One-Amazing-Night Baby!: A Wild Night & A Marriage Ultimatum / Pregnant by the Playboy Tycoon / Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition

That’s quite enough, Sophie.

After dusting his hands on his chambray button-down shirt, Cooper joined her.

Pressed against the trunk, hands fanned behind her at the pit of her back, she still couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. Not even when he stood close enough for that mesmerising innate heat to seep though her clothing, burrow through her skin, and find that secret place deep inside. The force was so tangible she pictured red and blue flames leaping to life.

They’d made love for an endless night and half a day. Had seen each other dressed in nothing but desire. Yet her cheeks burned with the blatant implication of her own words. Did she want to take them back?

Sophie’s shoulders sagged. Foolish or not, she wanted the safety of his strong sinewy arms around her. The urge for contact had become so overpowering lately that twice this week vivid dreams had woken her …

Cooper’s hard-muscled body above her.

Adoring lips nipping hers.

Hot male scent convincing her more and more.

His sable voice wove out to soothe her. ‘If you can’t say it, Sophie, I will.’

She closed her eyes and shivered as his warm breath stirred her hair and hot fingers threaded back the curls fallen over her face. He cupped her hip and scooped till he’d prised her away from the wood.

‘We want each other,’ he told her. ‘We’re not kids. Nothing is bad or wrong with feeling strong physical attraction towards a person you care about.’

Sophie’s heartbeat skipped, then she smiled. He cared about her? As much as she’d come to care for him?

Cooper murmured against her crown. ‘Here’s something else to think about. What if we make love two or three more times and the sparks fizzle and die? Shouldn’t we find out whether our physical attraction is long-term or just a flash in the pan?’

Sophie grinned. Oh, he was smooth. She had a big feeling her sparks for him would never fizzle.

Which sounded romantic, but in reality wasn’t necessarily a good thing. If this trial failed—if she still believed he wanted to marry the chicken who had incubated his egg rather than the person he respected, valued and, yes, maybe even loved—she didn’t want to be hung up on a lost cause all the lonely years of her life.

He brushed aside more stubborn curls on her brow. When he dotted a soft kiss on her hairline, her core squeezed with the unmistakable sweet pang of longing. Concentrating on the rapid rhythm of her heartbeat, she breathed in and out, then, forcing herself over caution’s edge, walked her fingers up his shirtfront.

Thing was, he did have a valid point. Didn’t he? Maybe they really ought to check out whether their compatibility in the bedroom was not only as real and wonderful as she remembered, but also whether it would last beyond a night … a week … a month …

His hand framed her face as his thumb worked a light, relaxing circle at her temple. ‘We need to check those waters out thoroughly.’ His mouth caressed the spot. ‘Very thoroughly.’ He groaned and held her closer. ‘Very, very thoroughly.’

Her mouth drifted over and skimmed his. ‘Cooper?’

‘Yes, sweetheart?’

Sweetheart.

She smiled. ‘I get the picture.’

Smiling back, he tasted her parted lips.

Her arms gradually linked around his neck, and he gathered her in for a passionate and meaningful no-holds-barred kiss.

A thunderbolt of searing heat fell through her middle and down her legs, before gushing back up in a fanfare of tingling bright lights. Hanging on tight, she invited him in fully, revelling in the fire that burned and leapt inside her. Time converged in on itself, a twirling, giddy spin that left her breathless, weak and needing more.

Needing it all.

When the kiss ended, Cooper’s breathing was laboured, his voice thick. He nipped her bottom lip. ‘We need to go home or the kangaroos are going to sell tickets.’

She floated up from her dreamy haze to see an audience of marsupials arced around them, eyes bright, apparently most eager to witness the next stage.

He found her gaze. ‘I might not believe in black cats and lucky charms, but I do believe our night together wasn’t a mistake. This isn’t a mistake. I want you, Sophie.’

He stole another penetrating kiss that melted the last of her resistance before reluctantly drawing away.

His smile was soft. ‘Let’s go home.’

