Wild for Him

Both Ben and Christine turned at the sound of a female voice calling her name. Ben instantly recognized Mia Wilde with her unique gray-silver eyes, who was holding a bundled-up baby in her arms as she approached.

'You're Christine Delacroix, the one who owns The Big Event, right?' she asked, smiling warmly as she extended her hand toward Christine. 'I'm Mia Wilde.'

'Oh!' Christine's eyes widened with genuine delight as she shook the other woman's hand. 'After talking on the phone so many times, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. This gives me the opportunity to thank you face-to-face for your donation to the Children's AIDS Foundation auction. And call me Christy, please.'

'I was happy to be a part of the charity auction,' Mia said as she shifted the squirming baby in her arms. 'The high bidder for the stained glass design contacted me this week, so I'll be starting their design pretty soon.'

'That's wonderful.' Christine smiled at the little dark-haired baby peeking from the pink blanket she was wrapped up in. 'And who is that?'

Mia beamed like the proud new mother she was. 'This is my three-month-old daughter, Sophie, the latest addition to the ever-growing Wilde family.'

'She's beautiful,' Christine said softly. 'Do you mind if I hold her?'

'Are you kidding me?' Mia laughed and happily handed over the little girl. 'I'd love the break. She's like carrying around a thirteen-pound weight.'

Christine gazed down at the cherubic face staring back up at her. 'She's a very lucky girl to be surrounded by so much family.'

'Yes, though having a very large family can be a curse, too,' Mia said wryly, and Ben knew she was referring to her very overprotective brothers and cousins. 'But mostly it is a blessing.'

'Hey, I've been looking for you.' Cameron, Mia's husband, came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 'The DJ is playing our song.'

Mia tipped her head and listened to the tune, then frowned at Cameron. 'This isn't our song. I don't even think we have a song.'

'Then consider this one it.' He gave her an irresistible grin. 'It's a slow song, someone else is holding the baby, and I want to dance with my wife.'

Christine waved her free hand at the couple. 'Go right ahead. I'll watch Sophie.'

'Are you sure?' Mia asked, though it was clear to see that she'd welcome the opportunity to enjoy a slow dance with her husband.

'I'm absolutely sure,' Christine said, encouraging her to go. 'I love babies and she's very sweet.'

'Come on, let's go before she realizes that Sophie is just fooling her.' Cameron grabbed Mia's hand and pulled her toward the patio.

'She is a good baby,' Mia said from over her shoulder as her husband dragged her away.

Once the couple was gone, Christine pulled the blanket a bit looser to see more of the baby. Sophie was wearing a frilly pink dress for the occasion of seeing her uncle Joel get married, and her little arms flailed wildly as they were freed from the covers. Christine laughed and pressed her pinky into the baby's palm, and Sophie latched on to the finger and cooed.

An affectionate smile curved Christine's lips as she glanced up at him. 'Would you like to hold her?'

Ben held up both of his hands, not sure how to handle such a little wriggling thing like Sophie. 'No, it's okay. You're doing a great job with her.'

Christine went back to talking to the baby in a low, gentle tone, and the infant girl stared up at her in mesmerized awe. There was something about seeing Christine like this-the tender look on her face, the maternal, nurturing instincts in play-that struck a chord deep inside of Ben.

Marriage. Family. Babies. A sense of complete and utter contentment. He'd almost had that once with Kim. They'd talked about all those things, along with envisioning a future that had seemed so hopeful and promising, and filled with all the things that had been missing from his own life for so long.

Those bright, aspiring dreams had died with Kim. And so had a big part of him. His heart and emotions hadn't been the same since that fateful day in Iraq when he'd held his dying fiancee in his arms.

But as he watched Christine bond with the tiny baby in her arms, he knew that someday, when the right person came along, this woman would make some lucky guy a wonderful wife and mother.

Unfortunately, that man wouldn't be him.

Chapter Fourteen

HOURS later, Ben followed Christine into her house and switched on the light in the living room. She turned around to face him, her high-heeled shoes dangling from her fingertips, and a soft, contented smile on her lips.

'I really had a nice time today… and tonight,' she added, since the reception and celebration had lasted until nearly ten.

'So did Jon and Kevin,' he replied good-naturedly as he slipped his hands into his pants' pockets. 'They sure kept you busy out on the dance floor.'

She laughed and curled her bare toes into the carpet. 'They're nice guys. All of them. And they don't do a thing for me,' she assured him. Closing the distance between the two of them, she placed a hand on his chest, her eyes an extraordinary shade of blue. 'Except they do make me laugh. A lot. And that's not a bad thing considering my life lately.'

'I definitely agree with that.'

'I hope you don't mind that I invited them to my birthday party at Envy next week. They'll definitely keep the guests entertained.'

He grinned. 'I can't argue with that.'

She tipped her head, causing her tousled hair to fall to one side. 'How about you? Did you have a good time?'

'Yeah, I did.' He'd spent most of the day watching Christine-mingling with his friends, interacting with the guests, holding Mia's daughter, Sophie. He thought about those high heels she'd worn for hours, her energy out on the dance floor, and the few yawns she'd tried to hide on the drive home, and knew she had to be worn out. 'You must be exhausted.'

'My feet are a bit sore, but I'm actually wide awake.' She started toward her bedroom, then stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, a come-hither look in her eyes. 'I need a little help getting my dress off. Care to help?'

Since the dress was made of a stretchy kind of material, and there was no zipper, taking it off was just a matter of pulling it over her head-and that certainly didn't require his assistance. But her sweet smile was filled with the kind of pure, shameless temptation that made him weak in the knees and unable to resist anything about her. Knowing he'd be a fool to refuse since he only had a few more nights to spend with her, he took Christine's hand and followed her back to her master bedroom.

After today, his emotions felt as though they were in an upheaval that he couldn't quite sort out. He knew and understood that their affair was a temporary deal-she'd made that clear from the beginning. Having just broken off an engagement and still dealing with the wrath of her mother, Christine wasn't looking for anything permanent. And now, she was getting a taste for being independent and out from under Audrey's thumb, and he knew she loved that newfound freedom.

As for him, he'd never fit into Christine's life long-term, at least not comfortably considering their opposite lifestyles. Hell, he didn't even know if he could give her everything she deserved emotionally from a relationship-he wasn't sure he had it in him anymore. Between the wrenching realization that his mother had walked out on him when he was a boy, never to be heard from again, to losing Kim and even other comrades he'd befriended in the war, he felt all tapped out.

But he couldn't deny that he wanted her. Desired her. And ultimately, he cared deeply for her, and those were key elements when it came to being with Christine. The bedroom was the one place they were equal and completely compatible, in every way. It was their own private world where no one existed but the two of them and a wealth of passion.

When they reached her room, she tossed her shoes aside and turned back toward him. With only the soft glow