with.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The image he painted for me was so comical.

  “It’s not funny,” Greyson said, but he was grinning.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t help it. It’s such a freak accident.”

  “I know, right? I hike all the time and then this happens to me. I felt like a child. Thank God no one was around to see me.”

  I sat down on the assistant’s stool and Greyson lay back in the dentist chair. I didn’t start on his preparation, yet. I wanted to keep talking.

  “At least Dr. Cordon will get it fixed. He’s brilliant.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  I chuckled again, still amused by his story. He opened his mouth and I did what I needed to do before James came in to take over.

  When James saw the tooth, he asked the same questions I had. He didn’t laugh at Greyson when he told him, but he glanced at me, as amused as I had been. I willed him not to flirt with me in front of Greyson, and for a change, James behaved himself. Everything had gone wrong in my life the last two days, but at least this was going right.

  James did a wonderful job. He was great at patching up chipped teeth, better than he was at removing them. He always said he preferred to do cosmetic enhancement work, rather than take care of problems no one else could see.

  When James was done, Greyson’s tooth looked as good as new. James explained to Greyson how to take care of it over the next couple of weeks.

  “And try to guard your face next time you fall,” James said. “Unless you fall for a pretty girl.” He winked at me and I tried to shrug it off. Greyson grinned instead of looking upset and I was relieved.

  When James left the examination room and I let Greyson rinse his mouth, he looked at me.

  “At least that’s taken care of,” he said.

  “And it looks good, too.”

  Greyson nodded and walked to the mirror against the wall, checking out Dr. Cordon’s handy work again. James had given him a hand mirror but now that it was just us, Greyson studied his tooth a little more closely.

  “I’m so relieved. It can’t imagine walking around with my tooth like that.”

  “You would have gotten attention,” I said, with a laugh.

  “But not the right kind.”

  Greyson and I stood smiling at each other and I was aware of how comfortable it was to be around him. It was just the same when we had first met. There was something about Greyson that just set me at ease.

  “Can you walk out with me for a minute?” Greyson asked.

  I nodded. “I don’t have another patient for the moment, unless I get another emergency. That doesn’t happen very often.”

  When I walked with Greyson, he led me to a motorbike instead of a car.

  “You drove here on that thing?” I asked.

  Greyson nodded. “There’s nothing better than a road trip on a motorbike. I feel like I’m one with nature then.”

  “And if you’re in an accident, you’ll be one with the asphalt,” I said.

  Greyson chuckled. “I’ll take my chances. I’m guessing that means you’ve never been on a bike before.”

  I shook my head. I hadn’t been on one before and I wasn’t sure I would ever want to try it. I was ready to say no to Greyson when he offered to give me a ride, but he didn’t. Instead, he cleared his throat.

  “Would you like to come out to dinner with me on Friday?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I would,” I said, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to spend time with Greyson again. Apart from everything else that was going on, I wanted to spend another night with Greyson. I had enjoyed our time together because he had made me feel beautiful and delicate and carefree. I liked how I felt around him.

  I still had to tell him I was pregnant with his child and I dreaded that. I didn’t know how he would react. I didn’t want him to resent me somehow. So, I would wait until I saw him on Friday before I broke the news. First, I wanted just to be with him without any of the difficulties that would inevitably come with it.

  After we agreed on a time and a place, Greyson started his motorbike with a roar and he took off. I watched him leave and I had to admit that even though I thought his motorbike was a deathtrap, he looked really hot on it. It was attractive, even though I wouldn’t tell him that to his face. It was still very dangerous.

  We had agreed I would meet him at the restaurant. I wasn’t going to let him pick me up on the motorbike. He had offered to pick me up in a taxi instead, but I declined. We may have slept together, but I still didn’t know him very well and I didn’t want him to know my exact address. Besides, if the conversation about the baby went wrong, I might have to leave on my own and I didn’t want to have to rely on him to get me home.

  I would drive myself there, thank you very much.

  Chapter 15

  Greyson

  At first, Cara had wanted to meet me at the restaurant. I had agreed because she had been so logical about it, but I had phoned her later. This time, I wasn’t letting her get away with leaving her phone number. I had managed to persuade her to let me pick her up, and we would go in her car.

