Make Me Yours
Author: Katee Robert
Date: 2019-05-01 05:17:42+00:00
Keywords: Contemporary; harlequin; Fiction; Contemporary Romance; Erotica; Novella; Romance
Description: **Take control. Feel the rush. Explore your fantasies. In the third instalment of the Make Me series, a one-night stand leads to something very unexpected in this sizzling-hot Dare story by ***** USA TODAY* ****and** ***New York Times* ****bestselling author Katee Robert!** I didn’t get to be CEO of a New York tech company by chasing whims…or women. But when wildly beautiful, fiercely independent fitness instructor Becka Baudin caught my eye across a crowded wedding reception, my body reacted with a will of its own. She wanted a sexy distraction—one night of lust in a glamorous hotel. And I wa
Publisher: Harlequin

A one-night stand leads to something very unexpected in this sizzling-hot DARE story by USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author Katee Robert!

I didn’t get to be CEO of a New York tech company by chasing whims...or women. But when wildly beautiful, fiercely independent fitness instructor Becka Baudin caught my eye across a crowded wedding reception, my body reacted with a will of its own.

She wanted a sexy distraction—one night of lust in a glamorous hotel. And I was happy to oblige. Then, after the most amazing night of my life, she walked away—leaving me wanting so much more. I haven’t been myself since that night. My work is suffering. My social life is nowhere. All I think about, all I dream about, is her.

Three months later, she told me. A baby. My baby... I insisted she move into my Manhattan penthouse. Now I see her every day. I crave her every second. I long for her touch, her kiss, her body moving under mine. I know if I try to cage her she’ll fly away. How can I convince a wild thing to stay in my life, in my heart, forever?

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title The Marriage Contract was a RITA® Award finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it “a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginative games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010002

If you liked Make Me Yours, why not try

Forbidden to Taste by JC Harroway
On Her Terms by Cathryn Fox
Take Me On by Dylan Rose

Also by Katee Robert

Make Me Want
Make Me Crave

Discover more at Harlequin.com

MAKE ME YOURS

KATEE ROBERT

To Lauren

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Excerpt from Take Me On by Dylan Rose

CHAPTER ONE

“HAVE I MENTIONED how much I loathe weddings?” Becka Baudin grabbed two champagne glasses and handed one to her best friend, Allie.

“Only about half a dozen times—in the last hour.”

She drained the glass and waited for her stomach to settle. Only then did she focus on her best friend’s amusement. “It’s not my fault. They give me hives. Even this one.” Especially this one.

“Here.” Allie passed over the second champagne glass, her expression sympathetic. “You know you’re not losing her, right?”

“Of course I know that. I’m not a child.” But she still glanced at her big sister gliding across the dance floor with her new husband. They looked like something out of a fairy tale, Lucy in a gorgeous white dress that hugged her lean form. It was overlaid with lace and gave a little sparkle with every move. Her dark hair was twisted in an intricate style that left her neck and shoulders bare except for the truly outstanding necklace Gideon had bought her.

And Gideon.

Lord, the man could wear a tux.

But it wasn’t the clothes that made them the most beautiful couple in the room. It was the way they looked at each other.

She sipped her second glass of champagne. “They seem happy.”

“Yes, well, that generally happens on someone’s wedding day.”

Becka rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m being an asshole. It’s not this wedding I object to—it’s the rest of them.” Weddings were nothing but false promises of happily-ever-after. They sold a dream most people never actually realized—more than half ended in divorce.

She gave herself a shake and eyed her glass. “I think it might be time to start with the vodka.” She’d already done her duties as maid of honor, from the pictures to the people herding to the speech. Now it was just a matter of keeping her head down until it was time to see Lucy and Gideon off to the limo. Yes, a drink is exactly what I deserve for keeping my happy mask in place. If she didn’t do something to break the tension soon, she was liable to snap at someone and make an ass of herself, and end up on some Maids of Honor Behaving Badly list. She couldn’t do that to Lucy. Today was like playing through one of her personal nightmares, but Becka could do better than to act out like a spoiled child as a result. She was better than that. She had to be.

Becka turned to the bar and froze.

Blue eyes captured hers, rooting her feet in place even as her body tried to sway forward. Toward him. Square jaw, straight strong nose, sensual lips that quirked up as he gave her his own perusal. She straightened, suddenly glad that her sister hadn’t followed the shitty tradition of clothing her bridesmaids in the ugliest dresses imaginable. Her purple dress set off the rich blue color she’d settled on for her hair, and it hugged what few curves she had. The stranger wore a tux even better than the groom, his broad shoulders tapering to a lean waist.

She’d never seen a more striking man in her life.

“That’s Aaron Livingston.” Allie’s shoulder brushed hers, effectively grounding her. “He’s friends with Roman and sometimes business associates with Gideon, I think. I didn’t realize he’d be here.”

Aaron. I like it. “I should go say hi, be hospitable...or something.”

Allie snorted. “Yeah, sure. That’s exactly what you’re going to do.” She grinned. “Have fun. I’m going to go dance with my man.”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in that you’re deliriously domestically happy.” The words held no sting. She was happy her best friend had found the love of her life in Roman Bassani. Between Allie and Lucy, it was almost enough to convert Becka to a romantic way of thinking.

Almost.

Too bad I’m well acquainted with the downsides of romance. Hard to put on rose-tinted glasses when I’ve been up close and personal with everything that can go wrong.

God, she was a mess. She needed to do something—fast.

There was nothing quite as distracting as a man. The one currently staring at her as if memorizing every inch of her would fit the bill nicely.

It’s just a Band-Aid.

She shoved the knowledge aside and made her way to the bar, never taking her gaze off Aaron. He watched her but didn’t move from his spot. Letting her approach. Letting her set the tone. Smart man.

Becka sidled up to the spot next to him and broke eye contact to order a vodka seven. This close, she could smell his cologne—something expensive that made her think of hot and dirty sex in the best way possible. Down, girl. If this wedding was for anyone else, she wouldn’t hesitate to haul him to a convenient closet or bathroom stall to silence the ugliness inside her, but she wouldn’t do that to Lucy. Her sister deserved the best on her wedding day, and damn it, Becka would make sure she had it.

At least until Lucy got into the limo.

Then all bets were off.

“Maid of honor.”

God, even his voice was wonderful, low and even with just a hint of growl. She twisted to face him. “Wedding guest.” He just raised his eyebrows, and she smirked. “Sorry, I thought we were throwing out labels.” She held out her hand. “Becka Baudin.”

“Becka being short for Rebecka?”

“Something like that.” No one called her Rebecka—not even Lucy. She certainly wasn’t going to hand out that name to this guy, no matter how magnetic he was or how he seemed to be so close to what she needed in that moment, it was a wonder she hadn’t conjured him into existence.

But then, Becka didn’t believe in magic any more than she believed in romance.

“I’m Aaron.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. His five o’clock shadow scraped against her skin, completely at odds with the softness of his lips. It would feel good to have him sliding his mouth along other parts of her. Better than good. Decadent and sinful and absolutely perfect.

Not yet.

She licked her lips. “I know.”

“I see you’ve done your homework.”

“More like your reputation precedes you.”

“Can’t complain about that if it brings a woman like you my way.” He let their hands drop but didn’t release her. Aaron slid his thumb over the same path his lips had just taken, as if he had every right to seduce her with a single touch. His lips quirked into a smile and, damn it, it made him even more handsome. “Nice wedding.”

Come on, Becka, you can do better than this. Stop staring at him like a lust-struck idiot. She cleared her throat and reclaimed her hand just in time for the bartender to deliver her drink. She turned to face the bar fully, needing some distance, even if it was only in her head. No matter what her plans for this man were, she couldn’t afford to lose focus until later. Maybe this is a mistake. Maybe you should find someone less magnetic, less overwhelming, to lose yourself in. Even as she thought it, she knew she wasn’t going to. A few short minutes of conversation and Aaron Livingston had dropped a lure she couldn’t have resisted if she tried. Better to just let things unfurl on the path they were both obviously heading down.

It’s only one night. Tomorrow I’ll go back to my life and it will be nothing but a fond memory.

What had he asked her? Right. The wedding. Of course it was the wedding. That was all anyone had been talking about for months, and they were at the damn event right now.

She downed half her drink. “It’s a wedding. They’re all flavors of the same thing.” Damn it, that sounded bitter. She took a careful breath and pasted a happy smile on her face. “It’s what Lucy wanted, and she’s happy, so I’m happy.” That, at least, was the truth.

“I take it you don’t subscribe to the American dream that ends with a white picket fence?”

Becka shot him a look, trying to gauge where he was going with that comment. Even if he shared her views on marriage and weddings, this was hardly the event to start bitching about how cynical they were. “We live in New York. We don’t do white picket fences here as a general rule.”

“True enough.” Aaron’s blue eyes took her in, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that he saw too much. That if he looked deep enough, he’d be able to trace her aversion to the fictional happily-ever-after right back to her parents’ destroyed marriage and...

Enough.

Keeping ahold of her drink, she gave him her full attention. No reason to avoid pulling the trigger on this. If by some miracle she’d misread the situation, she still had plenty of time to bounce back from any rejection he dealt and move on to someone else. “You want to get out of here?” She waved a hand at her sister still on the dance floor. “I mean, after this dog and pony show has reached its natural conclusion.”

His grin widened, just a little. “I wouldn’t say no to another drink somewhere quieter, where we could have a conversation.”

A conversation? Hard pass. The conversation, the drinks, the quiet place... It was all just frills to fancy up the fact that they wanted to bang each other’s brains out. Whatever his reasons, he seemed just as onboard with this plan as she was. Except he wanted to talk. If he was anyone else, if the attraction was any more manageable... But he wasn’t, and it wasn’t. She knew her strengths, and while she didn’t believe in love at first sight, what she had with Aaron was definitely lust at first sight. Better for both of them to keep things simple and define clear boundaries from the start.

Becka reached up and traced the top button of his dark gray shirt. “Is a conversation really what you’re after?”

He opened his mouth and seemed to reconsider. “I’m after you.”

The honesty washed over her, a fresh breeze that made the choking environment of this fucking wedding a little more bearable. I am happy for Lucy. I am. I just can’t look at her without seeing our mother, and we both know how that turned out. It’s not the same and it won’t have the same outcome, but that doesn’t change anything. Not really.

Becka managed a smile. “In that case, let’s skip the drinks and you can take me back to your place for a nightcap.”

If anything, his brows rose higher. “A nightcap.”

“Yep.” It would be good with Aaron. Exactly what she needed. The lightning nipping at her fingertips from just this small touch told her as much. They could offer each other an enjoyable night, and then she’d get back to her life with only a fond memory to balance out her mixed feelings about her friend and sister leaving her behind.

They weren’t really leaving her. Rationally, Becka knew that. Most days, she even believed that nothing would really change even though both Lucy and Allie had gone and fallen in love.

Stop that.

Becka finished her drink and set it on the bar. “Another, please.”

Aaron covered the glass with his hand. “If you want that nightcap, then you’re done for the night.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he shifted closer, placing his free hand over hers, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the room. “Trust me—you’ll want to be sober for this.”

His audacity made her laugh. “Yeah, no, you don’t get to decide when I’m done.” She was buzzed, but she wasn’t anywhere near drunk. Another drink or two wouldn’t make a difference.

“All the same.” He removed his hand, but he didn’t move away. “You’re more than welcome to drink yourself stupid, but you won’t be coming home with me if you do.”

Sheer stubbornness almost made her tell him to fuck right off. Becka responded to commands about as well as she did to ultimatums, and Aaron had issued both in the last thirty seconds. The whole point of a night of wild abandon was the abandon part, and that only worked if they were equal. Letting him set the pace and lay down the boundaries was not part of the plan.

But then the DJ’s voice laughed from the speakers. “It’s about that time, ladies and gentlemen. All the single ladies on the floor to catch the bouquet!”

Desperation clawed at Becka’s throat. She had to go out there and smile and be supportive, and all she wanted to do was crawl under the bar with a bottle of vodka. She glared at Aaron. “Fine. No more drinks.” She turned on her heel and stalked toward the group of women gathering in the middle of the dance floor.

He’d better be as good as he thinks he is.

Aaron spent the rest of the reception watching Becka. Taking her home was likely a mistake. He might be on decent terms with her sister, but her newly acquired brother-in-law was a different story altogether. Pissing off Gideon Novak wasn’t on his list of things to accomplish, especially with Aaron’s business on the verge of expanding. He’d need the headhunter in the future, which was part of the reason he’d accepted the invitation to this wedding.

Becka’s laugh drew his attention, the sound just as bold as the rest of her. From her blue hair to the piercing glinting against her red lipstick to her tight little body... Yeah, bold summed up Becka Baudin pretty damn well. She couldn’t be more different from her straitlaced older sister, and even though he knew better, those differences intrigued him. She was the kind of woman who saw what she wanted and went after it, no holds barred.

Tonight, it appeared that what she wanted was him.

He set his empty tumbler on the bar as Becka grabbed a microphone and instructed the guests to head out front to see Lucy and Gideon off. She was the kind of woman born to stand in the spotlight. She held everyone’s attention easily as she laughed and made a joke, but still managed to be firm and get everyone moving toward the door. Most of them would be coming back into the reception to keep drinking while the bride and groom went off to do what new couples did on their wedding night.

Aaron had other plans.

Becka’s gaze found him across the small sea of people between them, and the barely banked heat in those blue eyes seared him to the bone. He started for the door with the rest of the guests. Despite all the jostling, he never lost sight of her in the crowd. How could he, when everything about her seemed designed to draw attention? Aaron let himself be borne along, but he managed to ensure he ended up close to her once they reached the sidewalk. As more people piled out in front of the venue, he had to step closer until he nearly bumped into her.

She glanced over her shoulder and grinned. “Hey there, handsome. You come here often?”

Before he could answer, Lucy and Gideon walked out the door, hand in hand. A cheer went up from the people around him, and the crowd surged as guests started blowing bubbles at them. The movement sent Becka teetering in her sky-high heels, and Aaron instinctively grabbed her arm and steadied her. It pressed their bodies together, her back to his front. This close, there was no way to avoid noticing the curve of her ass, or the way it lined up so fucking perfectly with his cock.

He gritted his teeth and tried to get his body’s reaction under control, but Becka chose that moment to lean back against him and roll her hips, ever so slightly. In case he missed it—not likely—she shifted his hand from her arm to her stomach, tucking them tighter together. Another roll of her hips had him cursing softly. He resisted the temptation to let his hand drop lower to brush the V between her thighs. They were in the middle of a goddamn crowd, and her sister was only a few feet away.

But he wanted to.

Fuck, he wanted to.

Aaron wanted to hook his fingers beneath the hem of her dress and stroke her pussy right here. To bring her to the edge and leave her there, teasing her to see how long she could hold out from making a noise that would give them away.

Holy shit, get ahold of yourself. This isn’t you. You don’t lose control like this—especially with a woman who’s barely more than a stranger.

A few precarious minutes later, the newlyweds were safely tucked into the limo. Before he could decide how he wanted to play this, Becka turned in his arms and laced her hands around his neck. The move pressed her more firmly against his cock, and hell if her lips didn’t part and her blue eyes go hazy with need. For him. She leaned up until her lips brushed his ear. “You are the sexiest goddamn distraction I’ve ever seen.”

He traced the curve of her ass and lost his battle with control. Aaron dipped his fingertips beneath the hem of her dress. “I’m not the only one.” Weddings made people crazy, and he’d always thought he was immune to that particular insanity, but then, he’d never met a woman like this before. The attraction was too strong to resist, and it came on too quickly to do anything but let go and see where it took them.

Becka nipped his earlobe. “Let’s get out of here.”

“One thing before we go.” He walked them back until his shoulders hit the brick wall, away from the people already disappearing through the door into the hotel. It took several long minutes before the sidewalk cleared of the wedding guests. All the while, he studied Becka’s face, the dark fringe of her lashes, the curve of her lower lip, the way her breath caught when she met his gaze.

Aaron cupped her jaw and tilted her face up to claim her mouth. She tasted minty, a burst of freshness as intoxicating as the woman herself. Becka went soft in his arms, melting as she opened for him, her tongue eagerly meeting his, stroke for stroke. As if she’d been as impatient for this moment as he’d been.

She’d called him a distraction.

She was the distraction—one he wasn’t sure he could afford.

He pressed his forehead to hers, trying to regain control. “Let’s go.”

“How far is your place?”

A forty-minute cab ride.

Too far.

Inside the building, a burst of laughter trailed down to them. Perfect. “About twenty yards.”

She laughed. “That works. I don’t want to wait anymore.” She grabbed his hand and towed him back inside the building. They bypassed the entrance to the ballroom where the reception was being held and headed for the main desk.

Ten minutes later, they stumbled through the door to a room and slammed it behind them. Aaron guided Becka to the bed and laid her on top of it. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, the line of her heart-shaped bodice. She was fire in his arms, arching to meet his mouth, her hands busy on the front of his shirt. She shoved it down his shoulders, and he released her long enough to shrug it off. Aaron tugged her dress up over her head.

Need shot through him, rushing his movements even as part of him wanted to slow down.

To savor every moment.

He stopped short, drinking in the sight of her. She wore nothing but a silk thong in show-stopping pink. Against her pale skin, the neon color practically glowed, just as brilliant as her hair. Aaron traced the rose tattoo nestled on the inside of her left hip, noting the thorns circling the full petals of the flower, and then he smoothed his hand up her taut stomach to her high breasts. She was lean, every muscle defined in a way that spoke of serious time spent in the gym. “Strong little thing, aren’t you?”

“Well, I’m a spin and TRX instructor, so that goes with the territory.”

He bracketed her ribs with his hands and then cupped her breasts. “Maybe I’ll take one of your classes sometime.”

Becka laughed even as she twined her hands over her head, offering her body to him. “Honey, you wouldn’t last ten minutes.”

“Think so?” He lightly pinched her pale pink nipples, gauging her reaction. Her sharp inhale only fanned the flames within him. He needed her. Now.

“I know so.” She grinned. “But let’s be honest—there’s only one kind of exercise we’re interested in right now, and it doesn’t have a single thing to do with a bike. Now, stop teasing me and take off your pants.”

CHAPTER TWO

BECKA COULD BARELY breathe at the look on Aaron’s face as he ran his hands over her body. Learning. Reveling. Worshipping. It left her feeling off center, as if this was more than some horny wedding sex between two single people who’d never see each other again. She covered her uncertainty the only way she knew how—brazenly charging forward. “You’re still wearing pants.”

“Don’t rush me.” He lifted her farther onto the bed and lay next to her, his head propped on his hand. She started to protest, but Aaron cupped her pussy and she forgot whatever she’d been about to say. He stroked her over the silk of her panties, his blue eyes arrested on the spot he touched her. The slick fabric lent an erotic edge to the slide of his fingers. “Spread your legs.”

She obeyed instantly. Becka normally preferred to take charge of her sexual encounters. She knew what she liked and had no reservations with demanding exactly that. Most guys found it sexy as hell and—more importantly—it ensured they both had one hell of a good time.

Aaron wasn’t going to let her lead this encounter. She’d known it from the second he commanded her not to drink any more that night. And the kiss... God, that kiss had been claiming in a way she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

Doesn’t matter. I’m a grown-ass woman. I knew what I signed up for. I can handle it.

That didn’t stop a shiver from working its way through her body as he traced her opening through her panties and moved up to circle her clit. This wasn’t the rushed fucking she’d prepared herself for. He touched her as if she meant something beyond a mutually satisfying night. “Stop that.”

Aaron met her gaze, his hand stilling. “Problem?” There was no anger in those blue eyes, just a kind of knowledge that said he already knew what her protesting was about and didn’t give a damn.

“Don’t make this into something it isn’t.” He didn’t respond other than to slide his hand back down to cup her again. Possessively. She swallowed hard, fighting not to rub against him like a wanton thing. Focus. “I’m just here for the sex.” For the desperately needed distraction.

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re just here for the sex.”

“That is literally what I just said.”

“I heard you.” His thumb dipped beneath the edge of her thong. “Becka, if you think this night is going to end before I’ve stroked, tasted and fucked you until we’re both damn near comatose...” He shook his head in mock sympathy even as he kept up that teasing stroking beneath her panties, not quite where she so desperately needed him.

“I signed up for that.” She gritted her teeth in an effort to keep still. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

“Do you want me to stop?” The arrogant tilt of his lips said he already knew the answer. She hated that he was so sure of her, hated even more that he was right.

Becka smacked his hand away from her and shoved his shoulders, well aware that he allowed her to tumble him onto his back. She was strong for her size, but he had a good six inches and fifty pounds on her. She grabbed his wrists and pinned them over his head, and he let her do it. “I don’t want you to stop.” She shifted, dragging her breasts against his bare chest. God, he’s breathtaking. All I want to do is rub myself all over him like some horny teenager. She pressed down against his cock and had to bite back a whimper.

“Come here, Becka.” The way he said her name was almost a purr, a soft coaxing that was no less a command than all his others tonight. “Give me your mouth.”

She kissed him, telling herself she did it because she wanted to and not because part of her quivered with need at the rough growl in his voice. He tasted like the scotch he’d been drinking at the reception, and it went straight to her head. She forgot she was supposed to be in the dominant position, to be driving this encounter, to be the one calling the shots. Instead, she released his wrists and cupped his jaw on either side, losing herself in the feel of his tongue sliding decadently against hers, his lips hard and unyielding and yet giving her everything she needed.

It was too much.

He kissed her like this meant something.

She didn’t want him to be right.

She leaned back, desperate to put some distance between them, to remember the purpose for that night.

Her plans disappeared through her fingers like smoke when his lips curled into a wicked smile. “Let me taste you, Becka.”

It took everything Aaron had to leash himself, to hold still as Becka considered him. The first impression he’d gotten of the wild thing on the verge of fleeing was only reinforced by the skittish look in her eyes. She’ll run at the first hint of a cage. He filed away that information, but the truth was that he didn’t want to cage her.

That isn’t what tonight is about.

She worried her bottom lip even as she shifted deliciously against him. “I can’t think straight when you say my name like that.”

Good. He didn’t say it through sheer force of will. “This thing with us has nothing to do with thinking straight.” He’d accepted the offer of a nightcap because she was beautiful and interesting, and it had been a long time since he’d let himself indulge in anything resembling a one-night stand. But this bold and slightly brittle woman intrigued him despite himself.

She sat up a little, pressing herself down against his cock. “That’s a good point. A brilliant point, even. I’m overthinking things.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t usually bring this much baggage to banging. Sorry. The wedding has me all twisted up for various reasons.”

“Becka—”

She charged right over him. “But that’s neither here nor there.” She gave a brilliant smile. “You wanted a taste.”

He kept himself perfectly still as she sat up fully and stretched her arms over her head, showing off her body. And, fuck, what a body. Aaron wanted to pin her down, to lick and kiss every inch of her until she felt the same desperation coursing through his veins. I do that, she leaves.

Unacceptable.

Becka moved up until she straddled his face. He could see how wet she was against the silk of her panties, and he ran hands up her thighs, urging her to spread a little farther for him. “Perfect.”

“Hey now, remember who’s in the driver’s seat.”

He shifted his hands higher so he could hook a thumb into her panties and tug them to the side, exposing her. “Let me know if I miss the mark.” He lifted his head, still holding her gaze, and flicked his tongue out to taste her.

She braced her hands on the wall over the headboard and bit her bottom lip. “More of that, please and thank you. Suck my clit, Aaron.”

Fuck me.