With the afternoon’s cool shadows growing longer, and their arms looped around each other’s belts as they left the reserve, Sophie so wanted to take heart in Cooper’s confidence. But that annoying part of her which wasn’t affected by raging hormones niggled and whispered all the way home.

Whether or not she’d been a party to it, ultimately Cooper had got his own way. As of tonight, his bed was her bed.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘DROP the bathrobe—but only if you’re naked underneath.’

Freshly emerged from a steamy shower after their big day at the zoo, Sophie enjoyed a delicious shiver at the authoritative tone evident in that deep, masculine voice. Sexual awareness climbed as, poised in the en suite bathroom’s doorway, she allowed time for her eyes to adjust from the brighter light to the bedroom’s corner lamp glow.

The commanding silhouette towering before her gradually acquired features. As Cooper’s hooded gaze became clearer, so too did his hungry smile.

The plateau of his chest was dusted with the wiry hair she adored driving her fingers through; the toned ridges of his stomach looked as hard as her whispered memories said they would be. Hair began again below his concave navel, arrowing down in a silky trail that left her heart beating so fiercely she could barely catch her breath.

He pushed out a put-upon sigh and rushed a hand through his damp, dark hair. ‘Guess I have to do my own dirty work and come over there.’

Cooper moved towards her with the athletic grace of a predator savouring the thought of its next, highly anticipated meal. His rolling muscles were a masterpiece in polished steel motion. His Levi’s were her favourites—well-worn, low-slung and unzipped. With each languid step the soft blue denim shifted on his hips, drawing her attention to what Sophie knew full well lay beneath.

Light-headedness tingled across her brain as the distance separating them narrowed and his scent reached out to fill her lungs. Finally anchoring his weight mere inches away, Cooper cuffed strong fingers into the collar of her heavy towelling robe and urged her up onto tiptoe at the same instant his mouth came crashing down.

Impatient, greedy … she happily submitted to the drugging magic of his kiss. The force was greater than any current catching her ankles and sweeping her out to sea. She was drawn in by the urgency, set free by the heady heights of passion. Some good reason had stopped her pursuing this intense longing these past weeks, but for the life of her now she couldn’t think what.

Stretching, she moved to embrace him, but found her robe’s shoulders had been dragged down, effectively confining her arms to her sides. Smiling against his lips, she burrowed close as his large hands continued to pull the towelling till her heavy breasts spilled out.

As his thumbs kneaded her arms, her nipples rubbed against his chest, releasing a scorching blast of want that struck and then consumed her feminine core. Legs turned to rubber, she clung to his forearms, willing this night to last at least until eternity.

As their kiss evolved into starved snatches, he urged her to follow as he backed up. His tongue was tickling a responsive patch on her neck when she imagined his legs hit the mattress, and something resembling conscious thought clawed its way up from the depths of wild abandon.

Still, it took the hot shell of his hand slipping under the robe for her to remember the all-important questions she’d decided, while showering, she needed to ask.

‘Cooper,’ she murmured, eyes closed, neck arced back, ‘we need to stop for a moment.’

He manoeuvred her around till she sat on the bed’s edge, then pressed her back against the dusky pink coverlet. His gaze trained on her swollen tender breasts, he released the tie at her waist. The hot plates of his palms ironed across her abdomen as he spread the robe apart.

In shadow, she saw a pulse jump at the side of his throat and one dark brow lift in shameless appreciation. ‘Yep. You’re naked under there, all right.’

His knees nudged hers apart, widening her thighs to a vee before a two-fingered touch slid a lazy path between her centre. As a powerful tremor gripped her, her hips automatically arched to meet his stroke.

Cooper’s smile changed.

The side of his hand breezed down then up one quivering inner thigh. ‘I’ve missed you.’

A knee on the bed, he lowered over her.

A flash went off in her mind. She remembered her preparation plan and rolled away.

Chuckling, he effortlessly rolled her back. ‘Sophie, all the fun’s happening here.’

She swallowed hard and gathered her thoughts. ‘I need to ask you something. And I’m sure you’ll say yes, because that’s the answer any man would give, and that’s what a woman would expect. But be warned. I’ll see in your eyes whether or not you’re telling the truth.’

