Bought by a Millionaire

She chuckled at that, dropping her gaze to the cloth-covered tabletop. “If you’ve read the reports from your legion of doctors and lawyers, I don’t think there’s much more I can tell you about myself. They investigated me back to the womb.”

“My people are very thorough,” he agreed without a hint of chagrin. “But that doesn’t mean they—or I—really know you. I know your blood type, your birth date and your grades from kindergarten to the present. Tonight, I’d like to hear about some of the things you weren’t asked on the surrogacy forms.”

“Such as?”

“Your favorite color, your favorite ice cream, your first broken heart.”

“All right,” she agreed softly, an idea creeping into her head. She was feeling more herself now, more secure in the situation since he’d made it clear this wasn’t part of her job interview. “But if I answer your questions, I think it’s only fair that you answer some of mine in return.”

He considered that for a moment, but she could tell by the glint in his eye that the thought amused him.

“Deal.”

The appetizers arrived, and as they picked at their food, she answered the first three questions he’d posed.

“My favorite color is green,” she told him. “Any shade, from mint to khaki. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, but rocky road comes in a very close second. And my first crush was Tommy Scottoline, in the second grade. He broke my heart when he started spending recess with Lucinda Merriweather.” She shot him a teasing grin. “Lucy climbed the monkey bars every day in a dress and let Tommy follow along on the ground in case she fell.”

“Ah.” One corner of Burke’s mouth quirked upward with humor.

“Your turn,” she prompted.

“Should I answer the same questions, or do you want to ask me something else?”

“Same questions.”

“Okay. I guess my favorite color would be black. I don’t really like ice cream, but if I had to choose, I’d probably say vanilla. And I’ve never had a broken heart.”

Surprised, Shannon paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. She lowered it slowly before saying, “Never?”

“Nope.” Burke continued eating, unmoved by their topic of conversation.

“Why not?” She knew she should mind her own business rather than pry into his personal life, but she was genuinely curious.

His color and ice-cream preferences didn’t surprise her; she’d seen his office, all black and glass, and he seemed much too button-down to like a dessert as pedestrian as tutti-frutti. How, though, could anyone get through life without having his heart and soul, if not broken, at least battered a bit? Even if it was only a case of puppy love in early childhood, most people had experienced some form of romantic disillusionment.

His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It’s hard to get your heart broken when you’ve never been in love. I don’t have time for such trivial pursuits.”

Shannon’s muted laughter was a mix of both amusement and disbelief. “How can you say love is trivial? Isn’t that what makes the world go ’round?”

“The almighty dollar is what makes the world go ’round,” he answered shortly. “And love is highly overrated.”

Eyes wide, Shannon said, “That’s a rather cynical view of life. Money can’t buy everything, you know.”

His lips twitched. “When you’ve got as much of it as I do, it can. And I prefer to think of myself as realistic.”

She supposed he was right. He was already planning to use a portion of his millions to buy a mother for his child, and if he had the means to accomplish that, he likely had the means to accomplish almost anything.

But it saddened Shannon to think his life had been so barren that he didn’t even believe in love, when she knew just how powerful a sentiment it could be. There were all kinds of love—romantic, familial, the love between close friends… She wasn’t sure Burke had ever experienced any of them, but suspected his feelings on the subject would change dramatically the minute he held his very own child in his arms—regardless of who the baby’s mother was. On that day, if not sooner, he would discover the meaning of true, unconditional love.

“I’d think you would be glad I tend to put sound financial judgment above anything as mercurial as human emotion. It’s about to make you a very wealthy woman.”

Shannon’s dinner sank like a lead ball to the bottom of her stomach. She swallowed hard and set her silverware aside before attempting to speak. “Does that mean you’ve made your decision?” she asked, twisting the linen napkin on her lap nervously between her fingers.

“I made my decision before you even left my office this morning. You’re the woman I want to be a surrogate for my child. Congratulations, Mommy.”

