In the Boss's Arms: Having the Boss's Babies / Her Millionaire Boss / Her Surgeon Boss

But of course…she was armed…with a dangerously sensual femininity that had made him her captive slave.

This evening, however, when she opened her front door and saw Liam on her doorstep, all colour drained from her face.

‘Oh,’ was all she said and she clutched the door knob as if she needed its support.

‘Hello, Alice.’ He was alarmed by her apparent frailty. ‘I hope I haven’t got you out of bed.’

‘No, no.’

Despite her paleness, her beauty couldn’t be dimmed. Her dark hair was shining as if she’d just finished brushing it a thousand times and her deep red jeans and multi-toned T-shirt offset her pale skin perfectly. He wanted to feast his eyes on her. ‘I was very sorry to hear that you weren’t well.’

She nodded, but offered no explanation.

‘It’s nothing serious, I hope?’

‘No. Just a stomach virus.’ She gave a little shrug, but its effect was rather spoiled by the bleakness in her eyes that suggested she was troubled by much more than a stomach bug. ‘You must think I make a habit of leaving work early.’

‘Not at all.’ Liam stood on the step with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and she continued to cling to the door. ‘May I come in?’ he asked and then, reluctantly, ‘Or are you too tired?’

‘I—I’m rather tired.’

The tension between them was palpable. He couldn’t stand it. Taking a step closer, he reached out and touched her cheek. It was soft and warm beneath his fingers. ‘I’ve missed you so much, Alice.’

She turned her head away quickly, but not before he saw the movement of her throat as she swallowed and the sudden glitter of silver in her eyes. Were they tears? What was the matter? His heart rocked.

Standing stiffly, with his hand returned to his side, he struggled to think of something else to say. This stilted conversation was agony, but it was an agony that had to be prolonged. He couldn’t walk away till he knew what the matter was. ‘I hope my parcel arrived safely.’

‘Oh, yes. I meant to thank you.’ She looked up at him again. ‘I’ve never had any Venetian glass. It’s just gorgeous. I love it.’

‘You found a place for it among all your other green things?’

‘Yes.’ She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and he thought for a moment that she was going to invite him inside to see it, but obviously she dismissed that idea almost as quickly as it had come to her and she gave the door a little push as if she was keen to shut him out.

‘I assume everything went smoothly in the office while I was away.’ He was grasping at straws now.

One corner of her mouth tilted in a wry smile. ‘We managed very well without you.’

Her deliberate taunt found its mark. He sighed. ‘I guess you’re angry because I didn’t make contact while I was away.’

She didn’t reply—just stood there looking upset

‘I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch,’ he said. ‘It was a little crazy in Sydney.’

She dropped her gaze quickly. Her feet were bare and she rubbed one nervously against the other.

‘Is it something else? What is it, Alice? What’s the matter?’

Her mouth tugged out of shape and then a little sound that was suspiciously like a sob escaped. ‘Just about everything.’

Hearing that, Liam gave up waiting for an invitation. He pushed the door out of her grasp and stepped inside.

There wasn’t much room in the narrow hallway and in the confined space he was acutely aware of her proximity. The scent of lemon shampoo lingered about her and he wanted to ignore whatever was bothering her and to draw her close, to have her in his arms, with her warm, sweet body rammed tight against him, to bury his face in her fragrant, silky hair.

But he continued walking down the hallway and turned into her living room, and she closed the front door and followed.

Her living room was almost in darkness save for the gentle glow cast by a table lamp in the far corner. It was a room of intense atmosphere with strong pieces of furniture, richly coloured wall hangings, cleverly selected cushions and objets d’art. There was music playing softly—a woman singing a moody love song about walking in fields of gold.

The urge to drag Alice down onto the deep chocolate sofa was so strong Liam almost groaned aloud.

‘Now,’ he said gruffly as he stood to attention in the middle of her room. ‘You’re going to tell me what’s the matter.’

A look of despair swept over her lovely face.

‘And you’ll also tell me how I can help,’ he added more gently.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t want your help.’

The hardness in her voice caused an involuntary flinch, but he chose to ignore it. ‘Take a seat, Alice.’ He said this as he might have done to an employee in his office and he half expected an angry response, but she sat meekly in a deep armchair and he took the sofa.