He froze, before finally falling onto his side. ‘This sounds more complicated than trigonometry.’ He eased up onto an elbow and, cheek in hand, nodded. ‘Go ahead.’

‘It’s really very simple,’ she said, assembling her thoughts and tamping down, as best she could, the sizzling physical overload. ‘Do you believe in monogamous relationships?’

One of Cooper’s brows took on a curious slant. ‘Sophie, have you developed your own list?’

She thought about it, and had to admit it. ‘I guess I have.’

His lined expression eased considerably. ‘In that case …’ He twirled a fingertip around her closest nipple and she stifled a groan of pure pleasure. ‘Yes, Sophie, I believe in one partner only.’

Predictable answer. Still, she took heart seeing the easy conviction shining from his eyes.

He grinned. ‘Did I pass?’

She shook her head. ‘Not yet.’ Not needing any distraction, she pulled her robe closed.

‘But I didn’t fail.’ He reopened the robe. ‘So don’t mete out the punishment just yet.’

Feeling exposed, but secretly revelling in his attention, she tried to ignore the allure of his devilish smile. ‘I would never cheat on an exam, and I would only steal if a loved one’s well-being was at stake and I had no other choice.’

He tipped his head, impressed. ‘I not only like it, I agree.’

He angled across and oh-so-gently traced the tip of his tongue around that beaded, screaming peak.

Fighting down the urge to draw up her knees and haul him close, she pushed his head back. ‘One more.’ Her blood was on fire; she needed to hurry. ‘If someone was drowning, and there was a danger I might drown too, I’d have to jump in regardless.’

‘The courage versus stupidity conundrum?’ He truly looked at her this time. ‘We’re on the same page there too. I’d do the same.’ His eyes stayed with hers and he brought his arm over and kissed one corner of her mouth. ‘Am I free to go, miss?’

Smiling, she framed his firm, square jaw in her hands. ‘You are most certainly not free to go. You need to stay here and clean the boards …’ he kissed the other corner of her mouth ‘… and put up the chairs …’ he nipped her lower lip. She sighed. ‘Then, and only then, can you make love to me till dawn.’

Grinning, he pushed away to stand at the foot of the bed, where the bathroom light set a hazy aura around his sublime Adonis shape. Sophie watched, entranced and shaking a little inside, as the jeans slid down the long firm trunks of his legs.

Cooper filled his lungs with softly scented air, kicked aside his jeans, and again joined the woman he was dying to enjoy.

All-consuming desire pumped through his veins as he threaded an arm around her waist and tipped her so they lay front to front. Every nerve-ending leading to his groin ignited as she curled into him, offering herself up to a pleasure they both knew would only increase as the hours fled by.

Funny. From the second she’d accepted their live-in arrangement he’d harboured plans to seduce her, whether openly or covertly. But there was nothing contrived about the way his heart boomed now, or this sense of belonging drifting through his bloodstream.

She’d accepted his decision about the stairs. Tonight she’d admitted that surrendering to their passion was inevitable. Soon she would understand that his resolve to marry her was also non-negotiable.

He respected Sophie and her desire to stand tall and be herself. He’d come to care deeply for her too, in ways that had sometimes left him aching and wondering where to funnel all that emotion. But tonight they’d found the answer: in each other’s arms.

They hadn’t had a disagreement in a month, and were alike in the matters that truly counted. Their morals, their sexual attraction towards each other. Their baby. Should anything else matter?

Her hand fluttered over his stomach and latched on to his most eager appendage.

‘You haven’t forgotten about my raging hormones, have you?’ she purred. ‘I might just run you ragged.’

Bone-melting comets shot from his crotch down to his toes and back up again. Don’t worry about turning his dials. Already she was close to blowing him off the map.

He cupped her rump and shoved her roughly against him. ‘Stamina, thy name is Smith.’

He hadn’t finished the sentence before a bolt of shame tore through his centre and he realised what he’d done—manhandled her backside as if she were a piece of un-pregnant meat.

