She answered before he even finished the question. “I’m still willing if you are. I just thought you should know before—”
Not ready to think too much about her revelation, he silenced her with a kiss. “Your past is the past. I’m more interested in your future.”
Again, Meg’s response was swift. “My future will include a baby.”
Maybe that should bug him, but it didn’t. Not now, anyway. That future was nearly nine months away. Meg was ready and willing, here and now.
He kissed her again, letting his tongue linger as it tangled with hers. When they parted, her eyelids were again heavy with desire. He rolled Meg onto her back so he could cup her breasts. “I’m okay with that.”
****
She’s having a baby.
A baby? Matt jerked awake and stared hard at the beauty who slept beside him. In the early morning light, her curls fanned out on the pillow as her chest rose and fell rhythmically beneath the sheet. She slept peacefully, unaware that her revelation had rocked his world.
How could she know? You told her it didn’t bother you, dumbass. His conscience mocked him.
He pushed back the covers, intent on getting away from the smart-mouthed devil on his shoulder. And from Meg. He needed to put distance between them before he did something they’d both regret. Something like screw her again while his thoughts were all jumbled up.
Before he had a chance to leave, Meg rolled toward him, seeking warmth, perhaps. He’d forgotten to turn on the heat overnight, so the room was chilly. She let out a soft snuffle as she curled against his side. Her warm, naked flesh seared him at every point of contact.
His resolve started to crumble. Once more wouldn’t hurt, would it?
Yes, it would. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—make love to Meg again until he knew for sure he could commit to her and a—gulp—baby.
He extracted himself from Meg’s embrace and leapt off the horizontal plane. He pulled the covers up to Meg’s chin and tugged on his boxers before grabbing his phone from his pocket.
He checked its clock. Five o’clock. Stan the night owl was about to become an early bird. Matt needed his advice. Yesterday.
He let himself out of the room, making sure the door clicked shut, and sat in the hall. Then he dialed Stan’s number and drummed his fingers against his knee until his brother picked up.
“Matty? What’s wrong?”
Stan’s groggy voice left Matt feeling vaguely guilty for waking him, but only for a moment. This was too important not to share. “Meg’s pregnant.”
“Yeah. So?”
Something about the matter-of-fact challenge gave Matt pause. “Are you saying you knew?”
“What if I did?” This time, Stan sounded fully awake.
Too late. The damage was done. Hard to believe his big-mouthed brother kept news that juicy a secret, but maybe Stan guarded clients’ secrets more closely than family ones. “You knew and didn’t tell me?”
“Was it any of your business?”
“More mine than yours.” Then, remembering he was in a hotel hallway, he lowered his voice. “I’m the one who wanted to date her.”
“Would knowing about the baby have made you want her any less?”
“Yes. No.” Matt growled in frustration. “I don’t know.”
“Make up your mind.”
“I wish I could.” Matt jumped to his feet and began pacing the generic hallway, identical to a thousand other hotel halls he’d been in. “I told Meg it didn’t matter.”
Stan clucked his tongue. “Lying again, Matty? That’s starting to become a habit of yours.”
Unable to reach through the phone and throttle his smug younger brother, he settled for growling at him. “It didn’t matter at that moment.”
“Oh God. Tell me you didn’t feed her some line so you could sleep with her.”
Stan’s reaction stunned him into silence. That’s exactly what he’d done, even if he hadn’t been conscious of it at the time. When he rediscovered his voice, he asked, “Why would that be so terrible?”
“That girl needs a man with staying power you have yet to demonstrate.”
Stan’s accusation hit him with the power of a 105 mph fastball, and Matt sank to the floor again. His butt hit the carpet with a soft “thunk.” His brother was right. These days, his relationships lasted no longer than Greg’s.
“Please tell me you’re still in the same room with her. Meg’ll feel abandoned all over again if you’re not there when she wakes up.”
Odd that Stan was more concerned about Meg than his own flesh and blood. “Are you forgetting who you’re related to? I’m your brother.”
Stan’s silence spoke volumes. Wondering how he managed to convey such strong disapproval without saying a word, Matt sighed. “I’m in the hallway outside the room. Does that count?”
“Barely.” Stan sniffed. “I suggest you get back in there, pronto.”
He started to do as his brother suggested, scrambling to his feet again. Before he took a single step toward the door, panic swelled in his throat. “I’m not ready to be a father!”
“Did she ask you to be?”
He had to admit that she didn’t. She’d merely said her future would include a baby. He, fool that he was, had assured her he was okay with that. In the cold light of day, however, he was anything but okay with the thought of being responsible for a small human. With all the time he spent on the road, he wasn’t home regularly enough to keep a houseplant alive, let alone a child.
“I’m only twenty-eight, Stan! That’s too young to be a father.”
His brother snorted. “Some men become fathers at eighteen.”
“Not good ones.”
This time, Stan chuckled. “Touché. But to hear you tell it, the team’s owners are ready to put you out to pasture at twenty-eight. You can’t have it both ways, bro.”
He ran his free hand through his hair. “Do you blame me for being confused?”
