Page 15 of Dare To Resist (Dare Nation 1)
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An hour after Austin had called Quinn for help, she’d had baby Jenny fed, changed, burped, and settled on a nest of blankets surrounded by couch pillows beside his bed. While his head was still spinning, Quinn had stepped up and taken charge.
Watching her with the baby had been a revelation. He’d been kidding when he called her the baby whisperer, but no joke, the woman had a magic touch.
He owed her more than he could repay and was so damned grateful. For the first time since finding a baby on his doorstep, he could breathe.
“She’s asleep,” Quinn said softly and gestured her head toward the bedroom door.
He followed her out and, once in the hall, leaned against the wall. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. She’s a sweet little thing.”
“When she isn’t a crying banshee,” he said wryly.
Quinn treated him to a tired smile. “Unless she’s colicky, babies cry when they’re hungry, wet, uncomfortable, or want to be held. Relax more around her and it should help.”
“I’ll try.”
“You do that.” She chuckled. “Okay well…”
They hadn’t discussed her staying the night again, and his heart sped up at the thought that she might leave him alone with the baby.
Reaching out, he grabbed her hand, and despite the baby situation, touching her sent a jolt of awareness through him. “You’re staying, right?” He heard the pathetic plea in his tone and he didn’t care. “Please?” When it came to this situation, he was not above begging.
She bit down on her full bottom lip, drawing his attention to her lush mouth. “I could come back in the morning.”
“What if she wakes up? You see how much she hates me.”
Quinn shook her head, her grin adorable. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s reacting to how tense you are.”
“Please? I’ll pay you.”
“It’s not about money!”
He wondered what it was about, because she was clearly good with babies. True, he was asking her to do something outside of her job description, but it wasn’t illegal, for Christ sake. “If not money, then what?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll stay the night but tomorrow we are figuring out an alternate plan.”
He noted she hadn’t explained her own panic over helping with the infant. Instead of calling her on it, he held up his hands in agreement. “Fine. Perfect. Thank you.” He blew out a sigh of relief.
“I’m assuming this huge house has a guest room?” She began to yawn and lifted a hand to cover her mouth.
He wanted her in his bed. Next to the baby and beside him, but he knew better than to push for the impossible. Any sexual feelings he had for her needed to take a back seat to his new reality.
“Sure. Come on. You can stay in the room right across the hall.” Where she could be on her feet and rush to the baby when she woke up.
His house was a six-bedroom on the bay with stunning views and was a good tax write-off. Did he need a mansion? No. But he had a big family and liked the idea of being away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.
He led her to the guest room with a queen-size bed. “You have your own bathroom. There are towels, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and all the basics. My family likes to crash here every so often, so my housekeeper keeps things stocked for them.” He gestured for her to go inside.
“Thank you.” As she stepped past him, he caught a whiff of her perfume. He’d trained himself to ignore the sensual scent at the office, but this was his home. And with her hair up in a messy bun, wearing comfortable sweats and a tight tee shirt that showed her generous breasts, ignoring her was all but impossible.
“Get some sleep,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “Who knows how quickly we’ll be woken up again.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Quinn. You’ll never know how much I appreciate your help.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
He walked out and headed back to his room, pausing at the sight of the infant snuggled on the pallet on the floor. His stomach twisted anew.
Sitting down on his bed, he pulled out his calendar and went back one year, scrolling through various days and weeks, and then it hit him. He’d been in Chicago a year ago, doing business with a client, and he’d been at the hotel bar. A woman had sat down beside him. Nelle Jamieson was her name. They’d flirted. She’d taken him out of his head. Given he’d recently learned about Jesse not being his real dad, he’d been in a mood, feeling alone, and they’d gone upstairs to his room.
He was a free agent. Why not? But he’d used condoms, dammit. He always used protection. Which wasn’t effective if this little one was his.
He’d seen her eyes. They were a deep blue. Could get darker, turn the indigo of his family. Not that they all had that color eyes, but the gene was a strong one. Of course, he’d have a DNA test run. And he had cameras outside. He’d have to run the tape and see if he could get a good look at who’d left the baby on his front porch.
