More Than He Expected Read Online Free PDF Page A

finally
seemed to subside.
    Gwen was a remarkable woman. Smart, funny, caring, but saint or
no, Alex had to admit he was still relieved to find that wasn’t his child. There
were worse women in Manhattan to be bound to through the bonds of shared
custody, but that had been close. Too close.
    Since he’d started his heated pursuit of women, Alex had been
nearly religious about using protection. It was the only way to shield himself.
Not only from disease but from the women out there who would like nothing better
than to have his child and a permanent connection to his bank accounts. The
Stanton Steel company had made a fortune during the race to build railroads
across the United States. The generations since then had done well investing it.
And Alex was the sole heir to it all.
    By necessity, his record with women was flawless. To the dismay
of women everywhere, no one had conceived Alex Stanton’s child. And for that, he
was eternally grateful. He wasn’t interested in the emotional, physical and
financial entanglements. If his parents had taught him nothing else, they had
shown him that marriage for the sake of a child made everyone miserable in the
end. He had no intention of becoming a workaholic who bought his son’s
affections, like his father, or an emotionally abusive recluse like his mother,
who blamed her son for her own wretched existence.
    If he died single and childless, Alex would consider that a
victory. He’d rather donate his fortune to charity just to hear the collective
sound of the hearts of every ambitious socialite in Manhattan breaking.
    And yet…for half a heartbeat when he’d thought Gwen was having
his baby…there’d been this feeling he hadn’t anticipated. Sure, he was angry
with her for keeping it from him and sort of freaked out in general, but he’d
also had a touch of excitement. He’d told himself after their weeks together
that his thoughts of Gwen would fade. Continuing in any kind of real
relationship with her would just lead to expectations he couldn’t fulfill.
    But in that moment, fate had very nearly made the decision for
him. If that child was his, then perhaps Gwen could be, too. Not just a holiday
fling, but something beyond that. Maybe they wouldn’t have the kind of family
pictured on Christmas cards, but there could be more than what they’d had. And
he’d wanted it. The thought had flashed through his mind almost as quickly as
his heart had raced in his chest.
    And then it was gone.
    Alex would never tell another living soul about his moment of
weakness. Nor would he admit that, when she’d said the baby wasn’t his, he’d
felt a pang of regret and jealousy mingled in with the rush of relief.
    What the hell was wrong with him?
    Certainly he didn’t require a baby as an excuse to have Gwen in
his arms again. That was a life-changing complication he simply didn’t need. But
knowing that she was still single, albeit a bit preoccupied, meant his plans for
this week hadn’t completely fallen apart yet. If she was interested, they could
still have a little fun and, hopefully, this time he’d be able to move on when
it was over.
    Alex heard a familiar melody of a woman’s laughter from the
patio. He strode to the window and pulled aside the curtain. Gwen had joined the
others outside. She was standing near the sparkling turquoise pool, talking to
Adrienne and another woman he didn’t know. He couldn’t hear their conversation,
but Adrienne spoke and Gwen laughed again.
    He had missed that sound. When Gwen was really tickled, she
laughed wholeheartedly. No polite, uptight chuckles from her. He loved how she
could let herself go. Whether it was laughter or pleasure, she allowed herself
to just feel it and react without worrying what other people thought. As he
watched, her head tipped back and she giggled in unrestrained amusement. Her
eyes closed, her white smile flashing up at him. Her movement allowed the golden
sunlight to highlight the creamy expanse of her