His control snapped. He obeyed her hoarse command, sucking her clit into his mouth and rolling the sensitive bud against his tongue. Becka let loose a whimper that sent a bolt of lightning to his cock.

Getting her to make that noise again shot to the top of his list of things to do.

He lost himself in her taste, in the way her thighs went tense beneath his hands when he licked her just right. It didn’t take long to find the blend of rhythm and pressure that had her rocking against his mouth, her whimpers turning into gasping cries. Higher and higher he took her, driving her ruthlessly into her first orgasm. She let loose a breathless giggle when she came, as if overtaken by sheer delight the same way she’d been overtaken by pleasure.

He fell a little bit in love with her right then and there.

“Safe to say you didn’t miss the mark.” Becka laughed again and slumped to the side, letting one leg sprawl across his chest as she blinked at him from beneath a curtain of blue hair. “I was right—it is good with you.”

“Happy to live up to expectations.” For the first time in so long, he wasn’t thinking about his next business move or the future, beyond the moment when he got inside this woman. Tonight. Even if it’s only tonight, it’s worth it for the reprieve she’s offered. Aaron rolled onto his side and smoothed back her hair. “I like the blue.”

“I live to please.”

He lightly pinched her nipple. “So snarky.”

“Hmm, you know it.” She stretched from her fingers to her toes, her body perfectly on display for one breathtaking moment before she relaxed and grinned at him. “That was a great appetizer, but I’m more than ready to move on to the main course.”

He dug his wallet from his pocket and fished out the condom he’d stashed there earlier that week. Aaron always carried one with him—the better to be prepared for any given situation that arose, so to speak—but he switched it out regularly to avoid any mishaps. He took her hand and pressed it to her palm. “Do the honors.”

“The honors.” Becka smirked. She ripped the foil packet open. “Someone’s got a high opinion of themselves.” She took her time rolling the condom on, teasing him, prolonging the moment when this reached the point of no return. As if she wanted this to last as much as he did.

“That’s enough.” He cupped the back of her neck and towed her up so he could take her mouth. Aaron rolled them without breaking the kiss, loving the way she moved with him as if they’d done this a thousand times. She stroked her hands down his sides and gave his ass a playful squeeze as he settled between her thighs. He chuckled against her mouth. “Cheeky.”

“Just call me a saucy little minx.” She nipped his chin and pressed an openmouthed kiss against his neck. “I don’t want to wait anymore, Aaron. I need you.”

“Next time we go slow.” He reached between them to position his cock at her entrance. “Ready?”

“Baby, I was born ready.” She hooked a leg around his waist and arched up to meet him.

He’d expected the move, so he countered it, letting himself sink into her a single inch and no more. “Slow, minx. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her laugh seemed to vibrate her whole body, and her blue eyes shone with true amusement. “That giant cock of yours is impressive, but I can take it.” Becka grinned. “Do your worst.”

Impossible to resist the playful challenge in every line of her body. He didn’t really want to hold back any more than she seemed to want him to. Aaron slammed into her, sheathing himself to the hilt. She jolted, that delicious whimper slipping free again. He ate the sound, kissing even as he began moving. His leash had snapped without his realizing how close he was to losing control. This woman, this wildfire in his arms, she brought out something he’d fought long and hard to tame within himself.

Something savage.

He tried to pull back, tried to regain control.

As if sensing his withdrawal, Becka wrapped both legs around his waist and grabbed his hands, lacing their fingers together. She stretched her arms over her head, guiding him to pin her down. “I’m not breakable, Aaron. You don’t have to be careful with me.” She squeezed his hands. “I want everything.”

He could no more resist her command than he’d been able to turn away from her at the bar. Aaron put his weight onto her hands and pounded into her, each thrust making her breasts bounce and drawing a cry from her lips. He watched her face the entire time, finding only a mirror to the delirious pleasure spiraling through him. Feeling more animal than man, he shifted his grip to her wrists, and her splayed fingers only drove him to fuck her harder.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Becka let loose another of those intoxicating giggles, her pussy clenching around him in climax hard enough to pull him over the edge with her. He thrust into her roughly, his grip on her the only thing that kept them from sliding right into the headboard, his orgasm hitting him with the force of a tidal wave.

Aaron dropped his face to the curve of her neck and pressed a careful kiss there. “Fuck, minx, nothing could have prepared me for you.”

Becka shouldn’t let a comment like the one Aaron just made stand, but she couldn’t work up the energy to remind him yet again that this was a one-shot deal. Not with his big body pinning her to the bed, his hands still holding her down in a way that had her squirming despite coming twice in quick order. Aaron made her feel... She didn’t know how to put it into words. She wasn’t submissive—not really—but being at his mercy while he fucked her within an inch of her life?

Yeah, that moment was going into her hall of fame.

She stroked a cautious hand down his back and shivered as he thrust into her a little. He was still half-hard, which had her glancing at the clock and doing a quick calculation to how much time was really left in this one-night stand. More than enough. It doesn’t really end until the sun rises, right?

Aaron kissed her neck again and then took her mouth. There was no other way to describe his mouth claiming hers, his way of controlling the kiss that made her head spin. He thrust again, and she clenched her legs tighter around him. “More. I need more. Again.”

He set his teeth to her bottom lip, but just when she thought he’d give her exactly what she wanted, he cursed and retreated. “We’re going to have to go back to my place for that nightcap. I have exactly one condom on me, and we just used it.”

Disappointment threatened to sour her good mood, but she shoved it aside. What would it hurt to catch a cab back to his place and keep this thing going for a few more hours? He’d already more than proven he could give it to her better than ninety percent of the guys she’d hooked up with in the past. Letting a tiny technicality get in the way of more orgasms wasn’t her style.

Becka reluctantly uncrossed her ankles so he could move. “I suppose you’ll make it worth my while if I suffer through a cab ride.”

“You know it.” Her heart skipped a beat at his answering grin. His buttoned-up attitude hadn’t lasted past their first kiss, but there was such mirth in that expression she couldn’t stop herself from grinning in response.

Aaron pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Let me clean up and we’ll get out of here.” He slid off her...and froze. “Fuck.”

“What?” She scrambled back, her stomach doing a slow flip at the sight of the broken condom. Fuck, indeed. “Shit.”

“I’m clean.”

It was too much on top of everything else that had happened that day. Becka shook her head and edged around him to get off the bed. “Thanks for the memo.” She believed him, even though she had no right to take his word for anything at this point. She reached the edge of the bed and hesitated. Think, Becka. Don’t be a jackass. “I’m clean, too. I get tested regularly.” He deserved to know that, at least.

She pushed her hair back, hating that his face had immediately fallen back into the cold lines he’d worn when she first caught sight of him. This was never going to work. Get out now before it gets even more awkward.

“Becka—”

Becka. Not minx.

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m on birth control. If you’re clean—”

“I am.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” She grabbed her dress from the floor and tugged it on. “This has been fun, but I need to go home now.”

He disappeared into the bathroom for a few seconds, and then he was back, unabashedly naked and stalking across the room to her. “We need to talk about this.”

“Actually, we don’t. Clean.” She pointed at him. “Clean.” She pointed at herself. “Birth control. End of story. This has been fun, but it’s over now.” Becka didn’t see her panties, but she wasn’t about to stick around to search for them. Instead, she grabbed her shoes and ducked under Aaron’s arm.

“I’d like to see you again.”

She reached the door and paused. It had been fun. A lot of fun, right up until that shitty ending. Becka closed her eyes, letting herself picture—just for a moment—what it would be like if she said yes. Maybe he was talking about just sex, and they’d spend a prolonged one-night stand blowing each other’s minds until he got tired of her and decided to try to let her down easy, bruising her in the process. Or maybe he’d try to take her out on a date, and they’d end up fucking again, and it would end exactly the same. Even if things did work for a while, eventually they would explode in her face, just like every other relationship she’d been in.

Historically, men looked at her appearance and assumed one of two things.

They figured that she was some kind of manic pixie dream girl who would help them find themselves. Or, more often, they assumed that she was a kinky sex fiend who’d be down for everything and anything and not be bothered by days gone by without communication as long as the sex was on point.

Becka wasn’t about to play prop to a man, and she might like sex, but she had more respect for herself than to be some guy’s one A.M. booty call while he was trying to date other women. As a result, every single time she’d tried to actually date someone, it had gone down in flames sooner rather than later.

Like mother, like daughter.

She straightened her spine, but she couldn’t look at him. If she met those gray-blue eyes, she was a goner. “It’s been fun. Really fun. But let’s leave this on a high note. I want to be a fond memory, something that will never get a chance to lose its shine.”

His bitter laugh made her stomach drop. “Sounds like you already have the narrative set.”

Better me setting the narrative than playing supporting role in someone else’s. “I do.” She forced her hand to turn the doorknob and open the door, because if she didn’t move right then, she’d go back to him and let him spin whatever pretty fantasy until she actually believed it. It wasn’t the truth. She knew that, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it. “Have a nice life, Aaron.”

Becka walked out the door without looking back.

CHAPTER THREE

Twelve weeks later

“THAT ABOUT SUMS it up. The new account didn’t request anything fancy, but we’d be assholes if we left them exposed. Better to just go the extra mile.” Aaron slid the file across the table to his business partner, Cameron O’Clery. “You want to handle this one, or should I?” Their security business focused heavily on all things tech related, and this new account was no different. Once they got the initial cybersecurity laid down, they would maintain it for as long as their retainer was paid, but it took time to figure out exactly what the client needed—and often enough, it wasn’t what the client thought they needed.

Cameron flipped through it. “You usually don’t ask me—you just dole out the clients.”

Aaron tensed, but it was the truth. He tended to be the client-facing part of the company, and he picked and chose which ones he passed to Cameron because Cameron...wasn’t particularly patient with people he considered too stupid to live. Unfortunately for any prospective business-client relationships, Cameron found ninety percent of the world too stupid to live. Some clients could handle his attitude because he was the best cybersecurity expert in the city, and some couldn’t. Part of Aaron’s job was figuring that out. “We’re partners.”

“Never said we weren’t.” Cameron sat back and laced his fingers behind his head. He was a big fucker, his white T-shirt stretched tight against his dark skin. He narrowed brown eyes at Aaron. “You’re off your game—have been for weeks. I didn’t ask, but if it’s going to affect the job, maybe it’s time to.”

“It’s nothing.” Just a blue-haired woman he couldn’t seem to scrub from his mind. He hadn’t tracked Becka down after she’d left so abruptly because she couldn’t have been clearer in wanting nothing to do with him. If he was smart, he would have left what happened between them in that room behind as easily as she had.

But she haunted his dreams.

He kept waking up and reaching for her, only to find himself alone in bed. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense. It had been sex—outstanding, earth-shattering sex, but sex. A single fuck shouldn’t screw with his mind so effectively.

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.” Cameron held his hands up. “Not my business. Just handle your shit, Aaron. I can take this client.”

He thought about the timid man who had signed the contract earlier that day and sat back. “Nah, I got it. This guy needs a softer touch.”

“Shit. Take it.” Cameron slid the file back to him with a disgusted look on his face. “I’ve got to tie up a few loose ends with the last one. She came back wanting changes despite the job being done. Nothing I can’t handle, but it’s a pain in the ass.”

“Always is.” Aaron grabbed the file and rose. “Let me know if you need an assist.”

“I don’t.” Cameron frowned. “Though I think we might need to expand the team to include someone to handle paperwork and all that shit. It’s taking too much time from the jobs themselves, and you know how I feel about paperwork.”

“The same way you feel about most things.” He hated it.

Cameron nodded. “I’ll post a job opening. Figure they can man the phones and the main email account to field and file prospective clients. Frees you up to focus on the jobs and stop handling me.”

Considering Aaron didn’t know who they would hire who was capable of handling Cameron, he just nodded. It was a problem for another day. First, he had to arrange a secondary meeting with the new client and bring them up to date with the prospective client list sitting in his inbox. Throwing a new person into the mix without them being caught up was a recipe for disaster.

That said, it would be nice to delegate some of the more tedious tasks. “Sounds like a plan.”

He headed out of the room. They owned the entire floor of this building, but they really only utilized their respective offices, a boardroom and a waiting room that was more neglected than anything else.

Their cybersecurity company was small, but both he and Cameron preferred it that way. With the reputation they’d spent years building, they could handpick their clients and charge top dollar for their services. But the demand seemed to be increasing lately, which meant they’d have to hire that secretary—and potentially add a cybersecurity specialist or two to their team—sooner, rather than later.

Aaron stopped in the hallway and tried to picture what the waiting room would look like with someone at the desk livening up the place. He preferred to take his meetings with clients off-site, and Cameron preferred not to take them at all. Aaron shook his head. If the secretary stayed on for more than a week, it’d be a fucking miracle.

His phone started ringing as he strode into his office. He cursed and fished it out of his pocket. An unfamiliar number scrolled across the screen. Aaron took a breath and put his professional persona on. “Aaron Livingston.”

“Hey, Aaron.”

Three months later, he’d still recognize Becka’s voice anywhere. He walked back to his office, shut his door, and moved around his desk to sit down. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.” He realized how that must sound and grimaced. “But I’m glad you called.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to call.” Her voice went thick as if she was...holding back tears? “Funny story. Remember when the condom broke? Well, apparently the pill isn’t one hundred percent foolproof because, surprise, I’m pregnant.”

He waited for the words to rearrange themselves into an order that made sense. They stayed stubbornly in place. “What?”

“Pregnant. With your kid.” She cleared her throat. “I, ah, I wasn’t going to keep it, but I chickened out at the last second, and it turns out I want this baby. I’m sorry. I swear to God I didn’t know this would happen, and I don’t expect anything from you. It’s not your problem—it’s mine. I just... I thought you should know.”

A baby.

His baby.

With Becka.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus. She thought he would wash his hands of this. Aaron had questions—a whole hell of a lot of questions—but he didn’t honestly believe that Becka had tricked him into getting her pregnant. She sounded upset and scared, and the fact she’d let that slip through what he surmised were impressive shields meant she was exponentially more freaked out. How long have you been sitting on this knowledge, scared and alone?

He wasn’t about to let her shoulder it by herself. That child was half his, and if she was keeping it, he would be in the baby’s life. End of story.

That decided, he opened his eyes, plan in place. “Where are you?”

“What? I’m at home.”

“Text me the address.”

She hesitated, and he could almost see her arguing with herself about having him in her house. Well, too fucking bad. Whether she liked it or not, Aaron was in her life, and he wasn’t going anywhere. They had a future in common, one way or another. Finally, Becka sighed. “Okay.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up and stared at his phone.

His life had just taken a hard right turn. He had no fucking idea how he was going to keep it from going off the rails entirely. One step at a time. Talk to Becka in person. Be calm. Reassure her. Get her to see things your way.

Shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?

Becka nearly paced a hole in her floor waiting for Aaron to show up. She should have realized he was going to demand to see her face-to-face when she called, but part of her had honestly thought he’d be relieved not to be asked to do anything. Isn’t that what most guys wanted in a shitty situation like this? To be absolved of all responsibility so they could go on with their lives unscathed while the woman was left to clean up the mess they’d created together?

You were projecting and you damn well know it. She caught herself wringing her hands and cursed. “I can do better than this. It’s just a baby.”

A baby she hadn’t signed up for.

She touched her stomach gingerly. There were none of the symptoms movies had told her to expect—aside from being extra exhausted all the time—but her doctor had confirmed there was, in fact, a baby growing inside her. A freaking baby.

She didn’t know how to be a mom. Lucy was the nurturer. The planner. The one who took care of everyone around her and was universally loved as a result. Becka had too much of their mother in her. She was too selfish, too bitchy, just too much across the board. Up until she made the call to keep the baby, she’d been sure she didn’t want kids at all—better to let the sins of the past lie and not tempt fate. Lucy always told her there was no reason to think they’d end up like their parents, but Becka didn’t believe her any more now than she had as a kid.

The buzzer sounded, and she jumped half out of her skin. “Shit.” Aaron was here. There was no time to think of a new, better plan. There was nothing left to do but buzz him up.

Thirty seconds later, she opened the door and froze. How had she forgotten how magnetic he was? His broad shoulders took up the space of her narrow door frame, and he wore a suit that probably cost as much as a couple months of her rent. Becka belatedly realized she was blocking the entrance and stepped back, letting him into her apartment.

He looked around, and she could almost see the thoughts rolling through his head. Shabby place. Secondhand furniture. A hole in the drywall from where she’d accidentally kicked it in when she fell out of a headstand a year ago. It was clean, but she was barely there long enough to sleep between teaching classes at Allie’s gym, Transcend, and her second job as a personal trainer at an upscale facility downtown. She’d never seen a reason to spiff up the place when that money could be spent in better places.

Now, she kind of wished she’d told Aaron to meet her somewhere else so he wouldn’t have seen this.

He turned as she shut the door and gave her an equally thorough examination. His gaze landed on her flat stomach and then rose to her face. “You’re not facing this alone.”

It was tempting to throw herself at his feet and beg him to hold her until this whole thing went away. Fear ate at the edges of her mind, and there was no easy answer to combat it. Hell, there were no answers at all.

But Becka had spent all her adult life fighting to stand on her own. She wasn’t about to compromise that now for a man who was essentially a stranger. She lifted her chin. “Easy for you to say. I’m the one incubating the kid, and I’m going to be the one solely responsible for its needs.”

“In this...apartment.” The way he said the last word translated to hovel.

She glared. “There’s nothing wrong with my apartment.”

“You have a hole in your wall.” He stalked around her kitchen. “Water damage on the floor.” The living room. “The rugs are worn down to nothing.” Aaron almost sounded like he was talking to himself instead of her. “If you don’t have money to repair this place, you sure as fuck don’t have money to give our baby everything he or she needs.”

She wanted to tell him she didn’t need him at all, that she’d find a way, but the hard reality was that Aaron had money and Becka didn’t. She made a comfortable living for herself, but she didn’t need much to get by in the grand scheme of things.

A baby changed that.

She turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. You can compromise. Try it—just this once. “I’m willing to negotiate some kind of...child support or something. If that’s something you’re comfortable with.” She wasn’t comfortable with it, but she’d suck up her pride and get over herself if it meant he could help her meet the baby’s needs.

“No.”

Becka turned back to find Aaron shaking his head and doing another circuit around her apartment. “What?”

“I said, no.” He poked the threadbare pillow on the couch. “You can’t live like this while you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be living like this right now.”

“Excuse me?” Anger flared through her, and she welcomed it with open arms. Easier to be angry than to be scared, easier to fight than to admit she was in over her head and didn’t know what she was going to do. “There’s nothing wrong with my apartment.”

“The list of everything wrong with this place is longer than we have time for. Pack your bags. We’re leaving.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re crazy.”

“No, you’re crazy if you think I’m going to let the mother of my future child live in these conditions when I have a perfectly adequate apartment that will fit both of us and the baby without crowding.” He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “I have a spare room, if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t expect you to be in my bed.”

The top of her head damn near exploded. “No.”

“Wrong answer.”

She sputtered. “You can’t just decide to move me in with you. That’s not how any of this works.”

Aaron stalked to the fridge and opened it. He barked out a laugh. “I suspected as much. There isn’t even fucking food in your fridge.” He turned and glared. “Let me lay it out for you—you have two options.”

“I choose the option where you get the hell out of my life.”

“That’s not on the list.” If anything, her anger only made him calmer, icier. He nodded at the door leading into her bedroom. “You can walk in there, pack your shit and come with me to my place. You’ll settle in. It will take some adjusting, but it’s doable.” He shrugged. “Or I can call your sister and brother-in-law—and Roman and Allie, since they have a vested interest in your well-being—and we can all have a sit-down about your current living conditions and how you’re rejecting a perfectly reasonable plan out of hand.”

Checkmate.

She could actually hear the cage click into place around her. Becka didn’t have a chance in hell of winning that argument with all the parties involved. Allie would be sympathetic to her plight, but Lucy would offer a secondary option of moving in with her. Both Gideon and Roman would go into protective older brother roles and, no matter which way they fell on the argument, Becka wouldn’t come out on top. She didn’t stand a chance.

She snarled. “That’s blackmail.”

“It’s called skillful negotiation. You should try it sometime.”

I will not punch my baby daddy. I will not just chop him in his stupidly attractive throat.

She counted to ten, but it did nothing to lower her blood pressure. There had to be a way out of this. Aaron was obviously only steamrolling her because he had an honorable streak that apparently demanded he borderline kidnap her. Okay, maybe not that honorable. She just needed to buy some time, to get a little distance to figure out what she wanted.

It was the one thing Becka couldn’t pin down.

She knew she wanted the baby. The rest was terrifyingly hazy.

She gritted her teeth. “I’ll consider it.”

He stared at her so long, she just knew he was weighing his options—including throwing her over his shoulder and hauling her ass back to his place. Finally, Aaron nodded. “You have until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“At that point, I’m coming back here. Whether I come back alone or with Roman and Gideon in tow is entirely up to you.” He strode to the door and paused to look over his shoulder at her. “Don’t let stubbornness get in the way of what’s best for the baby.” He was gone before she could give in to the impulse to throw something at his head.

Becka stumbled over to her ugly green couch and sank onto it. She let her head fall to her hands and spit out every single curse she knew. It didn’t make her feel better. She wasn’t sure anything could make her feel better at this point.

“I am so freaking screwed.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“OKAY, LET ME see if I have this straight—you’re pregnant.”

Becka didn’t lift her face from the pillow. Maybe if she concentrated, her couch would swallow her whole and she wouldn’t have to deal with this mess anymore. She’d called Allie in desperation, but confessing the truth had taken the last of her energy and now all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and wait for this to blow over. Fat chance of that happening.

Allie’s footsteps echoed through the apartment. “You’re pregnant,” she repeated. “Okay, right. Pregnant.”

“You said that already. Three times.”

“Right. And it’s Aaron Livingston’s. And Aaron wants you to move in with him for, what, the duration of the pregnancy? Or are you supposed to live there forever?”

She groaned and pressed her face harder into the pillow. “He didn’t specify.”

“Because you kicked him out after yelling at him that you’d live with him over your dead body.”

Becka frowned and lifted her head. Allie stood across the small living room, her hands on her hips. She looked like some kind of plus-size superhero on her day off, her blond hair windblown and her black leggings and fitted sweater comfortable and stylish. But it was the contemplative look on her face that sent alarm bells pealing through Becka’s head. “You don’t sound angry and self-righteous. Why don’t you sound angry and self-righteous? You should be angry and self-righteous.”

“Unpopular opinion—but Aaron Livingston isn’t a total monster.”

She rolled onto her back and flung her arm over her eyes. “That lack of monstrosity really commends him to be my baby daddy.”

“Becka, I’m serious. He and Roman are good friends. I’ve hung out with him a few times.” She hesitated long enough that Becka lifted her arm and shot her a look. Allie seemed to be silently arguing with herself. Finally, she said, “I think you should do it.”

“What?”

“I know you, and if I offer for you to stay with me and Roman, you’re going to say—”

“Hell, no.” She didn’t need her family and friends to swoop in and take care of her. Becka had gotten into this situation on her own—well, technically with Aaron, but whatever—and she wasn’t going to drag anyone else in alongside her. Allie and Lucy finally had things working out for them. They didn’t need Becka’s mistakes putting a damper on their happily-ever-afters.

Which really only left her one option.

She closed her eyes. “Damn it, I have to do it, don’t I?”

“I mean, you could put on your martyr’s sash and try to power through it on your own, but that’s not going to accomplish anything but to save your pride—and only for a while.”

She would need help eventually. Whether it was financially or with babysitting or... God, Becka didn’t know where to start.

