His gaze rushed over her like a match to a flame. "Are you propositioning me, Talli?"

"Maybe," she replied shyly.

Derek rewarded her with a larger smile of his own. "Talli, if I stayed in here with you, neither of us would get any sleep, especially if you wore that black lace outfit again."

Her cheeks stained with color, Talli dropped her gaze. "Oh."

Derek reached out, cupping her chin with his hand, his fingers tracing a seductive pattern on her jaw line. "Goodnight, Talli. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Derek."

Talli yearned to call him back, to beg him to stay with her as he left the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him. Let her have one more chance to be in his arms, in his bed. Punching the king-size maroon bed pillow, she fell back against the warm flannel sheets, inhaling the scent of his woodsy after shave. Burying her face in it, she took a deep breath. As long as she lived, she vowed never to forget that smell. It would be permanently ingrained in her senses.

Derek lingered outside the bedroom door, his hand aching to turn the k.n.o.b. The thought of her in black lace was causing an immediate gut-wrenching reaction to his libido. h.e.l.l, the thought of her in any outfit was doing strange things to him. He'd never reacted to a woman so strongly before. Ever. The physical attraction was there and yet there was something more.

Derek grimaced. He needed a cold shower, right away. Tomorrow he would talk to Sarah and hopefully make her understand how important it was for her not to wander off the property. Derek felt a shudder run down his spine at what could have happened out there on the streets, and made a mental note to find out what he could about "Jack" and thank the man for Sarah's safe return.

Down in his office, Derek lifted a snifter of brandy to his lips and took a deep swallow, then paused.

What had Talli said upstairs? 'My knight in shining armor.' The words rang a distant bell. Where had he heard them before? The snifter banged down on the desk as Derek turned toward the bookcase. Pulling a thick blue volume from the shelves, he quickly scanned the pages. Could it be, he wondered? His finger traced the black and white photograph.

The scrawny little girl who had deemed him her hero. All grown up and living under his roof. Derek thought back to that fateful day so long ago, when he had intervened on her behalf. She had looked up so adoring at him, a look that made him uncomfortable. He was more accustomed to a sneer, or even a backhanded slap, but never a warm smile full of promise.

"Well, what do you know," he muttered softly, as he reached for the brandy again.

Talli watched the catering staff unload the truck in the driveway, as they carried in banquet table after banquet table, serving trays laden with dishes, linens and more. She shook her head in wonder at the thought of how much this function must be costing Derek. All for a worthy cause. Derek had invited practically all of Michigan's finest from the looks of the reply cards in the bra.s.s serving tray in the foyer. No one had said no to his invitation. Talli fingered the gilded gold parchment, exquisite down to the tiniest detail. She smiled, thinking how very fortunate the Children's Castle was to have a man like Derek Cameron in their corner.

Derek fidgeted with his black tuxedo tie, redoing it for what seemed like the millionth time that night. He wanted everything to go like clockwork. This evening was too important to the Children's Castle to have anything go wrong. They depended on him and he was determined not to let them down. His nerves frayed, he angrily jerked the tie off his neck, and stormed out into the hallway, bellowing for Joseph.

"Problem, sir?"

Derek jumped at the sound of Joseph's voice, directly behind him. "Jeez, don't do that. You scared fifty years off me."

Joseph smiled. "Well then, sir. Let me tell you how good you look for not even being born yet."

Derek's face began to soften as he stared at the older gentleman. "Okay, I get the point. I'll try to relax."

"Very good. It wouldn't do for the host have a heart attack in front of his guests, now would it? The caterers have everything well in hand in the kitchen. Maimie is seeing to them now."

The second the words left Joseph's mouth, Derek cringed at the sound of breaking gla.s.s, followed by a shrill shriek. "What did you say about all being under control?"

"Excuse me, sir. I need to tend to a pressing matter in the kitchen." Joseph hurried off down the stairs.