They faced each other in the lamplight.

‘So, what kind of problem are we dealing with here?’ He was aware that he sounded more like a boss at a board meeting than a lover.

The wry smile returned, tilting her soft pink mouth to an unhappy slant. ‘On a scale of one to ten?’

‘If that’s the way you want to present it.’

Picking up a cocoa and black striped cushion, she hugged it to her chest and sighed. ‘From my point of view, right at this moment, it feels like a ten.’

‘Good God, Alice, is it that bad?’ A knife point twisted in his heart. ‘You’re not seriously ill, are you?’

‘No,’ she said quickly, but then she dropped the cushion as she covered her face with her hands.

‘What is it?’ Liam was across the floor and kneeling beside her. He couldn’t bear this. His heart filled his throat.

She dragged her hands slowly down her face and her eyes glittered again with the hint of silver. ‘I’m really embarrassed about this,’ she said.

‘What?’ he demanded in a breathless gasp.

‘I—I’m—’ She swallowed and a tear spilled down her cheek. ‘I’m pregnant.’

It was as if she’d thrown a grenade in his face. He felt strangely numb. He knew there was a reason why her words didn’t make sense, but for the moment he couldn’t think of it, couldn’t think at all.

And then slowly the shock subsided.

‘When? How?’

‘The outback trip is the only time it could have happened. I’m sorry,’ Alice said. ‘I had no idea.’

Sinking onto the carpeted floor with his hands behind him for support, he let his thoughts unscramble. ‘You said pregnancy was impossible.’

‘I know. I thought I was infertile. Honestly.’ Her hands were clenched tightly on her knees. ‘Apparently, I was mistaken.’ She looked directly at him. ‘You have a right to be angry.’ Her eyes were the colour of rainwater and awash with tears. ‘You are angry, aren’t you?’

Chapter Nine

ALL Alice wanted was to hurl herself into Liam’s arms. Here he was, returned to her, in her house again after the long days of waiting, and she yearned to feel him holding her. But how could she, now that she’d seen his wife? And how could she when the impact of her bombshell was ricocheting through him like shockwaves?

He was sinking back onto the floor, completely stunned, but then, as she watched through tear-blurred eyes, he leapt to his feet and strode away from her, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he wrestled with her news.

When he turned back to her, his eyes were burning with a fierce blue light and his throat muscles betrayed a terrible tension.

‘I know you must think I tricked you,’ she said in a shaking voice. ‘But I can assure you I honestly believed I couldn’t have a baby.’ When he didn’t reply she hurried on. ‘I don’t want this to be your concern, Liam. It’s my problem, and I will deal with it. You don’t have to worry that I’ll make unreasonable demands or anything.’

His eyes speared her. ‘What do you mean, you’ll deal with it? You’re not thinking of a termination, are you?’

‘Heavens, no. I just mean I’ll manage on my own. I don’t need—’

‘Me?’ His hands clenched tightly against his sides and his face flushed dark red. Corded sinews stood out on his forearms. ‘Is that what you’re saying, Alice? You don’t need me? You don’t want me involved?’

No. I need you, Liam. I need your arms about me. I need the touch of your lips on mine, on me, anywhere, everywhere.

‘I—I don’t want you to feel under any obligation,’ she said.

‘And you would reject an offer of marriage?’

Marriage? A jolt, like an electric shock, scorched through her. An offer of marriage was the very last thing she’d expected to hear from this man. It wasn’t possible.

She’d thought he might offer her money…or friendship…even a long-term affair. ‘You—you can’t mean that.’

His face was so stiff and proud it might well have been cast in bronze. ‘Why not?’

‘You’re not available.’

He frowned. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

At first she thought she might not get the words out but somehow she managed. ‘Your wife.’

‘My what?’ He released a short, disbelieving huff that might have been a laugh. ‘What are you on about? I’m not married, Alice. I’ve never been married. I told you that.’

She pressed a hand against the savage beating wings in her chest. ‘Mrs Conway, the woman who arrived with you today—’

‘Julia? She’s not my wife. She’s my sister-in-law.’