Easy. You start with Aaron and go from there.

“If I change my mind, he’s going to have me over a barrel.”

“Sounds like your kind of kink.”

Becka made a face. “Very funny.” The earlier encounter with Aaron had been over so quickly, she could almost tell herself she hadn’t noticed how good he looked. Life was complicated enough without her still being attracted to Aaron. Stop borrowing trouble. You have enough of it as things stand. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. “I’m in over my head. I want this baby, but...there are so many strings attached. I knew there would be, but I really didn’t expect him to go full-on caveman on me over this. He was seconds away from knocking me over the head and dragging me out of here by my hair.”

Allie circled around the coffee table and crouched next to her. “You have options, you know. No matter how cornered you feel right now, there’s always more than one path forward. We just need to sit down and figure it out.”

That was the problem, though—she’d been doing nothing but thinking about her options going forward. Becka had always been better at acting first and worrying about the consequences later. So much inaction was not only unnatural, it stressed her the fuck out.

Allie nodded as if she’d said something. “You’ve already decided you’re going to do things his way. That’s okay. But if you change your mind at any point, that’s okay, Becka. You’re not trapped, no matter what it feels like right now.”

Trapped.

That was a good word. Becka rubbed a hand over her face. Now that she’d actually let herself decide, there was no reason to delay. If she held off too long, she had no doubt Aaron would come charging through her door again and then she’d have to tell him to fuck off out of sheer principle and it would be a case of cutting off her nose to spite her face. That wouldn’t actually help anyone.

She grabbed her phone off the coffee table and typed out a quick text to Aaron. You win this round. Text me your address.

The reply appeared before she had a chance to set the phone back down. I’ll pick you up in two hours.

Becka glared. “The man is insufferable.”

Allie leaned over to read the message. “Insufferable in kind of a sexy way, though. There’s something about a guy who takes charge that’s really attractive.”

“You only say that because you’re deeply in love with Roman. Seriously, do alpha males travel in a pack, because between Roman and Gideon and Aaron...” She shuddered. “You would have thought they’d do the lone wolf thing.”

“Lone wolves and alpha wolves are two very different things.”

“Thanks, National Geographic.” She glared harder at her phone and stabbed out a response. I will haul my own damn things. Give me your address. Compromise is your friend.

I can compromise. You have three hours.

“God!” She tossed her phone onto the table and shot to her feet, nearly knocking her friend over. She stalked to her bedroom and started throwing clothes onto her bed. She wasn’t moving in with him, but she would give him the benefit of the doubt—barely—and stay there for a little while to give the whole thing a trial.

The way things were going, it might be a very short trial.

Allie wisely decided to stand in the doorway and out of range. “What do you need from me?”

She loved her friend so freaking much for not putting any demands on her or trying to tell her how she should be reacting or feeling. That was Allie, though. She devoted her life to supporting women who needed it. Allie’s gym, Transcend, was linked up with a local women’s shelter, so the classes were women only. Becka always enjoyed getting them pumped up. It was a safe space for them to do something for themselves, and Becka was just a small part of that, but she loved it.

Allie might be understanding to the extreme, but Lucy wouldn’t be. Her sister had always been her opposite, and for better or worse, Lucy would have something to say about this whole baby situation. It was the logical, collected nature of her older sibling. Becka had to tell her eventually, but she wasn’t ready. Lucy would give her that look, the one that always got on her face when Becka screwed up or went too far.

When I act too much like our mother.

She couldn’t stand the thought of her sister’s disappointment. And there would be disappointment. This wasn’t an oops baby between Becka and some longtime boyfriend. This was a pregnancy as the result of a one night stand with a man she barely knew.

No, she wasn’t ready to tell Lucy about the baby.

She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready.

Becka dumped her gym bag next to the growing pile of clothes. “I don’t know what I need.” She stopped. “I’m a mess, and I don’t think that’s going to be changing any time soon, but I promise not to be too unbearable.”

“Oh honey.” Allie crossed the room in a few short steps and pulled Becka into her arms. She hugged her hard. “I know this is scary and you’re overwhelmed, but I don’t have a single doubt about you being the best mom out there. You have the luckiest little lima bean ever.”

“Lima bean.”

“Well, yeah. That’s about the size the baby is right now? I mean...”

“It’s actually closer to a lime.” She’d looked it up after the doctor confirmed the pregnancy.

“Oh wow, that’s a huge difference.” Allie laughed. “That’s not a very cute nickname, anyways. I can come up with better.”

Becka hugged her back hard. “No, I like it. Lima bean fits.” She didn’t have the heart to tell Allie that she wasn’t sure about being even a good mom, let alone the best one. Becka didn’t have much of a role model for that one, but she’d be damned before she made the same mistakes her mother did.

Except for the part where you got knocked up by a near stranger out of wedlock. So far, I’m swinging for the fences with walking in her footsteps.

Aaron half expected Becka not to be home when he arrived. He was pushing her too hard and he damn well knew it, but he couldn’t seem to get control of himself. The thought of her living in that run-down little apartment by herself, where the security was lackluster at best and the walls seemed a strong breeze away from coming down around her ears... It made him crazy. He’d never really thought about kids, other than as a vaguely theoretical “someday” in the equally vague future, but now that he had an actual baby on the way, he wasn’t about to stand back and let it want for anything.

That included living arrangements.

He clenched his jaw as he walked through Becka’s door. The place wasn’t any better than the first time he’d been there. If anything, the flaws were only more glaring. He’d missed the water stain on the wall before, where someone overhead had obviously had a leak that had come through to Becka’s apartment. Or the crack in her window that wouldn’t keep out the cold—or the heat.

She didn’t look at him as she reached for the pile of bags at her feet and shouldered her backpack. “This is temporary, Aaron. I’m not prepared to sign my life away to be your kept woman, baby or no. If you pull another high-handed move like you did earlier, I’m out and I’m not coming back.”

He clenched his jaw harder. Do not yell at her contrary ass. Be calm. Be fucking rational. “You mentioned compromise.”

“I’m surprised you know the word.”

Aaron scooped up the remaining three bags and shot her a look that dared her to argue with him taking them. “Let’s go. I have a car waiting downstairs.” He chose to ignore her muttering uncomplimentary things and followed her down the dim hallway to the rickety elevator. Through it all, he kept his damn mouth shut. They were both on a hair trigger, and he didn’t need to be the one to set things aflame. Especially not now that they needed to sit down and have a serious discussion.

But he still couldn’t stop himself from asking. “When did you know?”

“Four weeks ago.” She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and marched out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, Aaron on her heels.

“You’ve known for a month and only called me yesterday.”

“That is how math works.”

He instinctively held the front door open for her and pointed at the black car idling at the curb. Aaron grabbed her backpack and loaded all the bags into the trunk. He joined Becka in the back seat, his irritation only growing when she pulled out her phone and started playing some puzzle game. “Why didn’t you call me as soon as you knew?”

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so there was no reason to bring you into the conversation until I made my decision.”

If she wanted to keep it or not.

He stared straight ahead as his driver merged into traffic. Aaron knew he ultimately had no say in her choice, and he wouldn’t have taken that from her even if the thought of her terminating the pregnancy opened a hole in his chest that he didn’t know how to process. He’d known he was going to be a father for less than twelve hours. There was absolutely no logical reason for him already to be attached to the idea of this baby, let alone the baby itself. It wasn’t even really a baby yet.

None of that seemed to matter.

He looked back at Becka, noting the changes he’d been too distracted to take in earlier. Even without the makeup she’d worn the night he met her, her skin damn near glowed, and her still-blue hair, though now more turquoise than actual blue, seemed glossier. His gaze skated over her black leggings and still-flat stomach to her breasts pressing against her tank top. Those have definitely changed.

“Stop ogling me.” She spoke without looking up from her phone.

Since there was no question that ogling was exactly what he’d been doing, he went on the offensive. “Have you been eating? You don’t look like you’ve gained any weight.”

Becka snorted. “Yes, Mother, I’ve been eating. It’s normal not to gain much in the first trimester, especially since I’m so active and this is my, ah, first pregnancy.”

He racked his brain for what little pregnancy knowledge he had and...came up short. Aaron’s sisters were both younger than him and hadn’t had children yet. His mother wasn’t much of a sharer, and even if she was, she wouldn’t have gone into detail with her only son when it came to her pregnancies. Besides, he’d never had a reason to ask before.

He had to brush up on his knowledge, maybe read a few books. He’d attend the doctor’s appointments with Becka, of course, but Aaron didn’t like to walk into any encounter without having a decent idea of how it would play out. He’d rather be armed with all the information and possibilities before the conversation even began.

He shot another look at her to make sure she wasn’t paying any attention to him, and then spent several minutes ordering the top-rated pregnancy books available. Aaron hesitated, then put express shipping on the order and plugged in the address to the office. If Cameron bothered to open the box, he might give Aaron shit, but it was better than the alternative: Becka finding them and getting her back up.

Even with traffic, they made it to his penthouse in good time. He led the way through the lobby and to the elevator. “I’ll get you added to the list of people with access to the floor tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll get your space set up and talk over dinner.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

He punched the button for his floor. “You just got done telling me that you eat.”

“I do eat.” She sounded like she was clenching her jaw as hard as he was. “I also only eat when I’m hungry, and right now I’m not hungry.”

She was too skinny, surely. Aaron opened his mouth and then reconsidered. Becka might have chosen to be here with him, but it was a tenuous alliance. Even with his threat of involving her sister and friend and their respective men, there was nothing really holding Becka to him. He’d be on the birth certificate—he’d sue for paternity if he had to—but they had at least eighteen years of dealing with each other in front of them.

And he’d essentially gotten them started by blackmailing her.

Way to go, Livingston. You played this all wrong.

The doors opened into a foyer that separated his penthouse from anyone who had access. He keyed in his code and held the door for her. “This way.” He slipped past her and led the way through the open living room and kitchen to the short hallway. There were three doors. Aaron pointed at the one on the right. “Bathroom.” Center. “My room.” Left. “Your room.”

“Thanks,” she bit out. Becka slid past him and walked into the room. She took it in with a cursory glance and crossed her arms over her chest. “Leave my bags. Please.” The last sounded more afterthought than genuine politeness.

Aaron didn’t move. “We need to talk, Becka.”

“And we will.” She looked everywhere but at him. “You got what you wanted, Aaron. I’m here. I know this might sound shocking, but today wore me out. I want to unpack my clothes and maybe take a bath and just decompress a little without having to plan the next six months—the next eighteen years—tonight. That okay with you?” She lifted her chin, her posture telling him she didn’t give a fuck if it was okay with him.

He could keep pushing. She was off center and defensive, but maybe she needed to know he was actually all in with this shit.

Then again, Aaron didn’t know Becka well enough to anticipate how she’d respond. His threat earlier was a well-placed guess based on her close relationship with both her sister and Allie—and his knowledge of Gideon and Roman. But going forward, he was in the dark in a big way. He needed more information, and he needed it fast.

Until then, there was nothing wrong with letting Becka settle into his home and make herself comfortable. He could use the time for a little reconnaissance to pave the way before the baby books arrived. “If you change your mind about food, I can order takeout.” Aaron hesitated. “Is there anything that’s a hard no for you foodwise right now?”

She narrowed her eyes. “So you can keep trying to feed me?”

“No, minx, so I don’t order some kind of takeout that triggers your morning sickness and makes you miserable.”

Becka’s eyes widened. “Oh. Well.” She uncrossed her arms and shifted her feet. “No fish. I wasn’t sick the first trimester, so no reason to think it will start now, but fish is a hard limit.”

He kept his smile under lock and key. “No fish. Got it.” He stepped around her and set her bags on the bed. “If you need anything—”

“What I need is space.” She bit her bottom lip, worrying the piercing there. “But thanks. I know this wasn’t exactly expected news and you’re handling it a lot better than I thought you would.” Becka made a face. “Stop trying to steamroll me, though.”

“I make no promises.” He almost reached out, almost drew her into his arms and promised that whatever came, they would face it down together...

That wasn’t how this story went. The sex might have been outstanding, but the ultimate truth was that Aaron didn’t know shit about Becka Baudin. He didn’t know her likes and dislikes, her favorite things, her history, what kind of mother she’d be.

Six months didn’t seem nearly long enough to figure it out.

One day at a time. First get the information you need, then formulate a plan of attack.

If he wanted to be in Becka’s life—in the baby’s life—then he needed to convince her that she wanted him there. Right now, his chances didn’t look particularly promising, but Aaron had faced down impossible odds before. He would again.

After he regrouped.

But tomorrow was a new day, and he wasn’t about to give her enough space to keep building the already impressive wall she had in place between them.

CHAPTER FIVE

BECKA’S ATTITUDE LASTED until she walked into the bathroom. She turned a slow circle, taking in the broody gray walls, the silvery tiles blocking out a walk-in shower, and a jetted tub big enough to fit three people. Or a pregnant woman who’s twice her normal size.

Worry about that later.

The list of things she would worry about later continued to grow, but she’d add that to the list, too. Right now, her entire body hurt, as if she’d done three spin classes in a single day, and she just wanted a hot soak and to not think about anything at all. At least Aaron had backed off and given her space. Despite the nine-foot ceilings and massive square footage, the walls of this penthouse threatened to close in on her.

She wasn’t trapped.

She could leave whenever she wanted.

Knowing that was the only thing that kept her from running screaming into the night. She was here by choice. It might be a manipulated choice, but it was still her choice.

Becka got the water going at the right temperature and then went snooping around the room. The cabinet under the sink had the expected cleaning tools, all damn near shining from being so clean themselves. Next were the artfully displayed soaps situated on the little corner table next to the bath. There were essential oils and bath bombs and lady-looking shower gels. Becka picked up a bath bomb and gave a sniff. It was something flowery and feminine and had no place in this supermasculine home.

She shot to her feet and marched out of the bathroom. Following the clacking of keyboard keys, she stalked into the living room and waved the bath bomb at Aaron. “When did you buy this?”

“What?”

“This.” She shoved it nearly under his nose. “Were you so damn sure of yourself that you went and bought me bath products? What the hell is even wrong with you?”

His lips quirked. “I didn’t buy those.”

“They’re in your bathroom.” She realized what she was saying and took a hasty step back. Of course Aaron hadn’t bought them. They were clearly a woman’s choice, and Aaron was very much not a woman. Oh God. Becka pasted a smile on her face, hoping it looked realer than it felt. “I didn’t realize you were seeing someone.” He hadn’t been three months ago... She was pretty sure.

No, I might not know a lot, but Aaron was single when we were together. He’s not that kind of guy.

But three months was a long time in the grand scheme of things. She hadn’t called him, hadn’t given him any indication that she ever would call him. Of course he hadn’t waited for her. She hadn’t expected him to. It certainly wasn’t disappointment souring her stomach at the thought of some mystery woman in Aaron’s bed, using Aaron’s ridiculous bathtub, lounging next to Aaron on his leather couch at the end of the day.

He set his laptop aside and pushed to his feet in a smooth move. It left him towering over her, and he took a step closer, bringing them nearly chest to chest. “I’m not seeing anyone, minx.”

Minx.

She tried not to let the casual endearment warm her, tried to stand firm and hold on to her anger. “Then, what is this?”

He studied her, his blue-gray eyes seeing too much. “You’re jealous.”

“Not even a little bit.” I am totally jealous. She took a quick step back. “There’s nothing to be jealous of. I just wanted to know if I’m stepping on some woman’s toes. It is such a man-stupid thing to do to invite your baby mama to live with you without talking to your girlfriend about it first.”

Aaron didn’t move, but he seemed closer. “Give me a little credit. Pulling something like that is a piece of shit move, and I’d never do it. Which is all a moot point because I’m not seeing anyone. I haven’t since the wedding.”

Since they’d had sex.

It probably had no significance. She’d be a fool to think it could possibly mean anything. The only thing that’s a moot point is this playing out in anything less than disaster. I’m having his baby. I don’t know him. He doesn’t know me. Moving me in with him doesn’t change that. She looked away. “That’s not my business.”

“Considering you’re now living with me, it’s at least partially your business.” He paused as if debating something with himself and then shifted to bring her attention back to him. Aaron was oh so serious when he said, “I won’t bring anyone back here without talking about it with you first. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that you give me the same courtesy.”

Men. He means men.

Maybe she wasn’t the only one who was jealous. Aaron hadn’t questioned the baby being his, and she hadn’t offered up any information. He put himself out there, a little bit. Would it kill me to do the same? Becka wrapped her arms around herself and stared at his left collarbone where it pressed against his plain black T-shirt. She had no business noting that he looked good in lounge pants and a shirt. Comfortable. As if in addition to doing whatever his job was—something high-powered and expensive, from the penthouse and the suits—he could also kick back with a beer and some football on the weekends.

She backed away, one careful step at a time. “I left the tub on.”

“Becka.”

She moved faster but paused in the entrance to the hallway. “I haven’t been with anyone since then, either.” She wasn’t about to examine that fact too closely. In the months leading up to the wedding, she’d been too busy to bother finding someone to scratch that particular itch, and after...

“The bath shit is from my sister.” He still watched her too closely. “My youngest sister, Trish, seems to think it’s a crime against God for me to own that tub without some equally fancy bath products to go into it.”

“She’s not wrong.” It was all she could handle. The strange mix of emotions curdling her stomach sent her fleeing back into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. Not because she thought Aaron would barge in, but because she didn’t trust herself. If the sound of the water running hadn’t been in the background for their entire conversation, a constant reminder that their time was limited, Becka might have done something unforgivable.

Like kiss Aaron.

She turned off the water—not a moment too soon—and gave the bath bomb another cautious sniff. When it didn’t set off any crazy pregnancy reaction, she unwrapped it and dropped it into the tub. While it fizzed and turned the water blue, Becka stripped. She took baths all the time, though the tub in her apartment was so small, she either had to have her legs halfway up the wall or sit with her entire torso freezing. She’d never once been so aware of the slide of her clothing against her skin before it fell to the floor. Impossible to ignore the fact that Aaron was right there on the other side of the door. In the same penthouse. Looking good enough to lick.

She gave herself a shake. Stupid pregnancy hormones. Everyone promised morning sickness and strange food cravings and exhaustion that never seemed to end. Becka was more tired than normal, sure, and she’d developed a fondness for peanut butter that bordered on obsession, but the main difference she’d seen was that she was turned on. All. The. Time. She’d been getting herself off twice a day for months, and half the time it barely took the edge off. She wanted, needed, and hadn’t been able to take that leap.

The truth was that she hadn’t wanted to.

Because the man she pictured every time she slipped her hand between her thighs to stroke her clit was Aaron.

The same man only a few rooms away.

“I will not be ruled by my stupid hormones. Hormones are what got me into this situation in the first place.” She carefully stepped into the water and sank down until her body below her neck was submerged. A moan slipped free despite her best efforts. “Oh God.”

Who needed sex when she had this bathtub?

Becka reached over and flipped the switch to get the jets going. She leaned back and closed her eyes. It would have to be enough. Things were complicated enough without falling back into bed with Aaron. It was one mistake she couldn’t afford to make twice.

If she could just convince herself of that, everything would be fine.

Aaron waited for the water to start running before he walked to the kitchen and pulled the book from his briefcase. He and Becka had fallen into something of a pattern over the last week. An agonizing pattern, but one all the same. She left sometime around five each morning to teach one of her classes, pausing barely long enough to grab a cup of coffee and mutter a greeting to him. They both arrived back at his place around six and then shared some kind of dinner. Then she took a shower followed by a bath. In that order.

If the last seven days were anything to go by, she’d emerge from the bathroom in a little over an hour, wrapped in a towel that covered her from chest to knees and dart into her bedroom. He wouldn’t see her again until morning.

It was like living with a wild animal that feared contact. Every time he got too close, or moved too purposefully toward her, she fled back into her room and shut the door. If it hadn’t been for the first night, for her anger over the idea of him with someone else, he might have thought...

Aaron didn’t know what he would have thought. This wasn’t proceeding like he’d expected, but then he hadn’t had shit for a plan to begin with.

He settled onto the couch and flipped open the baby book. It tracked pregnancy by week with the various changes to both the mother and the baby, as well as overviews of each trimester and what to expect. He was more than a little in awe, but the new knowledge wasn’t enough to ignore the fact that he and Becka still hadn’t actually talked.

He flipped the page to the next set of FAQs. Aaron paused, the first sentence catching his eye. Bathing while pregnant. He read with increasing agitation as the book outlined the recommendation of keeping bath temperatures below ninety-eight degrees, and comparing that information with Becka’s pink skin and flushed cheeks every night. “Goddamn it.” He shot to his feet and stalked down the hallway to the bathroom door. Aaron banged on it. “Becka! Open the door!”

Cursing sounded, and a second later, she yanked the door open, a towel clutched at her chest. Her hair was wet, but from the half-filled tub behind her, she’d only gotten through the shower portion of her nightly routine. She glared. “What the hell do you need right this second?”

He held up the book and pointed to the section he’d just read. “No more hot baths.”

Becka’s brows slammed down. “My baths are fine.”

“Yes, yes, the baths are fine. I’m talking about the scalding temperatures.” He shoved the book at her and headed into the kitchen to find the thermometer Trish had insisted he needed the last time she visited New York. It was technically for meat, but it should work in a pinch. He strode back into the bathroom, finding Becka exactly where he’d left her, reading with a pinched look on her face. Aaron slid past her and stuck the thermometer into the bathwater, impatiently watching the red line climb. It hovered just over one hundred degrees, so he cranked the cold water more fully on. “It’s bad for the baby—and you—if it’s too hot.”

“Aaron.”

He waited for the thermometer to read the appropriate temperature before he sat back on his heels and turned to find Becka watching him with a strange look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“You bought a pregnancy book.” She looked at him like she’d never seen him before. “You’re reading a pregnancy book.”

“Well, yeah.” He stood and dried off his hand on his shirt. “I said you aren’t in this alone, and I meant it. I don’t know shit about pregnancy or babies, and until we know our plan, I’m hardly going to call up my mother and ask her for information. Books are the next best thing.”

Emotions flickered over her face, too fast for him to decipher. “You’d call your mother and ask her about my pregnancy.”

There was something going on here. Something more than just her being surprised he was doing his homework. Aaron approached her slowly, carefully. She just watched him without moving, her hand still fisting the towel just above her breasts. He stopped just within arm’s reach. “My family might kick my ass for knocking you up and letting you falter for three months without my being there, but this baby will be my parents’ first grandbaby. They’re going to care.” He made a face. “Honestly, as soon as he or she makes an appearance, I fully expect the entire Livingston clan to descend on this penthouse.”

Her lower lip quivered, just a little. “I didn’t know you were close to your parents. They’re still together?”

The question sounded innocent enough, but there were undertones there. Deep ones. “Thirty-seven years and counting. I’m the oldest, and I have two younger sisters. We’re close, though they both live a few hours north of the city so I don’t see them as much as everyone would like.”

“That’s nice.” The words were right, but they sounded forced.

He could pick up a clue, so he didn’t ask about her parents. He knew enough from Lucy to know that they weren’t in the picture—and hadn’t been for a while—but Aaron wasn’t willing to poke until Becka wanted to tell him. He wanted her to want to tell him, but he didn’t expect miracles. It wouldn’t happen this week. Or this month.

Patience.

His gaze snagged on Becka’s mouth, on the perfect curve of her bottom lip. Even after all this time, he could still taste her. Wanted to still taste her. He clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her. He was the one with all the power in this scenario. He wouldn’t abuse it. He refused to. What were they talking about before?

Right. My family. He cleared his throat. “I think you’ll like them.”