Had he caused damage? Should he shoot himself now?

As gently as his growing dread allowed, he moved back and examined her face, her belly. ‘Are you all right?’

She looked at him as if his brain had been invaded by alien beings. ‘I’m fine. Wonderful, in fact.’

‘I didn’t hurt you? Maybe hurt the baby?’

Her warm smile went a long way to soothing his charred conscience. ‘The baby is protected, Cooper. Don’t worry.’

He probed her eyes. ‘There’s nothing I can do that will harm him?’

‘At this stage? Not a lot.’ She coiled her leg provocatively over his hip. ‘But if you need to find your sea legs, front to front is very safe.’ Her teeth grazed his chin. ‘Or so I’ve read.’

Happy hormones of the XY variety surged to wash away any remaining doubt. He held her raised thigh and eased her close against the length of his body. ‘Your research?’

He dropped a kiss on her temple, her cheek, her soft, welcoming mouth.

‘Mmm … Cooper …?’

His blood was liquid lava now. ‘Yes, sweetheart?’

‘Let’s not talk anymore.’

He chuckled. ‘I like the way you think.’

He loved the way she felt. Her skin smooth as satin, her hair bouncy and soft. Best of all he loved the way she gripped him when he finally entered her, bit by bit, holding back long enough to know she was ready, as she’d never been before.

They held each other, pressed in tight, his body damp with perspiration, hers slick with desire. Their synchronised rhythm continued to increase until the urgent push of anticipated reward couldn’t be denied one moment more.

He felt her muscles tense at the same time as his mind closed down, the dam broke loose, and he shuddered with the visceral joy of pulsating release.

He groaned and held her so close that some part of him was convinced they had morphed into one. He’d never felt more complete than at that moment. She was his again, and would be from this night forward. They belonged together, for so many reasons, and he would make certain nothing and no one ever tore them apart. What he had now, what he treasured most, he would never let go.

When the waves finally died, and the physical intensity ebbed away, he inhaled deeply and, running his palm up and down her smooth back, reflected on the thrill of making love again at last. And didn’t it just beat all? In no time he was craving to know her again—with his arms, his mouth, with everything that made him a man.

He heard and felt the crinkle as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest, then sighed long and loud. ‘Mmm, that was good.’

Smiling at the heat already stirring in his loins, he breathed in the sweet fragrance of her hair. ‘If that was good, I can’t wait for fantastic.’

Her tummy gave a quiet growl, and he frowned.

He didn’t want to bust up the party, but he guessed they really ought to break for sustenance; she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and that couldn’t be good for the baby. Thirty minutes and they could regroup for a variation on tonight’s ‘safe sex’ theme. He could barely wait.

He was about to suggest roast beef and homemade potato salad sandwiches, but stopped when she rubbed his cheek in a let’s-lie-here-and-talk kind of way.

He held her a little tighter. ‘Something up?’ Besides the obvious.

She paused before taking a deep breath. ‘What do you want more than anything?’ She dropped a warm kiss at the base of his throat and looked up into his eyes.

He covered her hand with his, and in a solemn voice told her the truth. ‘I want to keep this child, our child, safe and always under my care.’

She seemed to think it through. ‘What does that mean, exactly? You want to give up your job to be a full-time caregiver?’

He chuckled. He loved her sense of humour. ‘That’s not exactly it, no.’

‘Or is it that you want to come home each night,’ she continued, ‘knowing that your wife has cared for your baby and your house?’

He paused. He recognised that tone. This was one of her trick questions. The answer was an unreserved yes. But instinct said she wanted to hear no.

He wasn’t going to jeopardise a month’s good work and argue now.

He’d just let it slide.

But she persisted. ‘What about childcare? Nannies versus larger facilities? Maybe you’d be prepared to work twenty hours a week instead of fifty or sixty, so you could do three days at home with the baby one week, two days the next?’

He frowned. Was she serious? ‘Besides other considerations, at this stage in my career that’s not feasible.’

