Page 8 of Raising His Baby (The Sartoris 2)

“You can’t drive yourself home, and a sandwich isn’t good enough.”

She smirked. “I appreciate the concern, but I’ve got this.”

“Lucca, J Street,” Romy called to the driver.

“I said—” She gave up. There was no use fighting him in her condition. Besides the drugs the doctor gave her made her feel so relaxed she might need a couple hours to get fully alert again.

“What’s the baby’s name?” he asked the minute they were seated at the table. “Pictures?”

She blinked at him. Did the man have a sixth sense or what? “I don’t have any with me,” she lied. “His name is Arron. He’s so sweet. Ten months…old.” Another mistake.

Crap. He can’t figure anything out with just his ag

e. I hope.

They continued to talk, and before she knew it, she was telling him all about the little man that was her heart.

“He’s so smart. I’m talking genius level,” she bragged. “He can already say some words clearly in English and—” She stopped cold.

“Italian?” he asked. She couldn’t tell if he suspected anything, and she was being far too obvious. Yet, she couldn’t get herself to calm down.

“Yes, Italian. I know it sounds hard to believe for a ten month old, but that’s why I’m saying he’s a little genius. Trust me. It doesn’t run in my family.”

“His dad’s side?”

She fiddled with the napkin in her lap and then seized on an opportunity. “My sister and I don’t have the same dad, and she and I weren’t close. We didn’t grow up together. I don’t know her father’s side of the family other than a couple people’s names.”

He nodded his understanding, but she wondered how much he got. The smooth deep voice still held the lilt from being born and raised in Italy. He worked with his brothers. She bet he didn’t know anything about broken families.

They spoke some more, and by some miracle she managed not to put her foot into her mouth anymore. “Thanks for lunch. I really appreciate it.”

He let her lean on his arm as they moved back to the car. She balanced with one crutch beneath the opposite arm and tried to put more weight on the crutch because even with fingertips touching him her belly did flip-flops. One would think she had never seen a man before. Romy was the wrong guy to fall for, so she mentally sucked it in.

“I’ll take you home,” he said.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve kept you from your work all day long. It was my clumsiness that caused the injury, and I signed the papers saying you all aren’t responsible. I’m fine. Really.”

He frowned. The blue eyes had gone darker but not from anger. She turned her head, not wanting to look into his face any longer and have him guess she wasn’t just hiding her attraction to him but her identity. He wasn’t that bad. Maybe she should rethink what was the best course of action.

“All right,” he said at last, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Lucca will take you home, and I will make arrangements for someone to drop off your car. Type in the tag and your address on my phone. Better add your cell number as well.”

Her heart faltered. “Um, sure.”

Once she had done what he asked, she escaped into the car with a muttered thanks. Lucca whipped them away from the curb, and she resisted looking over her shoulder to watch Romy fade into the distance. This was probably a lucky break on her part. She wouldn’t accept any offer to return to the company to make up for the loss of her temporary position.

Chapter 4

Romy rubbed his temple. The pain in it didn’t dull although he had popped a couple of pills an hour ago. Staring out the window at the gardens didn’t give him peace the way it usually did. Behind him, Ezio shuffled through the papers Romy had given him. By his brother’s exclamations of disgust, he knew Ezio wasn’t happy.

“Your instinct was spot on,” Ezio growled. “You aren’t my top executive for nothing.”

Romy rolled his shoulders, trying to convince the knot between the blades to relax. “It wasn’t instinct. After what happened with Cason, I don’t trust anyone.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already started something with her. Cason moves fast, but I wouldn’t have thought it of you.”

“No, of course not!” Romy hadn’t flirted with Sonya. It was more likely that he convinced her he was the worst kind of ogre, all because of stupid Cason. He believed his brother when he said he didn’t actually do anything with Romy’s ex-lover. Cason was clever enough to have timed everything to look the way it did. He’d known Romy’s intentions and his schedule. Romy wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking, so he avoided asking Cason to clarify. What difference did it matter anyway? She betrayed him.

As for the temp, Sonya, he’d found her attractive from the moment he laid eyes on her. So petite, he bet she fit under his chin. Those big brown eyes in her small face with the full lips of an African American woman, he’d begun to hold onto his anger because he thought she was cute. In fact, when he realized she was hurt, he forgot everything and scooped her into his arms. Bad move!

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