Steele 05 - Irresistible Forces

him realize that, other than Matt, he hadn’t had a lot of friends or family while growing up. He had been sent to private schools most of his life, some outside the United Sates. And after that kidnapping attempt, it was a long time before his parents or Ryder would let him out of their sight.
    “Hungry yet?” he decided to ask her.
    She turned, lifted a brow and smiled. “What if I am? It’s not like we’re going to find a restaurant out here.”
    He gave a soft laugh. “No, but we do have that,” he said, nodding to the huge picnic basket she hadn’t yet seen near the bow.
    She followed his gaze and smiled. “Who brought that on?”
    “The management of the resort,” he said. “I ordered lunch for us when I requested the boat. I’m ready to eat when you are.”
    She smiled. “Okay then, I’m ready.”
    * * *
    “Wow, the resort really did it up, didn’t they?” Taylor said while watching Dominic unload the picnic basket. There were numerous sandwiches, a platter of cheeses, bags of chips, a container of fruit, a Thermos filled with coffee and a bottle of chilled nonalcoholic wine.
    “Um, I specifically told them about the nonalcoholic wine just in case you’re in a delicate condition already. And since I’m the captain of this vessel, I can’t drink on the job,” he said, putting the empty basket aside to pour wine into their glasses. “I have to make sure we get back to land safely before nightfall.”
    Taylor grinned. “And I appreciate that.” She placed the plate filled with food in her lap. Dominic had done the serving and had given her a little bit of everything.
    She glanced over at him. “So, what kind of kid were you while growing up, so I can know what to expect?”
    He threw his head back and laughed. “It might be too late to determine that, isn’t it? It wouldn’t surprise me any if you’re pregnant already.”
    She had thought the same thing but to hear him say it out loud made goose bumps appear on her arms. “Too bad there’s no way we can find out.”
    “I don’t want to know,” he said, taking a sip of his wine.
    She lifted a brow. “Why?”
    He met her gaze over the glass. “If you knew you were pregnant already then you wouldn’t need for us to stay the remainder of the week. Just think of all the fun we’d miss out on.”
    She was thinking. But then she knew that eventually all good things came to an end. “So tell me,” she encouraged. “What kind of child were you? Spoiled I bet.”
    A small smile touched his lips. “I guess there was a little of that since I was the only child, but I knew just how far to go in riling my parents. I didn’t have any siblings or a bunch of cousins like you have, but I had Matt.”
    “Matt?”
    “Yes, Matt Caulder. He’s my attorney and best friend. Our mothers were childhood friends, and in a way Matt and I were raised together. Then his mother died of breast cancer. It was our final year of high school. That was a difficult time for him.”
    “I can imagine,” she said, thinking of the time she had lost her father while in high school, as well. “I know how he felt. I lost Dad while in high school, too. He died of lung cancer.”
    “Was he a smoker?”
    “Yes, of the worst kind. We tried to get him to quit and never could.” She was silent for a few minutes. “So tell me about Matt. Is he married?” she asked curiously.
    Dominic shook his head. “Divorced. Unfortunately things didn’t work out. But he’ll be quick to tell you the best thing to come from his marriage was Dee—short for Deena. She’s his two-year-old daughter and was named after his mother. I’m her godfather. I’ve got pictures. You want to see?”
    “Sure.”
    Taylor watched as Dominic put aside his plate to pull out his wallet. He would make a wonderful father, she thought, and a sense of pride touched her in knowing his child would be hers.
    She took the photograph he handed to her. Dee was definitely a pretty little girl. “She’s blessed to have both you and her father in her life,” Taylor said as she continued looking at the picture. “It’s important for little girls, as well as little boys, to have strong male role models.”
    “Yes, it is,” he agreed.
    Taylor handed him back the photograph and their hands touched. The sensation that hit the both of them, simultaneously, made their breaths catch. Her eyes flew to his face. “Sorry about that,” she said apologetically.
    “It’s not your fault,” he said,