She stared at him, saw naked emotion in his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth. A sister-in-law. Why hadn’t she thought of that? ‘W-was she the family emergency?’

‘Yes. Julia’s been in hospital. Unfortunately, she has to deal with medical complications that crop up from time to time.’

Now that she was adjusting to this news, anger began to surface. ‘It might have helped if you’d telephoned.’

‘Yes.’ With his hands on his hips Liam stared at the far wall. ‘I can see now that it was a mistake to wait, but I thought it would be wiser to explain it all when I got back. For heaven’s sake, Alice, I told you I wasn’t married. Couldn’t you believe me? Why would I lie?’

‘I don’t know.’ Her hands flapped at her sides as she struggled to justify why she’d doubted him.

‘Men lie. For all sorts of reasons.’

‘That’s a wild generalisation.’

‘Todd lied to me. He told me he’d had medical tests that proved our fertility problems were my fault.’

Liam muttered an oath. ‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t draw parallels between me and that toad.’

‘You’re nothing like him,’ Alice said softly. She drew a deep breath. ‘Mrs Conway—your sister-in-law—I only caught a glimpse of her, but I thought she looked rather nice.’

‘She is. Julia’s wonderful.’

‘And she’s married to your brother?’

‘My brother’s dead.’ This was uttered with such jaw-clenched finality that Alice accepted it without daring to comment.

But then Liam’s face broke into a heartbreakingly sad smile. ‘This isn’t how tonight should be happening, Alice. I feel so—so distanced from you. It feels like we’re fighting.’

‘I don’t want to fight,’ she whispered, her eyes brimming.

In two steps Liam was beside her again and the next moment he was scooping her up and a beat later he was in her armchair and she was in his lap and his arms were about her and she was clinging to him.

Hooking a strand of hair with his finger, he tucked it behind her ear. His warm lips caressed her cheek. ‘We’ve made a baby together, Alice. It’s a night for celebration.’

‘Celebration?’

‘As I remember, we’re rather good at it.’

‘But it’s what got us into this trouble.’

‘We’re not in trouble.’

Perhaps he was right. Besides, she couldn’t resist his kiss. And he gave her little option. His mouth claimed her, calmed her. With her eyes closed she relaxed into him and it was perfect—a deliciously sensual and unhurried kiss, different from the passion and fire of their kisses in the past.

There was a tenderness, a loving lingering, as if they both felt just a little overawed by the astonishing, deeper connection of impending parenthood.

When at last they broke apart, Liam buried his face in her hair. ‘Even without a baby in the picture, whatever has happened between us is more than just sex, Alice.’

‘I know,’ she whispered.

His lips brushed her ear. ‘I think you should marry me.’

Marriage. Alice went very still in his arms.

Here it was again; another proposal. Every part of her wanted Liam. But marriage? Could she make a commitment like that? So soon?

It was so tempting, but was it just an easy way to avoid the problems of pregnancy out of wedlock?

She knew she was madly attracted to this man—almost certainly in love with him. But how could she be sure it wasn’t for all the wrong reasons? Liam Conway was powerful and rich, a sensational lover and oh, so divine looking—in other words, every woman’s dream.

But did she know the real man?

At sixteen, Todd had been the epitome of most high-school girls’ dreams and she’d fallen for the whole gorgeous-footballer thing. But when she got to know Todd inside the harsh day-to-day realities of married life there had been so many disappointments. Those disappointments had created little rifts at first, but over time the gaps had widened and deepened until the damage was irreparable.

One failed marriage had been a nightmare; another would be more than she could bear.

Liam was waiting for her answer. She could feel the tension in his arms as he sensed her struggle. She closed her eyes, wishing this wasn’t so hard.

‘It’s too soon, isn’t it?’ he said.

A little sigh of relief escaped her. He understood. She nodded against his shoulder, but then she lifted her head. ‘That’s not the only reason.’

‘You have a string of reasons for rejecting me?’

It was impossible to discuss this while she was curled on his lap. She hoisted herself onto her feet and stood facing him.

It was time to be sensible.

‘You know I’ve just ended one marriage, Liam. I’m not ready to dive into another.’

