With the flat of her hand she touched his broad shoulders and strong back, savoring the masculine feel of him. She leaned back against his arm and tried to tug him down on the love seat.
“No—”
Every part of her cried out in protest at being denied the pleasure his body had promised.
She forced out words in spite of her labored breathing. “But I thought you wanted—”
He nodded. “Not here. This time it’s going to be good.”
“Last time was pretty amazing.” She could tease now that she knew he hadn’t changed his mind.
“Not what I meant. I want to do it right.” He put a finger on her mouth to shut off the smart-ass comment he knew was coming. “This time I want it right, with you in bed.”
Her heart melted. She could feel the warmth trickling through her.
She smiled. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because I have the superior IQ and skills to—”
This time she silenced him with a quick kiss before saying, “That was a rhetorical question.”
“I’ll show you rhetorical.” His voice was a sexy growl as he stood with her in his arms.
Her heart did that melty thing again and she barely held in a sigh. “You should put me down before you hurt yourself.”
He settled her more firmly in his arms as he said, “You know, the density of peanut butter and banana is definitely evident.”
“Watch it, buster.”
“You hardly weigh anything,” he said, already moving down the hall toward her bedroom.
“Much more politically correct,” she approved.
When he stopped beside her bed, he gently set her on her feet next to it. “Someone was in a hurry this morning.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the jumble of sea foam green sheets, blanket and floral-patterned quilt on the un-made, queen-size bed. “Are you going to dock my allowance for not completing my chores?”
“Actually I was thinking more in terms of a bonus for exemplary time-management skills. Now I don’t have to unmake the bed.”
The teasing in his eyes mixed with something bright and hot that set her skin on fire. She slid her hands up underneath his black T-shirt and settled her palms on his bare flesh. He grabbed the hem and pulled it off in one fast, fluid, ever-so-manly motion.
Cindy did the same with her tank top before he reached behind her and unhooked her bra. She felt it release and he took the straps, sliding them down her arms. The scrap of lingerie fell to the floor between them.
The snap on her shorts was already undone, a concession to her expanding waistline. When Nathan noticed, a slow sexy smile curved up the corners of his mouth. He unzipped her pants and she pushed them over her hips and stepped out. Nathan settled his palm on her belly, now rounding with the baby bump.
His hand was warm and all he said was, “Wow.”
“Yeah, huh? Overnight I just got fat—”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s perfectly natural. And you look incredibly beautiful.”
“My fragile ego chooses to believe you even though that’s a bald-faced lie.”
“I’ve never meant anything more. You’re beautiful, Cindy. So beautiful…”
His voice trailed off as he leaned down and settled his mouth on hers. It was the barest brush of his lips, but still the breath backed up in her chest. That kiss was the only place their bodies touched and yet it was like a flashpoint, sending heat burning back and forth between them. He removed his shorts and boxers and was now magnificently naked.
He pulled back and eyed her panties. “One of us is over-dressed.”
She looked at him, so ready that her heart lurched and her legs felt weak. “And one of us is an overachiever.”
He laughed before backing her up against the mattress, then gently lowering her to the cool sheets. He slid one finger beneath the waistband of her underwear and into her waiting warmth. She sucked in air even as she wiggled out of the last of her clothes.
Anticipation knotted inside her as he brushed his thumb across the bundle of nerve endings at her center. The touch was driving her closer to the edge, making her crazy with wanting. She nearly whimpered when he stopped.
Before she could protest, he rolled on top of her and nudged her thighs apart. Taking most of his weight on his elbows, he slipped inside her and she felt him catch his breath at the same time hers caught. Then he stroked in and out, slowly building the storm inside her until she was swamped with sensation.
He drove her crazy, took her to the top of the swell, then groaned as they both rode the wave over the crest and down, drowning in the pleasure that washed through them.
Nathan held her until the quaking stopped and she could breathe again. She expected him to let her go then, but he didn’t. With a satisfied sigh, he gathered her closer and she rested her palm on his chest. Feeling the strong and steady beat of his heart, hope swelled inside her.
He hadn’t said the words, but maybe, just maybe he was beginning to feel something warm and deep for her. The tenderest of emotions flooded her heart and this wasn’t about hormones. He’d been right about taking her to the bedroom and he didn’t really understand how much.
Her parents had spent their lives together in this house, this room. They’d raised two children, lived, argued, made up and loved here. She felt their presence, the two loving spirits watching over her, and knew they weren’t disappointed. Just the opposite.
The sensation made her believe in possibilities. Nathan was a show-don’t-tell kind of guy. The fact was that he’d shown her with his hands, mouth and body that he was tender and protective. It was just possible that was his way of showing what was in his heart. Wasn’t it possible that the affectionate and adoring spirit of love that permeated this place might have just rubbed off on him?
Maybe he actually could love her.