“Not at all. But you need to sort out your feelings. Fast. It’s not fair to Meg to lead her on.”
Again with Meg’s feelings? He scowled at the phone. “Your concern for Meg overwhelms me.”
“She’s already been through enough, Matty. She deserves a guy who treats her like a princess.”
Guilt stabbed at him as he remembered how vulnerable Meg had looked when she mentioned her ex being “out of the picture.” He shuddered. No way did he want to be responsible for putting that look on her face. “I can’t argue with that.”
“Then go back to bed.”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had all morning.” With that, Matt disconnected the call and re-entered his hotel room. His brother’s advice was dead-on, as usual—even if he’d never admit that to Stan. He’d be there for Meg now, when she needed him. With any luck, they’d get tired of each other before he had to commit to fatherhood.
****
Meg heard the door open and rolled onto her side as Matt re-entered the room. She watched him come toward the bed through half-closed eyes, unsure whether she wanted him to know she was awake.
He sure bolted out of here fast enough, her conscience nagged.
His quick exit was what woke her. She let her eyelids drop, intent on feigning sleep. She had too much pride to ask him for something he wouldn’t willingly give.
But her conscience wouldn’t leave her alone. Maybe he deserves some credit for coming back.
Meg considered that. He just might. Were she in his place, she doubted she’d have done the same thing. Why would he volunteer to saddle himself with another man’s child?
She opened her eyes then and Matt jumped. He looked ridiculous, with his hair sticking out in a thousand directions and… were his shorts on backward?
“You’re awake.” He rounded the foot of the bed. Yep. Definitely backward.
“You weren’t exactly Silent Steve when you made your exit.” She gave him a half-smile, more amused by his state of dress than she ought to be, given that he
’d probably intended to make a quick getaway. She wondered what had changed his mind.
A blush darkened his cheeks as he took a seat beside her on the bed. “Um…er…about that thing we—”
She wouldn’t let him have the upper hand. She sat up and laid her hand on his arm. “You don’t owe me an explanation. It’s just one night.”
“I know.” Matt’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “But I hope it’s the first of many. Don’t you?”
Was he for real? Or was he just saying what he thought she needed to hear? Meg examined his face for signs of deception and found none.
Oh, she saw plenty of trepidation. Maybe even a touch of reluctance. But it appeared that, this time, her charming liar was telling the truth. She supposed there was only one way to find out: Ride this thing out and let it take her where it would. She’d certainly made worse decisions.
Nothing could be a bigger mistake than ending up pregnant and alone at her advanced age. And since she’d already done that, anything else had to be a step in the right direction. Even sleeping with an almost-stranger who might or might not have the testicular fortitude to stick around.
Slowly she nodded, and Matt folded her into a hug. She rested her cheek against his chest and let his strength envelop her. She felt protected and cared for. For the moment, that was all she could ask for from a guy with a habit of stretching the truth.
When she awakened again, there was a lot more sunlight in the room. Too much sunlight. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Ten-thirty? Crap. She was late for work.
Careful not to let the sheet slip down on the off chance Matt was still in the room, she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Why she bothered with modesty at this late hour, she didn’t know. She needn’t have worried, anyway. She was alone.
Meg didn’t mind the solitude. She was used to being on her own. Even when Tim had still been around, he was always abandoning her to play poker with his buddies—or complete strangers. He accepted any opportunity for a game. Even on their one-month anniversary, Tim had gone off to play poker. The opportunity of a lifetime, he’d claimed.
They hadn’t been together long enough yet at that point for her to realize Tim thought every game offered him the chance of a lifetime. Again, she wondered what she’d seen in him. Well, they said hindsight was 20/20. She supposed the thrill of never knowing what to expect blinded her to the flaws that now stood out like a flashing neon sign on a dark, deserted highway.
Meg banished the unwelcome memories as she made her way to the bathroom. A beautiful morning like this was no time to be dwelling on the not-so-pretty past.
What made this morning so beautiful? For one thing, she was mercifully nausea-free. She kept her fingers crossed that she’d remain that way all day. It’d be a welcome change.
Then there was Matt. No matter where they might be headed, the night they’d had was one for the record books. The memory of his masterful moves brought a smile to her lips even now.
The grin was still in place when she caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked…well loved was the first phrase that sprang to mind. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her eyes had a faraway, dreamy look.
Her hair, however, still looked great. It was a little more tousled than it had been, perhaps, but she didn’t care if people saw her right that minute. It was another welcome change for the girl who used to avoid sleepovers to keep her friends from seeing her bad case of bed-head.
Where did that come from? Meg wondered. She hadn’t thought of those turned-down invitations in years.
Scanning the room, she spotted a note on the counter, written in bold, block letters.
M—
Thanks for an unforgettable night. Boss thinks you need the morning off to see doctor. Take your time. Had to go to practice. Will call you.
—M
Meg flushed at the praise, but anger quickly followed. Go to the doctor? Matt had no right to order her around, or to assume she wasn’t taking care of herself and the baby.
“Hold up there, Malone,” she muttered under her breath as she reread the note. It wasn’t telling her to see the doctor; it said her boss thought she was going to the doctor’s. That was a big difference. Huge, even.
