The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters Book 3) Read online

  While Dimitri tried to figure out what the hell was going on in his head, the restaurant owner led them over to a corner table by the window. “I bring you the usual?” he asked, teasing Pepper.

  “Absolutely!” she replied, beaming up at the fatherly restaurant owner. “Dimitri will have your lobster ravioli.”

  Dimitri leaned back in his chair, lifting a dark eyebrow towards her. “I will?”

  She nodded seriously and, for the first time, he noticed her pointed chin. He’d been so obsessed with her intensely blue eyes that he’d barely registered her other facial features. Well, he’d noticed her lips because…well, just because. And her nose. She had a cute nose. The nose was cute, and her lips were…sexy. And yet, somehow, all of her features worked to create a lovely image of a woman who was both brilliantly confident and alluringly innocent.

  Then his gaze lifted to her sparkling blue eyes and he was again lost. “Trust me. You’ll love it,” she promised. For a long moment, Dimitri wondered if she was referring to her lips. Then the rest of their conversation came back to him. Lobster. Ravioli or something. Not her lips. Dekera!

  “What are you having?” he asked, leaning back in his chair, unaware of how intimidating his posture looked.

  She propped her chin up on her laced fingers and she looked demure and enticing. “I always get the fettucine Alfredo here. Tony makes the best!”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “And you decided that I wouldn’t want the fettucine because…?”

  She grinned. “Because you seem more like a lobster than a cheese puff.”

  Dimitri stared at her, not sure how to respond to that observation. “You think I’m…?”

  “Yes. You’re very much like lobster. Admit it.” She leaned forward, those blue eyes sparkling with mischief, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting lower, noticing the shadow of her cleavage. At that moment, he was completely distracted, absorbed in the very conservative view of her breasts that was still sexy as hell.

  Tony placed two wine glasses on the table, then glared at Dimitri while he uncorked a bottle of red wine. He didn’t bother to pour a sample for Dimitri’s approval either. He simply poured the wine, then leaned over. “She’s a good girl! You’re not gonna look at her like that!”

  A moment later, Tony walked away and Dimitri’s gaze followed his path, noticing three other men, all glaring at him as if he’d just murdered someone.

  “Ignore Tony,” Pepper told him, following his gaze. “He’s a bit…protective.”

  “Of you?” Dimitri asked, not sure if he should thank the men for watching out for Pepper or offended that they thought he was some sort of rapist.

  “Yes. Of me.” She sighed. “I don’t know why they act like that, but I’m sure they do it to all of the single women who dine here. Trust me, those men are all very sweet and harmless. They wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Dimitri wondered if the four were as harmless as she assumed, but decided not to tackle her assumptions at this point.

  “How did you discover your passion for designing clothes?” he asked, thinking that a change of subject was needed.

  Her smile turned a bit deprecating. “Oh, I sort of fell into it accidentally. When I was a teenager, just starting off in high school, I had to come up with some way to earn some money to help with household expenses.” She shrugged dismissively. “We were in a…place…that was next to a store that gave away clothes.” She fiddled with the folded, linen napkin, turning it around and placing it off to the side but no longer looking into his eyes. “My sister needed something for a job interview. I had seen an old suit that was boxy and completely dated, like something from back in the eighties, or some other decade. But the material was good quality. So I paid the four dollars to buy it, then borrowed a sewing machine from my high school home economics class, and with a few snips and tucks in various places, I was able to update the suit into something that was more current. That suit helped my oldest sister win the job and the rest is…sort of history.”

  Dimitri listened to the story, but heard what she wasn’t telling him as clearly as what she’d admitted. “Why did you need to earn money? Where were your parents?”

  She smiled, the look more wistful than happy. “My father…I never knew him. When my mother told him she was pregnant with me, he disappeared.”