“Aaron?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to talk about your family anymore.” She let the book fall to the ground and released the towel. It hit the floor and Aaron found himself holding his breath as he traced her naked body with his gaze. He’d been wrong before—her stomach had changed, but it was such a gentle curve, he wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t looking for it. Her rosy nipples had darkened, and they pebbled as he watched, goose bumps raising along her skin in a wave.

He held himself chained in place. “What do you want, minx?”

“I think that’s kind of freaking obvious, don’t you?”

Yeah, but he wasn’t willing to make a single fucking assumption right now and risk damaging this tentative thing between them. “I’m going to need you to say it.”

She huffed out a breath and propped her hands on her hips. “You, jerk. I want you. Preferably naked, with your hands and mouth all over me, cumulating with me coming on your cock.”

CHAPTER SIX

BECKA WOULDN’T REACH for him. She had little but her pride left at this point and, honestly, she didn’t have much of that, either. Whether he realized it or not, Aaron threatened to hold all the cards in every single one of their interactions. She couldn’t give him even more power by following her very clear invitation up with anything other than waiting.

She’d made her move.

The ball was in his court.

Thank the Lord above, he didn’t make her wait long.

He walked to the bath and shut off the water and then he was there, engulfing her with his presence, wrapping his arms around her until her entire world narrowed down to him. As if he meant to shield her from anything life threw at her.

Stop that. He didn’t make anything resembling a promise when it comes to me. I can’t afford to get mixed up over him wanting to take care of the baby and him wanting me.

That didn’t keep her from leaning into his strong chest and inhaling deeply. His faint cologne made her toes curl, and she wanted to get beneath his shirt to see if it smelled different on his skin. Things had happened so quickly the first—the only—time, she hadn’t had a chance to explore him.

She wanted that chance now.

Becka reached for the hem of his shirt and tugged it up and over his head slowly. She silently marveled at the cut of his muscles. They were even more pronounced now than they had been three months ago. “Someone’s been spending time in the gym.”

“I had a lot of frustration to work out.” He rested his hands on her hips, letting her explore his chest and stomach. She was so busy tracing the line of his pecs that she almost missed his next words. “I still do.”

No way to misconstrue that statement.

He’s talking about me.

“Oh.” Good job, Becka. Excellent witty response. To cover up her confusion, she went onto her tiptoes and kissed him. The move pressed her breasts against his chest, and she moaned at how good it felt. Everything was more sensitive than normal, as if someone had hooked a live wire up to her and it covered every inch of her skin. “Touch me.”

He grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Aaron turned around and walked them to the bathroom counter and set her carefully on the marble. He ran a hand down the center of her chest, guiding her back to prop herself onto her hands and let him look at her. Though look was too mild a term. The man devoured her with his eyes, staring at her like she was an oasis in the middle of a desert and he wasn’t sure if she was real or a figment of his imagination. He was so damn buttoned up the rest of the time, but when he got his hands on her, a different part of Aaron came out to play. It made Becka feel just as wild and out of control to know that she was the cause of that switch being flipped.

She shoved down his pants just enough to free his cock. Becka stroked him, every muscle in her body shaking in anticipation. A person shouldn’t be able to be addicted to a cock after a single sexual encounter, but the sight of Aaron looming with his hands braced on the counter on either side of her hips and his cock in her hand...she couldn’t think of another place she’d rather be or another person she’d rather be with.

All she wanted was this moment.

This man.

Becka met his gaze as she guided his cock into her. There was no need for protection, not when that ship had most definitely sailed already, not when neither of them had been with anyone else in the meantime. And, crazy as it might be, she wanted him inside her with no barriers.

They had enough barriers in every other part of their lives to keep them apart. She didn’t want one here, too.

A muscle in Aaron’s jaw jumped as he sank into her inch by delicious inch, filling her completely. “You make me crazy.”

“You’re not the only one.” She didn’t even sound like herself. Her voice was too low, too breathy. Becka didn’t care. Not as long as the pleasure kept spiraling through her. “I need more, Aaron.”

“I’ve got more to give you, minx.” He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her to the edge of the counter, until she had to cling to him to keep from toppling off. He used his free hand to cup her jaw, tilting her face up so he could claim her mouth, and then he began to move.

Aaron slammed into her even as his tongue gently teased her lips open. He pounded into her while giving her the sweetest kiss of her life, and her body couldn’t make the two dueling sensations match up. There was no fighting it, though, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to. Instead, she clung to him and let him have full control of everything.

He tilted her back, still kissing her slowly, luxuriously. The new angle allowed him deeper, until his cock bumped the end of her with every thrust. It was too much and not enough. Pleasure built in brutal waves, each taking her closer and closer to the edge of no return. She gasped against his mouth, begging without words for completion. He responded by grinding his pelvis against her clit, and the friction sent her hurtling into an orgasm that made her toes curl. Aaron kept moving, drawing out her pleasure until she went limp in his arms. “Damn, that was good.”

His chuckle vibrated through her entire body. “We’re not done yet.”

She belatedly realized he was still hard inside her. Becka shivered. She wanted more. Of course she wanted more. But there was a difference between losing her mind and having a quickie in the bathroom and an entire night’s worth of sex.

What was that you were saying about the ship already sailing? If you wanted to keep the lines between you firm, you shouldn’t have jumped on his cock the first chance you got.

Shut up.

“Aaron...”

He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and simply breathed in the scent of him—of them. It was easier to talk like this, to open up just a little. “I don’t know what we’re doing.”

“I don’t, either.” His words brushed her lips. “But I don’t want to stop.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she did, but it would be a lie. There were so many reasons she should call this whole thing off, but she wanted to pretend, just for a little while, that she wasn’t really alone. He made her feel so damn good, and she wasn’t a decent enough person to turn away from what he was offering tonight. Becka licked her lips. “I don’t... I don’t want to stop, either.”

Aaron shifted back and ran his hand down the center of her chest. He paused for the beat of a heart, with his hand over her slightly rounded stomach, and lifted her, her legs still wrapped around him, to walk out of the bathroom and down the short hallway to his room. The movement of his steps had his cock shifting inside her, and she squirmed in his grip. He nipped her ear, and she could have sworn he was grinning when he said, “This time, we’re going slow.”

How could he be so measured when she had just come out of her goddamn skin?

Becka ran her hands up his arms to grip his biceps. “I’m willing to be convinced.”

“Mmm.” He laid her down in the center of his stupidly large bed. “We’re just getting started.”

He should have been talking to Becka, not fucking her brains out, but Aaron couldn’t convince himself to stop. It felt too good to be inside her again, to have her moving in sync with him as they both chased pleasure. Even if they figured nothing else out, they could figure this out.

She wanted control. Hell, he wanted it, too.

It wasn’t on the agenda right then.

Aaron pulled out of her and moved down her body, reacquainting himself with her. He palmed her breasts, kissing her nipples gently, and then harder when she laced her fingers through his hair and moaned. She’d been responsive before, not shy about telling him what she wanted, but seemed even more so now. He grinned against her skin. “Sensitive, aren’t they?”

“You have no idea.” She arched her back, offering her breasts to him again. “Don’t stop.”

He didn’t stop. He lavished her breasts with attention until she was writhing beneath him and cursing and praising his name in equal measures. Then and only then did Aaron move down her body to settle between her thighs. He was too wound up to keep teasing her, and the sight of her wet and wanting overwhelmed him. He fucked her with his tongue, stopping only when he had to hold her hips down, and then he shifted to suck her clit, working her with his lips and tongue. Her cries only spurred him on, making him as crazy as he was determined to make her.

Her breathless little laugh when she came did things to his chest that he didn’t know how to deal with.

Becka tugged on his shoulders. “Come here.”

He crawled up her body, but she was already turning, going up on her hands and knees. The picture she presented, the muscles lining her spine drawing his gaze down to her biteable ass... “Fuck, minx. The things you do to me.” He nudged her legs wider and guided his cock into her. Becka immediately dropped her chest to the mattress, the new angle drawing a curse from his lips. She didn’t just feel good. She felt like fucking heaven. He smoothed a hand up her spine and braced it against the mattress next to her head.

And then he started to move.

It had been fast and hard in the bathroom, but Aaron was determined to hold himself in check this time. He noted every catch of her breath, every moan, every time she pushed back to take him deeper. He gave her everything, focusing everything he had on coaxing another of those addicting giggles from her lips.

Lightning shot down his spine, but he fought it back, fought to hold out as long as he could. “Touch yourself. You promised to come around my cock. I want to feel it again.”

She snaked a hand under her stomach. He knew the exact moment her fingers made contact with her clit. She gasped and clenched around him, and it was everything he could do not to release then and there. So good. There were so many things wrong with this situation, but this wasn’t one of them. Every move she made was perfection, her body flowing in direct counterpoint with his, heightening his pleasure until he could barely breathe past it.

He wanted this to last forever.

He was afraid it might kill him if it did.

Aaron clenched her hips tighter and drove into her harder. She met him stroke for stroke, and then her entire body went tight and tense and that goddamn giggle slipped free. I could spend the rest of my life pursuing that fucking sound. He’d thought it before, but it never seemed realer than in this moment. His strokes became more frenzied, the need to imprint himself over every part of her taking him to the edge and beyond. Aaron cursed as he came, the pleasure going on and on until he slumped onto the bed next to her.

“Feel better?” Becka rolled to face him. Her hair was tangled on one side, and she had a sleepy smile on her face. The fact she was in his bed didn’t escape him in the least. It could be like this if we got out of each other’s way long enough to give it a chance. That was the problem, though. He didn’t know if it was possible to create a lasting peace. He didn’t know nearly enough about a lot of things when it came to Becka.

Belatedly, he realized she’d asked him a question. He propped his head on his hand. “What?”

Some of the sleepiness disappeared from her eyes. “Did the sex distract you from your worrying long enough to make you feel better?”

Was that all this was? No. He couldn’t believe that. He wouldn’t. Aaron reached out and tucked a strand of her brilliant blue hair behind her ear. “I could think of worse ways to relax.”

“Me, too.” She closed her eyes, almost seeming to lean into his touch. “God, I would kill for some pancakes right now.”

“Pancakes,” he repeated. He glanced at the clock. “It’s after ten.”

“I know. I shouldn’t.”

This was his chance to extend their connection past a couple of shared orgasms. He forced himself to drop his hand, to not cage her in even that tiny way. “I think I have the stuff to put together some if you’re in the mood.”

Becka opened her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.” Unable to help himself, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I wouldn’t tease a pregnant woman about food.”

He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

She shut down. He could actually see her walls coming back up to keep him out, her posture becoming more guarded, her gaze resting on the sheets instead of on him, her lips pressed together as if she attempted to keep sharp words inside. This was it. She’d tell him to get the fuck away from her, and what little ground he’d gained would be lost.

But Becka finally sighed. “Pancakes really do sound good.”

“Say no more.” He knew better than to push her now, not after his idiotic misstep. As Aaron climbed out of bed and headed into his closet for a pair of pants, he allowed himself a kernel of hope. Even with everything stacked against them, he now had two avenues to make headway with Becka—food and sex.

He could work with that.

CHAPTER SEVEN

BECKA COULDN’T STOP looking at Aaron. He was shirtless in the kitchen, making pancakes for her, and she’d never seen a more beautiful man. The muscles of his back flexed as he moved, and she clenched her thighs together despite the several outstanding orgasms he’d just delivered. The whole thing was so...domestic.

The only time she’d lived with anyone was roommates back in college. They were always too noisy, too messy and too in evidence everywhere she looked.

Becka didn’t mind noise—her spin classes were so loud with their pumping music that some people wore earplugs. Having the bass thrum through her body as she shouted and directed and got everyone moving for the workout of their life was her happy place.

She didn’t even mind people. Not really. Being a personal trainer was a different kind of happy, working with people who wanted to get healthy or accomplish some specific goal. She loved watching them put in the work and being their own personal drill sergeant and cheerleader, all wrapped into one. And the look on their face when they realized the moment their hard work had paid off and that they’d accomplished what they’d set out to do? Priceless.

But when she was done with work for the day, she wanted to come home and just...be.

Roommates normally made that impossible.

Aaron as a roommate should have made it doubly so.

She twisted on the bar stool to look over the apartment. It was a study in minimalism—a place for everything and everything in its place. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the entertainment center that framed the massive TV, and the leather couch and twin chairs on either side of it didn’t have any wear and tear or so much as a scrape on them. The kitchen was equally freakishly clean. If he wasn’t cooking in it right this second, she would have suspected that he didn’t cook by how clean the countertops were. The man obviously didn’t believe in clutter.

Which was a relief, but at the same time, Aaron being a control freak was stamped over every inch of this place. This was a man who didn’t like messes, and their situation was the very definition of a mess.

As if sensing her thoughts, he flipped the pancakes and turned to lean against the gray marble countertop. “I think it’s long past time for us to talk.”

She couldn’t keep dodging him. It was freaking exhausting, and if Becka actually planned to reduce Aaron’s position in the baby’s life to sperm donor, she never should have moved in with him in the first place. She wrapped both hands around her orange juice and stared hard at the swirl in the marble that looked like Abraham Lincoln’s beard. “You are going to be in the baby’s life. I’m living in your penthouse. Don’t you think that’s enough for now?” Even without looking up, she knew his expression had turned stormy, his eyes leaning more gray than blue. She pushed her juice away. “You keep pushing me, and it’s stressing me out. The learning curve on this situation is pretty rough and, this might be shocking, but I’m overwhelmed. You trying to micromanage everything from my bath temperature to...”

“Drink your orange juice.”

She gave a half-hearted laugh. “Yeah, like that.”

“I’m serious.” His big hand appeared in her line of vision and nudged the glass back into her hand. “The calcium and vitamin D are good for you.”

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Twice.

Maybe we should just keep banging it out and stop talking, because obviously we are not even close to being on the same page.

“Aaron—” She stopped short at the sound of his sliding a plate to her. Becka opened her eyes to find two perfectly shaped pancakes on the plate. She might have stopped breathing completely when he set both the smooth and the chunky peanut butter next to the plate, each with their respective knives. “How did you know?”

“I’d have to be extremely dense not to notice you walking around with a spoonful of peanut butter in your mouth the few times you’ve graced me with your presence.” He eyed the tubs of peanut butter with narrowed eyes. “They’re both depleted from the last time I checked, so I wasn’t sure which you’d prefer. Let me know and I’ll pick up more next time I get groceries.”

Heat spread up her chest and took residence in her cheeks. It shouldn’t surprise her so much that he picked up on her eating habits, not when he was obviously watching her so closely, but the thoughtfulness of the simple gesture had her throat closing and her eyes burning. “I, ah, use both.”

Conscious of his eyes on her, she spread first the chunky onto each pancake, and then took the other knife and covered it with smooth peanut butter. She carefully cut the food into tiny bites instead of rolling it up like a burrito the way she would have if she was alone. “Thank you.”

“We can make this work, minx. You just have to trust me.”

That was the one thing she couldn’t do. She did trust that he wasn’t a total asshole, and that he showed every evidence of probably being a good father and a decent friend. But if she let herself sink into the ease of being with him, she was in danger of forgetting exactly how devastating her inevitable heartbreak would be. Everything else might have changed, but that hadn’t.

If anything, her reasons for not tumbling head over heels for Aaron had just multiplied. This wasn’t some guy she could avoid after things fell apart.

He was the father of her future child.

She couldn’t just keep shutting him out, though. He was right about that. There had to be some kind of compromise that got them through this with the least amount of strife. That compromise probably doesn’t include amazing sex and screaming his name. Way to muddy the waters. She silenced the snide little voice inside her. There would be plenty of time for self-recrimination on her seventh run to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

She finished her pancakes and sat back. “Did you want kids? I mean, if life played out according to your perfect plan.”

“What makes you think I have a perfect plan?”

Becka rolled her eyes. “I pay attention, that’s what. I think you’re even more type-A than Allie and Lucy—combined. That’s saying something.”

He made a face. “Guilty as charged. Though I only ever really had a plan for my professional life. I’ve known I wanted to work in cybersecurity since I was in high school, and it only took my first internship in college to solidify that I wanted to work for myself and own my own business. That goal kept me busy enough that the personal stuff was always being pushed to the back burner. And the last time I agreed to a date, my prospective date ran off with the matchmaker.”

His date, her sister.

It hurt to think about, but he and Lucy might have fit. They were both ambitious and driven and more than a little pretty. Lucy and Gideon were perfectly matched, of course, but that didn’t change the fact that Gideon had thought Aaron was a good match for Lucy when he compiled his list of bachelors. That was back when Lucy had hired the headhunter to find her a husband—a position Gideon ended up filling in the end.

Becka couldn’t be more different from her sister if she’d tried. She was driven, sure, but her dreams had never been to make partner in some law firm or to own her own business. All she wanted to do was live her life to the fullest, to do what she loved and make enough money to pay her bills and travel to places she’d never been before.

Hard to travel with a baby.

She took a hasty drink of her orange juice, aware of how closely Aaron watched her. “That’s nice.”

“Uh-huh. To answer your question—yeah, I want kids. I always have. My sisters might have been aggravating to grow up with, but we’re pretty close now, and there’s something comforting about the chaos of a home filled with a family.”

She wouldn’t know anything about that. Becka’s parents had divorced early on, and her mother had always been more concerned with her agenda than with her daughters. When Becka was bullied, it wasn’t her mother she ran to. It was Lucy. Her sister had started filling that parental role from an early age, and she’d never quite stopped.

She still remembered the moment when she realized she was more like her mother than she’d ever be like her sister. Becka was fourteen and had been going on about some drama that she didn’t even recall now, years later, and thirty minutes into her bitchfest she’d realized that Lucy was upset—had been upset through the entire conversation while Becka went on and on about her petty problem.

It turned out, Lucy hadn’t gotten into the school she’d pinned her hopes and dreams on and was crushed.

And Becka hadn’t even noticed.

She’d promised herself right then and there that she wouldn’t walk their mother’s path. She wouldn’t keep being a burden on her sister the same way their mother was. She’d be independent and strong and take care of her own problems.

A promise she’d mostly kept over the years. Sure, Becka developed a wild streak in college that never quite went away, and she knew her sister worried sometimes about her resistance to the idea of settling down, but those were small sins compared to the kind they’d grown up witnessing.

At least...they had been small sins.

Until now.

She shook her head, suddenly aware that Aaron was looking at her like he expected some kind of answer. “I’m sorry, I missed what you just said.”

“I asked you if you had ever wanted kids.”

She pushed to her feet. “No. I never wanted kids.”

Aaron watched Becka walk away with her shoulders bowed, looking like someone had just kicked her puppy. Things had been going well. Better than well. They’d been going good. She’d teased him a little, the sex had been outstanding and they’d managed to share a meal and half a conversation.

It’s possible you need to set the bar for “well” a little higher.

He wanted to chase her down, to try to talk her into telling him what put that haunted look on her face. It was more than not wanting children. Even as the words came out of her mouth, she looked conflicted, as if it wasn’t quite the full truth. She wanted kids. She wouldn’t have gone forward with the pregnancy otherwise.

Which meant there was something holding her back, some reason she thought she shouldn’t want kids.

He could call Lucy, but that meant letting her in on the fact that Becka was pregnant, and if Becka didn’t want her sister to know yet, it wasn’t his place to share that information. He’d threatened to, of course, but what had been said in anger and frustration before would be a betrayal of trust now. No, that wasn’t an option.

Not to mention, he wanted Becka to trust him enough to let him in and let them both get to know each other. He couldn’t do that if he kept fumbling shit so thoroughly.

Aaron weighed his options against the inherent risks that went with any path forward. It was possible that if he left things alone and maintained the course, she’d come to him again.

He couldn’t risk being wrong, though. The stakes were too damn high.

So he did the slightly less risky option and called his baby sister. Aaron had always been closest to Trish, partly because she never allowed him to take himself too seriously and partly because their age difference meant they were never competing quite the same way he and Mary did through their younger years.

That mattered, of course, but the reason he called her now instead of Mary was because at twenty-four she was the closest in age to Becka—and the closest in personality. Though Becka was all thorns and prickly edges and Trish was both softer and sweeter, they both harbored free spirits and avoiding being tied down. It was comfortable to be the older brother to that kind of personality. It was significantly less so to be having a child with someone like that.

The line rang several times before it clicked over. “Hey, Aaron. Is everything okay?”

He glanced at the clock and cursed himself. It was almost midnight—way too late for this to be a casual call. “Yeah, everything is okay. I just need some advice and didn’t think to check if it was too late to call.”

“My big brother asking me for advice? You’re right, that’s not remotely serious at all.” She laughed softly. “I’m awake, and you have me on the phone, so stop thinking about how you’re going to make some excuse and call me tomorrow.”

Since he’d been about to do exactly that, he gave a rueful grin. “How are you?”

She sighed. “I’m fine. Just as fine as I was a couple weeks ago when we talked, though I’m about to start chewing through the wall if I don’t get out of this house soon. I love Mom and Dad, and they’re trying to be supportive and not push me, but it’s driving all of us crazy.”

Trish had moved back home after college until she could find a job and it...hadn’t gone particularly well. He made a sympathetic noise. “Well, I have some news that will get you out of the doghouse as least favorite child.”

“That sounds like trouble.” She lowered her voice. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s not, but it will be.” He had to believe that. He couldn’t allow for any other outcome. Aaron had half a second to wonder if this call was a mistake, but he had gone too far to change his mind now. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Trish. There’s this woman, and we connected, but she won’t give me the time of day and...” She’s going to have my child.

She laughed. “Oh, Aaron. She’s got you twisted in knots, hasn’t she? You already tried to plan your way out of this and it blew up in your face.”

He narrowed his eyes. “How’d you know?”

“Because you’re our fearless leader. You attack every single problem the exact way—as if you’re going into battle. Which is great, and useful, and the reason that you’re as professionally successful as you are now.” Another laugh. “But you can’t date like that, Aaron. I mean, you can, but if you’re calling me, that means she’s independent and isn’t going to respond well to that sort of thing.”

Aaron started piling plates in the sink. “Everything I do pisses her off.”

“Hmm. Have you tried listening?”

“She doesn’t want to talk.”

“Because you make it into an interrogation when you aren’t paying attention. Figure out what she likes. Do that. See if you relaxing doesn’t relax her a little bit.” A hesitation. “Though if she’s fighting you this hard, maybe it’s time to write the whole thing off? Some walls aren’t worth beating your head against.”

“This one is.” He forced a smile into his voice. “Thanks, Trish. You should come down to the city to visit soon.”

“Sure thing. Just as soon as I figure out the rest of my life. Love you, big brother.”

“Love you, too.” He hung up the phone and went to work on the dishes. His sister’s advice wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but she had a good point. He’d approached this from the baby standpoint, because the baby was the only thing they appeared to have in common.

Well, the baby and the sex.

Aaron shook his head and scrubbed harder at the pan. If he wanted to pave the way to a future with Becka and the baby, he needed to know Becka.

He stopped.

Was that what he wanted? Both of them? Because that was a different scenario than simply being a father. He just had to be able to be cordial with Becka in order to do that, and they’d both go on with their separate lives. It was the simplest solution for a child born of a one-night stand.

And yet.

He thought about the vivid woman who’d caught his eye in the first place, the determined one who’d faced him down time and again over the future, and the bowed shoulders she’d worn tonight when she walked back to her room alone. Complicated did not begin to cover Becka Baudin.

There was nothing wrong with complicated, though.

