Page 3 of Bedding the Baby Daddy

Dante’s jaw clenched before it relaxed and he sighed. “You’re right,” he said, cupping her elbow as she tried to step around him. “I shouldn’t have butted in like that. I just wanted him to put his damn eyes back in his head where they belong.”

“That makes two of us,” Aurora conceded. She eyed him suspiciously. Why was he being so nice? So… human. Usually this far into an interaction he would have asked her out twice already. Instead, here he was, actually looking her in the eye and treating her like he understood her problems.

And then his eyes dropped to her breasts.

“He’s lucky I didn’t stitch his eyes closed for looking at you the way he was, Jessica.”

Aurora’s mouth dropped open. Aaand the asshole was back. Scanning her body with those deep blue eyes and calling her by the wrong name.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Callaghan?” Her professional veneer burned to a crisp as her temper spiked. She took a step forward into his space and planted a finger on his broad chest. Aurora was tall in her heels, pushing six feet, but he still towered over her. His sinful mouth quirked in a smile and his dark hair fell over his brow. “We work together for four years, you hitting on me like a frat boy the entire time, and now you can’t even get my name right? Jesus. What am I, a magnet for fuck boys?”

She threw her hands up, as if asking that question of the cosmos itself, and Dante easily reached up, snatched her hand out of the air and laced his fingers through hers.

“I know your name, Aurora. Trust me. I’ve grunted it into my pillow enough times after business meetings with you.”

Aurora schooled her face into a neutral expression, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her shock. “You’re an absolute pig, Callaghan.”

“No,” he corrected, holding her hand tight when she tried to tug it free and tracing a circle on the inside of her wrist with his thumb. “I’m a man. And you’re the most beautiful woman in the room no matter which room it is.”

For a moment, his words caused pleasure to ripple through her, but she reminded herself that’s all they were: pretty words being uttered by a master of seduction. She smirked and tugged at her hand again. “Yet you can’t seem to remember my name.”

“I only called you Jessica because you look like Jessica Rabbit in this dress.”

Aurora instantly regretted the surprised laughter that bubbled up out of her. She bit it back, ignoring the pleased look on his face. Aurora looked down at her red floor-length gown. It was pretty sexy, she supposed. But it was far classier than it was sex bomb. “I do not.”

“You do too. Trust me, when I saw you from across the room my eyes did the cartoon awooooga thing.” He used his hands to show his eyes bursting out of his head.

Aurora bit back another burst of laughter, crossed her arms and tucked her hands safely away from him. “Well. That sounds like your problem, not mine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have clients to speak with.”

She knew she was being snooty. And the Esposito Group did often partner with Dante’s firm on larger projects, but honestly, if her behavior lost them the partnership, part of her would be relieved to not be around him as often. He was just so irritating. So big and direct. So frustratingly gorgeous and tempting, even if it was all a game to him.

Thankfully, she managed to walk away without Dante trying to stop her again. She told herself she wasn’t disappointed. And in truth, she wasn’t terribly surprised. Dante was a flirt, and he’d made it clear on more than one occasion how badly he wanted her, at least physically. But he never pushed too far. Moreover, he was always scrupulously professional in any meeting they had.

She didn’t mind the attention he paid her. Just like she didn’t mind his eyes on her ass as she strode away. She just couldn’t give in to him—even when she was devastated by the knowledge that Gio was at this very moment with the redheaded woman of his dreams.

Aurora melted into the crowd and immediately let herself get sucked into a conversation. Ten more minutes and she was out of here.

With nothing but a weekend of eating ice cream and thinking about Gio. Oh joy.

She was just ducking away from the party, time obligations completely fulfilled, when a hand tapped her shoulder.

Aurora schooled her face into a friendly expression and turned right into Gio’s chest.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked in a friendly way, no censure in his tone at all.

He looked happy, Aurora realized with both a sinking and a rising in her gut. She wanted him to be happy. She was just still reeling from the fact that he was happy with another woman.

“Headache,” she said, knowing full well she was taking the coward’s way out.

Gio’s eyes instantly narrowed in concern. “Are you sick?”

“No, no,” she hurried, feeling bad for lying. “Just a little tired is all.”

“Well, do you have it in you to make small talk for five more minutes? There’s someone I’ve been wanting you to meet.”

“Sure,” Aurora said weakly, knowing full well who he wanted her to meet. Her chest tightened and her pulse kicked up like a storm off the water. She followed Gio in a daze through the crowd.

And then, there she was, the lovely redheaded woman. Standing right there. Looking perfect and petite and saying something to Aurora that she could barely hear over the roaring in her own ears.

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