Two

Several weeks passed after Burke’s life-altering announcement that Shannon was to be the surrogate mother of his child. She saw him very infrequently during that time, and only for brief intervals. Although his secretary did call more than once to invite her to dinner on his behalf.

Anxious enough about her immediate future, she declined all of Burke’s offers and was relieved when he didn’t press the point in person.

To be honest, Shannon didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary with Burke Bishop. At least not alone, in a social setting.

There was too much at risk. Her mother’s health and well-being, the money he had promised her in exchange for carrying his child…maybe not her heart, but definitely her good sense.

Quite frankly, Burke Ellison Bishop was too handsome for his own good. And for hers. She wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him.

And she wasn’t, darn it. She wasn’t!

But Burke had made their one dinner together feel more like a date than a business meeting. It was easy to see why the newspapers and tabloids considered him to be one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors. Charm and charisma seeped from his every pore.

If she wasn’t careful, that charm may even begin to work on her, and that would be a bad thing.

The contract she’d signed to become a surrogate for Burke’s child very clearly divested her of all rights connected to the baby she was expected to produce. She understood the need for such tight clauses and fully agreed with them.

She’d done a lot of soul-searching well beforehand and knew giving up custody of a tiny life that had grown inside her body for nine months would be one of the hardest things she’d ever have to do. To be honest, she wasn’t sure she’d ever truly recover. But knowing Burke would be a good father and that her child would have the best of everything helped.

Of course, if she let her hormones get carried away by Burke’s chivalry and good looks, it would be that much harder to cut all ties later on.

With a sigh, she readjusted the paper-thin hospital gown that kept slipping off her shoulder, and the equally thin sheet covering the lower half of her body. She was perched on the edge of an exam table, waiting for the clinic’s fertility specialist to bring in a vial of Burke’s, um, little swimmers and attempt to impregnate her. The doctors had warned them that the fertilization process wasn’t always successful on the first try, but Burke didn’t seem overly concerned. Since money wasn’t an issue for him, he could afford to have the procedure repeated as many times as necessary to reach his goal.

Shannon, meanwhile, had never particularly enjoyed her annual visits to the gynecologist. Those trips were simple compared to the poking and prodding she’d endured these past few months, and if she never again saw a stirrup table, it would be too soon.

Just as she considered jumping down and bolting, the door of the exam room opened and the doctor entered.

“Good morning, Miss Moriarty. Are you ready for the big moment?”

She took a deep breath, tamping down on the shiver of nervousness that accosted her every time she thought about being inseminated and carrying a child to term for a virtual stranger. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” she answered with a forced smile.

But the smile died on her lips the minute she lifted her head and saw Burke enter the room directly after the doctor and his nurse. He wore a charcoal-gray suit and striped tie, with a black, lightweight overcoat slung over one arm.

Immediately, her muscles tensed and her thighs clamped together. She was uncomfortable enough about the entire process, baring herself to a professional who wasn’t her usual physician. How in heaven’s name was she supposed to go through with this with Burke in the room?

He eyed her cautiously, his glance gentle and reassuring as he draped his coat over the back of an available chair. “I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to be here for the procedure.” A beat of near silence passed while he studied her expression. “Is it all right if I stay?”

Beads of sweat broke out on her upper lip and between her breasts. At another time, in a completely different situation, she would be highly attracted to him on a simple man-woman level. There probably wasn’t a single female in the state of Illinois who wouldn’t be.

Not that she would act on that attraction, though. She was an overworked, overstressed student, and Burke was a wealthy, high-powered entrepreneur who would never look twice at someone like her. But to be attracted to him and to have this business relationship with him only made things more difficult.

Yet she couldn’t find it in her heart to ask him to leave the room when all he wanted was to be present while his child was conceived.

She didn’t think her throat would work to form words, so she merely nodded her permission for him to stay.

At the foot of the table, the nurse assisted the doctor in readying his instruments and getting Shannon’s legs adjusted in the stirrups. She knew her face had to be six shades of red, but was thankful Burke remained standing near her head while the doctor worked.