Aaron finished the dishes and dried the pan, still thinking. He just needed to figure out what common ground they had and work from there. It was entirely possible that they had nothing in common and this was all a lost cause, but he wasn’t prepared to believe that. There was something there. Aaron just needed to figure out what it was.

CHAPTER EIGHT

AARON WAS GONE by the time Becka crawled out of bed the next morning. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, that she didn’t really need to see him every single morning before they both left for their respective jobs, but the truth was that she’d gotten used to their shared silence as they drank their daily cup of coffee in the kitchen. He never seemed to feel like he needed to fill the silence. It was nice.

She opened the fridge and stared. Three plates sat on the shelf at eye level, each with a yellow sticky note attached. Peanut butter and grape jelly. Peanut butter and strawberry jam. Peanut butter and sliced bananas. Becka smiled, shook her head and grabbed the peanut butter and banana sandwich. She turned to the coffeemaker and found another sticky note. Still smiling, she read his chicken-scratch handwriting. Have dinner with me tonight. No baby talk, promise.

“How can I resist an offer like that?” She checked the time and typed out a quick text promising to be home by six.

The day flew by. She had spin at nine, TRX at eleven. The first two classes were at Transcend.

After TRX, she got cleaned up and changed then headed to the elite gym where she coached. Half her clients were looking for weight loss, and the other half were hard-core training for various events. All four of her sessions that afternoon were of the extreme variety. She normally liked to switch up her schedule a little more—the intensity could wear on her after a while—but today she welcomed the requirement of extra concentration.

Anything to keep her from watching the clock and counting down the hours until dinner tonight.

She probably shouldn’t have agreed to go. It wouldn’t end well, and the whole point of this exercise was to create a stable foundation between her and Aaron so that the baby wouldn’t suffer. Dates were not part of the equation.

Still, she didn’t linger at the gym like she usually did after work. Becka took a cab back to Aaron’s apartment and, after arguing with herself for a solid five minutes, jumped in the shower and started her beautifying process. She didn’t have to pull out all the stops for dinner—it would look weird if she did—but that didn’t mean she had to go in fitness wear and without makeup.

Compromise. Jeans. Nice shirt. Decent makeup but not over the top. Blow out your hair.

She wasn’t overthinking this. She was just being reasonable.

I’m totally overthinking this.

Despite being out of practice, she was nearly ready well before the time Aaron had given her, but she ran into a problem when she pulled on her jeans.

They wouldn’t button.

Becka stared down at the offending button and the gap between it. She knew she’d been putting on weight—that happened in a pregnancy—but she’d mostly stuck to leggings and workout pants, so she hadn’t put too much thought into what that meant for her wardrobe. “No jeans for me, apparently.” She wiggled out of them and considered her options. It was early enough in the fall that New York hadn’t gotten totally frigid, so a dress would have to do—preferably something stretchy.

Except she hadn’t packed any dresses, because why would she? The only thing she’d needed when she was bullied into agreeing to these living arrangements were her workout clothes and...that was it. She sat on her bed and dropped her head into her hands. This is not something to get emotional about. They’re just clothes. You can run back to your apartment and...

But there wasn’t time.

She pressed her lips together. Hard. She was overreacting, turning this into something bigger than it should be. Yes, she wanted to dress nice for whatever this date entailed, but there were workarounds that didn’t involve dresses or trying to jury-rig her jeans into place. Becka took a steadying breath and went through her clothes again, more slowly this time. She finally settled on a pair of black leggings and a lightweight tunic-length sweater in her favorite color of pink. It was a little more laid-back than she would have preferred, but it would work.

She’d just pulled the sweater over her head and smoothed it down her hips when the front door opened and Aaron called out. “I’m late, I know, I’m sorry. Give me fifteen minutes and we can go.” Footsteps sounded past her door, and a few seconds later his shower started.

It was all too easy to picture Aaron in the shower, tilting his head back beneath the spray, letting the water sluice down his body. Becka mentally traced the path the droplets would take. Down his chest, over his cut abs, to his cock...

Down, girl.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Aaron walked out of his bedroom in a pair of slacks and a button-down that looked indistinguishable from what he wore to work every day. He took one look at her and frowned. “More low-key date, then.”

She didn’t really want to admit that she couldn’t fit into her pants anymore. It wasn’t that she thought Aaron would be an asshole about it—actually, the opposite—but knowing what little she did about him, he’d do something like drag her out shopping for clothes she couldn’t afford. And then insist on paying for said clothes, which was a nice gesture, but she couldn’t take a wardrobe in addition to everything else he was providing and... Becka studied her thick gray wool socks. “Ah—”

“Say no more.” He walked back into his room and reappeared a few minutes later in a pair of dark jeans that hugged his thighs and a cable-knit sweater. When Aaron caught her looking, he ran his hands over the deep green wool. “My mother is a knitter, so for every Christmas, we all get sweaters.” He made a face. “I don’t wear mine often, though. Mostly when I go home to visit during the winter months.”

His mother loved her children so much, she spent hours upon hours knitting them sweaters. It took Becka two tries to speak. “That’s really, really nice.” She studied the fit of the sweater—perfect—and how the coloring complemented Aaron’s features perfectly. “Green is your favorite color, isn’t it?”

“Guilty as charged.” He chuckled. “Though she tends to lean more toward grays, since they’re staple pieces, according to her.”

“She’s right.” The amount of thought and love that went into that gift blew Becka way. She knew good parents existed. Of course they did. They weren’t magical unicorns that subsisted on mere myth. But she’d never had cause to come across them. Growing up, most of her friends’ parents were divorced, and there was an aura of benign neglect that everyone just sort of dealt with. No harm, no foul. There were always kids in her groups of friends that did have the happy life everyone was told to want, with loving parents who didn’t forget birthdays and showed up for every extracurricular activity and always had dinner on the table around the same time every night. It just hurt too much to spend time in those households and have her face rubbed in everything she was missing.

She’d had Lucy, though, and Becka thanked her lucky stars every single damn day for that. Who knew where she would have ended up without her strong older sister plotting their course? Their parents being flakes never seemed to affect Lucy. She just adapted and moved on, never letting their dropping the ball get in the way of her goals and aspirations. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, she just managed her expectations, and after a while, the disappointment and rejection lost its sting.

Becka had never quite mastered that trick.

“Minx, what’s wrong? What did I say?”

She shook her head and swallowed past the burning in her throat. “It’s nothing. I’m just really glad the baby will have awesome grandparents like your parents.”

He narrowed his eyes but seemed to reconsider pressing her for more information. Aaron’s smile was only the slightest bit strained. “What sounds good for dinner?”

“Taco truck tacos.”

Now he was really looking at her like she’d grown a second head. “You know, from what I read, pregnancy is supposed to create strange cravings but peanut butter and taco truck tacos...” He shook his head and offered his arm. “I wouldn’t dream of standing between you and your desired food.”

“Smart man.” She gingerly placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, feeling a little ridiculous, but then they were moving and there was no more time for second-guessing. As they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Becka inhaled the crisp autumn air and sighed. “I love this city.”

“Are you originally from here?” Aaron studied the street and turned them left.

“Sort of. We were born down in Pennsylvania, but Lucy and I both grew up here. Not in this part of town, obviously, but in the city.” It felt good to stretch her legs, good to walk next to Aaron and talk as if the future wasn’t hanging in the balance.

Pretend there isn’t a pregnancy. Pretend this is a real first date that might have happened if you hadn’t run scared.

It sounded good in theory, but Becka didn’t make a habit of dating. Dating led to expectations and demands and compromises—usually involving her. And that was if she even bothered to get past the lackluster text conversations and unsolicited dick pics to actually go on a date in the first place.

No, things were easier when everyone’s boundaries were clearly defined, and she avoided anyone who might tempt her into changing her internal rules when it came to romance and love.

Until now.

There was no avoiding this.

They dodged a power-walking man on his phone, and she continued. “I know the American dream is supposed to be to raise your kid in a small town with some random field in the distance and a whole lot in the way of overalls, but I think it’s bullshit. This city has a culture and life all its own, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t spent my formative years here.” It struck her that their child would be raised in the city. She pressed her hand to her stomach, staggered by the thought. “I sound preachy, don’t I?”

“I’d say passionate.” He smiled. “And small-town living isn’t for everyone. I might have grown up in one, but I happen to agree with you when it comes to the city.”

They walked for several more blocks while Becka chewed on that. She both wanted to know more about Aaron’s past and didn’t. This is dumb. Being jealous that he grew up in an unbroken home is the height of stupidity. She took a deep breath. “Tell me something no one knows about you.”

“I watch poker tournaments on TV.”

She shot him a look. “You’re joking. That’s like saying you watch NASCAR or golf.”

“I know.” He pressed his free hand to his chest. “It’s my deepest, darkest secret. I can’t get enough of that shit. Playing the odds and being able to see the entire table’s hand at once is addicting. Even while I’m telling myself I should turn it off, I get sucked in and can watch for hours.”

Becka could see it. His mind obviously ran analytical, and there were few games more analytical than poker. She frowned. “Why not blackjack?”

“Blackjack, you’re playing the odds. Poker, you’re playing the rest of the table. It’s a combination of playing the odds and reading the people you’re playing against that I love.”

“Remind me never to play strip poker with you,” she muttered.

His slow smile made her stomach flip. “Didn’t I tell you? That’s what we’re doing after dinner.”

Aaron meant the words to be a joke. He wanted to get to know Becka better, and though there were certain things playing poker with her would tell him, strip poker was sure to short-circuit his brain the same as every time they got naked together. But she licked her lips and flashed a grin and suddenly he was looking at the woman he met three months ago instead of the cagey one who’d been living with him for the last week.

Not wanting her to switch back—which always seemed to happen when she let herself think too hard—he tugged her closer and slipped his arm around her waist. “Okay, you convinced me. Strip poker is on the table.”

She laughed. “It was never on the table, though that was an excellent try. Very nice line. You get a B minus.”

“B minus!” He turned them around the corner down in the direction of a taco truck he knew of. “My delivery was spot-on.”

“Mmm, yes.” She leaned into him as the wind kicked up. “But you should have saved it until after dinner, once you had me back at your place and were plying me with drinks.”

“Sounds underhanded.”

“Only if I wasn’t planning on getting naked with you already.” She tilted her head back to look at him, her lashes seeming impossibly long against the blue of her eyes. “If I let you ply me with drinks, it’s already a done deal.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He stomped down on his body’s reaction to her words and her nearness. It might be sexy as hell to press her against the nearest wall and go for a repeat of their first kiss, but that wasn’t the goal. It couldn’t be the goal. “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

“Travel agent.” She made a face. “Right up until I realized most travel agents don’t actually travel that much. There’s nothing quite as agonizing as planning someone else’s trip over and over again while stuck in a crappy office surrounded by four beige walls.”

He was inclined to agree, though the travel bug had never bitten Aaron. “You were just down in the Caribbean not too long ago, right?”

She missed a step and shot him a look. “Right. I forgot. You and Roman are friends.” If anything, her expression became more agonized. “Allie’s going to want a double date before too long—mark my words. And once she decides on something, no one in their right mind gets in her way.”

A double date didn’t sound like the hell she seemed to consider it, but he chose to keep that opinion to himself. “She’s good for Roman. He’s been more relaxed since they started dating than I’ve ever seen him.”

“Regular sex will do that to a man,” she muttered.

“And to a woman.”

She chose not to comment on that, which was just as well. They reached the taco truck and got in line behind a mother and her two kids. Because they were standing so close, Aaron could feel the tension bleeding back into Becka’s body until she stood rigid against him. He studied her, trying to figure out what the issue was. The mother? The woman was in her midtwenties, and though she looked tired, she was handling herself well and both her young children were relatively well behaved. They collected their tacos and disappeared down the street, leaving Becka staring after them.

He bided his time, waiting until they’d ordered, collected their food and eaten it at one of the benches not too far from the truck. Only when she crumpled her paper napkin did he sit back and say, “What was it about her that bothered you so much?”

She gave him the courtesy of not pretending she didn’t know what he meant. “I don’t know if you guessed it, but my family life was hardly idyllic growing up. Lucy was the bright spot, of course. She still is. But my parents were a hot mess from day one, and they only seemed to get worse over time. My mom never would have done something as simple as that.” She waved her hand in the direction the mother had gone. “That’s sad, right? I’d more or less made my peace with it, but the whole impending-motherhood thing has the ghosts of my past banging on my closet door again.” She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m a mess.”

“No apologies necessary.” He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Were they...”

“Abusive? No, nothing like that.” She stared at the people walking past, but she didn’t take her hand from his. “They were just selfish assholes who were more wrapped up in themselves and their petty dramas than they could ever be in their children. I don’t think they ever planned on staying together, but Lucy was an oops baby and the only thing to do at the time was get married. I don’t think my mom ever even wanted kids, but one thing led to another and then she had two.”

Not too difficult to read between the lines. Benign neglect was one thing, but it sounded as if Becka had been reminded on a near constant basis that she wasn’t wanted, that perhaps her parents’ lives would be so much better if she wasn’t in them. He didn’t tell her he was sorry, didn’t offer her sympathy she might mistake for pity. “I’m glad you had Lucy.”

“Me, too.” She finally looked at him. “She was always there. For nearly every game, for every important event. Even after she went to college, she was never too far or too busy to be there for me. I don’t deserve her.”

“She loves you.” For most people, it was as simple as that. They loved someone, they showed up. At least Becka had that influence in her life, even if the people who should have been there for her above all others...weren’t. He hesitated, but finally asked, “Have you told her yet?”

She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but seemed to change her mind and shook her head. “I’m getting kind of cold. Mind if we go back now?”

The opportunity slipped through his fingers like water. He couldn’t force her to open up to him. The fact she’d told him even as much as she had was a small miracle. It was progress, which was a positive sign. Though it might not be enough, it was a start.

Aaron could be a patient hunter when the situation called for it and the stakes were high enough.

With Becka, they’d never been higher.

CHAPTER NINE

BECKA WAS ON edge the entire trip back to the penthouse. She kept waiting for Aaron’s tension to translate to more questions or pressing her for further information, but he just walked next to her with his arm around her. He respected her emotional retreat, if not a physical one.

They walked through the front door and she had to smother her first instinct, which was to flee to her bedroom and barricade herself inside. Even if they’d danced on some of her buttons during their short walk, on the whole it’d been pleasant. More than pleasant. She liked walking down New York City’s streets with Aaron’s arm wrapped around her waist and the warmth of his body soaking through her sweater. She liked teasing him about his intentions. God, she even liked the reserved way he’d watched her when she spoke about her parents, as if he knew exactly how hard it was for her to confess even those small details and he didn’t want to do anything to spook her.

Damn it, I like him.

And because her emotions hamstrung her retreat, she said, “You promised to ply me with drinks.” When he opened his mouth, no doubt to quote some statistic about pregnant women and alcohol, she cut in, “I’ll take cranberry juice.”

“Cranberry juice,” he repeated, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“Yep. I picked some up yesterday. It’s in the back of the fridge.”

“I see.” He guided her to the bar stool with his hand on the small of her back. She could feel the tiny touch even through her sweater, and it was everything she could do not to arch into his hand like a cat begging for strokes. Aaron pulled out two wineglasses, retrieved the container of cranberry juice, and poured some into both. “You know I can provide whatever you need, minx. You only have to ask.”

She pressed her lips together to keep from snapping back. As a result, she sounded only mildly irritated when she said, “It’s cranberry juice, not a college fund. It sounded good, so I got some on the way home. Simple as that.”

“Home.”

She opened her mouth, reconsidered and shut it.

Aaron nodded as if she’d spoken. “I’ll try to relax. I just have more than enough money, and it’s silly for you to spend your limited funds when I can take care of it.” He held up a hand. “That came out wrong.”

Do not yell at him. He’s trying to be helpful.

High-handed.

Overbearing.

But helpful.

She hissed out a breath. “Aaron, this isn’t going to work if you keep reminding me of our unequal roles financially. I’ve been living here a week. Believe me, I know you make a whole hell of a lot more money than I do. You don’t have to whip out your wallet for every little thing to prove it.” He narrowed his eyes, but she kept talking, determined not to ruin their evening. “And you know you don’t have to skip alcohol on my account. I’m the only one required to be depressingly sober for the next however long. No reason for both of us to suffer.”

“It’s hardly suffering.” He nudged her glass across the counter to her.

If she squinted just right, she might be able to pretend it was wine. Not that Becka wanted to drink. The thought of the scent of wine was enough to have her wrinkling her nose in distaste. Safe to say she wasn’t going to be one of those pregnant ladies who indulged in a glass or two from time to time. That said, it would have been nice to have the option. She took a drink of her cranberry juice instead. “So, about that strip poker.”

Aaron choked. “I was joking.”

“I know. But it sounds fun, and if we can’t drink together and make bad life choices, we might as well go ahead with the bad life choices anyway.”

“You have a strange way of looking at things.”

Didn’t she know it? “Strange, but compelling.” She pushed to her feet and padded over to the coffee table. “Come on. I know you have cards around here somewhere.” Becka sank cross-legged onto the floor next to the table and set her wineglass on a coaster. Knowing Aaron, the piece was probably painfully expensive, and she wasn’t going to be the one to ruin it.

The baby won’t know better, though. Babies destroy shit. It’s in their genetic makeup, I’m pretty sure.

She pushed the thought away. No use working so damn hard not to ruin tonight if she was going to let herself do it despite everything. She looked up just as Aaron came back into the room, cards in hand. He sat on the other side of the table and raised his brows. “You sure?”

“You say that like I’m going to lose and you’re trying to give me a gracious exit.”

He laughed, the deep sound doing funny things to her stomach...and lower. The twinkle in his blue eyes didn’t help her control any, either. “Aw, minx, you’re cute when you’re in denial.”

“Denial?” She sank as much fake outrage into the word as she could.

“Denial,” he repeated. “You’re going to be naked and coming on my mouth inside of five hands.”

Her jaw dropped even as she shifted to her knees and pressed her thighs together. As if that would be enough to stop the need his words suddenly had pulsing through her body. “Pride goeth before the fall, mister.”

“And sometimes the pride is just reality.” He was still smiling, the heat in his eyes barely banked as he dealt out two cards to each of them. “I’m assuming Texas Hold’em works for you.”

“My favorite.” She studied her cards—a king and an ace—and laid them facedown on the table. “You know, if you’re trying to punish me for losing, saying I’m going to be coming on your mouth is hardly the way to go about it.”

He leaned forward and propped his elbows on the coffee table. “It’s not about you losing.”

“Actually—”

“It’s about me winning.” He stared at her mouth and then lifted his gaze almost reluctantly. “You naked on my couch, your thighs spread wide, and feeling you come while I suck on that pretty little clit of yours? That’s winning for me, minx. No question about it.”

She couldn’t quite draw a full breath. “Sounds like I’m still getting the better end of the bargain.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But you still lose at cards.”

And that was something she’d never willingly do. Becka forced herself to inhale and straighten. “In that case, when you lose—yes, I said when, not if—then you’re going to be naked and you’re going to be coming in my mouth.” The shocked look on his face was almost as good as actually winning would be. She pasted an innocent expression on her face. “Sorry, is there a problem?”

Aaron cleared his throat. “No problem.” He nodded at her cards. “You ready?”

“I was born ready, baby.” She laughed, her stress falling away for the first time in months. Right now, in this moment, nothing outside the two of them and this game of cards mattered. She could stress about the future and she and Aaron could go back to warily circling each other in the morning. Tonight, she was going to enjoy herself.

And she was going to enjoy the fuck out of Aaron, too.

Aaron was losing. He didn’t know how Becka was pulling it off, but he was down to his boxer briefs and cursing himself for not throwing on an extra layer of clothing before their date. She wore her bra and her leggings and nothing else, but she had a look in her eye for this hand that he didn’t like.

As if she knew she already had the win in the bag.

He flipped over the final card and bit back a curse. His two pair was good, but he didn’t think it would be good enough. Sure as shit, Becka gave him the most wicked grin and set her cards down faceup. “Full house.”

“Fuck,” he breathed.

“I plan on it.” She pointed at his hips. “Off.” And then the little minx licked her lips like she could already taste his cock. She rose to her feet, her gaze never straying from him as Aaron slid his last item of clothing off. He sat back on the sofa and let her look her fill, forcing himself to hold perfectly still as she rounded the coffee table and knelt between his thighs. Becka gripped his cock and gave him a teasing stroke. “It’s not right that a gorgeous man like you is just as gorgeous here, too.” Her tongue darted out and flicked the underside of his cock. “Then again, I’m not about to complain.” She shot him a look. “Keep your eyes open. I want you to watch me.”

No way in hell would he risk missing a moment of this. Aaron gripped the couch cushions as she slid his cock between her pretty red-painted lips and sucked him deep. She released him slowly as if savoring his taste and then smiled. “You’re right. This is what winning feels like.” Before he could digest that statement, she took him deep into her mouth and throat until her lips met his base. He kept perfectly still, letting her hold the reins, and she rewarded him for his restraint with the best fucking blow job of his life. She teased him, sucking hard and then backing off until it was everything he could do not to curse.

Finally, Becka raised her head. “Aaron?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“I have a tiny, itty-bitty request.”

Considering the way she put it, he didn’t know whether to be worried or so turned on he couldn’t think straight. “Yeah?”

She ran a single finger the length of his cock. “I love teasing you, but what I really want right now is for you to stop holding back and fuck my mouth the way you’re obviously dying to.” Her smile had his heart skipping a beat. “I can take it. Promise.”

He shouldn’t say yes. Their first time might have been rough and deliriously good as a result, but things were different now.

Weren’t they?

The answer was written across her face. Becka sat back on her heels and reached around to unsnap her bra. She slid it off and tossed it aside. “I won. Remember?” She wrapped her hand around his cock again. “This is mine until you come in my mouth. Unless you’re going back on the bet.”

“Not on your life.” He pushed to his feet and shifted until he could stand in front of her. Seeing her on her knees, staring up at him with that expression in her eyes... He laced his fingers through her hair on either side of her face, pulling it back so he had a clear view and holding her tightly so he had control.

Her eyes slid half-shut. “That’s it. That’s exactly it.” She licked the head of his cock, her gaze on his as she sucked him back into her mouth. It had been hot before. Now it was scorching. Heaven was the sight of Becka’s red lips around his cock, a challenge in her blue eyes, daring him to do exactly what she’d commanded. To fuck her mouth.

He thrust lightly, testing her. But there was no panic on her face, just an eagerness as she took him deeper without effort. As if she loved this as much as he did.

Keeping a tight leash on himself, Aaron started to move. He held her head in place as he picked up his pace until she could only relax and take it. The moment she gave herself over to him completely, his knees threatened to buckle. Becka’s surrender was temporary, and he wouldn’t have it any other way, but it was a gift all the same. It was more a gift because of its fleeting nature.

Her eyes flicked open as if she heard his thoughts, and when they met his, it was too much. He orgasmed with her name on his tongue and, God help him, she drank down every drop of him.

Aaron carefully stepped back and urged her to her feet. “Come to bed with me.”

Becka blinked. “What?”

He was rushing, and he didn’t give a fuck. They weren’t going to leave tonight half-finished, and he wanted her in his bed. Beneath him, over him and later...sleeping next to him.

He wanted it all.

He couldn’t tell her as much right now. Even with desire smoothing the stress and worry from her expression, she would panic if he pushed too hard. Damn it, think. Aaron kissed her hard, stroking her tongue with his until she swayed against him. “You won, minx. You got your reward. Now come to bed and let me take my consolation prize.”

She smiled against his lips. “Sounds like sketchy reasoning.”

