Part-Time Father (Harlequin Presents) Read online

  And he moved and so did she, and they were in each other’s arms, kissing, hugging, speaking only in half-sentences, all of which began with ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’.

  They ended up lying in each other’s arms, staring into each other’s eyes and hugging each other tightly, as if they could never bear to let each other go.

  ‘Why else do you think I accepted your wretched money?’ she demanded. ‘Because I thought you hated me, and I knew how much I loved you. I thought that if I was only a mercenary little golddigger in your eyes you’d never want to see me again!’

  ‘That would,’ he said wryly, ‘be rather like reaching the summit of Mount Everest and not feeling proud of it!’

  ‘You should write that down!’ said Kimberley admiringly.

  ‘You are also,’ he said, ‘the only woman who could make me so wild for her that all thoughts of contraception just flew out of the window.’

  ‘Not even Tania?’ said Kimberley nastily.

  He moved to lie on top of her, and the sensation of that hard, lean body sent her senses singing. ‘Listen to me,’ he said, very gravely. ‘My affair with Tania is all in her head.’

  ‘Don’t say you couldn’t have had an affair with her?’

  ‘Of course I could. I could have had affairs with lots of women. The whole point is that I didn’t want to.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Not at all?’

  ‘Not once. Once I’d seen you…I’m afraid that was it.’

  ‘And if I hadn’t had Georgia——?’

  ‘I would still have coerced you into marrying me.’

  ‘And just how would you have gone about that?’

  ‘Oh, I’d have thought of a way, don’t worry,’ he said with infuriating confidence. ‘I was so convinced that we were twin souls, you see. And I was right.’

  ‘Are you always so sure that you’re right?’ she queried dreamily.

  ‘Mostly. But I thought that I could happily live with you, even if you didn’t love me. In that I was hopelessly, hopelessly wrong. I vowed that I’d never spend the night with you until you told me you loved me.’

  ‘Tonight’s the night, then,’ she murmured, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, but then she grew serious, shivered. ‘How close we came to losing it all,’ she whispered.

  ‘Don’t.’ And he kissed her with a tender passion she had only ever dreamed of.

  Soon he would make love to her again, and this time neither of them would need to hold anything back, but for the moment she was happy to be held, revelling in the closeness they now shared.

  The joy of what lay before them was almost too frightening to contemplate, and they grinned at each other.

  ‘I love you,’ they both whispered, at exactly the same moment.

  Now, that’s harmony, thought Kimberley in delight, as she gave herself up ecstatically to his kiss.

  eISBN 978-14592-7643-7

  PART-TIME FATHER

  First North American Publication 1996.

  Copyright © 1995 by Sharon Kendrick.

  All nghts reserved Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work In whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, Is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontano, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone beanng the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S A

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher Trademarks indicated with ©are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  Printed in U.S.A.

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Excerpt

  About the Author

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Copyright