Long minutes later, with barely a word being spoken, the doctor sat back and sighed. “All done. With any luck, we’ll have success this time around and you won’t have to come back.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Burke stepped forward to shake the doctor’s hand as soon as he’d removed and disposed of his latex gloves.

He gave them a few further instructions, but basically they just had to be patient and let nature take its course. Her first return appointment was in a month—the earliest they could repeat the procedure if the first one failed. Until then, she needed to take it easy, but could otherwise go on with her life as usual.

Burke accompanied her out of the clinic and into the parking lot, where his car and driver waited.

“I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable in there,” he commented.

Buttoning the autumn plaid of her wool coat up to her neck, she shrugged a shoulder and refused to meet his eyes. “I don’t think that type of appointment can ever be comfortable, no matter who’s in the room. Besides, this is your child.” Her hand went automatically to her abdomen, even though they both knew it was too soon to know whether or not she was actually pregnant.

“Maybe,” she added with a wry twist to her lips. “You had a right to be there during the procedure.”

“That may be true, but thank you, anyway.” He stopped beside the spotless black sedan, ignoring the chauffeur who stood ready to open the door at Burke’s signal. “You’ve been very gracious throughout this entire process.”

For the first time since leaving the doctor’s office, Shannon lifted her head to look into his light charcoal eyes. As always, when she met Burke’s dark, intense gaze, a pulse of electricity started low in her belly and worked its way outward to all her extremities.

“You’re paying me quite well for my graciousness,” she told him softly. She felt awkward bringing up the topic of money, but, given the intimacies of the entire situation, thought they—and she, especially—could use a reminder that this was a business transaction.

Too many times, she saw him and wondered what he would look like naked. If his chest was as broad and muscular as the cut of his shirt led her to believe. If he kissed as well as the shape and texture of his lips suggested. If his hands would feel smooth like silk or rough like sandpaper as they caressed her bare flesh. She guessed silk, unless he spent his weekends at a lumberjack camp.

Perspiration dampened her upper lip, and this time it had nothing to do with embarrassment.

The wind blew a stray lock of hair into her face and she brushed it away, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder. “I should go.”

“Let me give you a ride home.” At the flick of a wrist, his driver rushed forward to open the vehicle’s rear door.

She slanted a glance at the luxurious interior and knew accepting his offer would be a huge mistake. Being alone with this man, in a confined space, for an unspecified length of time? No, no, no. Not a smart idea if she wanted to keep her wits about her.

“Thanks, but I’m on my way to work.”

“I’ll drop you off,” he pressed.

Shaking her head, she took a backward step. “The restaurant is just a couple blocks from here. I’ll be fine.” Before he could try again, she turned and started in the opposite direction at a quick pace.

She’d only gone about ten feet when his raised voice reached her ears. “I’ll call you. Soon.”

She waved over her shoulder in acknowledgment without turning around, but thought to herself, I’ll bet you will.

Burke marched anxiously along the narrow length of space between his desk and the wall of glass overlooking the street. When he reached the last window to his right, he checked his watch, did an about-face and continued to stalk.

He should have heard from the doctor twenty minutes ago. Didn’t Shannon have a two o’clock appointment with Dr. Cox? Hadn’t the physician promised to have the test results less than an hour later?

Yet, here it was, 3:11 p.m., and Burke’s phone had yet to ring.

Bad enough that he’d cancelled all of his afternoon meetings in order to be available when the call came in, but Burke was far from being a patient man. He was too used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. He didn’t appreciate being made to wait. The only reason he hadn’t shown up at this appointment the same as he had at the last one was to spare Shannon any additional discomfort.

But a man could only take so much. This was his child they were talking about—if Shannon was, indeed, pregnant. He should be there while the tests were run.

Fed up, he stopped mid-stride and picked up the phone, hitting the button that would dial Dr. Cox’s office directly. “This is Burke Bishop. Get Cox on the phone,” he ordered, ignoring the receptionist’s pleasant greeting.

