God, if they had only done it once, maybe she would have been safe then. Maybe then, the sticks would have all read negative instead of positive. She wouldn't be sitting in her garden sweating bricks about what she was going to tell him.

Somehow, she didn't think the words, Houston honey you're going to be a daddy. At least in part because she had never called him her honey…not that she hadn't called him some other endearments while they had been going at it like rabbits inside his office suite.

She closed her eyes just at the memories of how his touch had seared her skin whether it had been with his lips or his hands that had only trembled for that first moment before confidence seeped through it. After all, he'd slept with a Rolodex of women, including his ex, Elizabeth. And all he had to do was look at her with eyes that were like milk chocolate but sent more hormones circulating through her than the real thing. She had just been putty in his hands in ways she didn't expect.

The first time they had sex hadn't been the last. No, she had probably done it with Matt in every corner of that suite saving the bed tucked away behind the recreational room for last.

By then, the Wolfgang pizza and bottles of wine had arrived and they had partook of the nourishment of some of the best cuisine in town before he lifted off her feet and carried to that bed.

"Oh…Matt…"

He murmured in between kisses.

"You like that don't you? Well, let's see what I can do about that…"

Those lips of his moved down her neck.

"Now be still…."

Hah! As if that were something she could do, her body moved of its own accord in response to what he did to it. She couldn't stop it if she begged and plead with it and she didn't want to do either.

She wanted so much from him then. How long had she needed it and just not entertained it?

He was only happy to oblige on both counts and the memories…they still sent shivers through her.

But now she sat in her garden, working as much as she could do before her mind stopped her with its endless ruminations about what it meant to be pregnant with Matt's baby. That's what the tests told her and she knew the doctor would only confirm it before handing out the prenatal vitamins.

Which meant she had to tell Matt, even though they hadn't planned it…well especially since they hadn't planned it. Would he ever believe it had been by accident, after the shock had worn off long enough for him to consider that?

He wouldn't think that she tricked him when she told him she had it covered. Maybe they should have used condoms too to be extra sure but she hadn't thought that the pill would let her down in such dramatic and life changing fashion.

But she would still have to tell him, only make sure he sat down in a quiet place where they had some privacy first before spilling new that would change his whole life. Matt had been a confirmed bachelor as he explained to all the women who crossed his path and made it into his bed.

She took a deep breath wondering how she would pull this off and what would she see first in his eyes when she told him he was going to be a father. That would define his feelings about it in ways that couldn't be softened up later by his rationale that he loved to rely on in emergency situations.

And this one definitely fell in that category. No doubt about it.

Matt thought about returning Elizabeth's call on his Lear Jet and knew she must be breezing back into town after another one of her charity fund raising stints. She was by industry standards, a very wealthy woman who dressed up in the most expensive clothes on the planet when she wasn't working at her new foundation. Their romance had been whirlwind when it happened but on their wedding day they realized they had little in common. Even if a psycho hadn't crashed it bent on revenge, they never would have lasted.

And he hadn't yet tangled the sheets with that dynamite of a best friend of his who had shaken him to the core with one of the best…he coughed returning his attention to the phone. No, Elizabeth could wait but C.J. couldn't. He hadn't seen her in nearly a month and all he could think about right now was how much he wanted to pick up where they left off weeks ago. The primal feelings had grabbed hold of him sometime over Hawaii airspace and had only intensified.

He reached for his Scotch and took a drink. The Scotch burned his throat slightly but cleared his mind. During the past month, he had mixed both business and pleasure but now at least for his first hours back, business could wait.

He wanted the pleasure that only one woman could give him. She'd look good standing there in that ivory covered lingerie set she had allowed him to find while he unzipped her clothing and his eyes widened.

Who would have thought?

They had left the elevator unlocked and anyone could have walked the distance to the room where they lay intertwined in varying states of undress on the floor. But at that moment, decorum had gone out the window when he had gazed at her face and read what she showed him.

The pilot he had flying the plane so he could finish up some work, had stepped into the cabin to tell him that the air traffic control had predicted clear and smooth skies the rest of the way to L.A. Good, that meant no delays, no unscheduled side trips to some other city to wait until things cleared up closer to home. They had a couple hours left to go until they landed at LAX but once they arrived, he'd grab his helicopter and fly to the suite where he hoped she'd be waiting for him.

Not that he knew if she'd go for that but what he wanted was a few uninterrupted hours for them to spend together while the rest of the world went about its business without them. Nothing more complicated than that. Their friendship would see them through anything.

Matt looked back at his phone and saw Elizabeth's call. She had probably returned to stay for a spell and wanted to hook up with him if she didn't want to hit him up for money. But he had been a different man back then and after they broke up, he had moved on with his life and so had she, so he had thought.

But her call could wait, she could wait, all he could think about was C.J. standing near the entrance to the roof dressed in all kinds of sexy getups, with wearing nothing topping his list and what they'd be doing together to welcome him back home.

By the time that Matt got off the helicopter and walked into the suite, he wanted her so bad everything ached. His hands itched to smooth her hair back from her as he kissed her, just before they'd gotten down to business.

Had he ever wanted a woman so badly? He didn't think so and it blew his mind that the woman who starred in his fantasies during most of the past month was his close friend and business partner. But it had happened and would again.

He had no intention of leaving the suite or even communicating with the outside world until morning.