A steady stream of private cars and limousines made pulling into the drive a slow task. The valets employed for the evening ran around breathlessly, vying to keep up with the flow of cars.

From her vantage viewpoint two stories above the front lawn, Talli peeked out her bedroom window, watching the melee. She drew in a shaky breath and laid a hand on her burgeoning stomach to calm the flutter within.

"This isn't going to work," she whispered to herself. "I can't compete with all these people. Look at those women down there. They're gorgeous. My G.o.d, just look at their clothes. I have nothing to wear that would be fancy enough to mingle with the likes of them. Especially not in this condition. I'm as big as a whale," she added ruefully, sinking down on the window seat, her hands splayed across her stomach.

"I don't know about that. I happen to like whales. In fact, Shamu just happens to be my favorite."

Startled, Talli jumped up. "Derek, what are you doing here?"

He stood in her doorway, his black tuxedo mirroring the ebony inkiness of his hair, his graying temples adding a debonair look to his already stunning features. Talli felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared at him.

"Well, for one I live here and two, I brought you something." He smiled boyishly and held out a large box, tied with a single gold ribbon. An ornate bow graced the corner.

"What's this?" Talli asked nervously.

"Something to make you feel better about attending tonight. I picked it out myself. I hope you like it." Placing the box in her unsteady hands, he turned toward the door. "See you downstairs shortly?"

Talli gulped and nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I'm dressed."

With a wink, Derek started to pull the door shut behind him.

Before he could close the door entirely, Talli called out softly, "Derek?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. You didn't have to go through so much trouble for me."

"Anything for the mother of my child." With another wink and a soft smile playing about his lips, he closed the door.

Outside Talli's door, he paused. Derek could hear her soft cry of delight as she unwrapped the big box. Closing his eyes, he imagined her pulling the sweat shirt over her head, the sweat pants quickly followed as she hurried to put on the dress. Her soft, silky body swollen with child, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s heavy, her nipples a dark dusky rose. He groaned, pushing aside the thoughts of their lovemaking in the limousine. The memory was never far from his mind.

The mother of his child. That's me, Talli thought. As soon as the door closed, she rushed to put the huge box on the bed. Throwing the cover aside, she pushed apart the layers of white tissue paper to reveal a floor-length evening gown in a russet shade of red. Nestled under the gown, was a pair of matching red low heeled pumps.

The outfit must have cost him a pretty penny, Talli thought. More money than she was used to spending on herself. Talli lifted the dress carefully from the box, laying it ever so gently on her bed. She started peeling off her baggy blue sweat shirt and pants as she made her way to the bathroom.

A short while later, she slipped the dress over her head. It caressed its way down her shoulders to settle whisper soft against her legs. She walked across the room to the bureau mirror. Taking a deep breath, she sighed at her reflection looking back at her. "It's gorgeous. I look gorgeous." Twirling slowly around, she watched the dress glide with her movements. A flared waistline flowed down trailing to just above floor length. She slid the matching shoes on her feet, enhancing the look.

Talli ran a brush through her long auburn tresses, then let her hair fall loosely to her shoulders in soft waves. She left her neck unadorned, so as not to detract from the richness of the dress. As she moved toward her bedroom door, she felt like Cinderella. A very pregnant Cinderella about to attend her first ball.

The upper hallway was shrouded in soft light from the crystal chandeliers that graced the lower foyer. From the open stairwell she could hear the strains of conversation as the guests arrived and the muted strains of the minstrels playing in the ballroom.

Slowly, Talli let herself glide down the staircase, trepidation mounting with each step. Coming into view of the main floor, she looked around at the sea of unfamiliar faces watching her descent. With a shaky breath she walked through the foyer and stood by Derek's side. He was deep in conversation with his lawyer Anthony, unaware of the murmurs rippling through the room. Talli touched his arm. Derek paused in mid-sentence, his eyes met hers as a dazzling smile split his face.