The woman didn’t argue, didn’t so much as ask why he was calling. She merely put him on hold while she buzzed the doctor.

“Burke,” John Cox’s voice acknowledged affably.

He began to say more, but Burke cut him off. “What the hell is taking so long?” he demanded. “You said you’d have the results by three. It is now three-fourteen.”

“Calm down, Burke. We just had a minor setback.”

“Setback? What kind of setback?”

“If you’d give me a chance to answer, I could explain.” He said it with the confidence of a man who had known Burke Bishop for more years than either of them could count. A man who knew that, deep down, Burke’s bark was much worse than his bite.

“Fine,” Burke answered in a stony, abrupt tone. “Explain.”

“Miss Moriarty had a minor accident and was late for her appointment. Because of that, things are running a bit behind. She’s waiting out front, and if you hadn’t interrupted, we would probably be done by now. You’re postponing your own test results, Burke. So do you want to—”

At the first mention of Shannon being hurt, Burke tensed. “What kind of accident?”

“Nothing serious,” the doctor assured. “Just a few bumps and maybe a bruise by morning.”

“What the hell happened?” He wanted details, and he wanted them now.

“She didn’t tell me the whole story, but from what I gathered, she was hit by an inline skater.”

“A what?”

“An inline skater. You know, they’re like roller skates only—”

“I know what they are,” he snapped.

“Well, she was on campus, walking home after a morning class, when someone on Rollerblades crashed into her.”

Burke muttered a rather rude expletive under his breath. “Is she all right?” he asked.

“Fit as a fiddle. A little nervous, but I guess that’s to be expected.”

“Nervous? The jerk didn’t hit her that hard, did he?” His hand moved toward the intercom button, ready to have his secretary call the police and hunt this guy down, if necessary.

“Not about the accident, Burke. She’s nervous about the test.”

The test. In his concern for Shannon, he’d nearly forgotten his reason for calling.

“But she’s all right?” he asked again, needing to hear the doctor’s reassurances one more time.

“She’s fine. And she’s waiting. So if you’re finished chastising me for my tardiness, I’d like to get back to my patient.”

“Is she staying for the results?” Burke asked.

“I think she mentioned waiting around, but I’m not sure. Why?”

“I’m on my way over. Tell her not to leave.”

“I’m not going to hold her hostage, Burke,” John said, a trace of humor in his voice. “But if you hurry, she should still be here.”

Knowing that it took a good fifteen minutes to get to Cox’s clinic in downtown traffic, Burke hung up without another word and strode out of his office. He instructed his assistant to call for the limo, then took the elevator to the basement level. He tapped his foot against the concrete as his driver brought the car to the front of the underground parking garage, impatient to find out whether he was about to become a father.

Faint traces of humiliation still warmed Shannon’s face, her brow, her neck, even her fingertips. So far today, she’d been dizzy and nauseated, run over by a skating classmate, stuck in the arm with a hollow needle, peed in a cup, and had a most delightful pelvic exam. Life just didn’t get any better than this.

The heavy sarcasm of her thoughts paled the crimson of her cheeks a bit and kept her mind off the fact that her embarrassment wasn’t over yet.

Just then, the doctor gave her leg a pat and told her to sit up. “You can get dressed now. As soon as I have the test results, I’ll let you know. Until then, you’re welcome to wait in the reception area.”

Gathering her clothes and purse, she dressed and made her way out of the examination room and back down the carpeted hall. The waiting room was filled with other patients, at least a dozen women in all. Some tall and thin, some a little plumper, and some obviously in the late stages of pregnancy.

She swallowed, another small wave of nausea washing over her at the thought of reaching that point on her own one day. Possibly one day very, very soon.

Shannon considered leaving. Going home and letting the doctor call to let her know the test results. But he’d said it would only be a few minutes, so she might as well stick around to see whether her life was about to change irrevocably.