“Skillful negotiation.” Before she could think of an argument around that, he scooped her into his arms and started for the bedroom.

Becka relaxed against him with a soft laugh. “Okay, I’ll bite—what does your consolation prize entail?”

“Because you asked so nicely, I’m inclined to share.” He nudged his bedroom door open and kicked it shut behind him. “I’m going to lay you down on my bed and spend some time enjoying your body. First with my hands. Then with my mouth. And finally with my cock.”

This time her laugh bounced through the entire room. “Greedy.”

“Mmm, well, I’m feeling generous, so if there’s something you’d like to add in along the way, I think we can make it happen.”

She looped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him. “Did I say greedy? I meant so, so generous.” Her lightly mocking words didn’t detract from the happiness lurking in her eyes.

Happiness he’d helped put there.

This isn’t forever. This is just a reprieve in the midst of a storm.

He didn’t care. He’d take it.

Aaron laid her on the bed and nudged her back until he could kneel between her thighs. The picture she painted, from her wild blue hair to her smirking lips to her rocking body... It just flat out did it for him. She just flat out did it for him. He traced the rose tattoo just inside her hipbone. “Why this?”

“A reminder.” She didn’t say more, but she didn’t have to. He understood. Roses were gorgeous flowers, but their thorns were legendary. Kind of like Becka.

He pulled off her pants and underwear and tossed them aside, leaving her gloriously naked before him. “Where did you learn to play poker?” He cupped her pussy, spearing two fingers into her. “You’re good.”

“Bitter you lost?” She arched her back and dug her heels into the bed, trying to drive his fingers deeper, but he used his free hand to pin her hips into place. Becka fisted the sheets above her head and cursed. “I learned to play free-roll poker in high school. It’s how I made extra money after I graduated.”

He could see it. All she’d have to do was smile and giggle a little and men would be falling over themselves to “teach” her how to play. Then she’d clean up and walk away while they were still wondering what the hell had happened. “Tricky.”

“Tactical. Thought you’d approve.”

He twisted his wrist and teased her clit with his thumb. “I do. I’m going to demand a rematch, though.”

Becka writhed in his grip. She grabbed his wrists and met his gaze. “Stop teasing me and let me come, Aaron. I’ve been aching for it ever since I had your cock in my mouth.” She smiled slowly, as if she knew exactly where his thoughts had gone—to seeing himself disappear between those bright lips. She affected a pleading look. “Please.”

“Since you asked so nicely.” He moved, dragging her around until he leaned against the headboard and Becka was sprawled between his legs, her head at his feet. Aaron lifted her hips so he could play with her at his leisure. The blow job had barely taken the edge off for him, and the entire night stretched out before them. A promise of as much pleasure as she could handle and more. He parted her and traced her opening with a single finger, not penetrating her. Teasing.

“Aaron.”

“That’s right, minx. You keep saying my name like that and I might consider giving you my cock again before the end of the night.”

CHAPTER TEN

BECKA’S ENTIRE EXISTENCE narrowed down to Aaron’s fingers between her thighs. He teased her, doling out pleasure in waves and then drawing her back from the edge at the last possible second. She held out for longer than she could have thought possible, but then the words came. “Please, Aaron, please let me come. I need you, just please, please, please.”

“There it is.” He growled and withdrew his hands.

She barely had the space of a breath to whimper in protest when he wedged his hands beneath her ass and lifted her to his mouth. This time, he didn’t mess around. After a thorough kiss that curled her toes so hard they cramped, he sucked her clit into his mouth and worked her ruthlessly. She dug her nails into her palms as she came, his name on her lips in a cry that seemed to shake the walls.

At least, it shook the walls surrounding her heart.

Aaron didn’t give her a chance to recover. He set her back on the bed and then he was inside her, stretching her, filling her. The slow slide of his cock and the delicious friction it caused brought her back to herself heartbeat by heartbeat, and she became aware of his murmuring in her ear. “Beautiful minx. You’re so fucking perfect and it makes me so damn crazy I can’t think past my need for you.” He kissed her shoulder, her neck, her jaw and then claimed her mouth.

His need called hers to the fore, and she locked her ankles at the small of his back and laced her fingers through his hair, rising up to meet him even as she met his tongue stroke for stroke. I can’t think past my need for you, either. It scares the shit out of me, and I don’t know what to do with that. He ate the words before she had a chance to give them voice, which was just as well.

She wished she could blame the sex or orgasms for the way her inner compass had failed her so spectacularly, but neither of them were the problem.

It was all Becka.

Aaron hooked a hand beneath one of her thighs and hitched it higher, allowing him deeper. The contact tore a cry from her lips, and the building pleasure reached a crescendo she couldn’t have fought off if she tried. She clung to him as his strokes became less measured and he followed her over the edge, kissing her as if his next breath lay in her lungs.

Afterward, they lay tangled together, their jagged breathing a perfect match. Becka raised a shaking hand and pushed her hair back. “If that’s the consolation prize, I might consider losing at poker more often.”

“Mmm.” He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. “Stay with me tonight, minx. Let me hold you.”

She should say no. Having sex was one thing, but literally sleeping together crossed even more lines. She’d fought so hard to put boundaries in place, and Aaron insisted on trampling over every one he found. This was no different. If they were going to have sex, they should at least sleep in different rooms to keep things from getting messy.

But lethargy stole through her body and she couldn’t quite keep her eyes open. “Just tonight.”

“Sure.” He answered a little too quickly, but she didn’t have the energy to call him on it. Aaron shifted away, and a few seconds later, he pulled the blanket up and over them both. He tucked her against the front of his body, and she tensed in response.

Becka didn’t cuddle. It muddied those boundaries she’d clung to so hard up to this point. But with his warmth soaking into her body and his slow exhales dancing across the back of her neck, she couldn’t force herself to move. As sleep teased her, Aaron pressed his hand to her stomach just below her belly button.

Right where the baby currently grew.

His touch was different there, almost reverent as he explored the slight curve of her stomach that hadn’t been there three months ago. He didn’t say anything to break the silence, and she couldn’t speak past the burning in her throat. This isn’t real. It might feel real, but we aren’t a couple expecting our first baby. We’re strangers who banged once and now are trying to figure out what the hell we’re doing.

You can’t afford to forget that.

It was only for tonight. Tomorrow, she could go back to keeping precious distance between them and ensure Aaron knew that he needed to stop blurring the lines when it came to her and the baby.

Tonight...

Tonight, she just wanted to pretend for a little while. To sink into the feeling of him holding her, to luxuriate in what was probably the best date of her life. After they’d gotten past the uncomfortable topics and relaxed into being with each other, she’d had fun with Aaron. And she hadn’t had to worry about making a clean getaway because what they had together was already so damn complicated.

Becka closed her eyes and let herself relax. Aaron responded by cuddling her a little closer, and she fell asleep to the even sounds of his breath, feeling safer than she ever had before.

Aaron woke early and put together a light breakfast for Becka while he contemplated his next step. Last night had been good—better than good—but he wanted to take steps forward. To claim ground Becka had previously held back from him. Since both pregnancy and her family seemed to be off-limits, that meant he had to find a different way to connect. He flipped the pancakes, still thinking hard.

“You’re spoiling me.”

He didn’t jump, but it was a near thing. He turned and held out his arm, and Becka slipped under it and nestled against him. She must have noticed his surprise, because she sighed. “Last night was really nice and I’m still riding the nice vibes, so let’s not think about it too hard, okay?”

Considering he’d been doing exactly the opposite just now, he didn’t like his chances. “You’re just drunk on power after your poker win.”

“And you think you’re a comedian.” She leaned forward and eyed the pancakes. “I shouldn’t have these before my class. They’ll sit heavy on my stomach.”

“Wrap them up in tinfoil and add the peanut butter later. It will be cold, but still a nice protein boost after class.”

Now she really was looking at him strangely. “Thanks.” She stepped away from him and snagged an apple off the counter.

Aaron could actually feel her retreating, and it made him crazy. “What do you do for fun?”

“Drink.” She made a face. “Okay, that sounds bad. But happy hours are one of my favorite things. Most bars Allie and I used to hang out in have trivia or bingo or some kind of game while they pour half-priced drinks. The people-watching is superb, and we’ve already established that I have a competitive streak.”

That, they definitely had. “Would it bother you to go for trivia night if you can’t drink?”

She seemed to consider that as she took a bite of apple. “I don’t know. No? I mean, we’d have to pick a place with good food, but that’s easy enough to manage in this city.”

We.

The fact she casually looped him into the prospective plans warmed him through. It was just a word, two simple letters that Aaron used every single damn day. But from Becka’s lips, it took on a new meaning, a different mentality, making them a unit. She might not be willing to admit as much, but her thinking she was on this road alone had obviously shifted in the last week.

I’m making progress. Slowly, but surely.

He kept his body language as casual as his tone. “You free tonight?”

“Tonight?” She took another bite and chewed slowly. “I could make tonight work.”

“Why don’t you bring an extra set of clothes and shower at the gym? I can pick you up at...five?”

“Sure...” She grabbed her phone off the counter and backed away. “That sounds nice. Let’s do that. ’Bye.”

Aaron watched her run from him, but there was none of the frustration he’d grown accustomed to when it came to dealing with Becka. They’d taken a big step last night, whether she wanted to admit it or not. If she needed to retreat a little in response, he’d allow it.

But she wouldn’t get far if she tried to bolt for real.

He shook his head and used a spatula to move the pancakes from the pan to a square of tinfoil he’d laid out when he started cooking. A few seconds to cool, and then he carefully rolled them up and grabbed the mini jar of peanut butter he’d picked up yesterday. The jar and the tinfoil wraps went into the lunch bag he’d found in the back of his pantry. He could hear Becka getting dressed in her room, so he poured her a cup of coffee into a thermos. Ten to one, she was about to rush out of the penthouse without worrying about her coffee or her lunch, and he didn’t need her going without because he’d spooked her.

He stepped into the hallway and caught her midsneak. Her blue eyes went wide. “I’m going to work now.”

“I see that.” He passed over the bag and the thermos, and her jaw dropped when she took them. Aaron used a single finger to close her mouth and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll pick you up at five.”

“At five,” she parroted.

He stepped back so she had a clear escape path. Becka blinked at him one last time and nearly sprinted to the front door. It slammed behind her, and Aaron chuckled. That went well. The woman obviously had been taking care of herself for a very long time. From what he knew of both her and Lucy—and what she had and hadn’t said—he suspected Becka went without to ensure her big sister didn’t feel any unnecessary guilt about their parents being shitty. He respected the hell out of that, even if he wanted to go back in time and wrap her younger self up and protect her from the ugliness she’d lived through.

He couldn’t fix her past. He wouldn’t even know where to start.

But if he was careful, Aaron could maneuver around her thorns to take care of her in the future.

He cleaned up the kitchen, changed and headed out for work. Becka had him entirely too distracted, but work with his new client went over well enough. The client wanted an audit of their existing computer systems and a comprehensive risk-assessment report. It was a simpler job than he normally handled. Cameron much preferred the clients who wanted cybersecurity set up from the ground up, but this particular job was a referral and not one they could subcontract.

Even though it was something he could put together in his sleep, that didn’t mean he could get away without giving it all of his attention. They were paying him for the best, and that was what he needed to provide.

Cameron stood in the lobby, a scowl on his face, as Aaron walked through the door. He stopped short. “What’s wrong?”

“Kim Jones walked.” Cameron glared at the phone as if it was the sole responsible party. “I told her that cutting corners would undermine the integrity of our work and if she wanted a cheap option, she should have gone with one of our half-assed competitors.” He glared harder. “She said that’s exactly what she planned to do.”

“Fuck,” Aaron breathed. “I had her in the bag. Why the hell would you tell her that? We’d already agreed on the package she wanted. Our job is to give it to her—not rip her a new one because we think it’s the wrong choice. That’s not your call to make, Cameron.”

He strode past the lobby and into his office, Cameron hot on his heels. The man’s agitation rolled off him in waves. “I told you I can’t do this shit, Aaron. They ask me a question and I’m not going to pussyfoot around with the answer. Honesty is supposed to be an asset.”

He held on to his patience through sheer force of will. “Yes, but your brand of honesty has also driven off every single person we’ve hired to help manage the workload. I don’t have a problem being the client-facing part of the company, but I can’t do both. So, if we can’t find suitable admin support, we either need to hire another tech expert or we need someone who can work under me to consult with the clients. I don’t care which way we go on things, but something has to give.”

“We haven’t found someone qualified to fill either of those roles.” Cameron frowned. “I can’t even find someone qualified to man the damn front desk, and that’s a simple enough job.”

“You don’t think anyone is qualified.” Finding someone to work with them who could handle the job—and Cameron’s surliness—was an impossible task.

“I have exacting standards.”

“More like...” He caught a strange expression on Cameron’s face. “What?”

“What the hell is this?” Cameron stalked over and snatched the top baby book off the pile Aaron had placed on the far side of his desk when the box showed up. He flipped through it, the book looking tiny in his massive hands. “You planning on procreating?”

He hadn’t planned on sharing the information like this—or at all until strictly necessary. Aaron rubbed a hand over his face. “A girl I was, ah, seeing. She’s pregnant.”

“It’s yours?”

He gritted his teeth. “It’s mine.” Becka said it was, and he had no reason to doubt her. Going down that path lay madness and ensured that any relationship blossoming between them would be dead and gone.

“Huh.” Cameron set the book down. “Congrats, then, I guess. Or condolences?” He narrowed his eyes. “Which way do we fall on this?”

“I don’t know yet.” It was nothing more than the truth. The baby was unplanned and even with the surprise and shock wearing off, he had mixed feelings. He’d never planned on having a child with someone he wasn’t married to. The whole concept was old-fashioned and he should just set it aside, but it bothered him. Things with Becka weren’t buttoned up—and showed no signs of being buttoned up any time in the foreseeable future. They were making progress, but it was slow going. “We’re keeping it, and that’s enough for now.”

“Guess so.” Cameron scrubbed a hand over his shaved head. “Look, I’m sorry about Kim Jones. I didn’t know that offering my opinion would make her freak the fuck out like that. And then she was yelling and I was yelling and...” He shrugged. “I said we’ll hire someone and we will. I’ll set up another round of interviews this week.”

He opened his mouth, but there was no point of going round and round with this shit. He’d known who Cameron was when he went into business with the man. Aaron had made his peace with being client-facing, but he hadn’t expected it to chafe quite so much. If they could get a good third in here, it would smooth over a lot of their random little issues. It just had to be someone Cameron wouldn’t scare off inside of a week.

But his partner had said he’d handle it, and so he had to let it go. “Appreciate it.”

“Now, get to work. Sounds like you have more mouths to feed in the near future.” He grinned. “Any chance it’s twins?”

“Oh, fuck right off, Cameron.” He shook his head and sat behind his desk. There was plenty of work to be done, and he had to get it finished in time to pick Becka up after work. No matter what bullshit arose during the day, he wasn’t going to let anything endanger another date with her.

Not when he was actually starting to make progress.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BECKA RAN BACK to her apartment on her lunch break to grab more clothes. She stood in the middle of the living room and wrinkled her nose. Living surrounded by Aaron’s understated luxury made it hard to see this place as anything other than the shithole he’d labeled it. It was home, sure... Or at least it had been. It didn’t feel like much right now except for a letdown. She gave herself a shake and headed into her room to grab a bag to throw some dresses into. At some point soon she’d have to face the reality of maternity clothing, but she wasn’t ready to deal with it yet.

Great job, Becka. Just avoid anything and everything related to the baby until you absolutely have to face it. That sure won’t blow up in your face.

Impossible to ignore the little voice when it spoke hard-core reason at her. She’d asked Aaron for time before they got down to the nitty-gritty about baby stuff, and he’d mostly respected that in the few days since. Her reprieve wouldn’t last, and she could hardly blame him for that. They were about to be responsible for another person, and flying by the seat of her pants might have gotten her this far in life, but his regimented scheduling and research-based personality were probably better suited for parenting than hers was.

It seemed like everyone was better suited to be a parent than she was, and yet look how things had turned out.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her phone rang. Becka knew who it was even before her sister’s name scrolled across the screen. Lucy had been calling every couple of days for the last month, and Becka could tell her excuses for not picking up were starting to wear thin.

She had to tell Lucy the truth sooner or later. Before she could talk herself out of it, she answered. “Hey, Lucy.”

“Becka! I thought for sure I’d get your voicemail again.”

“I know, I’ve been terrible. I’m sorry.” Her treacherous hormones threatened to close her throat, thickening her voice.

Lucy picked up on it. Of course she did. She’d spent too long taking care of Becka not to read her easily. “What’s going on? And don’t tell me that it’s nothing. We both know you don’t disappear like this unless you’re avoiding telling me something.” She lowered her voice. “Is this because of Gideon? I thought you were okay with it—”

Oh no. She should have known that her sister would jump to that conclusion. “No. Hell no. I am legit happy for you. I promise.” There was no getting out of the truth now. Becka took a deep breath. “I’m... I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Lucy rushed on before she could respond—not that she had a response. “Becka, if this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.”

Her stomach dropped and she closed her eyes. Disbelief in her sister’s tone, yes, but also disappointment. The very reaction she’d feared. “No one’s joking. You’re going to be an aunt in roughly six months.”

“I... Wow...” Lucy cleared her throat. “Sorry, you just caught me by surprise. I didn’t realize... No, but you would have told me if you were seeing someone.”

Her sister didn’t mean anything by it, but every word was a knife to Becka’s heart. A confirmation of what she’d always known to be the truth. She was far more like her wayward mother than she’d ever been like her responsible older sister.

Lucy finally managed to get her reaction under control. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”

Even now, even when she was obviously caught off-guard and disappointed, she still managed to set it aside and worry about Becka. “I’m fine. He’s a good guy.” She wasn’t willing to shock Lucy further by telling her the father was Aaron. “He’s pushy and determined to research this thing to death and he’s constantly on my ass about making me eat, but he wants to be in the baby’s life.”

“It sounds like you care about him.”

She pushed to her feet, but there was nowhere to run with the phone against her ear. Becka bit down on her impulse to yell that it was a one night stand and she couldn’t possibly care about him because she barely knew him. It wasn’t the truth. Not anymore. She swallowed hard. “I don’t know how I feel about anything anymore.”

“Relationships aren’t always like it was with them.” No need for her to ask who Lucy meant. Their parents. “Gideon and I might argue sometimes, but he’s my rock. It might be nice if you had someone to be your rock, too.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” She glanced at the faded digital clock over her oven. “Hey, Lucy, I’ve got to go if I’m going to make my next appointment. Talk to you later?”

“I’m here for you, Becka. No matter what. You know you can call me anytime, right? For anything.”

“I know.” Damn it, now she really was going to cry. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

She hung up and stared at her phone. That had gone... Well wasn’t the right word. Even with Lucy offering unconditional support, she couldn’t shake the fact that her DNA had outed once and for all, realizing both their worst fears.

That Becka was just their mother 2.0.

She headed for her first personal training appointment for the day, and then there was no more time for worrying about her worst fears coming true. Time went too fast, and it felt like seconds later that she was in the locker room and jumping in the shower. She pulled on a sheath dress in a brilliant pink and orange pattern that hid her growing baby bump and slipped into simple flats and a funky cropped jacket. Becka pulled her hair back into a deceptively simple braid and threw some mascara and lipstick on.

Feeling like herself for the first time in a long time, she hurried out of the locker room just as her phone dinged. She smiled when she saw Aaron’s text. I’m out front.

Punctual as always.

She hefted her bag more firmly on her shoulder and strode out the doors. It will be okay. Just because I’m off center and scared all over again doesn’t mean I am going to ruin tonight.

I refuse to ruin tonight.

Aaron had his hands in his pockets and wore a well-fitting black suit with a dove-gray button-down underneath. His smile dimmed when he caught sight of her bag. “Let me carry that.”

“Honey, I can bench 150 and I have arms to rival Michelle Obama. I got it.” She caught herself and sighed. “But if you’re going to turn into a human storm cloud, you can take it.”

“Being chivalrous is not being a human storm cloud.” He took the bag easily and offered her his free arm.

No point in arguing about the damn bag further. Truth be told, her back was bothering her a little, but she’d sew her lips shut before she admitted as much to Aaron. He’d probably load her into a cab and rush her to the hospital or something in response. “And here I thought chivalry was dead.”

“A nasty rumor. Nothing more.”

She fell into step beside him. “You know, you’re funnier than I thought when we first met. At the wedding, it was all intensity and come-fuck-me eyes, and here you are, cracking sly jokes at the drop of a hat.”

“I don’t know how you remember the wedding, but you didn’t leave much room for jokes.” He slid his arm around her waist the same way he had on the walk to the taco truck. It pressed the entire sides of their bodies together and sparked desire through her in response. Aaron, damn him, knew it.

“I was in a bad way, and you had exactly what I needed.” She hadn’t meant to say it aloud, to offer up even that much information, but her earlier conversation with Lucy still had her off her game. The words saturated the air between them and there was no taking them back.

Aaron kept quiet for half a block. Finally, almost reluctantly, he said, “I imagine weddings aren’t your favorite thing, let alone your sister’s wedding.”

“I’m happy for her.” The response was so automatic, it almost felt real. He shot her a look and she cursed. “Okay, fine, I was sick to my stomach from the time she told me Gideon proposed until they got in that limo and drove away. Rationally, I know that not every marriage goes down in flames, but it’s hard when my heart and brain get to battling. She was engaged to a douchebag before Gideon, and he did a number on her. I know Gideon would rather set himself on fire than do anything to hurt her, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying. What if something happens to him? She’ll never recover.”

“There are no guarantees in life.”

Becka rolled her eyes, even though her amusement had died a terrible death at the mention of her sister’s wedding. But then, she’d been in a funk all day. “Thanks for that fortune cookie–pat answer. I know that. Of course I know that. But there are enough painful moments in life without inviting the bastard to kick you in the teeth at the first available opportunity. Even you have to admit that.”

He pulled her closer without missing a step. “Life is hard. It’s full of all the bad stuff, sure. But it’s full of good stuff, too. The difference is that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and grab onto the good stuff with both hands. Avoiding anything that might cause you pain down the road...” He hesitated. “That’s no way to live, minx.”

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to so badly, she could taste the need like on the back of her tongue. It would be the simplest thing in the world to let go, to step into Aaron and let go of all her fears.

To grab onto a possible future with them together with both hands and hold it close until it became reality.

The strength of the desire startled her. Terrified her. She opened her mouth to shut down this line of conversation, but couldn’t make herself do it. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Aaron had to fight to put aside their conversation as they walked into the bar. It looked like millions of other bars across the city, from the faded wood tables to the blinking neon lights of various beer signs to the half a dozen televisions positioned strategically around the room. But the floors weren’t sticky and the place smelled pleasantly of something he couldn’t quite place.

Becka led the way to a table near the bar where trivia was being set up. She took a paper to fill out and sat down before he could pull out her chair. Aaron repressed a sigh and took the seat diagonal from her. He picked up the menu and flipped through it. Instead of the normal bar food he expected, it was all Asian fusion. “Huh.”

“The sushi is great, and so is anything stir-fry.” She spoke without looking up. “There are also wings on the last page.”

Strange place. He eyed the paper she was filling out. “What’s our team name?”

“Cunning Linguists.”

He barked out a laugh. “Clever.”

“I aim to please.” She smiled at the waiter that walked up. “Can I get cranberry juice and a starter of the egg rolls?”

“Sure thing.” He looked expectantly at Aaron. “And for you?”

