Page 14 of Baby Perfection

That stopped him cold. “You throw gasoline on a smoldering fire, you’re asking for it to burst into flames,” he warned softly. “Is that what you want?”

She didn’t answer. Smart woman. Instead, she turned her back on him and disappeared in the direction of one of the bedrooms. It was a more effective response than anything she could have said. Watching that glorious, nearly naked bottom twitch its way across the room on three-inch heels was a punishment worthy of the devil, himself. Lucius managed a grim smile.

And considering most people considered him Lucifer’s kin, he should know.

How couldshe be so stupid?

Angie huddled within the comforting folds of her voluminous cotton robe and stared unblinkingly at the digital clock while it slowly ticked toward 3:00 a.m. What had she been thinking? Oh, now there was an easy question to answer. Shehadn’tbeen thinking. She’d been so caught up in her hormonal response to sexy as sin Lucius Devlin, to knowing in her heart of hearts that loving him was utterly hopeless, it eclipsed everything but that single, driving imperative. To have him in her bed and finally know his possession. The temptation of having just a single night with him had proved so overwhelming that she hadn’t given a single thought to her precious career—the one thing in her life she valued above all else. Hadn’t her mother always warned her to put her career first, that men couldn’t be trusted to stick? No doubt the fact that her father had walked out on them when Angie had been a baby was responsible for that particular philosophy. But then hadn’t Ryan proved her mother correct?

What would have happened with Lucius if she hadn’t stepped back? If she’d allowed him to sweep her along on that mind-blowing tide of lust? He’d have discovered the truth about her, that’s what. He’d have discovered she was hopeless in bed. Awkward. Self-conscious. Unable to satisfy a man.

She flinched from the thought. Damn Ryan and the cruel, careless way he’d broken her heart. The way he’d made her doubt herself as a woman. The way she’d cut off pieces of her life because he’d made her believe herself incapable. And damn her for letting him, for giving up on the possibility of having a successful sexual relationship, turning to work as both comfort and affirmation that in this area, if no other, she excelled.

It was ridiculous. She needed to get over it. She needed to find a man—a man other than her boss—who could teach her what she needed to know.

Angie frowned in concentration, the thought taking root, flourishing. It wasn’t a bad idea, she slowly decided. If Lucius could entertain the idea of a cold, calculated marriage in order to provide a good home for Mikey, a contract between like-thinking adults, why couldn’t she do the same? Oh, not marriage. But a cold, calculated sexual relationship, one designed to teach her the art of lovemaking, the craft of fully exploring her womanhood. It would be no different from when she’d taken classes to teach her the skills necessary to pursue a successful career, a career she now enjoyed to the fullest.

What would it feel like to be as experienced in bed and in male/female interactions as she was at her job? To fully explore an aspect of her life she’d denied herself in the wake of Ryan’s and Britt’s betrayal? It would be… Tears filled her eyes. It would be heaven. All she needed was the right man. A man who would be patient and understanding. A man she could trust.

For a brief instant an image of Lucius flashed through her mind before she thrust it ruthlessly away. Don’t even go there! Heading down that path offered one thing, and one thing only. Certain and total heartbreak. What she needed was a man who found her attractive and that she wouldn’t mind having in her bed. But, who?

Oh, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Therehadbeen another man who’d shown interest in her tonight.

Gabe Moretti.

A man like Gabe, an experienced man of the world would be the perfect choice. She vaguely recalled there’d been gossip about him at the office. What had they said? Right, right. He was a man who had the reputation for caring about women and who held honor dear. And best of all, he was currently unattached.Add all that together and it made him the perfect candidate to help with her problem.

Angie snuggled into her pillow, her eyes drifting closed. Still, she could dream. She could imagine what it would be like to have Lucius free her from the pain and hurt Ryan and Britt had inflicted. A small smile drifted across her mouth. Too bad she didn’t fit his criteria for the perfect wife—whatever that criteria might be. Then she’d have it all. A career she adored. A man more than capable of helping her fully explore her womanhood. And even a baby, one she found utterly adorable. Imagine having the best of all worlds.

It was perfection. Sheer perfection.

How couldhe be so stupid?

Lucius stripped down and stepped into the shower, inhaling sharply at the cascade of icy water sheeting over him. At least it helped cool his lust. Somewhat. Though not nearly enough, considering he could still see her, nearly nude and gloriously, perfectly female. He braced his palm against the stone wall and allowed the water to pound down on him, praying it drummed some common sense into his addled brain.

This was Angie Colter, PA extraordinaire, he was thinking about. She wasn’t the sort of woman to take to bed on a whim. She was his employee, for God’s sake. His responsibility.

Just as Mikey was his responsibility.

“Aw, hell,” he muttered. “How could I have forgotten?”

The Pretorius Program. His plan to marry the “perfect” wife and mother. Someone who wouldn’t cheat on him. Someone who wouldn’t desert him or screw him over. Someone he could trust. Not that he believed he could ever have any of that. In his experience people cheated. Deliberately or otherwise, they screwed each other over. And trust was nothing more than a myth. Trust evaporated like a wispy dream at the first hard bump in the road. And usually that bump had something to do with money.

Isn’t that what happened between his father, Angelo “Angel” Devlin, and Angel’s best friend and business partner? The death of that trust—not to mention the theft of Angel Enterprises by that partner—had killed his father.

And hadn’t it happened again with Lisa? She’d wanted money and had done anything and everything necessary to get it, even marrying someone she didn’t love.

Wasn’t it about to happen with Geoff’s parents, a couple who’d stood like second parents to him. Hadn’t they just threatened to file a lawsuit to gain custody of Mikey, claiming Lucius an “unfit” guardian?

He turned off the shower and snagged a towel, relieved that he’d regained a semblance of control and common sense. He was grateful to Angie, grateful that she’d showed such amazing restraint and put an end to a situation that would have caused endless complications on the work front. He’d been a fool to allow lust to interfere with logic. He’d finally found the perfect PA and with one foolish, impulsive act had almost ruined a perfect working environment. First thing Monday morning he’d apologize. Then he’d carefully, gently, politely return them to their former arm’s length relationship. No doubt Angie would be relieved.

And then he’d devote more time and attention to finding the perfect wife to match his perfect PA.

He tossed back the covers on his bed and allowed himself to relax against a lake of silk. Punching his pillow into a comfortable mound, he folded his arms behind his head. Still, he could imagine how it would have been. He could imagine having Angie in his bed, as brilliant and amusing and meticulous in the way she made love as she was in the workplace. She’d prove just as trustworthy, too, easing the pain and hurt others had inflicted over the years. A small smile drifted across his mouth. Damn if she didn’t fit his criteria for the perfect wife, as well as a PA. It was more than perfect. A multibillion dollar business. A brilliant woman more than a match for him in all the most important aspects of life. And even a mother for Mikey, a baby she found utterly adorable. Imagine having the best of all worlds.

It was perfection. Sheer perfection.

Chapter Four

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