She apologized to the absent Matt. He might not be around to hear it, but he still deserved the apology. She needed to stop jumping to conclusions. She sighed. One more bad habit to break before the baby made his entrance.
Meg lingered in the shower, enjoying the ability to take her time. She liked not having to rush to get to work. After toweling off, she applied most of the tiny bottle of lotion the maid had left on the counter.
Sure it was a small bottle, but Meg was still amused. She’d gone through more lotion since moving to Arizona three years ago than she had all through her high school and college careers in rural Illinois. She loved the lack of humidity in Flagstaff, because it made for much more comfortable summers—and winters. She could do without the dry skin and almost-constant craving for water, though.
“You have to take the good with the bad.” She reached for something to wear.
She froze, her hand in midair, as she realized she had no clothes—at least nothing she hadn’t been wearing yesterday.
Damn. That meant she’d have to run home before she went in to work. No way was she going to turn up in yesterday’s outfit for “the walk of shame.” Someone, or more likely everyone, would notice. Her small office thrived on that kind of gossip.
As it turned out, she didn’t make it to work. On her way to her apartment, her cell phone rang. It was Matt.
“I have an hour and a half. Want to grab some lunch?”
Meg weighed her choices: Lunch with sweet, sexy Matt or a salad at her desk while she caught up on a morning’s worth of missed work. No contest. “You bet.”
She talked him into meeting at a barbecue place downtown, rather than the hot dog stand he wanted to try. “You won’t regret it. The food there is fabulous,” she promised.
“I’ve heard the hot dog stand is good, too.”
Her stomach revolted at the mere mention of hot dogs. “It is, but I don’t think my tummy could take it right now.”
Matt chuckled. “The kid’s not a hot dog eater?”
“Not today.”
“Well, I can’t argue with your little connoisseur. We’ll have to save Primo’s for another time.”
Chapter Seven
Once they were seated across from one another in the barbecue joint, a platter of smoked meats and sweet potato fries between them, Matt tried to get a handle on Meg’s mood. As glad as she’d sounded to hear from him, she now seemed peeved.
After his short-lived disappearing act this morning, maybe she had a right to be annoyed. Then again, it could just be pregnancy hormones putting her in a snit. Every time his half-sister Carrie was pregnant, her mood swings were monumental.
He watched, amused, as Meg loaded her plate with pulled pork, chicken and fries. Apparently Junior’s distaste for meat didn’t extend beyond hot dogs.
She glanced up from her food with a rueful grin. “I’m starved. I slept through breakfast.”
Matt gestured at the massive platter. “Take all you want. There’s plenty.” Even so, he stabbed a hot link before she could snag it, too.
Meg’s fork stopped halfway to its destination. She chuckled and gave him a pointed look. “Don’t think I missed that.”
“Sorry I’m not sorry,” he mumbled through a mouthful of sausage. “I need food to fuel me through a long afternoon of practice.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Matt savored the flavors of the smoked pork and sweet, tangy sauce and bit into fries that were crispy on the outside and tender inside. Meg was right: This was damn good.
Not as good as Meg, though.
He shook his head to dislodge the thought, but it stuck. As scenes from last night unfurled in living color through his mind, the temperature in the basement restaurant jumped about a
thousand degrees.
Matt glanced across the table at Meg. Her eyes were fixed on her plate, refusing to meet his gaze, and her cheeks were pink. Damn. Just when he thought he was making progress.
Did he want to make progress with her? a small voice asked. Of course he did. Her pregnancy didn’t change the fact she had a beautiful personality to match her smokin’ hot exterior.
He shoved the last of his sweet potato fries into his mouth and chewed while he considered the problem. His early-morning panic attack likely put distance between them. Maybe telling her how he felt would erase it. No harm in trying, right? He blurted it out.
“I like you, Meg. A lot.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she covered it almost immediately with a flirty grin. “After last night, I should hope so.”
He squeezed her hand, wondering why she’d looked so stunned. Did she think he hopped into bed with every woman he met? With the reputation some pro athletes had, she just might.
It was time to set her straight on that account. He didn’t want Meg thinking she was just one of many women in his life, because she wasn’t. He might have no problem alluding to his sexual prowess, but he wasn’t the kind of guy with a girl in every city the team stopped in.
He took a deep breath, a lot less confident than he had been just moments earlier. Having her eye him with distrust when she thought he wasn’t looking did his ego no favors. “What we shared last night was—”
“Amazing?”
Matt nodded. He seemed to be doing a lot of that around Meg. He just hoped he didn’t look like his own bobblehead doing it. He wasn’t too fond of that damn figurine. It made him look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“That too. But I was going to say rare.” When her brows lifted in an unasked question, he squeezed her hand. “I’m not a playboy, Meg. I don’t do…that very often. It’s just that you—well, for some reason, you bring out the horn dog in me.”
****
Meg couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing. Here she was, sitting with the hottest man on the planet and he was telling her that she made him horny. Matt was the one whose sexiness should be outlawed.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 180