  She was hesitant, I could tell. I wasn’t sure what was bothering her, but we hadn’t exactly parted well when I had seen her last. Maybe she was as uncertain about her feelings as I was. I hoped taking her out would sho
w her what I thought about her.

  Cara was as amazing as I remembered. I still couldn’t figure out how it had worked out that I had run into her at the dentist’s office. I thought about my hike and the freak accident that had chipped my tooth. The universe had set that up. I couldn’t think how else everything could have worked out so that my tooth was chipped and I ended up at the very same dentist where she worked. I hadn’t known that she worked at a dentist office at all, much less in Twin Falls. I hadn’t known anything about her other than her name and that she was stunning. And fantastic in bed.

  But that wasn’t what it was about at all. Then, it had been. But tonight, I wanted it to be about Cara as a person. I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know who she was on a normal day, in a normal life. The weekend away had been removed from reality. But seeing her now and taking her on a date was very real.

  And nerve-racking. I was worried about seeing her again. I had dressed up a bit—black jeans and a long sleeve collared shirt with sleeves rolled up and the top button undone. The shirt was teal and it brought out my eyes and hair. That was what I heard nearly every time I’d worn it, and I wanted to look good for her.

  I drove my bike to the address she had reluctantly given me. She stayed in a neat part of the city in a quaint apartment complex.

  When I knocked on her door, she opened it right away.

  “Come in,” she said. She was barefoot and she didn’t have any makeup on. Her blonde hair was pinned up and she wore a little black dress that looked amazing on her.

  I stepped toward her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’m almost ready. I’m sorry about the mess. You can wait in the living room.”

  I nodded and she disappeared into the bedroom. I looked around her apartment. The place was tidier than my place had ever been. I wasn’t sure what she had meant by it being a mess.

  Seeing her apartment was an insight into who Cara was. She had photos on the walls of a handful of people. I recognized Rachel in some of them, as well as people from the staff photos at the dentist office. I noticed that there weren’t any photos of men any younger than fifty. Even though I hadn’t thought she was dating after she had agreed to dinner, it was good to be sure. It was a month since I had seen her last, after all. A lot could happen in a month.

  Her couches faced the sliding door with a beautiful view. The television stood in the corner at an angle as if having one was an afterthought. Cara had plants in the corners of the room and ornaments on shelves.

  She seemed to be a neat person, collected and on top of things. I had guessed that about her when I’d met her, but it was only a guess. This confirmed it for me.

  After a short while, Cara returned. She wore low heels and makeup. Her blonde hair hung in waves over her shoulders. She was breathtaking and all I could do was stare.

  When she came toward me, she blushed.

  “You’re staring,” she said.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She blushed even more and it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Cara was so confident and independent—anyone could see that—it was sweet to see her blushing. I liked that I had been the one to make her react that way.

  “You have a very nice apartment,” I said

  “Oh, thank you.”

  I nodded and we stood in awkward silence together. I wanted to be perfect for her. She was everything I could ever want in a woman and I was worried that she didn’t feel the same about me. Why was I thinking about her that way? I didn’t want to date anyone. But I was lying to myself. I was taking this woman out on a date. A real date. This had nothing to do with getting laid. I didn’t want that from her. So, what did I want?

  I chose not to answer that question for myself.

  “Are you ready to go?” Cara asked.

  I nodded. We left the apartment and climbed into a compact little car. We drove into the city and she parked in front of a restaurant that was quite busy. Cara had sent me the number earlier in the week so I could book a table and I was glad I had.

  We walked into the restaurant and were taken to our table by the seating hostess. The restaurant was warm and welcoming, a family kind of place. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the kids running around a lot more than I had thought I would. Usually, I didn’t go to places that were children-friendly.

  Did Cara want a family? I didn’t know how she felt about settling down, or if she wanted kids one day. From what I could tell her life was nicely arranged for only one person. But it was like that with me, too. I was single so there was no reason to make space for anyone else.

  Of course, the topic wasn’t going to be something I touched on tonight. Nothing screamed bad-date more than asking about marriage and children right away.

  So, after settling in, we talked about other things.

  “What have you been doing in the month since I saw you last?” I asked.

  “Not much,” Cara said. “I work a lot. I see Rachel often. I like to study extra things in my free time.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Like what?”

  Cara pulled up her shoulders. “I did a cooking course a while ago. I found a course to brush up on the Spanish I had learned in school. Stuff like that.”