But when he walked in the suite, his eyes widened. She wasn't there and she certainly wasn't waiting for him. Her office door remained slightly open and dark inside as he headed towards the wet bar to help himself to another scotch. That's when he saw Chris. his receptionist sitting at her desk, on the phone. It was after hours so he wondered what business she could be conducting as he approached her for his messages.

"Oh god…I love it when Alex hit that really high note in the middle of the song with his saxophone…that's when I knew I had to ask him out."

Matt cleared his throat suddenly and she looked up at him, her cheeks flushed.

"Oh hi Mr. Houston," she said, "I…I was just…catching up with a friend…we were at a concert at the Bowl. What do you need?"

Great receptionists with a head for corporate finance were difficult to find and he didn't want to lose Chris…but he knew that lately she'd been homesick for the town that had raised her in the Midwest. He thought about offering her another bonus.

Chris handed him some slips of paper.

"The rest is in your office in a box," she said, "Did you enjoy your trip?"

He glanced at his messages, nothing majorly important….certainly nothing that would sooth the ache inside of him..

"Yes I did…the mountain climb was everything I could anticipate," he said, "What time did C.J. leave?"

Chris. sighed.

"She didn't work today at all," she said, "Took one of those mental health days I guess. Did call with an update about planting flowers in her garden…don't remember what kind."

Matt frowned, remembering of course that she hit the garden to relieve stress, to clear her head with unpleasant thoughts.

"She's not sure she's going to be in tomorrow."

His brows lifted at that but he couldn't complain because after all, he had been MIA for nearly a month. His engagement with Elizabeth had ended several months before he left so that couldn't be an excuse. He had needed to get away from the familiar canvas for a while and the business conference had given him the opportunity to expand it into a sabbatical of sorts. Do a little of work, climb a few mountains.

But one thing had been missing and that had been C.J.. Something he could rectify once he headed to her house to sweep her up into his arms and into bed. He loved to try out her four poster bed with its generous size and firm mattress. His blood heated with the images of what they would be doing there, in under an hour if he had his way.

He started to leave to do some minor housekeeping because he'd been gone for so long before heading for his Porsche to get on over there.

"Wait Mr. Houston…"

He looked back at Chris..

"What is it?"

"It's Elizabeth…she's called quite a few times, wondering where you were."

"Did you tell her I was out of the country?"

"Yes but she wanted a call the first thing when you returned," Chris. said, "I'm not sure but I think she's regretting the broken engagement."

That hit him with some surprise after the way she had acted, what she had said. He just assumed she had moved on with her life like he had with his own.

"You should call her," Chris. urged.

Matt sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay I will…"

But as it turned out, he didn't have to after both of them heard the bell just before the elevator's doors opened and out came the stunning curly headed redhead, wearing a designer dress and high heels.

"Oh Matt, you're back."

He nodded.

"Just got in a few minutes ago," he said, "I'm on my way out too so you'd better make it quick."

She purred.

"I'll make it anyway you like," she said, "but I need some privacy."

He just stared at her remembering how it had been between them. The games that she had tried to play with him only to learn they didn't work with him.

"Make it quick like I said," he said, "I've just finished a long trip and I'm off to relax."

Her eyes brightened.

"I can help you do that."

"No thanks…I've got other plans."

Her mouth pursed almost in surprise but she recovered quickly.

"I need to talk to you…I really think we acted too hastily by ending the engagement."

Ah, so that was it but he wasn't interested in reliving history.

"I think we acted too slowly."

Oh she didn't like that response. He could tell by the look she gave them that could have frozen most anyone but not him. He felt too warm when he thought about what waited for him a short drive away.

The one he fully intended to bed again before the night was done. So he gave Elizabeth one more look and then headed back to his office closing the door.

Ending their conversation like she had ended the engagement.

C.J. looked at her watch and knew that meant that Matt had returned to town. No doubt sitting in his office getting back to work to make up for the time he'd spent traveling. He'd needed the time away, no doubt about that but she missed him. Her body missed him too and her heart leapt as she thought about him some miles away sitting with a pile of work in his capable hands.

The man who as it turned out had gotten her pregnant. God, she knew he'd be shocked when he found out. He didn't want children right now, he enjoyed his life too damn much including the freedom he experienced and the flexibility his career afforded him. Not that he wouldn't be an excellent and loving father some day but like her, it had always been some unspecified time in the future when that goal would be realized.

How was she going to tell him, she wondered as she sipped the ice tea she had gone into the kitchen to get after working another hour in the garden. It felt great sliding down her throat, relieving the parched feeling there. But it didn't bring her any answers of what to do about delivering the news to Matt. She didn't know how he would react, would he blame her, would he blame himself? He would never tell her to get rid of it, but she didn't think he'd marry her either, much to her own relief.

Somehow once the shock wore off, they'd work it all out to where they could both raise their child even if they remained apart. They were great friends which would be enough, it had to be. She wanted her baby to know its father even if they didn't all live together.

She'd see him again soon…some place and she knew that even before she could find the words that would change his life, she'd be unable to resist him physically. He just did all kinds of things to her insides when she'd been around him lately.

So maybe when she saw him again…they would do those things all over again. Then maybe as they lay thoroughly spent in each other's arms, she'd find the words to tell him.

She heard a car drive up and she left her garden to go see who had arrived. But it wasn't Matt, it was someone else.

Delilah who was to have been Elizabeth's maid of honor before bailing on the engagement.