Steele 05 - Irresistible Forces

nicely a while ago,” he pointed out as he placed his arm around her and drew her into the curve of his body.
    “Yeah, well, that’s why I can’t move now, thank you very much.”
    His expression turned serious. “No, thank you very much, Taylor. I owe you a wealth of thanks. I’d be the first to admit when you suggested that I father your child, I had a number of misgivings. But now since it’s official that you’re pregnant, I can only feel elation.”
    He paused for a moment and then said, “I can’t wait to tell my parents.”
    Taylor forced her head to move to look at him. “How are you going to tell them? How will you explain the situation between us?”
    “Not sure yet, but they are fully aware that I’ll never marry again. They’re hoping that I’ll change my mind although I’ve told them on countless occasions that I won’t.”
    Well, that was that, Taylor thought. What he’d said had effectively removed any hope she’d been harboring that he saw what they’d shared as something other than lust. “You could just tell them the truth, that you and I both wanted a child and so we entered into this business agreement to share one.”
    “Yes, I could do that but they wouldn’t buy it. They would try their hand at getting us together. Unfortunately, they are die-hard romantics. They are in France now and won’t be returning for a week or so. I will have thought of something by then.”
    Taylor was curious as to what he would come up with but decided they were his parents and he would have to deal with them. She, on the other hand, would be busy dealing with her own family. Now it seemed Cheyenne wouldn’t be the only one announcing plans of motherhood next weekend when the family got together for Marcus’s graduation.
    “But one thing is for certain, chérie, ” he said in a raspy tone.
    Tiny flutters went off in her stomach. It always did something to her when he called her in French what was the equivalency of the word sweetheart in English. Although she knew it was a term of endearment that probably had no special meaning to him, she still felt something when he said it.
    “And what is for certain, Dominic?”
    “No matter how or why the child was conceived, they will look upon its existence like I will, as that of a special gift we’ve been given.”
    Taylor had read in a pregnancy book that emotional changes were one of the side effects. Maybe that was the reason she suddenly wanted to cry at what Dominic said. His words had touched her deeply.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, fighting back the tears in her eyes.
    He reached out and ran the tip of his finger along the side of her jaw. “And what are you thanking me for?” he asked in a husky tone.
    “For wanting this baby. For wanting it to be a part of your life, your parents’ life.”
    “Did you think I would not, Taylor? Did you honestly assume that I would settle for anything less?”
    No, she hadn’t assumed that. He was living up to her expectations. Instead of answering him, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his. He then gently gathered her into his arms, took over the kiss and devoured her mouth with a hunger she was used to.
    As he proceeded to kiss her senseless, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him.

Chapter 11
    V anessa Steele stared at her two younger sisters. Pregnant and unmarried—the both of them—they seemed happy, so she was happy for them. She knew who had fathered Taylor’s child, but Cheyenne was keeping a tight lip as to who had fathered hers. The only thing Cheyenne would say was that he was someone she had met one night while doing a photo shoot in Egypt but wouldn’t be seeing again. Vanessa couldn’t help wondering if Cheyenne’s one-night lover had been an Egyptian native or an American she’d met who, like her, had been visiting the country.
    “I hope the two of you know we’re going to have to celebrate, don’t you?” she finally asked. Taylor and Cheyenne were doing a sleepover at Vanessa’s house. They had just watched a Tyler Perry movie that had finally come out on DVD—for the fourth time—while munching on popcorn.
    Marcus’s graduation had been beautiful and had brought out a lot of tears from those who recalled how it seemed just yesterday he was taking his first steps and now he was heading off to college—an Ivy League college at that, something Chance had always wanted for his son. Chance was proud of Marcus and everyone knew that if Cyndi had lived