What he really wanted was a beer, but he’d been serious about not drinking in front of her for the time being, so he ordered an iced tea. “And add the wontons to the starters.” He’d seen Becka eat, and he had no illusions about getting any of those egg rolls for himself.

Becka waited for the man to leave the table before sitting back to pin Aaron with a look. “I’m surprised you didn’t decide to educate me on how unhealthy egg rolls are, being fried and all.”

He didn’t bother to hide his grin. “I figure you might dump that glass of water over my head if I did.”

“Smart man.”

“I have my moments.” He snagged the paper to look over the categories. “Plus, you’re a personal trainer. You eat better than I do most of the time. If you want egg rolls for a starter, you can have egg rolls.”

“Wow. Thanks for permission.”

Aaron growled. “Don’t make this into a fight, minx.”

“I’m not. You—” She snapped her mouth closed and looked a little sheepish. “I might be making it into a fight. Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”

Whether it was hormones or their earlier conversation made no difference. He was smart enough not to agree with her. Instead Aaron pointed at the trivia paper. “Dungeons and Dragons is one of the categories.”

“Is it?” She blinked deceptively innocent eyes at him. “Did I fail to mention this was an ultimate geek trivia night?”

“Must have slipped your mind,” he muttered. He glanced over the categories again. The tech gadget one he had a chance at. He was relatively well versed in Harry Potter just by virtue of living in current times and having both internet and cable. The rest might as well have been Greek for all he had a chance of deciphering it. “You like this stuff?”

“I’ve been known to run a campaign or two.” She caught his look and laughed. “I like playing against type. Besides, it’s fun if you have a good group.” Something like a shadow flickered over her face, and he didn’t have to ask to know that there were times when she hadn’t had a good group. Knowing what little he did of geek culture and how a portion of the population treated women, he could guess how that had fallen out. Before he could ask, Becka gave him a bright smile. “Stick with me, young padawan. I’ll show you the ropes.”

The woman running the game stood up and introduced herself, and then they were off to the races. Despite being the weak link for their duo in this realm, Aaron found himself drawn into Becka’s enthusiasm and competitive spirit. She really did know a whole hell of a lot in this subset of trivia, and they ended up taking second place in the competition.

After paying for their tab, he slung an arm around her waist and they headed out. She brandished their second-place sticker. “Next time, we’re going for gold. You just need to brush up on about ten years’ worth of knowledge in a week.”

“Consider it done.”

She laughed. “You took being upstaged rather well, all things considered. Most guys would have bitched and stomped out of there when the elves questions came up.”

“Just because I was outmatched doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself.” He pressed a casual kiss to the top of her head. “Besides, you’re into it. I had fun.”

“Me, too.” She sounded almost surprised by that fact. “Aaron.”

“Yeah?”

“I like you.”

From the way she braced as if expecting a blow, the words had taken a lot of courage to say. He stepped out of foot traffic. Aaron turned her to face him and tipped her chin up so she couldn’t hide from his gaze. “I like you, too.”

She worried her bottom lip. “You’re right, you know. We have to talk about the baby.”

This change of tone should have spelled victory for him, but he found himself reluctant to push her. He kissed her forehead and then her lips. “We can talk when you’re ready—really ready.”

“What if I’m never ready?” She laughed softly. “Because at this point, I don’t know what I’m doing, and even thinking about it is enough to have me borderline panicking.”

“You’re not alone, minx. You’re not facing this by yourself. I’ll be there every step of the way. Never doubt that.”

She smiled against his mouth. “I don’t.”

He didn’t believe her for a second, but Aaron let it go. He was making progress, and that was all that mattered. A week of fragile peace couldn’t combat an entire lifetime of living a certain way. Becka might not trust him completely, but he’d do whatever it took to win both her trust and her willingness to be in his life.

If the last few days had done anything, they’d confirmed something for him.

He didn’t just want to be in the baby’s life.

He wanted to be in Becka’s.

He wanted to be with Becka.

CHAPTER TWELVE

BECKA LOOKED UP as the door opened and Aaron walked in. He missed a step but recovered almost immediately. “I didn’t realize you’d be home before me today.”

“My last appointment canceled. He’s got food poisoning.” She flipped through the channels for the twelfth time in the last hour. Nothing held her attention, and she’d already circled through the kitchen to stare blankly into the fridge four times before shutting it and returning to the couch. Becka didn’t do well with a lack of activity, and today was no exception. She had energy to burn off and she didn’t know what to do with herself. She sat up and eyed Aaron. “You in a hurry?”

He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it in the closet just inside the door. “I have some work I brought home, but it just needs to be done sometime tonight. Why? You have something in mind?”

“I do.” She bounced off the couch and came around to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Let’s take a spin class.”

Aaron stopped short. “That did not go where I was expecting.”

“You thought I meant sex.” She laughed and started down the hall. “We can bang it out later. Riding your cock is great cardio, but I didn’t have a spin class today and I’m going to drive us both crazy if I don’t do something about it.” She pulled out her phone and paged through the app she had that gave her all the nearby gyms’ schedules. It didn’t take long to find one that would fit the bill.

Becka turned, but Aaron hadn’t moved from his spot by the door. She stopped short and cursed herself for being an idiot. It took effort to keep her shoulders square and the disappointment from her voice. “You don’t have to go, Aaron. It’s okay. I just got excited.”

He gave himself a shake. “No, I want to. You surprised me is all.” He crossed the distance between them in two large steps and kissed her hard enough that her back hit the wall. When he finally raised his head, both their breathing had turned harsh. Aaron smiled. “I’ve been curious about your particular brand of spin since Roman told me about it a while back.” He paused. “I’m happy you’re sharing this with me, minx.”

He made it sound like a much bigger deal than it should be but...

No, that wasn’t fair. It was a big deal. She’d made plans for both of them without stopping to think about it, and she’d been disappointed when she thought he didn’t want to go. Little by little, Aaron had eased into her life until she wanted to share parts of herself with him. Her classes and her personal training were two things important to her that she never shared with the guys she dated. She’d never wanted to share them.

Since she didn’t know what to say to any of it, she gave him a half smile and ducked into her room to change. Fifteen minutes later, they were on their way. The gym was a trendy little boutique workout place that offered a small selection of classes, similar to Transcend, but they were open to both men and women. Becka had never been to this branch before, but she’d attended a few classes at one of the locations closer to her apartment.

After they got checked in and put on their spin shoes, she shot Aaron a look. “Uh... I know you work out, but have you ever taken spin before?” Probably should have asked that before springing this on him.

“Yeah, though not for a while. I prefer lifting weights and the elliptical.”

She made a face before she caught herself. “Just, ah...” She put an extra dose of brightness into her tone. “It’ll be fun!”

“What did you sign me up for?”

Instead of answering, she headed into the room and chose a bike in the middle row, slightly off to the side. Aaron took the one next to her and adjusted his seat without hesitating. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

As the class started, she lost herself to the bumping beat of the music and the rhythmic pedaling. The instructor didn’t have as many bike pushups in his routine as Becka did, which was just as well, but he had a few fun moves she made a mental note to incorporate at some point in the future.

The hour passed in the blink of an eye, and she belatedly remembered to check on Aaron as the slow song that signaled time to stretch came on. He was just as soaked in sweat as she was, and the look he gave her when she turned to him singed her right down to her core. Becka froze. “Uh, so that was fun.”

“Fun.” He didn’t sound totally out of breath, but he shook his head and unlocked his shoes from his bike. “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”

She burst out laughing, drawing looks from the people around them. Well, at least the class was over. Becka followed him out of the room, her gaze lingering on the way his sweaty shirt clung to this muscled back. She knew working out was an aphrodisiac, of course, but she’d never done it with someone before. Not like this.

Suddenly, all those couples’ workout videos on the internet made sense.

She grabbed Aaron’s arm and towed him around the corner and down the hall, searching the signs on the doors. There were a handful of gender-neutral bathrooms and... There. If this gym was anything like hers, no one actually used the showers. Even if they did, there were two. She shoved Aaron into the room, cast a quick look behind them to make sure no one was paying attention and stepped in and closed the door behind her.

He was on her the second she locked the door. Aaron grabbed her hips hard enough that she had to catch herself on the door and shoved her shorts down her legs. Half a second later, his cock was there, filling her in one rough move. Her fingers scrambled over the smooth wood of the door, trying to find purchase. “Oh God.”

“This is what you wanted.” He pulled out for a second, looped an arm around her waist and carried her to the sink. She braced her hands on the porcelain and met his gaze in the mirror. He smoothed a hand up her back. “This is what you wanted,” Aaron repeated. This time it sounded more like a question.

“Yes.” He sank into her again, and she shoved back against him, taking his cock deeper yet. “Hard. Fast. Now.”

He gripped her shoulder with one hand and her hip with the other and drove into her. Hard. Fast. Exactly what she needed. His expression was like a man possessed, just as out of control as Becka felt. It had never been like this, desperation clawing through her to get closer, to have more of him touching more of her. He must have felt it, too, because Aaron withdrew and lifted her onto the sink. He yanked her shorts the rest of the way off and spread her thighs wide. “Hang on to me.”

She was already moving, hooking the back of his neck and dragging him down to claim his mouth as he started fucking her again. The new angle hit that sensitive spot inside her with every stroke, winding her tighter and tighter until she came with a muffled cry. He followed her seconds later, grinding hard into her as he orgasmed.

Aaron laughed softly. “I think I can get onboard with this spin thing.”

“Yeah... Me, too.” She shivered as his cock twitched inside her. “But we can never come back to this gym again—ever.” She wasn’t shy, but they’d just crossed a line, and she wasn’t going to be able to look anyone in the face as they left.

“You hungry?” He pumped slightly, drawing a gasp from her lips.

She blinked. “Is that a euphemism?”

“I know a place that makes some mean peanut butter and jelly wings.” He was still moving inside her, little thrusts that had her body going molten all over again. “We could pick up takeout and go home to enjoy them properly.”

Becka moaned and shoved him away. “Stop that or we’re going to keep fucking in this bathroom until someone comes banging on the door.”

“Doesn’t sound so bad.” His gaze dropped to her pussy. “You’re looking needy, minx. I’ve got just the thing.”

The man went from talking about takeout to looking like he wouldn’t mind giving her enough orgasms to bring down the rage of the entire staff of this gym on them. She hopped off the sink and pulled her shorts back on. “If you wanted to keep playing with me, you shouldn’t have mentioned peanut butter and jelly wings.”

Aaron kissed her and cupped her pussy through the thin fabric of her shorts. He circled her clit with his thumb. “I’m going to take care of you tonight.” He slipped his hand into her shorts and fingered her. “Fuck, Becka, I’d think they pumped something into the air of that room if I didn’t know it was all you. You make me so goddamn crazy for you.” He kissed her again. “Come for me, minx. One more time to tide me over until after dinner.”

Oh God. She spread her legs to give him better access even though she knew they were running out of time before someone came knocking on the door. Maybe it was that lack of time that made this whole thing hotter. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was Aaron’s growl in her ear and his fingers working her pussy. He pushed two fingers into her and went back to circling her clit with his thumb. She was already on a hair trigger from coming earlier, and when he bit her neck lightly, it threw her headlong into another orgasm. He brought her down so sweetly, kissing her as he gentled his touch and finally slipped his hand out of her shorts.

Aaron readjusted her clothing and washed his hands. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Let’s get you those wings.”

“Yeah,” Becka said, more than a little dazed. “Can’t forget about the wings.”

“Come here.” Aaron reached out to pull Becka back beneath the spray of the dual showerheads he had set up in his bathroom. They’d made it back to his penthouse in record time—with a quick stop at the wing place on the way to pick up their food—and he’d dragged her into the shower with him nearly the second they walked through the door.

She smacked his hand and bared her teeth in what was almost a grin. “Food, Livingston. Not only did we do spin class and then walk home, but you blew my mind seven ways to Sunday in the bathroom earlier. I need calories and, before you say anything, not the kind of calories that come from your cock.” She paused in the gap leading out of the walk-in shower and surveyed him. “Though it’s a mighty fine cock and I plan to use and abuse it later.”

He barked out a laugh. “Noted. Go get started on your calories. I’m right behind you.”

“Better enjoy the view then.” She gave a little shake of her ass and hell if he didn’t enjoy the view before she wrapped a towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom.

He wasted no time finishing scrubbing down and followed suit. He found her in the living room, setting up the wings on the coffee table. Aaron ducked into the kitchen to grab them glasses of water and an extra glass of cranberry juice for her, and then he joined her on the couch.

It was only then that he noticed what she was wearing.

Becka sat cross-legged, her petite body swallowed up by one of his college T-shirts. The thing was so old, it was one of the softest he owned, and the image on the front had faded away to almost nothing. Rationally, he understood why she gravitated to the shirt, but his gut said it marked her as his. That she was settling in for the long haul and this was a fucking relationship, not two people who happened to live together and would have a baby together in the relatively near future.

Whether her choice in clothing said that to her was another story.

She tasted the jalapeño jelly dip and made a little moaning sound. “Oh, damn. This was such a good call.”

“Glad it’s hitting the spot.” To keep himself from staring at her as she ate, he grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels until he landed on something that halfway caught his interest. It was an old movie, and he instantly recognized the blonde waltzing her way across the screen.

Becka obviously did, too, because she nodded. “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Good choice.”

Even if he hadn’t planned on keeping it there, he would have set the remote down at her interest. “I take it you like it?”

“What’s not to like? Lady friendships, a smoking-hot private investigator and some killer songs thrown in for spice.” She cut one of the peanut butter wings in two and dipped it into the jelly. “It’s a classic, and I used to say I was Dorothy to Allie’s Lorelei.” She made a face. “Minus all the gold-digging stuff. That sort of thing leads to nothing but trouble.”

Aaron draped his arm over the back of the couch. “You like old movies, play D&D and are a jock in your own right.” He grinned. “You like to keep people guessing.”

“Maybe people.” She sipped her drink. “Maybe just you. Most people try to slap a label on me the second they meet me, but they never bother to dig deeper. Their loss, I guess. My people get me, and they don’t expect me to change so they can shove me into a neat little box.” She shrugged.

He should keep his damn mouth shut, but Aaron was sick of fucking around. He wanted Becka—in his bed and in his life permanently. Even if he slow-played this thing into the ground, he couldn’t sit on his hands indefinitely. It wasn’t fair to either of them. “I could be one of your people if you’ll let me get close enough, minx.”

“I know.” She sighed. “Look, this is weird for me, too. I like you. It freaks me out, which is normally the part where I ghost whatever dude I’m seeing, but that’s obviously not an option in our case, because where the hell am I going to run when I have to come track you down in about six months?”

“You want this to stop because it’s not doing it for you, that’s one thing.” He watched her closely, took in the tension in her shoulders and the way she stared pointedly at her food. Too damn bad, Becka. This is going to get said. “But to try to run from me because you care too much? Fuck that.”

“Try?”

“You heard me. I care about your contrary ass, and you care about me right back. I’m not pushing you right now, but if you bolt, I’m going to track your ass down and have a conversation like adults.”

She finally twisted to face him, blue eyes flashing. “You call this not pushing?”

“That’s exactly what I call this.” He clenched his jaw and worked to modulate his tone. “We have time. You need more, then you have it. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m not your commitment-phobic dad and you’re sure as fuck not your flighty-ass mom. Stop using them as an excuse to keep me from getting close to you.”

“You were pretty damn close to me an hour ago.”

His body flashed hot at the memory, but he wasn’t about to let her distract him with sex right now. “Admit that you care about me.”

She threw up her hands. “Fine, asshole. I admit it. I care about you, and that scares the shit out of me in a way I’m not prepared to deal with.”

“Was that so hard?”

“Yes!” She turned back to face the TV and crossed her arms over her chest.

“It spooks me, too, minx.” He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “You’re not alone. Remember that when the panic gets too bad.”

“I’m trying,” she whispered.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

BECKA DIDN’T MEAN to fall asleep. But the wings filling her belly and Aaron’s warm thigh under her head combined with the throw blanket he’d tucked around her as they watched the movie was too compelling to resist. Her blinks became longer and longer, and when Aaron started absently running his fingers through her hair, she was lost.

Or maybe she’d been found.

She didn’t know. The only thing she was sure of was that at some point, Aaron carried her into his bedroom and tucked them both into bed. He curled his body around the back of hers, as if he could shield her from the worst the world had to offer by his sheer presence alone.

Becka wasn’t thinking about comfort, though. Not with her wearing only his shirt and his cock pressed against her ass. She shifted back, rubbing against him, and was rewarded by his hand spasming on her stomach. He pulled her closer, snuggling against her, and inched the shirt up, baring her from the waist down. They moved slowly, as if he was as hesitant as she to break the strange half awake, half asleep sensation of their movements.

She reached behind her and gripped the back of his neck as he pressed an openmouthed kiss to the top of her spine. Instead of touching her where she ached for him, Aaron shifted, bringing one arm under her and cupping her breasts with both hands. He squeezed gently and then pulsed his hands, creating the smallest amount of friction between his palms and her nipples. She responded by rolling her hips harder against him.

She took one of his wrists and guided his hand between her thighs. He cupped her pussy as if assuring himself that she was wet and wanting and his. Aaron touched her in a way she’d never experienced before. It wasn’t just a touch with him.

It was a claiming.

He idly dipped a single finger into her and spread her wetness up and over her clit. The gentle sensation only heightened her desire, but she didn’t want to break the spell. Not yet. She released his neck to reach back and dip her hand into his boxer briefs to stroke his cock.

“You’re supposed to be asleep,” he growled against her neck.

She grinned into the darkness of the room. He broke first. “I am asleep.” She gave his cock another pump. “So, so asleep.”

“Don’t think your story checks out, minx.”

“You caught me.” She twisted in his arms to face him and hitched her leg over his hip. A quick move shoved his boxer briefs below his hips, and she guided his cock into her. “I’m awake.”

“Now the truth comes out.” He rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

Instead of breaking the heightened intensity, being face-to-face with Aaron only made the whole encounter sexier. Becka kissed him as she moved over him slowly. Leisurely. Each stroke strengthened the feeling of being in a dream where nothing could touch them. Desire took hold, and she straightened to get a better angle, chasing her own pleasure.

“Ah, ah. Not yet, minx.” He lifted her off his cock and up to straddle his head.

She grabbed the headboard to hold steady. Between her thighs, his face was bathed in shadows. He could have been anyone... But, no. The thought fled as soon as it rose, chased away by the slow glide of his tongue over her pussy. This was Aaron.

It will always be Aaron.

He licked and sucked at her, using his hands on her thighs to urge her to ride his mouth. Becka let the last of her worries dissolve beneath his touch. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the pleasure building with every deep exhale that ghosted against the most private part of her.

Her orgasm rolled over her slowly, dragging her deeper than she’d ever gone before. She shuddered and slumped against the headboard, blinking into the darkness. Ruinous. That’s what Aaron Livingston is. Fucking ruinous. She couldn’t bring herself to care.

He pulled her down to spoon again and hitched her leg over his thigh so he could guide his cock into her. He stroked her clit with each slow thrust, murmuring in her ear the entire time. “I can’t get enough of you, minx. I could live for another sixty years and I’d still never get enough of you.” His breath hitched against her ear. “Let me keep you, Becka. Let me keep both of you.”

She opened her mouth to say... She wasn’t sure what. But he ground hard against her and circled her clit once, twice, a third time, and the only thing she verbalized was a breathless shriek as she came again.

Aaron flipped her onto her stomach and lifted her hips to drive into her. He moved like a man possessed, the dreamlike feeling of their encounter up to this point fading away in the feel of his cock filling her completely as he chased his own pleasure.

As he marked her as his own.

The next month passed in a blur of peaceful contentedness. Aaron came home every day to Becka. She shared his bed and gave him precious tidbits about herself and her past as they settled into what could be their life together. But she still held back part of herself, and the closer they got, the more that denied bit made him crazy. He’d promised her time, though. He’d honor it, damn it.

She met him at the door one night, looking nervous. She wore a pair of brightly colored leggings and one of the slouchy shirts she’d become fond of since moving in with him, and she was all but wringing her hands.

Aaron dropped his briefcase and carefully shut the door. “Is everything okay? Is it the baby?”

“What?” She shook her head and gave a rueful smile. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have ambushed you at the door with this. I, ah...” She stared hard at the wood floor beneath their feet. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I meant to mention it to you last week, but you kind of distracted me with ice cream and that thing you do with your tongue.”

Despite her obvious nerves, he grinned. “I seem to remember you liking that thing I do with my tongue.”

“I do.” She twisted a lock of blue hair around her finger. “I know it’s last minute and I completely understand if you can’t come. It’s at one at a clinic close to my apartment.”

He stepped closer and framed her face with his hands, guiding her to meet his gaze. “Of course I’ll be there. I have a meeting, but I can reschedule. One of the perks of being the boss.” She looked so unsure that he smoothed his thumbs over her cheekbones. “Unless you don’t want me to go?” Aaron wanted to be in that room with her more than anything, especially since he’d missed her appointment last month. He’d only known about it because Becka mentioned it in passing, giving him a rundown as if it hadn’t occurred to her to bring him and his presence there was no big deal.

It had stung. Fuck yes, it’d stung.

But ultimately having him there was her choice. If he’d learned anything in his time with Becka, it was that he couldn’t badger his way into anything when it came to her. She’d just dig in her heels and set her jaw in that way that would be adorable if it didn’t signal the start of a knock-down, drag-out fight.

She pressed her lips together. “I’d like you to be there. It just feels like a big step.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, minx, but having a baby is about as big a step as two people can take. We’re already there.”

“Correction—we’ll be there in just over five months.”

He bit back a sharp response to that. Her insistence at holding off talking about anything resembling the future was the one black spot on their time together. “I’ll be at the appointment. Do you want me to pick you up or meet you there?”

“Might as well meet me there.” She huffed out a breath. “This is silly, right? I shouldn’t be so stressed out over a doctor’s appointment.”

It was a big deal. This would be the appointment with the ultrasound, the halfway point through the pregnancy. It was also the appointment when they’d get a good idea if the baby was progressing as it should—or if there were glaring problems.

Aaron pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “No matter what happens, I’m there.” Maybe if he said it enough times, she’d actually start to believe him. Maybe. He didn’t know what the right words were. Hell, he didn’t seem to have right words when it came to Becka. He wasn’t walking on eggshells, but he was aware that one wrong step might fracture the careful peace they’d formed around themselves.

Not for the first time, it registered that things couldn’t last as they stood now.

But as he looked down into her worried expression, he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. Not yet. Tomorrow after the doctor’s appointment would be more than soon enough. They could have tonight. The real world—the future—had waited this long. It could wait another eighteen hours or so.

Aaron smoothed back her hair. “Are you hungry?”

She gave him a half smile. “Is that a trick question?”

If the baby books he’d read had taught him anything, it was that every pregnancy was different. Becka didn’t seem to be suffering many of the ill effects that often showed up, but her appetite was unrelenting. It amused him even as he worried that she wasn’t getting enough. With her job, she burned a significant number of calories every day, and even with her near-constant snacking and meals, it was possible she was in deficit.

He took her hand and led her into the kitchen. “Protein, veggie, carb.”

“Chicken, spinach, rice.” She didn’t miss a beat. “Preferably with some kind of cheese on top.”

Aaron laughed and dug through his fridge to find the chicken and spinach and then pulled a bag of rice from the pantry. He loved these moments with Becka. She dictated dinner, and he put it together while she sipped what had become her customary cranberry juice and they chatted about their respective days.

This is what it could be.

This is what it should be.

She propped her chin in her hands and watched him. “I think I have a solution to your Cameron problem. I mean, at least in theory it’s a good option.”

