Free The Baby Thief by L. J. Sellers Page A

months and not look at another man or think about sex. With David, she became a giant, pulsating need. He slid his hand under her skirt and squeezed her gently. Elizabeth groaned and spread her legs. She had learned not to be ashamed of her response, to take what fleeting pleasure she could. Nothing good lasted long enough to matter.
    * * *
    Carmichael hadn’t stopped thinking about money even during their lovemaking, except for those few minutes at the end when his body felt as if it were about to take flight.
    “You were wonderful, David.” That was her cue for him to move away. He untangled himself and eased over. Elizabeth was the only woman he’d ever been with who didn’t like to cuddle after sex—or anytime for that matter. She claimed it was a mild case of claustrophobia, but Carmichael knew it was a basic fear of intimacy, probably a result of some childhood trauma. He’d never pressed the issue because he liked things the way they were. Elizabeth’s refusal to cling to him was one of her main attractions. Her intelligence and restrained beauty had caught his attention, but it was her rare combination of sexual submissiveness and emotional distance that kept him coming back, even while they were both married to other people.
    Carmichael knew he had to ask now or her moment of softness would pass. “Liz, I need your help. The church is out of money, and I can’t keep the clinic going without funds.”
    “You son of a bitch.” She sat up, grabbing the sheet to cover herself. “How dare you?” Liz turned and stared incredulously. “I gave you a half-million dollar inheritance! You didn’t have to spend every dime of it on the clinic.”
    “Liz, we’ve been through this. You know how expensive in vitro equipment is.” He reached for her shoulders. “You know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate.”
    She shook him loose with a violent jerk. “Whatever happened to the yearly donation that was supposed to end all your financial trouble?” Her dark eyes blazed as she held the sheet tightly over her breasts.
    “It fell through. Apparently the United Christian Foundation got wind of our non-traditional doctrine about sex and procreation. Now I’m in a bind over a loan, and the bank wants to repossess my land.”
    “Oh, David.” Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment as if that would make him go away. “Why do you keep buying equipment you can’t pay for? I understand the obsessive nature of research, but we all have to work within our budgets. I’m not bailing you out again.” She bolted out of bed and started pulling on clothes. Carmichael kept quiet, soaking up the pleasure of watching Liz, sleek and beautiful in her black slip, brushing angrily at her short bronze hair with crisp strokes.
    When she stopped, he said softly, “What price would you have paid for an adoption? Fifteen thousand? Twenty?” Carmichael scooted to the edge of the bed and reached for his pants. “What about two or three failed IVF cycles? Thirty grand, easy. I’m only asking for ten. Just enough to make a couple of loan payments to keep us going until I can work something out with the pharmaceutical company.” He didn’t mention the money he had promised Zeke for helping him grab Jenna.
    Elizabeth whirled around. “Don’t you dare put a price on my child! You owe me this favor.” She moved toward him and pointed an accusing finger. Her whole body was shaking. “I lied to the police to keep you out of jail when you lost your family. I gave you my inheritance so you could pursue your research ambitions. And I’ve supplied you with stolen sperm for years so you could impregnate your little groupies. You owe me!”
    Carmichael fought to stay calm. Elizabeth hadn’t wanted her stepfather’s money, so he harbored no guilt there, but she knew that any mention of his first family was excruciating to him. He had to believe she was beside herself with anxiety. The impact of what they’d done, what they still