Quentin continued to glower at her belligerently, yet words of explanation wouldn't come and she found herself moving aside and saying simply, “Come in. I'll get the books for you.”
Once she closed the door, the little entryway seemed dominated by his presence. She was also mortified to discover that the cool evening air had caused her ni**les to pucker and jut through the thin silk she was wearing. She felt his gaze like a brand.
“Lead the way,” he said, his voice sounding a little strained.
She turned and went toward the living room, her mind racing, all the while aware of his deliberate tread directly behind her. Why did she feel like he was ready to pounce?
When he spotted the cozy little table illuminated by candlelight, he said coolly, “You're expecting someone.”
“Er—yes. Yes, I am.” Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears.
“Not Lazarus.” He made the words nearly a challenge.
She almost laughed. That the thought would even enter his head gave a little boost to her confidence. He showed all signs of being jealous. “No, not him.”
“Not that it's any of my business,” he said, seemingly biting out the words with effort, “but is it anyone I know?”
“Yes, you know him. Quite well in fact.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “Can't be Matt or Noah. They know I'd kill them,” he muttered, almost musing out loud.
Really, she'd have to thank Allison later. Whatever Allison had said, it was clear she'd led Quentin to believe he wasn't the man Liz was expecting to ring her doorbell. In the process, Allison had given her a much needed boost of confidence. “I can't believe you'd do bodily harm to either of them.”
“You're evading the question.”
“Who do you think it is, Quentin?” she said softly, her heart flipping over.
Their eyes met and she knew the love she felt was shining through her eyes.
“I know who I want it to be, dammit.” In two strides, he reached her, enveloping her in his arms as his mouth descended.
She kissed him back, putting her soul into it, even as the tears slipped from beneath her lashes.
“God, sweetheart, don't.” He cupped her face and caught the tears with his lips. “Don't cry. I'm not worth it.”
His tenderness just made the tears flow faster. He kissed her cheeks, her eyes, and made forays back to her mouth in between. “Elizabeth.”
“You g-gave me the s-stock,” she sobbed.
He cupped her face. “That's why you're crying?” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Honey, I'll give you whatever you want. Name your terms.”
He looked so sweet and endearing, she blurted, “I want you. I want you to love me. To love our baby.”
He stood stock-still as if she'd hit him over the head.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He grinned suddenly and then leaned his forehead against hers. “You've got me. All of me. Heart, stock and barrel.” He drew back and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Her laugh came out as a hiccup. “That's an awful pun.”
He gave her a soft kiss. “I love you.”
Now it was her turn to look shocked. “You—No, that's not possible.”
He chuckled. “Why not?”
“You said you were done with that romantic love stuff, that it was much better to treat the whole thing like a business proposition.”
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “So I did. I was an idiot. You broadsided me, sweetheart. I had it all figured out, and you came along and scrambled the whole puzzle again. By the time I'd sorted it all out, the pieces were in different places and the picture looked a lot different.”
He looked suddenly sheepish. “And maybe I was just feeding you a line that sounded good because I was desperate.”
“Desperate?” she echoed.
“Yeah, desperate to stop you from going ahead with the whole sperm bank idea while I had time to figure out why it kept mattering more and more to me what you did.”
His words sent a thrill through her, but she couldn't help asking, “What about Vanessa?”
“What about her?” His brows drew together. “She bruised my ego, and, yeah, I got very cynical about women for a while. But I realized that what I felt for her wasn't nearly as strong as the feelings I had for you.”
“You so much as talked with that idiot Lazarus—” Liz tried hard to hide a smile “—and I got jealous. Not to mention hitting the roof when I found you having dinner with Noah—” He broke off at her smile and shook his head ruefully.
“You really thought Noah and I…”
“Yeah, I was really far gone.” He sobered then and said, “I should have told you about Donovan Construction—”
She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “I don't want the stock. I realized after your lawyer called that the company wasn't nearly as important to me as you are.”
He nodded. “I didn't want you to think you couldn't marry me because I owned the damned company.”
“Yes,” she said softly, “I know and that meant the world to me. You also made me realize that I had nothing to prove.”
His eyes glittered and then he smiled. “I'm glad you recognize that. You're an entrepreneur, Elizabeth. Don't ever doubt it.”
“I cried when your attorney told me about the stock.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I didn't think the reaction would be tears. I guess I'll never understand women.”
He really was a sweetheart! Not to mention being devastatingly attractive and the father of her unborn child. How lucky could one woman get? “Don't worry. I intend to spend a lifetime giving you lessons.”
She was rewarded with a quick grin. “Oh, yeah?” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “I think I'm ready for the first one.” He swept her up in his arms and she had no choice but to link her arms around his neck as he headed for the stairs to the bedroom upstairs.
“The roast—” she protested.
“—can wait.”
A wave of heat swept through her. He was carrying her up the stairs and she made one last attempt to explain. “I cried when your lawyer called because your giving the company stock to me made me hope that you cared and not just about the baby. Then I realized I loved you so much, the company didn't matter. What I wanted was you. That's when I decided to seduce you tonight.”
“Thank God for that!” He looked down at her appreciatively as they entered her bedroom. “I promise to be willing and eager prey,” he add huskily.