Nine Months Part 2 - BEVERLY BARTON

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      “What do mean we’ll have a boy next time?”

      “You don’t want our Angel to be an only child, do you?” Jared lifted Paige’s other arm and draped it over his shoulder so that her hands overlapped across his neck. “If this marriage thing between us works out, I’m sure we’ll both want more children.”

      If this marriage thing works out! “There isn’t going to be any marriage thing between us. We aren’t in love. No love. No marriage. We can’t give a child the kind of family life I had because we don’t love each other the way my parents do. And that’s what I want. I’m not going to settle for anything less!”

      “Why are you being so stubborn, honey?” Jared drew her into his arms. “You’re just making things more difficult for yourself. I’m not going to give up. And in the end, I’ll get what I want.”

      He was too close, far too close for comfort. Her heartbeat roared in her ears. Her stomach churned. Her nipples tightened. “I’m not what you want. Remember your five-year plan? I’m the woman who messed up everything for you. You want a suitable wife and a son, not me and my baby girl.”

      He nuzzled her neck. Paige moaned. He ran the back of his thumb across her lower lip. She sighed.

      “But I do want you and our little girl. We can have a son later. And as far as your not being suitable, we can work on that. You’re young and bright and lovely. With the proper tutor, you can learn how to be the perfect wife for me.”

      Before she could utter a word of protest, Jared covered her lips with his. Her mind warned her to fight, but her body melted against his and she returned his kiss with equal fervor. Every time he touched her, she fell to pieces. It just wasn’t fair that she had no control over her response to him. This wild, crazy passion between them was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place.

      Breaking away, she shoved against his chest. “No! I can’t do this. I can’t let you seduce me into agreeing to marry you.”

      Paige jumped up off the sofa. “Go home, Jared. Please. Go home and leave me alone. I can’t think straight when you’re around. Every time you get near me I either get so angry I want to strangle you or I get so…so—”

      “Aroused?” he offered her a suitable word.

      “Yes, all right, damn you. I get so aroused that I’m tempted to…to do what we did in the elevator.”

      “Make love?”

      “Have sex.”

      Jared stood, picked up the diamond from the end table and reached out for Paige’s hand. She tried to avoid his touch, but he grabbed her hand, slid the ring on quickly and folded her fingers over into a loose fist.

      “Marriages have succeeded on a lot less than fantastic sex. Just think about what it could be like for us, honey. Sleeping in the same bed every night. Setting the sheets on fire every time we make love.”

      Paige stood in the middle of her living room and watched Jared open the door and walk out. He didn’t look back or even say goodbye. When he disappeared from sight, she rushed over and slammed the door closed, then locked it.

      She shook from head to toe. Why did she let him get to her that way? Because you’re probably in love with him and you don’t want to be.

      Paige held out her hand. Jared’s big diamond twinkled brightly, as if it were winking at her. She dragged the ring to the tip of her finger, then stopped and slid it back into place. She’d wear it, just for tonight. It was beautiful. And it fit her finger perfectly. If only it were a symbol of Jared’s love, instead of an emblem of his victory. If only he had chosen it specifically for her and not for the future Mrs. L. J. Montgomery.

      Tomorrow, she promised herself, she’d give the ring back to him.

      Chapter Five

      Paige arrived at work early, put on a fresh pot of coffee in the employees’ lounge and began her daily routine. She had gone over what she wanted to say to Jared at least a dozen times, determined to get through to him this time and make him understand her point of view. But the very thought of another confrontation with him twisted her stomach into knots. To be totally honest, the very thought of being alone with him in his office unnerved her. Every time they were alone, sparks flew. The same highly charged, sexual sparks that had ignited a forest fire between them four months ago in the elevator threatened to set them afire again.

      Paige had to admit that she was tempted to accept Jared’s proposal. Marrying him definitely would solve all her immediate problems. And he’d been right about the fantastic sex. Every time he touched her, it took all her willpower not to crawl all over him. And he certainly never tried to hide the fact that he wanted her. He’d even said that just hearing her voice over the phone aroused him. But Paige knew herself too well. Great sex might be enough to hold their marriage together for a while, but sooner or later, she’d want more. If Jared couldn’t give her the love and unconditional acceptance she needed, she could never be happy with him. And when Jared realized that he couldn’t transform her into the perfect wife, he’d know what a mistake their marriage had been.

      No, she couldn’t marry him. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them and certainly not to their little girl. Angel, he’d called her. Or Angelica or Angela. Damn him for acting as if he were enchanted with the thought of having a daughter. Little girls adore their fathers, don’t they?

      Paige shook her head, trying to dislodge the image of a little redheaded girl sitting in Jared’s lap, looking up at him with green eyes identical to his and saying, “Daddy, please. I really, really want a puppy.”

      “Good morning. You’re here bright and early.” Kay Thompson stood in the open doorway of Paige’s office.

      Glancing up from her desk, Paige smiled at her friend. “You’re here early yourself. It’s barely eight-thirty.”

      “I called your apartment and got your answering machine, so I assumed I’d find you here.” Kay walked in and sat down in a leather chair across from Paige’s desk. “Let’s see it.”

      “See what?”

      “The diamond L.J. gave you last night.”

      “How did you know? Who told you?”

      “The boss man himself called me last night, after he left your apartment,” Kay said.

      “He called you? Why? What did he say?”

      “He said that since you and I were friends, he needed my help in persuading you to marry him.”

      “I cannot believe he tried to enlist your help.” But she could believe it. She could believe he was capable of doing just about anything in order to get his own way. Jared was arrogant, self-centered and demanding. But he also had an old-fashioned sense of honor that dictated his actions.

      “Show me the ring,” Kay said, repeating her request. “You are wearing it, aren’t you?”

      Paige laid her left hand on the desk. “I’m giving it back to him as soon as he comes in this morning. I tried to give it back to him last night, but he wouldn’t take it. He’s very forceful and very persuasive.”

      “So I’ve heard. Greg has told me that L.J. never loses. He’s so single-minded and determined that he won’t give up when he wants something.” Rising out of the chair, Kay leaned over and looked at Paige’s engagement ring. She let out a long, low whistle. “That’s the reason he was able to start his own business, straight out of college, and in fifteen years’ time become a multimillionaire in his own right.”

      “I’m not going to marry him.” Closing her fingers over her palm, Paige swept her hand off the desk and onto her lap.

      “Why ever not? He’s gorgeous, rich, charming and obviously wild about you.” Kay glanced meaningfully at Paige’s tummy. “And you are pregnant

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