  Dimitri was stunned, not sure how to respond. He watched her carefully, but all he saw was the closed expression, the hard, blue eyes that had previously been sparkling with mischief and happiness, as well as the tense shoulders, both of which indicated she was hiding something. “And your mother?” he probed, needing to understand more about her.

  “She died unexpectedly.” Dimitri could see from the expression in her eyes that she didn’t want to discuss it. But he suspected that it had been a pivotal moment for her.

  “How did she die?”

  Confirming his suspicion, Pepper lifted her glass of wine and drained half of it. When she set it back down on the table, she seemed to be very precise about the placement. When she lifted her eyes again, Pepper didn’t look at him. Instead, she looked out the window, but Dimitri doubted she saw anything. “A drunk driver hit her, killing her instantly.”

  Damn, Dimitri thought. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to give her some of his strength. But Pepper Abbot was already strong, and she turned her lovely face to look at him, pulling the corners of her lips up into a smile. “So, what about you? What made you such a powerful man? What tragedy in your life caused you to be uber focused on conquering every business deal that comes across your desk?”

  For a long moment, he considered her words. They were revealing and he wished that he could hold her. Yet, he understood that he barely knew her and doubted she would appreciate his comfort.

  “My parents are still living in a small town outside of Athens, Greece. There was no tragedy in my past. In fact, I had an idyllic childhood.”

  Her head tilted slightly and her shoulders seemed to relax with his explanation. “So, what makes you so ambitious?”

  He shrugged, not sure how to answer that question. “I just…know when to move in on a business and how to attack, I suppose.”

  “The business-shark instinct?” she teased.

  He didn’t laugh because she was right. “Something like that.”

  Before they could continue, Tony interrupted and placed a large basket of warm bread in the middle of the table. “You tell her to eat,” Tony instructed Dimitri. “She never eats the bread, thinking she’s not skinny enough.”

  Dimitri’s eyes moved to Pepper, and the blush staining her cheeks confirmed the kind man’s words. “I think she looks perfect.”

  Tony straightened, nodding his approval. Without saying anything more, Tony turned and walked back into the kitchen.

  Dimitri pushed the basket of bread in her direction. “You don’t like bread?”

  Pepper sighed, thinking of the soft, delicious bread. “I love it.” Shaking her head, she crossed her arms, resting her forearms over the table. “But no, I have pasta coming. That’s enough of a burden on my hips. I won’t add that decadent, garlic and butter soaked glory to my burden.”

  He laughed softly, thinking again she was delightful. Instead of sinking into a funk about her parents, as some might have done, she’d pushed the sadness away and was again looking as if she were hoping to tease him.

  “How about if you enjoy the bread, and I’ll watch your figure?”

  She laughed, which had been his intention, but ignored the allure of the bread.

  “Do you have siblings?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “I’m an only child,” he replied. “And you?”

  “Two older sisters.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Sloane, the oldest, works with Josh Starke, who I understand you know?”

  “I have worked with Starke in the past, yes. But how did you know that he and I are acquainted?” The blush told him a great deal. “Ah. He called and to
ld you that I was trying to contact you. So, my efforts were not in vain, just as I suspected.”

  She laughed softly. “No, your efforts were not thwarted. But sending some skinny guy to demand my contact information, with no context or any hint as to what the guy was going to do with my information…that was weird, Dimitri.”

  He tilted his head as he chose a roll, split it, and buttered it. “I apologize. I’m usually more charming in my pursuit.” He placed half of the soft, buttered roll onto her small plate. “Eat.”

  She tilted her head, ignoring the roll as she looked right back at him. “Why am I different?”

  He paused to consider that question, but shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  She leaned forward, her eyes glinting. “Well, at least I can say that I’m mysterious and special. I’m guessing that not many people in your world can say the same.”

  Thankfully, Tony arrived with their meals before Dimitri had to answer.

  “What do you think?” Pepper asked, watching as Dimitri stared down at the ravioli in a red cream sauce. “It’s incredibly good, I promise.”