‘But you’d be happy enough for me to give up my career?’

Heartbeat thudding in his ears, he let go of her hand to rake his hair back from his brow. He stared at the ceiling. Clearly swinging her around would need some work. But not now. Plenty of time to discuss what was best for everyone over the coming days and weeks.

His hand found hers again, and this time he squeezed. ‘We’ve just made love. I don’t want to argue.’

‘I’m not being argumentative. I’m addressing issues that need to be addressed, whether we marry or not.’

His jaw tightened. With the dividends from his investments, they would live on the sunnier side of easy street the rest of their lives. He understood she might want to hold on to part of her independence, but after the birth surely she’d want to spend the majority of her time with her own child rather than other people’s?

She cut into his thoughts. ‘I want to show you something.’ Moving her hand from beneath his, she made a fist and presented him with an elevated view of the closed pinky end. ‘See that line between the creases of my hand and curled little finger?’

He looked closer. No, but anyway …

‘That indicates how many children I’ll have,’ she said. ‘I have one line, which means one child.’

Oh, come on, now.

He slanted her hand away and sat up. ‘I don’t believe that old wives’ tale, and neither do you.’ She was angling for a reaction—a way to introduce her next point.

She covered herself with the robe and sat up too. ‘What if I only want one child? What if I want my career, just like you do?’

There were bigger issues that might be better handled, say, a month from now, when he’d completely convinced her that they were getting married and living together with their child, no matter what.

‘How many children would you like, Cooper? And don’t you dare suggest triplets.’

Thoughts of Evangeline and her pregnancy popped into his head. Had their difficulty in conceiving been his or hers? Maybe neither. For some, conception occurred easily. Other couples endured long delays sometimes for no apparent reason. He’d learned recently that a fellow lawyer and his wife had tried for five years, given up, adopted a golden retriever and then last month—bingo! Would he and Sophie fall so easily a second time?

Sophie wanted an honest answer. He’d give her one. ‘I’d like two children—a pigeon pair. But I’ll focus on this one. If he is born healthy, I’ll be happy.’

‘But Cooper—’

Enough!

He tackled her with a silencing kiss. They fell back on the bed, and soon her resistance had melted into acceptance.

As the caress eased and their lips parted, Cooper was gripped by the almighty urge to say …

Something.

I love you?

No. Way too soon. And if he didn’t believe it, neither would she.

But, looking down into those big green cat’s eyes, he felt the heat begin to build again and the want become a need.

Was he falling in love for the first time? More importantly, was Sophie falling for him?

He curved his hand around her crown and slanted his mouth over hers again—neither too hard, nor too soft, but hopefully just right.

Because timing and skill were vital. When he had her heart without reservation—when she was in love with him and couldn’t give up what they had together—then he would have what they all needed most.

His family—their family—safe and sound under one roof.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ONE month later, Paige was home from France, Cooper was still playing nice and Sophie had actually begun to think about diamond rings and white dresses. Not that Cooper was aware—and she wasn’t about to tell him. Not yet. She still wasn’t certain, but …

Maybe soon.

She was daydreaming about Cooper wrapping her in his arms and saying the three little words she longed for and needed to hear when the front door slammed shut. Her heart leaping to her throat, Sophie frowned and shot a look towards the kitchen wall clock. Five past five. Cooper was home early, and it didn’t sound as if he’d had a good day.

Wiping her hands on a teatowel, Sophie tossed a harried glance over the vegetables she’d chopped for tonight’s stir fry. Two months ago, when she’d first moved in, she wouldn’t have believed she’d be standing here behind Cooper’s kitchen sink playing wife. She still wasn’t certain she believed it.

They were yet to work out the dinner thing. He liked big home-cooked meals. She liked to eat out. His housekeeper usually prepared three or four dishes that could be removed from the freezer when needed. But Joan was away, visiting her cousin in Ireland, so Sophie had taken a stab at ‘big’ and ‘home-cooked’. Cooking itself didn’t bother her, but she begrudged the time spent cleaning up afterward. Now Paige was home, she could help.

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