He nodded slowly, his eyes stern, his reactions unreadable.

‘And, as I said before, I wouldn’t want you to marry me just because you feel obliged to.’

Liam’s jaw tightened and he flicked his gaze away from her to a woven hanging of rainforest trees and palms on her far wall.

‘In many ways you’re still a stranger,’ she said, glad that he wasn’t looking her in the eye. ‘I didn’t even know you had a brother who died until a few minutes ago.’

But they both knew that what they had shared minutes before had not been a stranger’s kiss.

Perhaps Liam was thinking the same thing. He turned back to her. ‘We’re hardly strangers, Alice. It may be only a few weeks since we met, but we’ve shared a near-death experience and we’ve created a new life. How many couples achieve that in such a short time? Every relationship has its own time line.’

‘But marriage is something else again. You don’t know anything about marriage, Liam.’ She rubbed at the carpet with the sole of a bare foot. ‘Marriage isn’t just about the big moments. It’s day in, day out living with a person. That’s when all the little things begin to matter.’

‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘I accept that.’ His fingers traced a pattern on the arm of the chair. ‘And thanks to your ex, your ability to trust your instincts has taken a battering.’

She nodded.

Liam’s head dropped to one side as he frowned at her. ‘You look tired. Perhaps we should talk about this some other time.’

‘If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to get this sorted out now. And I’m too wired to try to sleep now, anyhow.’

He waved her towards the sofa. ‘Then for heaven’s sake take the weight off your feet.’

Obediently, she sank into the deep chocolate velvet sofa opposite him and curled her feet beneath her.

As Liam watched her, his mouth curved in a small, sardonic smile. ‘So, how far down your list are we? I must say I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so soundly rejected.’

‘Have you been rejected before?’ she asked, surprised.

‘Yes,’ he said calmly. ‘Once. It seems a long time ago now.’

He didn’t seem particularly upset by the memory, but crazily enough, Alice felt jealous of the woman Liam had once loved. She wanted to ask him about her, but how could she do that when she was slap bang in the middle of yet another rejection?

‘Maybe you should tell me why you think we should be married, Liam?’

His shoulders rose and fell quickly as if he’d drawn a sharp breath. And Alice wondered what had happened to her own breathing.

If Liam spoke of love, if he promised her undying devotion, her common sense would fly out the window. She would be helpless, lost in her need for him, at sea with his love as her only lifebelt.

‘I want to offer you protection,’ he said. ‘To shield you. I hate the thought of people in the office or other business associates making you feel uncomfortable—talking about you behind your back.’

His answer was exactly what she’d expected, what she’d feared. ‘That’s—that’s very gallant. But I’m afraid people would only talk about our shotgun wedding instead.’

In the dim lighting his eyes watched her with an intense, ferocious blaze. ‘So you’re determined that marriage is out of the question.’

If you don’t love me. ‘Yes. I’m still getting over a bad marriage experience. I need time.’

A barely perceptible tremor ran through him, shocking Alice so that she almost dashed across the room to wrap him in a bear hug.

‘So,’ he said, recovering quickly. ‘Let’s talk about alternatives.’

Somehow, alternatives didn’t sound as appealing as they should have. Alice struggled to remember that she had to be sensible.

‘I’m not sure what you mean by alternatives, but I must admit I’m not too keen about having everyone in the office watching me as I grow bigger and fatter with the boss’s baby. I think I should resign.’

Liam frowned and his fingers drummed a tattoo on the arm of the chair. ‘Don’t resign. Take leave. You can take it for as long as you want. If you like, you could even do some work from home. You could concentrate on a total revamp of our outback-tour contacts.’

‘OK. Actually that would be wonderful. Thank you.’ She would relish having as much time as she needed to gather all the updated information from the outback-tourist options.

‘What other problems do you foresee?’ Liam asked her.

‘I don’t think there are any others that involve you.’

‘I’m your baby’s father. I’m involved. Get used to it, Alice.’

Well, well, she thought, Liam might be talking about fatherhood, but clearly he was back in bossmode, supremely comfortable with making decisions and planning strategies.

‘What about your family?’ he asked her. ‘How will they react?’