  She’d been wondering how she was going to make it through dinner. The way he looked at her made her…nervous. But it was more than just nerves. There was something about him, something that made her body tingle with awareness.

  “It looks good.”

  Pepper blinked, trying to remember what she’d asked. “Good” could apply to a whole bunch of things. Then he took a bite of the ravioli and nodded. “Excellent!”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she picked up her own fork. “Whew! The way you were looking a moment ago, I wasn’t sure that you’d like it! You’re not a picky eater, are you? Is that your flaw?”

  He took a sip of the surprisingly good red wine, looking back at her. “I have many flaws,” he told her.

  Pepper let her eyes travel over his broad shoulders and arms, which she suspected were packed with muscles, and wondered what he’d look like naked. “I doubt you have that many,” she replied, then pressed her lips closed, shocked that she’d said something so outrageous. “I mean…” she stammered, “I mean, you’re probably a good businessman. Well, Josh has already told me that he respects your business acumen, so obviously, you’re a good businessman. And handsome.” She closed her eyes, pressing her lips together. “Yes, you’re handsome and now,” her eyes popped open and she looked down at her plate, “I’m going to eat to stop myself from shoehorning my foot into my mouth.”

  Pepper stuffed a tender piece of chicken into her mouth, but the piece was too big. He chuckled softly at her predicament as she blushed painfully.

  She chewed, then swallowed, carefully wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Okay, laugh at me if you want,” she said after choking down the chicken. “But admit it, the food is good, right?”

  He took another bite, nodding. “It’s excellent. Actually, it’s better than Fino’s. Thank you for recommending this bistro,” he said, then turned to notice Tony and the three sons glaring at him. “Even if you have a private protection squad looming over you.”

  They glanced towards the kitchen doorway. Sure enough, Tony glared and the sons nodded, indicating that they were all watching him.

  Pepper laughed and waved at them. “They mean well,” she told him softly.

  Dimitri turned back to her. “It’s fine. Tell me about your spring clothes line.”

  Pepper shook her head. “I don’t have a seasonal line of clothes. I go to the shops on Saturday morning and scour what’s available. Then I start designing. I draw what I want the changes to be, then a team of seamstresses work from my instructions over the week. I have models in various sizes and a professional photographer that comes in on Thursday. After the photographer takes pictures, Nancy gets the images and prices loaded onto the website prior to the Friday rush. She’s figured out how to get everything packaged and out the door in the mail to customers by Friday afternoon and, in most cases, customers receive their garments by Saturday afternoon. So far, it’s working pretty well.”

  He nodded at her explanation. “You do all of the designs yourself?”

  She smiled, her shoulders straightening with pride. “Yep. Just little ole me!”

  “You need more designers,’ he commented, taking another bite of the ravioli. “It doesn’t seem like a scalable process.”

  Pepper shrugged dismissively. “It isn’t. But my client base is steadily growing and Nancy has figured out how to expand our reach. It’s a niche market, but I love it. Every day, I get to create something new and different, something that is unique for each customer. Keeping the operation small also allows me to keep up with the changing styles so I can make the new, weekly designs seem fresh and vital, but still hip and different from anything other designers are creating.”

  They talked about business, hers in general and the fashion industry as a whole. Pepper was astonished at how knowledgeable he was about the fashion world.

  When Tony arrived with the check, Pepper pulled out her wallet, but Tony swatted it out of her reach. “He pays, dear! He’s wealthy enough to take you out to dinner.” And with that, he left the check on Dimitri’s side of the table.

  Pepper rolled her eyes, but extended her hand. “I’m sorry about that. Here, give me the check and I’ll…”

  “Nope,” he countered, taking out his wallet and laying several bills on top of the check, not bothering to look at the amount. “You are my guest tonight.”

  Pepper’s heart lurched painfully at his use of the word “guest”. So this wasn’t a date. This was a business meeting, just as he’d said when he’d introduced himself earlier in the evening.