Digging into her bag, she removed one of her textbooks and a writing tablet, and began making notes for the next day’s class. She’d been reading for several minutes when she noticed a strange hush fall over the room. Except for the mumbled voices of the television mounted to the wall, all chitchat had come to a stop. Not even the flutter of magazine pages marred the near perfect silence.

She raised her head and glanced around, wondering what had caused such an odd reaction from the other women.

And then she saw him.

Standing at the check-in window, Burke was leaning forward, speaking to the receptionist in a low voice. She would recognize him anywhere, even in the long, black overcoat, with only his polished shoes and ebony hair visible from the back.

A second later, he turned and his gaze zeroed in on her like a heat-seeking missile. And suddenly, she understood why everyone had grown stone quiet. She found herself falling speechless around him, too.

Even if his picture hadn’t been on the covers of countless papers and magazines over the past few years, he still would have stopped traffic. He was just so…imposing.

As he crossed the room in her direction, she swallowed hard and the book on her lap slid from her limp fingers to the floor. She started to bend forward to retrieve it, but Burke reached down first, the muscles in his arms and thighs rippling with the movement.

“I think you dropped this.”

“Thank you,” she said, licking her lips and forcing herself to meet his eyes.

He pointed to the space beside her on the narrow, padded bench, ignoring the curious stares he was getting from the other women. Obviously, he was used to being watched.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” She couldn’t possibly refuse him, so she shifted more to the side and moved her oversize purse to the floor.

“How are you feeling?”

His question caught her off guard, and as she raised her head to look at him, she wondered if Dr. Cox had told him about her little dizzy spell earlier.

“Fine,” she answered, even as she felt a warm flush creep over her cheekbones.

“No broken bones, I hear.”

Shannon frowned in confusion. And then her slight blush turned into a full-blown bush fire. Apparently, the doctor had filled him in on more than just her recent health concerns. He’d also told Burke about her run-in—literally—with the inline skater.

“No. No broken bones,” she admitted, suppressing her self-consciousness. “Just a bruised ego. Besides, it never would have happened if I’d moved all the way off the sidewalk to be sick.”

In a blink, he had turned to face her. His big hands, with their tanned fingers and neatly trimmed nails, gripped her shoulders. Not tightly, but securely. And his dark brows were drawn together in concern. “You were sick?”

Oops. Maybe Dr. Cox hadn’t told him everything about her day.

“Only for a few minutes. It passed, I’m fine now.”

“Did you tell the doctor? What did he say?”

If possible, she was becoming even more nervous than usual in his presence. It wasn’t only the serious, almost worried, expression on his face. Or the fact that he had every right to know the details of how she was feeling and what the cause might be.

No, the quiver in her stomach and clamminess of her skin were caused entirely by the heat of his hands still cupping her shoulders, seeping through the light knit of her butternut-yellow sweater to her skin.

How was it possible to be sexually attracted to the man who had hired her to be a surrogate mother for his child? And why in heaven’s name couldn’t she have met Chicago’s most eligible bachelor at a different time, under different circumstances? At least then, she might be able to follow through on these feelings and fireworks coursing through her system without guilt or the risk of violating a legal and binding contract.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to pull away, to break his almost mesmerizing hold on her.

“I told Dr. Cox. He didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.”

“It’s a very big deal.” His tone was sharp, his lips thinned in annoyance. “Especially under the current circumstances.”

With a sigh, he straightened and then relaxed against the spindled back of the bench. “Maybe you should tell me everything that happened. From the beginning.”

“It’s not the most flattering moment of my life,” she began, resigned to sharing the details of her day before he would let the subject drop. “On the way here after classes, I started feeling a little light-headed and nauseous. The only thing I could think of was to put my head between my knees until it passed.” Her mouth twisted in a self-deprecating grin. “Next time, I’ll remember to sit down first.”

One of Burke’s slate-gray eyes narrowed while the other widened, the brow quirking amusingly. “You mean to say you pretty much doubled over in the middle of the sidewalk.”