Chapter Thirteen
Nathan put his hand on Cindy’s arm to stop her from getting out of the car. “You can’t hide your pregnancy much longer.”
“I know.”
Shadows drifted through her eyes and he hated himself for putting them there. He’d picked her up and brought her to Dr. Hamilton’s office for her ultrasound. It was hard to believe, but she was already in her fifth month of pregnancy. Loose-fitting tops and big sweaters with excuses about the air-conditioning making her cold weren’t going to conceal her condition for much longer.
The days and weeks had turned into months that passed in a blur. His mother was still in his guest house, which was probably a world record, but he didn’t want to know why and she didn’t say. Nathan had enough trouble figuring out what this thing was with Cindy.
He saw her nearly every day, but his story for the pattern of behavior was wearing thin. After the problem in the first few weeks, the pregnancy had been textbook normal. How much longer could he claim that he was checking up on her because of the baby? Or making sure she ate right for the baby?
He sure hadn’t slept with her again because of the baby.
That had only confused the issue more, so he’d been careful not to make the mistake again. His reaction to her was so powerful, it was entirely possible that he couldn’t do without her. And he would never let himself depend on anyone that completely.
There was only one problem with abstinence. Wanting her again was eating him up inside. They didn’t live together, but they might as well. Either he was at her place or she was at his. And the hell of it was that when he wasn’t with her, he wanted to be. He worried about her and couldn’t completely blame that on the fact that she was pregnant with his child.
Her hand was resting on the car’s console between them and he covered it with his own. “Have you thought about what you’re going to say to people?”
“You don’t think they’ll swallow the story of too many cheeseburgers and fries?”
He remembered her saying she was fat the night he’d taken her to bed. It had ticked him off more than a little. The sight of her
—honey-blond hair tumbled around her face, the gentle swell of her belly that was his baby growing inside her—was the most profoundly beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And sexy as hell. If he’d had a prayer of not sleeping with her, it disappeared in that second.
Nathan shook his head. “No one will believe you’re getting fat.”
She smiled a smile that was mischievous around the edges. “The speculation will drive them crazy. Is she or isn’t she?”
By “them” he knew she meant the nurses at the hospital who’d given her a hard time. And that was the reason he’d brought this up in the first place. When the news broke, he didn’t want Cindy stressed out by anything.
He raised an eyebrow. “This is a side of you that I’ve never seen before.”
“What?”
“Kind of wicked.”
“Gotta take the victories where you find ’em.” She shrugged. “If those witches in the NICU want to know for sure, they’ll actually have to speak to me and not make snide comments behind my back.”
It was frustrating that she wouldn’t let him run interference to make sure no one upset her. “And you’ll tell them too many cheeseburgers?”
“Maybe they’d believe I swallowed a watermelon seed.”
“They’re nothing if not narrow-minded, but they were smart enough to pass anatomy and physiology classes. I’m not sure that explanation would fly.”
“Then I’ll just let them make their own assumptions.”
“And when they want to know who the father is?” he asked.
“Immaculate conception?”
It was definitely conception, but nothing about it had been immaculate. Sex had been messy, sweaty, spontaneous, passionate and completely mind-blowing. Cindy made him feel that way again every time he was with her.
He took a breath to steady his elevated pulse. “No one will go for that any more than the fruit story.”
She tilted her head and studied him closely. “Are you afraid that I’ll rat you out, Doctor?”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t spill your secret. No one will know you’ve been slumming with the housekeeper.”
“You may or may not be kidding, but stop right there.” This could be pregnancy hormones or just her personal peeve but he wasn’t letting it go. “I’ve been ready to support you from day one. I don’t give a damn what anyone says. Apparently that’s your thing. You told me to back off—”
“I know.” She held up a hand. “You’re right. I’m sorry. That was completely unfair. I guess you just caught me off guard when you pointed out that very soon it will be obvious that I’m pregnant.”
“I apologize—”
“No. You’re right. It’s crossed my mind, but I’ve been burying my head in the sand.”
“You know what happens then, right?” he asked.
She met his gaze and the corners of her full mouth curved up. “I leave my backside exposed?”
“Pretty much.”
“What do you think I should say?” she asked seriously.
“Probably that you don’t believe—”
“Whoa,” she interrupted, glancing at her wristwatch. “We’re late for the ultrasound. That’s pretty bad when we’ve been sitting here in the parking lot for fifteen minutes.”
“Let’s go.”
It was a conversation they needed to have but not in an obstetrician’s waiting room full of women. The reality was that the doctor would probably be running late and wouldn’t notice they were a few minutes behind schedule.
As they walked through the parking lot and the medical building’s desert landscaped courtyard, Nathan settled his palm at the small of Cindy’s back. He’d almost taken her hand, an intimate, automatic gesture that came out of nowhere.
Intimate gestures didn’t come automatically to him.