Wincing, she closed her eyes. ‘I’m afraid they still haven’t forgiven me for the divorce. I’m not sure how I’m going to pluck up the courage to tell them about this.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

Her eyes flashed open. ‘No, Liam. I don’t expect you to—’

‘As I said, I’m involved. Get used to it. We’ll take your parents to dinner somewhere tasteful and discreet and we’ll tell them in a very adult and civilised manner exactly what’s happened and they’ll respond in an equally adult and civilised manner.’

Alice stared at him with her mouth open. Just like that he’d hit on the perfect solution. It would work. She knew it. Liam would win her parents over with his effortless charm and the aunts, too, if necessary.

‘And I’d like you to meet Julia and my nephew, Jack,’ he said.

Goodness, that was unexpected. Alice was gaping again. Liam had always been so secretive about his personal life.

She could sense his steely resolve. ‘I’m going to help you through this, Alice.’ He jumped to his feet. ‘But now I really must let you get some sleep.’

Alice rose, too. She wasn’t quite sure how to say goodbye; Liam had become so businesslike in the past few minutes. ‘Thank you for coming.’

He was flipping open a cell-phone. ‘I’ll just call a cab.’

‘Don’t you have a car yet?’ She couldn’t help asking this after Shana’s dark mutterings about the story in the paper.

His face turned blank. ‘No, I don’t need one.’

Given everything that had transpired this evening, it wasn’t the moment to start quizzing Liam about why he didn’t drive. But as he left her that night, dropping a light kiss on her forehead before heading outside to wait for the taxi, she realised that for all his involvement in her life, there was still a great deal she didn’t know about the man.

Over the following weekend Alice cleared her desk and on Monday morning she began transforming her spare bedroom into a home office. She already had a laptop and a beautiful English oak desk that she’d had since the days when she still lived with her parents. Now she made space on the bookshelves for files, set a row of green glass tortoises on the window-sill, shopped for a cork board, a filing cabinet, a cordless phone and a new leafy pot plant to brighten the room.

Lunch was a mug of tomato soup, and an apple—for the baby.

But she was so keen to start work that she munched this at her desk. She was munching when the phone rang.

‘Well done.’

‘Is that you, Liam?’ A piece of apple slid a little too quickly down her throat. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘You’ve just secured the long-term future of Kanga Tours.’

‘I’ve what?’

‘You’ve impressed the hell out of our most important potential investor—Kenny Toh from Asia-Pacific Investments.’

‘Oh, Mr Toh. Yes, I remember him. He was in the office last week with his wife and daughter, on their way home to Singapore, but I didn’t know he was from Asia-Pacific.’

‘Apparently he did a little spying—came in with his family and posed as a tourist. And you provided him with exceptional customer service, attention to detail, courtesy, cultural awareness and professionalism.’

‘Is that what he said?’

‘Yes, just now, in an email.’

‘Are you sure it was me?’

‘Yes, he was very specific and he wants you to look after his family’s bookings when they come back for a holiday. You’ve no idea what this means to me, Alice. Asia-Pacific is huge and I really need their backing. I spent half my time in Sydney looking after Kenny, but he was still lukewarm when he left. Wasn’t promising anything.’

‘But he’s definitely come on board now?’

‘The contract documents for an investment agreement will be in the Sydney office tomorrow.’

‘Well, that’s terrific. Congratulations.’

‘The congratulations are all yours. I owe this to you.’

‘Well…I’m pleased,’ she said, glad Liam couldn’t see how broadly she was grinning.

Liam was grinning at his desk too, but his expression sobered when Dennis Ericson marched pompously through his doorway.

‘Right, Conway, I want to have a word with you.’

Leaning back in his chair, Liam met his employee with a level gaze. ‘I’m pleased to see you’ve taken advantage of my open-door policy, Dennis.’

‘Well, I suspect you’re planning to sack me anyhow, so I can risk speaking my mind.’

‘You’d better take a seat.’

Dennis looked a little taken aback, but he sat and squared his shoulders. ‘I hope you understand what a stupid, lousy thing you’ve done.’

Liam’s right eyebrow rose. ‘I’m all ears.’

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