Free Billionaire Baby Dilemma by Barbara Dunlop Page A

back up on the soft sand. Lexi quickly grabbed one of the pontoons. Lucas hopped off and grabbed the other. Together they dragged it a safe distance onto the beach.
    Lexi immediately started taking down the sail.
    â€œThanks,” she called to Lucas while she worked.
    Lucas glanced down at his dripping clothes, then over to the jacket that was halfway in the water, its fabric being ground against the sand by the lapping waves.
    It occurred to Devin that she probably should have thought to pick it up for him. Whoops.
    He paced over to retrieve it. “I cannot keep a suit clean around you people.”
    She couldn’t tell if he was angry or joking.
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    Lexi had offered to lend Lucas a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt left at her house by her oldest son. So, he stood in Devin’s tiny shower rinsing off the lake water and sand, the plastic curtain brushing up against his skin every time he moved, while he struggled to keep his shins from hitting the steep sides of the narrow antique tub. The water temperature was erratic, thepressure pathetic, the taps whistled and a wire soap dish stuck out at a dangerous angle from the worn, tiled wall.
    How did Devin put up with this every day of her life?
    Rinsed clean, he cranked off the creaky taps and drew back the plastic curtain, scraping it noisily against the curved metal rod as he stepped from the deep tub onto a turquoise mat. The towels were small, with a pink floral pattern and a fringe at either end. He caught a glimpse of himself drying his hair in the steamy mirror, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of roses topping his head.
    He supposed a shave was out of the question. It was probably just as well. Given the lilac-scented soap he’d just used to wash, he needed the macho factor provided by a five-o’clock shadow. Fortunately, the sweatpants were black and the T-shirt was steel-gray.
    It proved tricky getting dressed in the compact room. He knocked over a bottle of hand lotion with his elbow and banged his head on a low-lying lamp while he struggled into the slightly tight T-shirt. Then, having learned his lesson about waking up Amelia last time he was here, he carefully opened the aging bathroom door and padded silently out into the hall.
    The house was quiet, but Devin’s footfalls could be heard outside on the deck. As he rounded the corner into the living room, his nose picked up the scents of charcoal and grilling burgers through the screen of the patio door.
    The sun had set while he showered. The lake was black now, except for the light from the few houses along the shoreline. A three-quarter moon hung low in the sky, while plastic patio lanterns glowed red, blue and green where they were strung on a wire around the perimeter of the deck.
    Lucas started to smile at the classic backyard scene, but then he spotted Devin and instantly sobered. She stood at the barbecue, spatula in hand, watching the flames sear the burgers in front of her. Her feet were bare, legs long and tanned, and she wore a pair of lemon-yellow shorts paired with a white tank top that showed off her smooth golden shoulders.
    She was in profile. Her hair was wispy short, waving softlyover her ears and along the nape of her neck. She was delicately beautiful in any setting, and his mind jumped swiftly back to those moments when he’d held her tight in his arms and kissed her luscious lips.
    He didn’t know why he’d let it happen. It was reckless and self-indulgent. But from that moment he’d brushed her shoulder in the dining room, kissing her had been all he could think about. Kissing her was still all he could think about.
    She turned and spotted him standing there.
    â€œAll dry?” she called.
    He moved to the screen door before answering, keeping his voice low, assuming Amelia must be asleep. “All dry,” he confirmed.
    She looked him up and down. “Who needs a six-thousand-dollar suit, anyway?”
    He jokingly spread