That was one of the things his wife had called him out on. During an ugly scene, she’d accused him of being a clone of his father. Then she’d walked out on him just like everyone else.
The interior of Rebecca Hamilton’s office was dim and cool after the heat outside. Summer was almost over, but the Las Vegas Valley wouldn’t give up its warm days for a while yet. He remembered Cindy’s remark about not having to go through being big as a battleship while it was hot. Now she was big enough to have an ultrasound.
She signed in at the reception desk, but before they could take a seat, the back office door opened.
The dark-haired young woman wore blue scrubs and held a chart in her hands. “Cindy Elliott?”
“Here,” she answered, raising her hand as if someone were taking attendance.
“Come on back.”
“I feel like a game show contestant,” she confessed nervously.
When he started to sit down, the office assistant said, “Your husband can come with you if you’d like.”
Cindy looked at him and faltered. He could almost read her mind. Should she set the record straight about their relationship? Let the error ride? Or was she hesitating about whether to invite him into the experience?
Cindy looked at him. “I’d like you to be there.”
“Okay.”
Her reasoning might have been about nerves, even though she’d already had the test once. She knew the procedure was noninvasive. This time he wanted to be in the room with her, but he hadn’t pushed. There were privacy laws in place and because they weren’t married, any of her medical information wouldn’t automatically be revealed to him without Cindy’s permission.
He understood the need for rules, and it had never bothered him before. But it did now. He had a personal interest; this was his baby. That lame excuse again. It was the best he could do.
After the assistant weighed Cindy and took her blood pressure, she got her settled on an exam table with the ultrasound machine beside it. Nathan pulled up a chair and prepared for a lengthy wait. But moments later the doctor walked in.
“Hi, Cindy.” She looked at him. “Nathan. How are you?”
“Fine.”
“Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
The doctor looked at him. “Are you ready to meet your baby for the first time?”
“Yes,” he said, as excitement rippled through him.
Cindy smiled radiantly at him and that sent a different sort of ripple through his system.
The doctor pulled down the sheet and lifted Cindy’s shirt to squirt warm gel on her gently rounded belly. She moved the transducer and turned dials on the machine to improve resolution and get optimum views.
And then he could see the image. That was his baby! He’d known the fetus was real, but now he really understood what Rebecca had meant about meeting his child. He’d never felt anything like this and was moved beyond words.
“See the pulsing, Cindy?” Rebecca pointed to the screen. “That’s your baby’s heart. It looks strong. Normal. Here are the arms and legs.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Cindy breathed. “Nathan, do you see?”
“Yeah.”
The doctor glanced at them. “Do you want to know your baby’s sex?”
“Yes.”
They both said it at the same time even though the topic had never come up for discussion. The fact they agreed sent a warm feeling through him.
“Are you sure you want to know?” he asked.
“Very sure.” Cindy grinned. “Then Shirley can get started on the mural.”
He’d forgotten about that, but it would explain why his mom was sticking around. Still, it was out of character for her to be there for a kid, even if it was her first grandchild.
“Okay,” he said to the doc. “We’re in total agreement. If you can get a good view.”
She studied the screen for a while. Frustrated she said, “Move your leg, little one.” A few moments later she smiled. “We have a boy.”
Without thinking Nathan took Cindy’s hand and squeezed gently. He stared hard at his son moving in her womb. A powerful feeling of protectiven
ess moved through him. They were having a boy, a tiny perfect son who would need them to be there for him. Both of them. Together.
Nathan had no blueprint for successful parenting. His childhood had pretty much sucked. But he’d had one thing his son didn’t. A father and mother who were legally married when he was born.
That was something easily fixed.
“So, thanks for dinner.” Cindy looked up at Nathan, tall and handsome in the moonlight, and wished he would kiss her.
She was standing on her front porch, so close to him the heat from his body warmed her skin. After the ultrasound he’d taken her to celebrate at Capriotti’s where he showed off the ultrasound picture of his son. Now they were awfully close to the exact spot where their son had been conceived.
She wanted a repeat of that impulsive, explosive, out-of-control sex. Or even sweet, slow bedroom sex. Any sex, really, because they’d been drifting along in limbo and she needed a sign that there was reason to hope he could care as much for her as she did for him.
Nathan rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Would you mind if I came in? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Talk didn’t really thrill her. He was looking very serious about something and that was never a good thing. She could think of a much better use for their mouths than conversation. But, again, hope deflated like a leaky balloon because his mood was leaning more toward serious than sexy. She needed to concentrate on the baby.
A boy!
Maybe a rough-and-tumble little guy. Or possibly a brilliant, quiet heartbreaker like his father.
“I’m awfully tired, Nathan. It’s been a big day. Exciting,” she added, “But really exhausting.”
“What I have to say is pretty important. I promise it won’t take long,” he said. “There’s just something I’d like to settle between us.”
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