The Baby's Guardian. Delores Fossen

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СКАЧАТЬ hand over his gorgeous bald head and stared straight at her and winked, knocking her heart out of its normal rhythm. Lord, the man oozed sex appeal, and when used in full force, it was deadly. She willed her breathing to regulate as she watched the remainder of his act.

      All too soon, as far as the crowd was concerned, he finished and they lauded him with huge applause, whistles, cheers and pats on the back as he made his way back to the table where he picked up his beer and downed half the contents in one swig.

      “Whew! That was hard work.”

      “You were great!”

      “Thanks.” He took a smaller drink. “In another life, I wanted to be a singer.”

      “Really?” At his nod she asked, “Did you ever pursue it?”

      “Nah, I thought it best to concentrate on a more stable career.” He admitted, “My friends and mother readily concurred.”

      “Any regrets?”

      “No, I love corporate law.”

      “That’s how I feel about nursing. It’s great having a career that you enjoy, isn’t it?”

      “There’s nothing better. I can’t imagine getting up every day and hating going to work.”

      “Me, either.”

      “You’re enjoying your new position being in charge, then?”

      “Very much,” she answered. “It’s tons of work, but I’m thriving on the daily challenges.”

      “I hear you’re doing a great job.” He grinned at her startled expression.

      “From whom?”

      “I have my sources,” he said mysteriously, biting into a wing.

      “Alesha?” She nodded knowingly.

      “I’m not saying.” He made a zipping motion across his mouth, causing her lips to curve into a half smile.

      “I’ll bet you’re happy Derrick’s campaign is behind you so you can concentrate on your law firm.”

      “It was a lot of fun and even more work, and I did neglect my practice, which is why I’ve spent quite a bit of time getting back on top of things. I’m happy to report the ship is again sailing in smooth waters now.”

      “That’s good.”

      “It’s great, because now I can concentrate on getting to know you better without any interruptions vying for my time.”

      “You make it sound like a priority.”

      “It is—rather, you are,” he readily agreed. “You’re my number-one priority.”

      She liked the sound of that. She told herself that she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it, she did. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had considered her a priority. It was nice to feel wanted, even though she had no intention of allowing anything more than friendship to develop between them.

      “I’m flattered,” she finally responded.

      “We’re going to have fun together, Angela,” he said, treating her to one of his infectious dimple-laden grins, which turned positively mischievous. “Starting tonight.”

      Her lips twitched in humor at the glint in his eyes. He was definitely up to something. “What are you thinking, Cam?”

      He leaned forward. “Who says I’m thinking anything?”

      “I do. I can see the wheels spinning in your head.”

      “Okay.” He held up his hands in surrender. “You got me.”

      “Well?” She waited for him to go on.

      “What I’m thinking is...” He paused, grinned from ear to ear, and pointed to the stage. “It’s your turn.”

      “Oh, no.” Her smile quickly deflated, terror lighting up her eyes. “I don’t think so.”

      “Aw, come on, you can’t come to a karaoke bar and not perform. Besides, you said you liked the place, so prove it.”

      “Cam...” She placed a hand to her suddenly thudding heart and nervously glanced around the packed room. “I’m not going up there in front of all these strangers.” She vigorously shook her head. “No way.”

      “Why not?” He refused to give in. “There’s no pressure. Everyone is here to have fun.”

      “I know, but—”

      “No buts for you, remember?” He touched her hand. “Let loose tonight, Angela—for me.”

      His sexy plea melted her insides, and she found herself weakening. Why was it so important to her not to disappoint him? This man really upset her equilibrium.

      “I don’t have a very good voice.”

      “This isn’t a talent competition,” he chided. “This is just for pure unadulterated fun. When was the last time you let loose and just had fun?” Longer than she cared to admit, she realized.

      “I don’t know what to sing,” she hedged.

      “I’ll choose a song for you.”

      “Cam, I really can’t sing.” She tried again to beg off, but he wasn’t having any of it.

      “Neither can half the people here.” He then offered, “I’ll sing with you.”

      “That’s sweet of you, but I don’t—”

      He squeezed her hand, and she could tell he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Come on.”

      She had no choice but to follow as he easily pulled her from her seat and led her to the stage. She stood there trying not to visibly tremble while he chose a song for them. Once back at her side, he took her hand and squeezed her fingers reassuringly.

      She whispered in his ear, “What are we singing?”

      “You’ll see.” He nodded at the teleprompter, where the title of the song appeared: “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” by Aretha Franklin and George Michael. “Remember, this is just for fun, so stop looking so terrified,” he whispered as the music and words started scrolling across the screen.

      Despite his reassurance, at first she was nervous, barely opening her mouth, but soon got into the festive mood because Cam wouldn’t settle for anything else. They flirted with each other as they danced and sang, and Angela soon forgot the crowd. It felt as if she and Cam were the only two people in the room despite the cheering for them.

      She was off-key occasionally, but no one seemed to mind because she and Cam were really into the song and were flirting outrageously with each other. To her surprise, the song ended much too quickly, and they received more cheers and applause when they were done.

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