  Why did that knowledge cause her heart to ache? The sharp stab of disappointment was cruel. But, she reminded herself, they’d started this whole interlude when he’d arrived at her apartment telling her that he wanted to discuss a business proposal. Then they’d spent the majority of their dinner conversation discussing the fashion industry.

  With a sigh, she stood up. Of course this wasn’t a date, she told herself. This man was suave and sophisticated. She wasn’t even close to being in his league. He probably dated supermodels and women who looked like celery sticks – tall, thin, and boring. She wasn’t anything like that. Pepper knew that she was short, curvy, and…well, definitely not thin.

  Such was not to be, she thought wistfully and smiled when he stepped back to allow her to precede him out of the restaurant. “Thank you for dinner. It’s one of my favorite places.”

  “I can see why,” he replied, placing a hand to the small of her back. “It was excellent. I appreciate you sharing your secret bistro with me.”

  She grinned over her shoulder up at him, then turned onto the sidewalk. “Well, thank you for dinner. I can walk home. There’s no need to…”

  “Get in the limousine, Pepper,” he intoned, his voice low and those dark eyes watching her with confusing intent.

  Not a date, she reminded herself. She gestured down the street towards her loft. “I can just…”

  He stepped closer. “Pepper, I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment you opened your door. But I’m not going to do it here on the sidewalk in front of that restaurant. I don’t know if Tony and his sons have weapons, but I’m fairly sure that I don’t want to find out. So, get in the vehicle so that I can drive you home and kiss you at your door properly.”

  Pepper was so stunned that all that came out of her mouth was a pathetic sounding, “Oh!”

  With a nudge to the small of her back, she moved towards the limousine. But just before she would have ducked into the back, she spun around, pressing a hand to the middle of his chest. “We can’t!” she gasped.

  His eyes narrowed. “Can’t?”

  Shaking her head, she looked at him, her eyes moving over his shoulders and arms and…well all of him! “We can’t kiss!”

  Dimitri turned his head and she followed his gaze, horrified to see the stoic looking driver looking off to the side. The man nodded
and disappeared, stepping into the driver’s seat to give them some privacy.

  When they were alone, he looked down at her. “Why can’t I kiss you?” he asked, his hand moving to cover hers where it rested on the top of the door. Slowly, carefully, he leaned forward. “Because I do intend to kiss you, Pepper.” His eyes lowered. “Maybe more.”

  Pepper trembled, wanting both the kiss and the enticing, mysterious “more”, but knew that it was too dangerous. “We can’t kiss.”

  He laughed. “Get in the car, Pepper.”

  She started to, then she stopped herself, glaring up at him. When he only glared down at her, she lifted one of her eyebrows…waiting.

  He sighed, shaking his head, but those hard, uncompromising lips curled up with amusement at her silent reminder for him to mind his manners. “Please, get in the car, Pepper. This isn’t a conversation I want to have on the sidewalk where others might overhear.”

  Pepper looked around, noticed other people walking by and looking at them curiously. “Right!” and she ducked into the back seat.

  He followed, pulling the door closed. The driver pulled smoothly away from the curb and Pepper idly wondered how the man had found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. This was a big limousine and…well, this was New York City! Open parking spaces just didn’t happen. Ever!

  “How did you…?” she started, but when he looked at her, what she’d been about to say died on her lips.

  “Not here,” he told her. Thankfully, it was just a short trip to her apartment. He stepped out quickly, extending his hand to help her out.

  Pepper hesitated to accept his hand, knowing that she’d once again feel that zing when they touched.

  But there was nothing she could do that wouldn’t be construed as rude. Slowly, she touched his palm, and gasped quietly when his hand closed around hers.

  With a gentle pressure, he pulled her onto the sidewalk. They stood like that for a long moment, staring into each other’s eyes. “This is dangerous,” she finally whispered.