"Talli, you look beautiful. Doesn't she, Anthony?" Derek leaned close to place a kiss upon her cheek, the scent of her perfume delicately wafting through his senses, bringing back memories of another time and place. One involving the back seat of a limousine and a beautiful woman scantily clad in black.

Talli resisted the urge to place her hand over the spot he had kissed, her eyes feasting on the handsome man standing before her.

Anthony bowed low. Righting himself, he took Talli's hand in his and placed a chaste kiss upon her palm. "Talli. So nice to see you again. How are you feeling these days?" Tucking her hand beneath his elbow, he led Talli away from the security of Derek and into the ballroom.

Talli's steps faltered at the sight of so many people openly staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat as she surveyed the ballroom. It had been turned into a medieval castle. Long blue velvet drapes hung from the windows, framing the buffet table. An enormous castle sculpted from ice graced the center of the table, a pristine white flag flew from the ramparts, emblazoned with dark blue initials to represent the Children's Castle. Servers pa.s.sed by, their normal attire of white tuxedos replaced with costumes of yester-year.

"Courage, my dear. You mustn't let them intimidate you. Here, let me fill you in on the guests. See the woman over there on your right with the big hair?"

Talli nodded.

"She's the biggest gossip in the world, but totally harmless. Now, smile and nod in her direction, as I wave."

Anthony raised a hand to acknowledge Greta Grayfield, real estate mogul.

Greta returned Anthony's wave, her eyes devouring Talli, storing up new gossip.

"Good, all right over here to your left. The man with the anorexic looking blonde at his side. That's Peter Millgraves. He's an expert in the field of investing."

"And the woman is his wife?" Talli asked, trying to remember the names he reeled off.

Anthony let out a loud guffaw. "G.o.d, no. She's his fourth mistress in a string of probably a hundred. She just happens to be the flavor of the month."

Talli's eyes shot to Anthony's face. "His mistress? Here in public? What about his wife?"

Anthony scanned the crowd. "She's here somewhere, I believe. Oh, there she is, over in the corner by the buffet table. She's the one in the tropical print spandex gown with the choir boy hanging on her arm."

Talli looked to where Anthony had gestured. This was unreal. Mistresses and indiscretions all were being aired in public. She shook her head and sighed. "I don't get it. They just flaunt it all over town and no one cares."

"Exactly, my dear."

"Come to think about it Anthony, you haven't told me who you're here with tonight? Your wife or your flavor of the month?" Talli asked, her lips quivering with laughter.

Another loud laugh erupted from Anthony's chest. Patting her arm in a fatherly fashion, he smiled. "Actually, neither. My wife pa.s.sed away four years ago and I haven't done a thing to encourage any of these vultures to even glance my way."

"I'm so sorry. It was rude of me to even ask." Talli murmured her apology softly.

"Talli, you are definitely a refreshing change of pace from these society sn.o.bs. Most of them are here tonight in the explicit hopes of seeing the woman who snared Derek Cameron into bed. They've all tried and failed miserably."

"But, it's not that way at all," Talli protested.

"You and I know that, but them," he paused, shrugging his shoulders. "They run a different race than we do, so it's sheer nosiness on their part."

"And Derek invited them anyway?" she asked incredulously.

Anthony nodded. "He doesn't give a d.a.m.n what they think or say about him. He's one of the straight and narrow. He invited them tonight for the sheer purpose of raising money for the Children's Castle. He'll do anything for charity if it involves kids, you know."

"So I've seen."

"Anthony, darling, wherever did you find this divine creature? Darling, you must be the little mother we've been hearing so much about. You look stunning and your dress is divine. You must tell me all your secrets."

Talli lifted her eyes to the woman in front of her. "I beg your pardon?"

Cornelia Vandergood t.i.ttered. "You're such a gem. So darling, tell me, is Derek as good in bed as they say he is? You can tell me, I'm one of his closest friends."

