CHAPTER ONE

      ‘SO, YOU’RE THE woman I’m about to impregnate? Nice to see you again.’

      ‘Hello, Mr Garrett.’ Kayla O’Connell shook hands with the man her brother, Liam, and his husband, Tom, had set her up with for this baby-making exercise.

      So much for this remaining nothing more than a business transaction when one firm handshake, one touch from him was enough to make her weak at the knees. She would rather not have him involved in this at all. It would have been easier to do it with a stranger. Meeting Jamie at her brother’s wedding had been sufficient to rattle her.

      ‘Oh, Kayla, I would’ve thought we were on first-name terms by now. Jamie’s fine.’

      Even though his slow, sexy smile had her transfixed, that smooth charm he possessed always made her nervous. It reminded her of her parents and the façade they’d used to put on for the rest of the world to hide the multitude of sins committed behind closed doors. He was easy on the eye, but he knew it, and took way too much enjoyment in the fact she blushed every time he came near her.

      However, since he was Tom’s big brother there was no way of avoiding him. ‘Thanks for coming, Jamie.’

      ‘You know I’d do anything you asked. All you have to do is give me the word.’ He held her gaze a second longer than necessary, sending shivers all over her body at the underlying suggestion. What scared her more than Jamie’s blatant flirting with her was her reaction to it. But rather than admonishing him for his suggestive comments, she had to use all her strength not to give into the temptation he embodied.

      ‘We’re not doing this for me. It’s for our brothers and that’s who we should be focusing on.’ Kayla couldn’t take her eyes off him as he sat down in the chair opposite, loosened his navy and silver striped tie and undid the top button on his shirt, revealing that small patch of skin at his throat. The picture in her mind took on a whole new explicit nature, transporting the scene into a bedroom rather than a busy London café.

      Clearly, her body had gone into panic mode about this surrogacy idea if she was fantasising about the father-to-be. Who, in ordinary circumstances, she would’ve run a mile from. Lately, she’d gone for safe guys, who never really lit her fire but she knew would never hurt her. Self-preservation after abusive parents and an ex-boyfriend who’d thought he could control her. Thank goodness she’d had her brother’s support in helping her realise Paul had gradually been taking over, manipulating her into doing what he wanted and leaving her scared to question him.

      It had been a blow to realise she’d reverted back to that submissive behaviour she’d employed to keep her parents happy rather than face the consequences. Trust wasn’t something she gave easily, and Paul had taken what was left from her.

      It was no wonder her relationships since hadn’t lasted, because she couldn’t bring herself to fully invest in them in case history repeated itself. She’d been content being single and not having to worry about anyone except herself. Kayla would go as far as to say she’d never get into another relationship again and certainly had no inclination towards starting a family of her own. That was why being around Jamie was so difficult. She might be attracted to him, but she also knew he was the type of man capable of breaking hearts. His brother had told her as much.

      ‘Of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company too, does it?’ He reached across the table to take her hand and stroked his thumb across her fingers. She could only watch, dumbstruck, knowing she couldn’t give an answer without incriminating herself.

      A shuffling by the table alerted her to someone else bewitched by her companion. The young girl carrying over his coffee hovered long after she’d set the cup down, openly staring at him.

      ‘Thank you.’ He turned on a full-watt grin that sent the waitress scurrying away again with a giggle. Jamie had that cheeky glint in his brown eyes Kayla was sure made most women swoon, although she knew he wasn’t the settling-down type either. That was one of the reasons he’d apparently agreed to do this. Kayla directed her thoughts back to the surrogacy, since that was the reason they were actually here.

      ‘So, I know you’re a respected GP in your practice, a partner. Tom told me you raised him after your parents both died, and you’ve said yourself you don’t want anything to do with this baby when it arrives.’ It wasn’t important how hot his skin felt against hers or that he’d ignored every other woman at the wedding, trying to capture her attention. For these purposes, all she needed to know was that he had brains as well as good looks and that he wouldn’t be hanging around driving her to distraction once his part of the deal was over.

      ‘That’s not as brutal as it seems on the surface. I’m happy to help the newly-weds start a family but I’m not interested in being a father myself. I don’t mind being the fun uncle, though. Do you have a problem with that?’ He cocked his head to one side, eyebrow raised as he tried to rile her. She wasn’t going to rise to it. Even if he was making sexy eyes at her, causing her to tingle in all sorts of places. Yes, she did have a problem with it.

      Perhaps this had been a bad idea, but she’d thought they should at least discuss what they expected from this arrangement. In Jamie’s case, apparently that was nothing. He was primarily going to be the sperm donor. Perhaps with the odd appearance for birthdays and family get-togethers.

      She couldn’t criticise when that was as involved as she wished to be in the baby’s life too. In her case, a loving auntie who was free to come and go as she chose. She was the surrogate, an incubator only for this baby, because any idea of family beyond her brother terrified the life out of her. Their parents’ tyranny had made her realise the damage a person could do to a child and she didn’t want that level of responsibility. Liam and Tom were two of the nicest men on earth and a child would be lucky to have them as parents.

      ‘Not at all. I was just checking.’ She sipped her herbal tea and wished the others would hurry up and join them to ease the tension.

      She tried to forget their first meeting and how flustered she’d been around him. A matter he’d taken great satisfaction in and flirted with her outrageously until she’d demanded he stop. He obviously wasn’t used to women saying no to him, her request amusing him all the more. The truth was she’d been afraid of reacting to his advances when her body had been on fire for him after just a few suggestive comments. He wasn’t her type. Actually, she didn’t have a type because there wasn’t a man alive she was willing to trust.

      Of course, their brothers had been blissfully unaware of their sizzling chemistry, so wrapped up in the happiness of their big day. When they’d proposed Jamie as the sperm donor for the surrogate baby she had agreed to carry for them, she’d been unable to find it in her to object to the idea.

      ‘I never thought my little brother would be the first to get married and have a family.’ He shook his head, the affection for his sibling shining brightly in his smile.

      ‘It