Dad In Demand

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, meeting his angry glare. “If all I wanted was a sperm donor, I would have gone to a sperm bank-not a detective agency. I intend to choose the man who’s going to father my baby, not leave the decision up to chance.”

Sean swore again, then whirled away so he wouldn’t shake her as he wanted to do. Frustrated he prowled through his desk in search of his emergency stash of M&M’s. He scooped up a fistful, and automatically held out his palm for Katie to fish out the yellow ones. After she had done so, he popped the rest of them into his mouth. “Not that I’m agreeing to anything, but just what is it you expect me to do?”

“Check out the candidates on my list.” She waved the ivory sheet of paper in her hand. “You know, do a background check, sort of like the ones a company does when they’re considering a potential employee.”

Sean snorted. “Sweetheart, you’ve been sniffing way too many fingerpaints at that nursery school where you work.”

Practically vibrating with indignity, she planted her hands on her hips and met his mocking gaze. “I’m serious, Sean. I want to hire you to investigate my daddy candidates.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Save your money, and just have the poor saps fill out an application.”

“I can do without your sarcasm.”

“Better yet, try getting married first. You remember what marriage is, don’t you? It’s that old-fashioned thing that most people do before they decide to have a baby?”

Katie’s cheeks flushed. Temper flashed in her eyes, making them glow like amber. “This is the nineties, Fitzpatrick. A woman doesn’t have to get married anymore just to have a baby.”

“Yeah? Well, maybe they should.”

“It’s not your decision. It’s mine. And I’ve decided I want to have a baby.” She held up her hand before he could object. “This is important to me, Sean. Really important. The most important thing I’ve ever done or probably will ever do in my life. I don’t want to mess up and choose the wrong man. That means I need to learn as much as I can before I make a decision.”

“Fine,” he told her, his own temper fraying. “Then have a D&B report run on the guys on your list. You’ll get all the financial history you need.”

Katie’s lips thinned. “Who gives a flying fig about bank balances? I’m interested in finding out what’s inside here.” She poked her thumb at her heart. “We both know I don’t have the best track record when it comes to men,” she said, referring to her two broken engagements.

“So you had a couple of narrow escapes. You were too good for those clowns, anyway.”

“Maybe. But I need to be sure the man I choose is someone who’s going to stick around and be a loving and supportive parent.”

Sean heard the echo of the lonely little girl she had been, the one who had been so hungry for a father’s love and affection. It tore at him as nothing else she said could. It also made him want to spend ten minutes alone in a back alley with her father, her stepfather and every man who had ever let Katie down. Still, this idea of hers was crazy. He couldn’t let her do it. “Honey, the guys on that list could all be saints, and I’d still think you were making a mistake. Are you really willing to undergo artificial insemination and have some guy’s baby based on a PI report?”

“No, not exactly,” she said sheepishly.

“Well, I’m relieved to hear that. You had me worried for—”

“My insurance won’t cover artificial insemination. I’ll have to get pregnant the, um, normal way.”

“The normal way? You mean—” Sean swiped a hand down his face, tried to wipe out the sudden image of Katie in bed, her naked body tangled in satin sheets. Grateful for the shield the desk provided his lower body, he jerked his X-rated thoughts back to the problem. Clawing a hand through his hair, he muttered. “Of all the dumb, lamebrained—”

The intercom on his desk buzzed. “Heather Harrison is on line two for you,” his secretary told him. “She said it’s about dinner tonight.”

“Speaking of dumb—” Katie said.

“Tell her I’ll call her back.” He shot Katie a quelling glance and, using his most intimidating voice, he said, “I want you to forget about this crazy scheme of yours, Katie.”

“I will not.”

“I mean it,” he insisted.

“So do I. And given your narrow-minded attitude,” she said, her voice as stiff as her spine. “I can see I was right to scratch your name off my list.”

“My—You had my name on that list!” He wasn’t sure if he was angry or glad that she’d considered him.

“Obviously, I was desperate.”

The crack scraped at him, fueled his temper. “What were you going to do? Knock on my door, and ask me if I’d mind sleeping with you so you could get pregnant?”

She hiked up her chin. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

Don’t go there, man.

But it was too late. An image jumped to life in his mind’s eye—Katie lying beneath him, their bodies warm and damp from making love. The ache below his belt worsened. His sex strained against his jeans. Cursing the animal in him, Sean reminded himself that the woman he was lusting after was Katie—his friend.

“Don’t sweat it, Fitzpatrick. You’re off the hook. I’m not going to beg you to have sex with me,” she said, her voice as icy as a Minnesota winter. “Like I said, I was feeling desperate at the time. Obviously, coming here today and asking you to help me was another mistake.”

She jammed the list into her purse and spun around, but not before he caught the flash of pain in her eyes. “Katie, wait. I didn’t mean—”

The intercom buzzed again. “Get a move on, Sean,” his brother Michael ordered. “Adam Stevens is here.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He blocked Katie’s path. “If you’d just give me a second to explain…”

“No explanation is necessary. And I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to hire you. Now get out of my way.”

“No,” he countered, angry with himself for being careless. It cut at him something awful to know he’d hurt her.

“Fine. Don’t move. I will.” Stepping around him, she moved past him and reached for the door.

“Aw, hell.” Sean streaked in front of her, slapped the door shut and twisted the lock. Snagging her by the shoulders, he spun her around and pressed her spine against the door, trapping her between his outstretched arms. “You’re not going anywhere until we settle this.” He couldn’t let Katie walk out now. If she did, he had a sick feeling that things would never be the same between them again. He didn’t want to lose her.

“There’s nothing to settle.”

The doorknob twisted. “Sean!” Michael pounded on the door. “Get your sorry rear out here. Stevens is cooling his heels in the conference room waiting to discuss his building’s security.”

“I said I’d be there in a minute. Go ahead and start without me.” Ignoring his brother’s heated reply, Sean kept his eyes trained on Katie’s face. “Look at me.”

When she failed to respond, he captured her face between his palms and more gently he said, “Look at me, Katie. Please.”

She shifted her gaze to his. There was anger simmering in the gold-flecked eyes. Anger. Pride. Hurt. Hurt he was responsible for, Sean acknowledged. His chest tightened with guilt, with regret. “I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter—”

“It matters to me. I’d sooner cut off my arm than hurt you.” And just as he’d done a hundred times before, he brushed his mouth against hers. It was meant to be a friendly kiss, a brotherly kiss between good pals. But heat licked through him like wildfire, setting his body and senses ablaze with desire. Awareness pulsed between them lightning quick. He watched her eyes soften, darken, and then he stopped thinking. He dipped his head again deepened the kiss. Her fingers curled into his shoulders as she parted her lips, and he dove in, wanting, needing to taste her. When her tongue found his, he groaned and pulled her closer.

A foot connected with the door, jolting them both. “Get your sorry butt out here now, Sean. Or I swear I’ll kick this door in and wring your fool neck.”

Sean lifted his head. His breath came in heavy rasps. So did hers. “I think he means it,” she whispered.

“Yeah. So do I,” he replied, and releasing her, he stepped back. Shock hit him first. Then panic streaked in. What in the devil was he doing? Coming on to Katie like this? Retrieving her purse where it had fallen to the floor, he eyed her warily. She looked dazed, nervous, arousedexactly the way he felt. “Are we all right?” he asked, handing her the purse.