Shattered by the CEO (The Payback Affairs #1)(26)
Author: Emilie Rose

But Tara didn’t know about the past women his father had lured away.

He straightened and found empathy and understanding in her damp blue eyes. “He used to steal my girlfriends and then tell me about it in graphic detail. I thought he was just a greedy, sadistic, dirty old man.”

“I think you saw what Everett wanted you to see.”

“Maybe. But he was wrong. I never wanted to marry any of those other women. Never even considered it. Until you. You’re the only one who made me willing to risk the Kincaid Curse.”

She smiled. “It makes me feel better to know Everett wasn’t really interested in getting me into bed. I can even respect him for looking out for your interests. But I especially like that he plotted to get us back together.”

“I owe him for that.” Rand kissed her brow. Sharing Tara’s home and waking beside her every morning for the past ten months had been a jolt. A pleasant one. And it was a luxury he would never take for granted. “Now that our year’s up why don’t we take a belated honeymoon? Maybe an extended Hawaiian cruise? Or Polynesia?”

“You hate cruising.”

“What better way to get over cabin claustrophobia than by having a very good reason to stay locked away? You and a bed.” He flashed her a naughty grin.

Her face softened. She covered his hand. The sunlight streaming through the office windows flashed on the wedding and engagement rings he’d slipped on her finger six months ago during a private ceremony in the garden she and her mother had nurtured together.

She curled her fingers over his and carried his hand to her stomach. He caressed her, letting her warmth seep through his skin and into his veins. Desire flared within him. Hot. Intense. Predictable. But always new and exciting. The woman got to him without even trying, and it wouldn’t be the first time the leather sofa had been used for something besides sitting.

“Maybe we’d better wait on that cruise for a year or two. I’m already a little queasy.”

Confused, he frowned. And then the happiness glowing in her eyes hit him like a runaway barge. “You’re pregnant?”

Tara beamed, blushed and nodded. “Apparently that night we, um…worked late…” She patted the leather cushion.

The night they’d been too impatient to look for a condom.

Contentment like nothing he’d ever experienced expanded inside him. Rand yanked Tara into his arms and kissed her, but he was grinning so hard it wasn’t much of a kiss.

Thanks to his father, he and Tara had a second chance. And Rand wasn’t going to let the old man down.

A chuckle rumbled up from his chest. “I wonder what Dad would think about his grandchild being conceived in his office?”

Tara wrinkled her nose. “Knowing Everett, I’m sure he’d find a way to take credit for it.”