  I was surprised. She was interesting and she did fun things to pass the time. There was something immensely sexy about her wanting to expand her mind.

  “How about you?” she asked.

  “I’ve been hiking. Since I came to Idaho, I’ve been exploring the state. It’s beautiful out here. I’m from Seattle and even though there are a lot of places to explore around there, I like straying farther from home.”

  “That’s exciting,” Cara said. “I would consider that if I wasn’t so tied down by work. How do you handle that? What do you do?”

  I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell her about the money. She was interested in me without it and I wanted to keep it that way.

  “I’m a cook at a restaurant,” I said. “But I’m taking a hiatus of sorts. I needed to get away for a bit.”

  “You’re lucky that you’re able to do that. Everything seems to be a race to work hard so we can afford more so we have to work harder to afford more. It’s great that you can break the cycle and live for the moment.”

  I nodded. I had felt the same about my life and I was so lucky that Caden and Harper had given me the opportunity to do it differently. I didn’t want to tell Cara about it yet, but I felt like she was someone that would understand it when I told her what had happened. She seemed to be really understanding.

  I liked talking to Cara. I enjoyed hearing about her life. She didn’t seem to think that she was very interesting, but she had so many dimensions I was fascinated by her. She was also incredible to watch. I was mesmerized by her mouth when she spoke, and I wanted to kiss her every time she said something. Which was most of the time. Her eyes were amazing, too. She was so expressive and full of life.

  Talking to Cara was comfortable. I felt like I could just be myself around her, which was something I didn’t feel very often around women. We had a lot in common and I knew that I wanted to see her again. I didn’t think about where it would lead, that seemed too complicated. I wanted to enjoy my time with her, and that was what I did.

  I didn’t focus on anything other than the here and now. I realized it was what I had done with her when we’d been on the trail together, too. I had focused on what was happening and thought about nothing else. Somehow, I didn’t want anything else to distract me. I wanted to live for the moment and miss nothing with her.

  The meal was great. We ate steak, grilled potatoes, and steamed veggies. We talked about everything and we ended the night with dessert before I paid for the meal. Cara offered to pay for her half, but I shook my head.

  “I’ve got this,” I said.

  She smiled and thanked me sincerely. It was nice to know that there were still women out there that didn’t assume it was the man’s job to get the bill. It made it that much easier for me to tell her I had i
t covered.

  When we left the restaurant, Cara drove to her apartment again. My bike was still here and I would head back to the hotel from her place. When we parked next to my bike, Cara looked at me in the darkness.

  “Do you want to come upstairs for a while?” she asked.

  I nodded. I hadn’t wanted to be rude, but I had hoped for that. I wanted to spend more time with her. I didn’t want to leave, yet.

  We walked up to her apartment and she unlocked the door, switching on lights. When she closed the door, she turned to me. Her eyes were hungry, but she looked shy. It was so different from the woman I had kissed in the rain.

  I stepped closer to her and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. She looked up at me with big brown eyes, her face open. I lowered my face and brushed my lips against hers. Her breath hitched in her throat. I put my hands on her cheeks and kissed her.

  Chapter 16

  Cara

  Tonight, everything was different. Greyson seemed careful with me when he kissed me, as if he was worried he would scare me off. And I was glad he was so gentle. When we had fucked in the rain that first time, it had been wild and carefree. It had been surreal. This time, we were in the real world and everything had changed. I was pregnant with his child. We had run into each other by chance and gone on a real date. Before, we had been thrown together as hiking buddies, but this time it was a romantic pursuit.

  I didn’t know how to respond to that. I had given up on the idea of love quite a while ago. I had set out to create myself and build my own life. I didn’t need anyone else.

  Now that Greyson was in front of me, making me feel different than any man had made me feel before, I was starting to wonder if I could make a space for him in my life. I was starting to think that my life wasn’t as tightly sealed as I thought.

  Greyson lifted his hands to my cheeks, his fingers in my hair. He brushed my hair back, pressing his body against mine. He guided me backward until my back was against the front door. He pushed one leg between my thighs so I was forced to spread my legs a little. My body responded to his advances. Greyson was a head taller than I was and he was strong and muscular. He could be very intimidating, I imagined. But I wasn’t scared of him at all. Instead, he made me feel safe.