And she could never see Zachary Jameson again.
* * *
Zack sat in his home office at the computer, where he did most of his work these days, attempting to write the syndicated monthly column that was due on the editor’s desk by the end of the week. Unfortunately, all he’d been able to think about in the past two months since his trip to New York was Miranda Reed.
He wasn’t typically attracted to strong, independent women, and he’d never slept with a woman on the first date. Not since college, anyway. But there was something about her he’d found impossible to resist, something that prompted him to reject his own morals and put his reputation on the line.
A million little things, which all wrapped up together, had him craving her company, her touch.
But they had agreed, despite their attraction, that to pursue any kind of relationship would be a waste of time. Not only did they live a thousand miles from each other, they had conflicting beliefs and values. She wasn’t interested in a commitment and he had no desire for a short-term relationship based solely on sex.
What they had was an extreme case of opposites attract. Two people who had nothing in common but good sex.
No, not good sex. Great sex. Mind-blowing sex.
And absolutely no future together.
He’d done a fairly decent job of convincing himself they were both better off. But there was still a little voice in the back of his mind asking, what if he’d made a mistake letting her go? Unfortunately, he’d found listening to that little voice to be irrational and ill-advised.
His desk phone rang. Line two, his doorman. He only called up if Zack had a guest, and he wasn’t expecting anyone. Nor was he in the mood for company.
He picked up the phone anyway. “Yes, Danny.”
“Someone here to see you, Mr. Jameson. A Ms. Reed.”
For a second he was sure he misunderstood. “Ms. who?”
“Miranda Reed, sir. Shall I send her up?”
What the hell was Miranda doing in Chicago? And why was she here, at his building? How did she even know where he lived?
“Sir?”
He shook off the sudden confusion. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and send her up.”
He hung up the phone and sat there for a second feeling dazed and bewildered. They had agreed not to see each other again, then she shows up out of the blue on his doorstep? What was she up to?
When the doorbell chimed, he rose from his desk and walked to the front door, the whole situation feeling a bit surreal. Then he realized he was nervous.
Nervous and excited to see her, even though he knew any relationship between them would lead to a dead end. Unless she’d had a drastic change of heart and, as she’d so aptly phrased it, succumbed to the allure of the dark side, there was no reason for her to come here.
He pulled open the door and there she stood, dressed casually in low-slung flared jeans, a denim jacket and a jewel-encrusted T-shirt that rode up just high enough to show off her navel ring. She looked young and sassy and hip, a completely different spin on the no-nonsense alluring woman he’d taken up to her room.
The way she looked him up and down, taking in his faded jeans, T-shirt and bare feet, she was probably thinking the same thing.
The attraction, the soul-deep connection that he’d tried to write off as a fluke, was apparently no fluke after all. His first instinct was to tug her into his arms and kiss her senseless.
It struck him as odd that they’d been so intimate, and they barely knew one another. Yet he felt as though they were connected somehow. He knew her, even though he didn’t know her.
“Hi,” she finally said.
“Hi.”
She shifted nervously. “So, I’ll bet you’re surprised to see me.”
That was an understatement. Did she think she could bounce in and out of his life like a ping-pong ball?
She fidgeted with the bottom edge of her jacket. “I hope it’s not a problem. My stopping by unannounced, I mean.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “I guess that depends on what you want.”
“What I want?” She looked confused, then the meaning of his words seemed to sink in. “Oh, I’m only here to talk.”
He couldn’t imagine what they had left to talk about. But at the very least, he should listen to what she had to say.
He backed up and gestured her inside.
She stepped past him, taking in the foyer and the living room with curiosity. “The penthouse, huh? Very nice.”
“Thanks.” They stood there for a moment in awkward silence, so he asked, “Can I take your jacket?”
“No, thanks.” She rubbed her arms absently, as if fighting off a chill. “I’m not used to this cool weather. It’s a lot hotter in May in Texas.”
“Would you care for something warm to drink? Tea? Coffee?”
“Water?”
“Kitchen is this way,” he said, and she followed him. “Did you just get into town?”
“I came right from the airport. I apologize for dropping in out of the blue. I would have called first, but the truth is, until I walked into the building, I wasn’t sure if I could really do this.”
“But here you are.”
“Yeah. Here I am.”
He filled a glass with filtered water and handed it to her. She barely took a sip before setting it down on the counter.
She glanced nervously around the room, everywhere but at him. “This is awkward, huh?”
“Yeah. I seem to recall that we agreed not to see each other again.”
“I know,” she said. “And I’m sorry, but the situation has changed.”
He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the refrigerator. “Which situation is that?”
She took a deep breath and blew it out, then looked him in the eye and said, “The situation that arose when I found out I was pregnant.”
Chapter Three
It took a full thirty seconds for the meaning of her words to sink in, and another minute to regain the use of his vocal chords. “Say again?”
“I was surprised, too.” She walked across the room to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the shore of Lake Michigan. “Before you ask, I’m sure it’s yours. There hasn’t been anyone else in a while.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.” The thought had never even occurred to him. She didn’t strike him as the type of woman who would try to pin someone else’s mistake on him. Though, it wasn’t as if he knew her all that well. Geographically he’d memorized her down to the last detail. The way her breasts felt cupped in his hands, the soft swell of her hips. How their bodies had locked together to make a perfect fit.
Personally and intellectually, they were barely more than strangers.
“Well,” she asked, finally turning to him. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“The truth is, I’m a little speechless right now.”
“You must have questions.”
There were so many questions bouncing around in his head he could barely make sense of them. “You’ve been to see a doctor? You’re sure?”
“Do