“He’s sleepy,” Julia said quietly. “Just lay him down on his back and rub his tummy a few times. He’ll be fine.”
“Sorry, pal, but your mom has spoken,” Cameron said in a low tone. He leaned over the crib and laid the baby down on the soft mattress. Cameron ran his hand over Jake’s head. The kid’s blond hair was impossibly soft.
Jake didn’t whimper or balk, but stayed right where he was. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and continued to stare up at Cameron in pure fascination.
Cameron had to admit Jake was a darn good-looking kid, but that didn’t make him his son.
Aw, hell. Who was he kidding? One look at the little guy with his shock of golden blond hair and the shape of his dark green eyes, not to mention the dimple in his cheek-though Cameron hated the word dimple, for God’s sake-and anyone would see it, plain as daylight. The kid was Cameron Duke’s.
Still, he couldn’t shake loose the idea that Julia Parrish was playing him for a fool. Who was to say she hadn’t gotten herself pregnant on purpose? Everyone knew the Dukes had money, so maybe she was looking for a handout. Cameron would never shirk his duty to his son, but that didn’t mean he was going to make it easy for Julia.
As the baby’s eyes closed and he began to sleep, Cameron led the way out into the hall. As Julia closed the door to the bedroom, Cameron turned and said sharply, “I’ll want a paternity test.”
She froze. He could see he’d shaken her. What? Did she expect him to just believe her with no proof? But watching her now, he remembered how her face had always been an open book. He’d known exactly what she wanted by her facial reaction to everything he did to her, everywhere he touched her. She’d been so forthright about how much she enjoyed his touch. Did she have a dishonest bone in her body? he wondered.
Of course she did. Most of the women he’d dated did.
“Fine,” she said grudgingly. “We’ll do a paternity test.”
Cameron’s mind jolted back to the present. “Okay. Good. I can get it done tomorrow.”
“I start my conference tomorrow,” she said, leading the way into the living room. Cameron watched her backside move with a graceful, long-legged sexiness. He remembered that, too.
She picked up the book she’d left on the coffee table and turned. “I won’t be able to take the baby to the doctor until I get back to town.”
“Wait a minute,” Cameron said, her words sinking in. “You’re here for the conference?”
She looked at him like he’d grown another head. “Of course I’m here for the conference. Why else would I be staying here in your hotel room?”
To seduce me into paying child support, Cameron thought, but didn’t say it aloud. He wasn’t a fool. Sometimes he needed to remind himself of that fact. He coughed to cover his hesitation. “We have a nurse on call at all times. I’ll have her come by the room tomorrow to draw blood.”
“Okay.” Julia shivered visibly and rubbed her arms.
“What’s wrong?”
She sighed. “I know it’s necessary, but I hate the idea of Jake having his blood drawn.”
“It’s important,” he said, then tried not to cringe himself at the thought of that needle going into Jake’s arm. Cameron was already having second thoughts. He’d only insisted on the paternity test to punish Julia, but she wouldn’t be the one getting stuck in the arm with a needle. No, that would be Jake, who seemed way too small to have to deal with stuff like that.
Who was Cameron kidding? Jake was his child. The blood test wouldn’t be necessary.
He wasn’t happy about the way Julia had sprung the news on him, but he believed her. He wouldn’t tell her tonight, though. Better to let her squirm for a few hours. He’d tell her in the morning after he’d had a few strong shots of caffeine.
“Fine.” Julia swiped the sexy camisole off the chair cushion and grabbed her high heels from under the dining room table. Then she headed into the kitchen and began gathering the baby bottles on the sink.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’ve got to pack our things.”
“Wait.” Cameron grabbed hold of her arm before she could go any farther. “No packing. You’re staying here.”
She looked up at him. “We can’t stay here, Cameron. You’re here.”
“Exactly,” he said decisively. “That’s why you’re staying here, too.”
She gave him that big-eyed incredulous look of hers again. Why he found it so sexy, he couldn’t say. Maybe he enjoyed the challenge she provided.
Shaking her head, she said, “If you think something’s going to happen between us, you’re wrong.”
“Honey,” he drawled. “I think we proved awhile ago that it definitely could happen.”
“Now, look-”
“You’re right, though,” he continued. “It’s not going to happen tonight.” With a casualness he didn’t feel, he let go of her arm and walked into the living room. “But you’re still staying here.”
“Okay,” she said, following him. “I’d rather not disrupt the baby tonight anyway. We’ll move to another room in the morning.”
An irrational shot of annoyance ran through him and he covered it by grabbing another beer from the refrigerator and popping the top off. “You don’t get it, babe. You’re staying here until the paternity test is completed. In fact, you might as well stay through the conference. There won’t be any rooms available anyway.”
She gritted her teeth. “I gave my room away when your mother insisted I stay here. I don’t suppose it’d still be available.”
“It’s not, trust me,” he said. “Besides your conference, we’ve got a golf tournament here this weekend.”
She flashed him a frown of frustration. “But you own this place. You should be able to find another room for me and Jake.”
“I could, but I’m not going to,” he said flatly, then pointed toward the back bedroom. “If that is my son in there, I don’t want him staying anywhere but here. With me. And we’ll know the truth soon enough, won’t we?”
“I think that went well,” Julia muttered to herself as she slipped between the sheets of the twin bed in the guest room. Jake was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the drama going on around him. She was gratified to hear his innocent baby snores and wished more than anything that he would never have to be touched by unhappiness of any kind. She knew she couldn’t shield him forever, but for now, he didn’t need to know that his mommy and daddy were in such an emotional twist over him.
She tried to concentrate on her son, tried to picture his soft little hands waving in the air and hear his funny belly laugh, but visions of Cameron kept interfering. She winced as she remembered how easily she’d melted in his arms. How could he still wield that kind of power over her? She’d known that one day she would have to confront him with the reality of Jake, and she’d steeled herself for that moment. But he’d caught her unprepared. Now he knew how susceptible she was to his charms. He knew he could wiggle his finger and she would come running.
It was humiliating to know that he was right.
In a matter of hours, she would have to tangle with him once more. Would she come running to him again? Or would she be able to withstand his immense allure? It was almost as if he’d put a spell on her.
Yawning, she fluffed her pillow and tried to settle her active mind by breathing deeply for a count of ten. She knew she would need all the sleep she could get if she expected to put up a good fight tomorrow.