A wicked gleam entered Talli's eyes as she moved forward, lowering her voice. The woman moved closer, eager to hear Talli reveal her secret.

"Actually, Derek and I never made it to the bed. We thought it was far more romantic to just rut like pigs in the back seat of the limousine. Don't you agree?"

Talli watched Mrs. Cornelia Vandergood's eyes widen in surprise, as her bejeweled hand crept up to clutch her wrinkled neck. "You can't be serious! Rut like pigs in the back of the limousine. What on Earth did the driver say?"

"I think he took pictures, if my memory serves me correctly." Talli placed a hand on her chin, pretending to seriously think back to the night in question.

The woman summoned her wits about her and stormed off, muttering, "Well, I never. I certainly hope Derek knows what he's getting himself into with that one."

"I bet she never has either," Talli murmured.

Anthony bit his lip to hold back the laugh that threatened to spill forth. His sides shook with mirth as he took Talli's arm and led her over to the buffet table.

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, Talli put a hand on his arm, halting their progress. "Anthony, would you excuse me? I don't think this party is for me. I'd be better off in my room."

"Nonsense. Talli, look at me. I've been part of this scene for over thirty years and let me tell you, it doesn't get any easier if you try to avoid them. Face them head on, and toe to toe. Don't let them intimidate you. They're no better than you are. Besides, think of it this way. Do it for the Children's Castle, and Derek, if for no other reason. Show him you can stand up to these vultures. Anyway, that woman was due a comeuppance. Pity, I would have preferred to be the one to drop the bombsh.e.l.l on her." Looking at Talli, Anthony let his laughter emerge. A belly laugh rumbled from his mouth as he replayed the scene in his mind.

Talli watched Anthony silently for a minute, then felt her own mouth curling upward. They stood companionably side by side for a few minutes enjoying their shared laughter, until Talli reached a hand over her stomach. "Oh, oh. Junior just made his presence known. Must be mealtime again. What I wouldn't give for a plain old cheeseburger loaded with ketchup, mustard and tons of pickles," she mused, eyeing the vast array of food displayed before her, not a burger in sight.

A stab of pain in her lower abdomen sucked the air from Talli's lungs. Grasping the edge of the buffet table for support, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Anthony looked at her pale face. "Talli, what's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Nodding, Talli opened her eyes to meet Anthony's. "Anthony, my water just broke. Oh G.o.d, right here in front of all these people."

Anthony shook his head. "Talli, no one noticed, not even me. Now, don't move. I'll get Derek." Turning toward a pa.s.sing waiter, he reached out an arm to halt the young man's progress.

"Find Mr. Cameron, bring him here. Fast." Anthony put his arm around Talli's shoulders for support. "Do you want to sit down, Talli?"

"No, there's a puddle on the floor underneath me. Oh, your shoes. They're all wet too. If I move, everyone will see it," Talli panted, her mind focusing on the sensations rushing through her body.

Derek leaned his head toward the waiter. Following the young man across the ballroom, Derek's eyes fixed on Talli's face. Pale and scared, she stood in the corner, one arm balanced on the buffet table for support. Anthony stood at her side, speaking quietly, his eyes searching through the throng of people for Derek's arrival.

"Talli, what is it? The baby?"

"My water broke. It's all over the floor under my gown. I'm so sorry."

Derek swept Talli up into his arms as carefully as he could, hoping his movement wouldn't cause her any more pain. "Well, then, Miss Paxton, I think it's time we got you to the hospital. Anthony, call the doctor. Let him know we're on our way. Maimie will give you the number." Derek strode forward through the crowd, every eye in the ballroom focused on the two of them.

Without breaking his stride, Derek called out. "Please, everyone keep eating and drinking. Don't mind us. We're having a baby." He grinned, his steps confident as he held Talli gently in his arms. The guests smiled, as Derek carried Talli from the room. Tonight was certainly proving to be a major event. This party would be talked about for weeks to come!