Elena quickly stepped back once she’d safely passed him the infant. “You speak as if I would be green-lighting a whole lot more than an exit strategy, but I haven’t given you any cause to think I’m foolish enough to get close to you again, Gage.”

“Foolish or not, you can’t deny there’s a strong sense of unfinished business between us.” He tucked the pink blanket around the little girl’s foot, keeping her wrapped up tight. Her blue eyes were open, her focus vague. She smelled like baby shampoo.

And she seemed a whole lot happier for his attention than Elena, who paced in front of the windows overlooking the horseshoe-shaped driveway.

“Perhaps. But I promised your father I’d leave you alone,” she reminded him, falling back on that old rift between them and using it to keep a wedge there. “I can’t go back on my word.”

“That didn’t concern you when you snuck past my security to get into my house, so I can’t imagine you’re all that worried about what Nigel Striker thinks about you now.” He found himself parrying her maneuvers, and forced himself to stop. “But if going back on your agreement concerns you, I’ll repay the old man as a way to buy you out of the deal.”

That stopped her pacing.

She stared at him from across the living room, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious.” She shook her head, as if trying to convince herself she’d heard correctly.

“On the contrary, I couldn’t be more sincere, Elena. I’ve already wasted too much time trying to ignore an attraction that refuses to die. I’m done deceiving myself that this thing between us will end up any way but in flames.” He moved toward her, his boots echoing on the polished marble. “I think, in your heart of hearts, you know that, too.”

“Leave my heart out of it,” she warned him, dark eyes narrowing.

He didn’t stop until he was standing much too close to her, the only barrier between them a contented baby.

“As you wish.” He nodded, agreeing to her terms. “But I’ll take all the rest of you just as soon as you’re ready to give it.”

She was still staring at him in a wordless standoff when Astrid called them into the dining room for the meal. Gage already knew the food wasn’t going to do anything to take the edge off the real hunger.

Eight