LITMIR.BIZ

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functional black canvas shoes, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t have a choice. I want a baby more than anything.”

      With a fingertip, Ash nudged her chin up until she looked at him. He saw only indecision in her eyes, not total refusal. Enough to propel him forward in his planning. “I am offering you a choice. I am willing to father your child.”

      She eyed him with suspicion. “And exactly what would you expect in return?”

      He had given his heart to a woman once, and only once. He had no more left to give in that respect. But he could give Karen the baby she desired and a comfortable home, a secure future. “I want to have you as my wife.”

      She frowned. “That’s nuts. We don’t know each other.”

      “What better way to become acquainted?”

      “I don’t want to get married. I almost made that mistake not long ago.” Again she looked chagrined, as if she had revealed too much.

      Ash had no call to be envious of another man who’d had Karen’s affections in the past, yet surprisingly he was. No matter. If given the chance, he would attempt to make her forget any former liaison, especially one that appeared to have caused her pain. He could personally relate to that concept.

      In order to do that, he must convince her that marriage would be favorable for them both, even if it meant proposing terms that were anything but amenable. “Perhaps we should have an agreement. If you decide not to continue the marriage, you are under no obligation to uphold the arrangement. You would be free to leave after the birth of our child.”

      “You mean divorce?”

      The word sounded harsh in Ash’s ears. It went against everything he believed. “Yes.”

      She worked her bottom lip between her teeth several times before saying, “I take it you would want to stay involved with the baby after the agreement ends.”

      He would do everything in his power to make certain that there would be no need to discuss custody of their child. He would do everything humanly possible to prevent their marriage from ending. “Of course. Would you not want that?”

      “I suppose that would be best.”

      Ash sensed impending victory. “Then we are agreed?”

      “No.” She straightened and slipped the purse’s strap over one thin shoulder. “I need to keep my appointment. Weigh all my options until I’ve reached a decision.”

      Ash pushed away from the sedan and gestured toward the building’s entrance, not quite ready to concede defeat. “Go inside with my blessing, Karen. And while you are there, think of me.” He slipped his arms around her waist. “Think of us. Consider what I am offering you, a father your child will know. The means to create life through an act that will give us both pleasure.”

      He pulled her closer and kissed her—a kiss meant to persuade, to tantalize, to keep him foremost in her mind. Her lips were firm against his, but with only slight coaxing, Karen finally opened to him and he took supreme advantage, slipping his tongue inside the soft, sweet heat of her mouth, but only once. A brief glimpse of how it could be between them.

      With great effort, Ash stepped away from her, withdrew a business card from his pocket and pressed into her palm with an added stroke of his thumb over her wrist. “Here are the numbers where I can be reached when you make your decision. Decide wisely.”

      Karen remained as still as a pillar as Ash walked away. Hopefully good judgment would reign and she would see the logic in his offer and agree to his proposal. If not right away, then he would simply have to try harder to persuade her.

      Two

      The man knew no shame.

      Karen couldn’t believe that Ash Saalem had kissed her in a wide-open parking lot that afternoon. She couldn’t believe that he’d offered to father her child. She couldn’t believe that she was actually considering his proposition.

      After pouring a glass of Chianti, Karen strolled into the living room and slumped onto the sofa in hopes of clearing her mind. She loved the fourth-floor brownstone apartment generously provided by the Barones. Gina had decorated the place beautifully with Italian silk sofas, an antique writing table, Turkish rugs. But the elegant furnishings and accoutrements wouldn’t fair well with an active toddler.

      She was getting way ahead of herself. First she had to conceive, then she could decide on the living arrangements. At present the conception should be her top priority. That and Ash’s offer, not his masterful mouth. She needed to get the kiss off her mind so she could think clearly, not a measly mission by any means. Neither was deciding the best option for having a baby.

      She sipped the wine and thought about the day’s events. During her appointment at the clinic, she had been instructed on what the procedure entailed and the possible cost, emotionally and physically, if she wasn’t successfully inseminated after several attempts. She had sorted through some sample profiles of prospective donors, most too good to be true. She had watched several couples in the waiting room looking anxious and hopeful—and in love.

      Maybe Ash was right. Did she really want to bring a baby into the world not knowing its heritage, considering she’d grown up not knowing the truth about hers? Could she really trust that the sperm donors were being completely honest? After all, she had recently learned that much of what she’d believed about her family lineage had been skewed by dishonesty.

      Feeling emotionally drained, Karen set her wineglass on a coaster on the end table and stretched out on the sofa on her back. She’d eaten a light supper of pasta and vegetables but hadn’t tasted much of anything. Too much to think about, too little time. If she decided to go through with the insemination, she needed to make the arrangements in less than three days since that would be right before the most fertile time during her cycle. The same held true if she decided to accept the sheikh’s arrangement.

      Just thinking about making love with Ash brought about a round of chills mixed with a flash-fire heat. She couldn’t deny that the idea held some appeal. She also couldn’t deny that his kiss had left its mark on her libido. Both kisses.

      The doorbell buzzed, sending Karen off the sofa in a rush. She experienced a prickly surge of panic thinking Ash might have decided to pay her a visit expecting an answer she wasn’t quite ready to give. It would be just like him to show up, unannounced, and come upon her wearing a threadbare gray sweatshirt and equally ragged black leggings. She would send him on his way—as long as he kept his mouth to himself.

      As she looked through the peephole and saw Maria at her threshold, Karen was relieved and maybe just a teeny bit disappointed that Ash hadn’t come by to convince her with more kisses. Absolutely ridiculous.

      Karen opened the door to her cousin and smiled. “Hey, you. What brings you to the top floor this time of night?”

      “Just wanted to visit,” Maria said, her shoulders slumped as if she carried the obligations of the universe.

      Karen was immediately concerned, considering Maria had looked incredibly tired of late. The gelateria required long hours and hard work, especially for Maria, its manager. A lot of responsibility for a young woman, yet Maria, even at the tender age of twenty-three, handled it remarkably well. Or so Karen had believed until tonight.

      “Come on in,” Karen said and gestured toward the sofa. “Take a load off. I was having a glass of wine. Join me.”

      Maria dropped onto the sofa and tipped her head back. “No wine for me.”

      “Maybe something else, then? I could fix us some tea.”

      “No thanks.”

      “Are you okay? You look exhausted.” And she sounded depressed.

      She shrugged. “I took the stairs from my apartment instead of the elevator. I’m a little winded, but otherwise I’m fine.”

      Maria always climbed the two flights to

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