He covered the chicken breasts in wax paper and pounded them with a meat tenderizer to flatten them. “At this point, I’m about to start praying to some ancient god for patience.” They’d managed to hire a secretary...and the guy lasted exactly forty-eight hours before he quit in a huff after a snarling conversation with Cameron about their differing methods of filing.

“He’s the best damn security-tech expert in the country, but he is just as good at alienating people. It was never an issue when we were a different kind of company, but our workload grew and our clients changed—and Cameron didn’t.” It wasn’t that he expected his friend to change. Cameron was Cameron, and that was one of the things Aaron had always liked about him. But something had to give, and it had to happen fast. He hadn’t talked to Becka about it yet, but he fully intended to take some time off after she had the baby so he could be there to help.

So she wouldn’t be alone.

So he could spend time with his new baby.

The only way he’d be able to pull that off, though, was to find the time to hire someone to handle the client-facing aspect of the company so Cameron wouldn’t drive off every client they had with his inability to tolerate corporate bullshit while he was gone. He was belatedly realizing that a secretary wouldn’t cut it. He needed someone with a wider skill set.

Becka laughed. “I don’t think that will be necessary. Didn’t you say that your little sister was looking for a job? That she was tired of living with your very wonderful parents?”

He had mentioned Trish more than few times over the last month. His little sister had been badgering him to let her come visit. He’d eventually told her about Becka and the pregnancy, and Trish had been asking to come check out the future mother of his child. Aaron had barely held her off. He fully expected to turn around one day in the near future and find her at his front doorstep with her sunny smile and determination.

Aaron moved to the stove and started the rice. “Trish’s degree is in sales.”

“Yes, you mentioned that. Three times.” She smiled. “That skill set would be really useful if you want to ease back from dealing directly with clients on the level you do right now.”

She had a point.

He transferred the chicken back to the pan and started lining up the cheese and spinach to fill the chicken breasts with. “It could work. Though Trish is the sweetest person I know, she’s pretty damn determined. If she set out to carve a place for herself within the company, not even Cameron’s surliness would be enough to stop her.” He grinned. “I might actually pay to sit in on that first meeting.”

“See!” Becka spread her hands and wiggled her fingers. “I’m brilliant.”

“You are.” He leaned over the island and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Gratitude and happiness welled up inside him, a bolt straight to the heart with that single casual contact. Aaron rocked back on his heels as the truth settled inside him.

I love her.

He had for a while, if he was going to be honest with himself. He stared at the chicken in front of him, keeping his jaw clenched to prevent the words from escaping. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was Becka’s reaction if he dropped that truth on her. She cared for him—she wouldn’t act the way she did otherwise—but her fear of retreading her parents’ footsteps made her so gun-shy, one wrong word was enough to close her off from him for days.

If he dropped this bombshell?

He might lose her forever.

Aaron cleared his throat. Just because I love her doesn’t mean I have to tell her. Not yet. “I’ll talk to Cameron tomorrow before the doctor’s appointment, and call Trish after. Though we’ll have to get her set up in a place, otherwise she’ll move in here and take over the spare bedroom.”

“My room.” She rolled her eyes at his look. “Okay, fine. I haven’t slept in that room in a month, so I guess it’s not technically my room for the time being.”

For the time being.

She kept putting qualifiers on what they were. She couldn’t seem to help herself.

He set aside his frustration just like he had every other time and focused on finishing dinner. Becka was in his life and in his bed—for now. He’d do whatever it took to keep her there and ensure she didn’t let the past poison the possibility of their future together.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

BECKA COULDN’T STOP pacing as they waited for the doctor to arrive. It had been bad enough during the last appointment, sitting by herself in the consulting room with the knowledge like a rock in her gut that everything had changed and there was no going back. That was before her body had started actually showing changes. Now her stomach had a definite curve and she could actually feel the baby move regularly.

This was real.

It was happening.

She should sit down. Should be able to handle this despite feeling like she was one sharp move away from coming out of her skin. She couldn’t. Nerves kept her moving despite Aaron’s increasing stillness. He’d stopped watching her several minutes ago and had taken up staring at the door as if he could summon the doctor faster through sheer willpower. Knowing Aaron, it was entirely possible.

She was fucking this up, but she couldn’t stop. The future sat like a weight around her neck, threatening to take her to her knees. She might be able to forget the circumstances that had brought her and Aaron back together when they were going about their lives. Playing house. There was no forgetting in that clinic room. The truth was in every diagram on the walls and the table with its thin paper laid over it. It was in the sterile hospital smell that even places like this held. It was even in the quiet murmur she could hear from beyond the walls on either side of them and in the hall as nurses led other patients through the warren of rooms.

I’m having a baby.

I’m having a baby with Aaron.

A knock on the door brought her up short. Dr. Richardson, a short Filipina lady who’d been Becka’s gynecologist since she was sixteen, poked her head in and smiled warmly. “Becka, it’s good to see you again.” She stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind her before turning and extending a hand to Aaron. “Dr. Richardson.”

“Aaron Livingston.” He gave what appeared to be a firm handshake and sat back.

The doctor motioned to the table. “Shall we?”

Becka sat on the table and suffered through having her vitals taken while Dr. Richardson asked her the normal questions. No, she had no concerns. Yes, she was taking her prenatal vitamin. Yes, she was getting enough sleep. No, no weird cravings for nonfood items. Unsurprisingly, her blood pressure was significantly higher than normal.

Next, she lay back as her doctor measured her uterus and felt around. Becka stared at the ceiling, just wanting the whole thing to be over. Until next month when I have to come in again. She held her breath as Dr. Richardson brought out the machine to listen to the baby’s heartbeat.

This was it. The moment when there was no denying how real this whole fucked-up situation was.

But as the seconds ticked by, Dr. Richardson’s dark brows drew together. “Your little one is being difficult today.”

“Is that normal?” Aaron hadn’t moved from his chair, but his question sliced through the air and made Becka wince.

The doctor gave a reassuring smile. “The baby can be in certain positions that make finding the heartbeat challenging, but we’ll do an ultrasound just in case.”

In case the baby’s heart isn’t beating.

Becka’s breath hitched in her lungs, and she couldn’t seem to find the strength to exhale. She blinked blindly at the ceiling as her doctor wiped the slimy shit off her stomach and helped her sit up. Dr. Richardson squeezed her hand. “Don’t panic, Becka. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

The world snapped back into focus, and she wheezed out a breath. She latched onto the doctor’s hand. “I need my baby to be okay.”

“I know. Just give me a few minutes to see when we can slot you in for the ultrasound.” She slipped out of the room, leaving Becka staring after her.

She turned to Aaron. “I need our baby to be okay,” she repeated.

Instantly, he was on his feet and before her. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Like she said—listening to the heartbeat with that machine is an imperfect system. The ultrasound will tell us more.”

But there was no guarantee that it would deliver good news.

She buried her face in Aaron’s chest and listened to the beat of his heart. Too fast, a perfect match to her own. “I didn’t think I wanted this baby. I mean, obviously I did because I kept it, but I didn’t really want it. I wasn’t excited. I was just dealing with it and pretending I wasn’t pregnant because I don’t know what I’m doing.” She fisted her hands in Aaron’s shirt. “I want this baby. I want our baby.”

“I know.” He smoothed a hand over her hair and down her back. Over and over again. “I know. I want our baby, too.”

She didn’t know how long they sat like that, her trying and failing not to cry, him whispering words that ceased to have meaning as he rubbed her back.

A knock on the door signaled Dr. Richardson’s return. Her expression was perfectly placid as she took them in. “There was a last-minute cancellation, so we can get you in right now, if that will work?”

“It does,” Aaron answered for her, which was fine by her.

The doctor nodded. “This way.” She led them deeper into the clinic, to a darkened room where she introduced them to the ultrasound tech. Dr. Richardson hesitated. “The nurse will bring you back to a room once you’re finished and then we’ll go over the results.”

Because the technician wasn’t allowed to tell them anything.

Becka managed a nod.

And then it began again. The cold lube stuff on her lower stomach. The wand pressing into her sensitive skin.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at the static-filled screen for more than a few seconds, for fear of what she might see. Instead, she turned to Aaron. He held her hand, his gaze glued to the screen as if he had suddenly acquired the knowledge to decipher it. Hell, knowing the man, it was possible he’d found and read a book about ultrasounds along with every other aspect of pregnancy he’d researched.

The ultrasound tech clicked things on her computer and typed in other things, but she didn’t say a word until she removed the wand and handed Becka a handful of tissues. The woman gave a soft smile. “You don’t have to be worried.” Her smile became less tentative. “Do you want to know if you’re having a boy or a girl?”

How could you ask me that if I don’t know if my baby is okay?

Aaron squeezed her hand, grounding her. “It’s up to you, Becka.”

She swallowed hard. “I’d like to know.”

The nurse’s smile widened. “You have a beautiful baby girl.”

Even as joy suffused her, an insidious little voice in the back of her mind murmured, A little girl. You really are repeating history, aren’t you?

Aaron kept a grip on Becka’s hand as much for his benefit as for hers. A little girl. Is she okay? The nurse led them back to the room, and they spent ten agonizing minutes waiting for the doctor to return. Becka didn’t say anything, so he kept his silence. There would be plenty of time to talk once they had the verdict.

Rationally, he knew from his reading that people lost babies all the time. Miscarriages were significantly more common than Aaron could have imagined, and there were a number of factors that went into them—but the overwhelming consensus was that it was rarely the mother’s fault.

Becka would blame herself, though. He saw that truth written across her face.

Dr. Richardson arrived and closed the door behind her. She gave them both a bright smile. “Good news. The baby is perfectly fine and measuring right on track for where she should be. The mischievous little one just decided to be difficult earlier.” She walked over and patted Becka’s knee. “You’re doing wonderfully. Just keep it up and let me know if anything changes or if you have any concerns.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Becka’s smile didn’t quite banish the worried expression in her eyes.

After assuring her that they had no further questions, the appointment ended and Aaron trailed behind Becka as she strode out of the clinic. The baby might be fine, but the adrenaline still coursed through his system. So many things had raced through his mind as they waited through the ultrasound, but chief among them was the knowledge that if they lost the baby, he’d lose Becka in the process. There was nothing tying her to him. She’d only contacted him again because she was pregnant. If that hadn’t happened, she would have moved on with her life and left him to do the same.

Without the baby in the picture, no doubt she’d do exactly that again.

There would be no more shared meals. No more nights spent wrapped up in each other. No more of her lively presence brightening up his home and his life.

He’d lose her—for good this time.

Aaron drove them back to his building and cupped her elbow as they took the elevator up. But as soon as he shut the front door behind him, he couldn’t keep the words inside any longer. “Marry me.”

Becka spun around and would have tripped if he hadn’t caught her. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I thought you just said ‘marry me,’ but there’s no way you actually said that, because that would be crazy.”

“As crazy as moving you in here and realizing we’d actually be good together.” The brakes that had kept him quiet up to this point were long gone, and the sheer horror on her face only spurred him to keep talking. He’d only get one chance to convince her of this. Aaron clasped her shoulders. “Becka, I love you. I think if you weren’t so scared, you could admit that you love me, too. And today more than proved that we both already love this baby. We’re not your parents. We’re not going to make those same mistakes, no matter what you think. Trust me.”

“Trust you.” A laugh burst from her that edged toward hysterical. “How can I trust you when you just turned around and did everything you promised you wouldn’t? You promised to give me time.”

Frustration ignited into fury. “I have given you time. I’ve respected your childish desire to hide under the covers and ignore what’s happening instead of planning accordingly and facing it. I’ve sat back and watched you play pretend for six fucking weeks, Becka. That ends now.”

“I see.” She nodded and stepped back, out of his reach. “I wasn’t the only one playing pretend, though, was I? You had this idea of what the future was supposed to look like, and you’ve systematically ignored any piece of evidence that doesn’t line up with that plan. I’m not some perfect little wifey who’s going to fall into line just because you will it to happen. I’m only me, Aaron. I’ve only ever been me. And you’ve been asking too much from the very beginning.”

The floor seemed to tilt beneath his feet, but he was too angry to care. This was the truth he hadn’t wanted to face, the thread running through her that he didn’t have the words to combat. Even if he had, Becka possessed a singular ability to tune out anything that didn’t fit with her worldview. Just like she was doing right goddamn now.

He crossed his arms over his chest and strove to keep his tone even and not yell at her. If he could just get her to listen, they could talk their way through this. “I’d rather shoot for the stars than be content to live in the dirt just because I’m too afraid of repeating my parents’ mistake. The last month has more than proven that you’re not like them—like her. Why can everyone see that but you?”

Her blue eyes flashed. “Really? I’m the one who’s letting my parents’ lives get in the way of reality? Because your happy home that you grew up in has given you a wicked case of rose-tinted glasses. Wake up. Life isn’t like that for most people. More than half the people who get married turn around and get divorced again within seven years. That is a fact you can hang your hat on—not this fantasy future you’ve created in your head. You and I?” She motioned between them. “We would never work. Not outside this fucked-up situation, and sure as hell not in a marriage.” Becka shook her head. “I should leave.”

He’d fought so fucking hard to make her see, and he might as well have been yelling into a hurricane. Both actions accomplished a grand total of jack shit. She had her reality, and she fought tooth and nail to stay there. Aaron knew a thing or two about fear, but he’d always faced that emotion down until he conquered it. It was the only way forward. Her flat-out refusal to even try...

It’s over.

“No need for you to leave. I will.” He turned for the door but paused. “It doesn’t have to be like this, Becka. All you have to do is take a leap with me and trust in us.” Aaron found himself holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

But she only shook her head again, her eyes shining. “We won’t fly, Aaron. The free fall might feel like it for a little while, but the landing will ruin us both.”

He searched for something more to say, but in the end it wouldn’t change anything. “I’ll be at the next appointment.”

She hesitated like she wanted to tell him to fuck off but finally gave a short nod. “Wouldn’t expect anything different.”

This was it. It was really over.

Aaron turned without another word and walked out of the penthouse.

Becka barely had the energy to walk down the hallway to collapse on her bed. She buried her face in her cold pillow, hating that it wasn’t the one on Aaron’s bed that smelled like him, and hating herself even more for wanting that in the first place. She screamed into the offending pillow, but it didn’t make her feel the least bit better.

Why would it?

Aaron had left.

Not only left—left because she’d freaked out on him and kept yelling until he couldn’t stand to be in the same space as her. Just like her parents.

No, that wasn’t fair...

But Becka didn’t feel much like being fair right then. He threw that marriage proposal—if someone could even call it that—at her like it was the most logical step to take. And when she—understandably—freaked out, he cut and ran.

He left her.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the white ceiling. “Okay. Okay, he left. Which is a shitty way to end an argument. But this is Aaron we’re talking about. Maybe he just needs to walk it off a little bit and then he’ll be back here with some kind of plan and we’ll figure this out in a way that doesn’t involve a shotgun wedding.” She took a shuddering breath. “And then I will put my issues on hold and talk to him instead of freaking out.” Not an easy task by any means, but she could make an effort. She would make an effort.

She might not be ready to marry him, but she did care about him and she didn’t want to be without him. Becka scrubbed a hand over her face. Trust their first real fight to be one for the record books. She rolled over to get more comfortable and stared at the clock. An hour—two, tops—and he’d be back there. She just had to smother her instinct to flee the penthouse until then. She curled her legs and hugged the second pillow on the bed.

Just a little longer...

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER, Becka ran out of excuses. Aaron hadn’t come home last night, and though she’d called in to both her jobs because she wanted to be here when he did come back...he didn’t. She checked her phone, but her single text had gone unanswered.

He left me.

No, stop that. Maybe something happened. This is Aaron. He wouldn’t have just left. Not like that.

She scrolled through her contacts to find the one Aaron had given her when she’d first moved in. There might be times when she needed to get ahold of him and wasn’t able to, and so he wanted her to have Cameron’s number. She held her breath as she pressed dial.

An unfamiliar voice answered almost immediately. “Cameron O’Clery.”

“Hi, Cameron. This is Becka. I’m, ah, Aaron’s... Whatever. I was wondering if you’ve seen him?” Please say he’s okay. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if something happened to him.

“Yeah, he’s in his office right now.”

She stared at the wall, her breath leaving her in a whoosh. It had been bad to think that Aaron might be hurt in some hospital in the city and unable to contact her. Knowing that he was fine, that he’d chosen not to call her or come home...

It was worse. So much worse.

“Thank you,” she said through numb lips and hung up.

Becka looked around the room that had ceased to be hers the second she’d ended up in Aaron’s bed a month ago. She’d built this fiction around the idea that Aaron was different from her father—that being with him was different from every relationship her mother had ever been in. From every relationship Becka had been in. She’d believed him when he said they were in this together, when he claimed she wasn’t alone. That declaration had only lasted as long as their honeymoon period had. The second things got rough—and they had gotten rough—he’d bailed.

He left.

She shoved to her feet and rushed to the closet. He wanted in the baby’s life? Fine. She might feel like he’d ripped her heart out of her chest and thrown it into a wood chipper, but she wasn’t completely delusional. He loved the baby as much as she did.

He just didn’t love her. If he really had, he wouldn’t have pulled a cheap stunt like this.

Maybe he’s clearing the way for me to move out without him having to deal with me again.

She threw her clothes onto the bed and had to lean over to wait for the lurching of her stomach to pass. A lie. It had all been a lie. Becka packed as fast as she could. She had things in his room, but she couldn’t bear the thought of crossing that threshold and being assaulted by all the good memories they’d made there.

All that mattered was getting the hell out. She could go back to her apartment. The thought brought her up short. Just because he obviously didn’t want anything to do with her didn’t mean he’d back down from his ridiculous condition of her not living in that apartment. He couldn’t have it both ways.

Unless he calls my bluff and hauls me back here to live in the spare room and then we have to see each other on a daily basis while he holds himself apart.

No. She couldn’t do it. The pain in her chest was so sharp, she could barely breathe past it now. Seeing him and trying to function as if she wasn’t emotionally bleeding out at his feet? She’d rather actually bleed out.

Becka fumbled for her phone and dialed. Allie answered almost immediately. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”

“Are you home?” Her voice cracked in the middle of the sentence.

Instantly, all happiness was gone from Allie’s tone. “I can be there in fifteen. Is everything okay? Is it the baby?”

The baby. She pressed her hand to her stomach. The doctor said the baby was fine, but this level of stress had to be releasing all sorts of crazy hormones that couldn’t be good. She took a slow breath and tried to calm her racing heart. “It’s nothing like that. I just... Remember when you offered to let me crash at your place? Does that still stand?”

“Of course.” Allie, bless her soul, didn’t hesitate. “Meet you there?”

“Yeah, I’m getting in a cab in two minutes.” She’d have to offer an explanation, but at least her friend was willing to wait until they were face-to-face.

It took Becka forty minutes to cab it to the new apartment Roman and Allie had bought together last year. They’d compromised on location, so it was roughly an equal distance between her gym and his office. Allie buzzed her up, and she walked into an apartment smelling of peanut butter cookies.

It was too much. She dropped her bag on the floor and the burning in her eyes got the best of her. This apartment practically reeked of love and happiness from Roman and Allie living here. It was there in the little details—the table next to the door with a key bowl and a little notepad where they wrote notes to each other; the framed picture of them just down the hall, staring at each other with such love in their eyes that it made Becka want to cry. She could have had that. She almost did have that.

No longer.

She wrapped her arms around herself as Allie poked her head out of the doorway leading to the kitchen. Her friend took one look at her, and her expression fell. “Oh, honey. What did he do?” She rushed to Becka and pulled her into a hug. It was a good hug.

She clung to Allie. “Why do you assume he did something and not me?”

“Because that’s not guilt on your face. That’s heartbreak.” She rubbed soothing circles on Becka’s back. “And I talked to you two days ago, and you were all giddy and very much in love.”

Becka blinked. “I’m not...” But there was no point in hiding from the truth anymore. Only love could feel like a spiked arrow through her chest, digging in deeper with each heartbeat that dragged her into a future that didn’t have Aaron in it. “Shit, I love him.”

“I know.” Allie huffed out a laugh. “Come sit down. I grabbed the cookie dough and some cranberry juice on the way here. Eat your sorrows and we’ll see if I need to go key Aaron’s car by the end of this conversation.”

Becka gave her a look. “While that might be satisfying, that’s also a little criminal.”

“Worth it.” Allie ushered her into a chair at the small nook table and placed a plate of cookies and a glass of cranberry juice in front of her. “Now, spill.”

And she did. Every little detail of the nightmarish doctor’s appointment and the ensuing marriage proposal that resulted in the fight that broke them. She broke the cookie she hadn’t managed to take a bite of and set it back on the table. “He left, Allie. I overreacted maybe—probably—but he just...walked out. And didn’t come back.”

“Which triggered every single issue you have.” Allie reached over and covered her hand with her own. “Why don’t you plan on staying here at least a couple days? Roman adores you, and it’d be nice to spend some more time with you.”

She was too devastated to make a swinger joke, which more than anything told her just how screwed up this situation was. She tried for a smile. “Thanks.”

“If you don’t want to see Aaron while you’re here, you don’t have to. We’ll keep him away until you’re ready to deal with him.”

The burning in her throat got worse, but she managed to whisper. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, Allie. He made his choice. Now I just have to learn to live with it.”

“Fuck that.”

She jerked back. “What?”

“If you’re done with him, that’s fine. I know you were kind of cagey about living with him in the first place.” Allie narrowed her eyes. “But if you’re retreating because you’re scared of getting hurt or rejected... Fuck that, Becka. Sometimes you have to be the one to take the lead and fight for what you want.” She held up her hand. “Not today. Not even tomorrow. But when the smoke clears and you can think again, you need to decide what you want. If that’s to keep going without him, then fine. If what you want is Aaron, then you need to fight for him.”

“Not today,” she said.

“Not today,” Allie agreed. She came around the table and gave her another hug. “Roman’s going to be working late, so why don’t we order in and watch a movie? Something mindless and no pressure.”

“That sounds good.” Her voice was thick with unshed tears. “What did I do to deserve such a great best friend?”

“Takes one to know one.” Allie tugged her to her feet, grabbed the plate of cookies and nudged her out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Besides, I seem to remember someone dragging me to a tropical island paradise not too long ago, and look how that turned out.”

She’d met the love of her life there.

Becka managed a smile. “Someone should make that someone more cookies.”

“On it!”

She settled into the couch and grabbed a throw blanket to wrap around her. While she waited for Allie, she replayed her friend’s words through her head.

Fight for him.

The very thought was laughable. How could she fight a losing battle? Aaron had made his choice. Not only had he left, but he’d stayed gone and iced her out. She couldn’t fight if there was no one there to fight with.

Becka swallowed hard. It was too soon to think about it. She could barely draw a breath without pain lancing her chest, and all she wanted to do was curl up with this plate of cookies under a blanket and cry for the next twelve hours. After that?

After that, she’d figure out what she was going to do.

Aaron stared at his computer screen, the letters blurring together the same way they had for the last thirty-odd hours. He couldn’t focus, too distracted by replaying his fight with Becka over and over again. Her outright refusal to talk about the future and willingness to stick her head in the sand when it came to every single future subject still made him see red. But beneath the surface-level anger was a fear he didn’t know how to deal with.

She didn’t want him.

Or, rather, she wanted to cling to her walls and keep him at a distance more than she wanted to actually be with him.

A knock on his office door brought his head up. Aaron minimized the screen and sat back. “Yeah?”

Cameron walked in and dropped into the chair on the other side of his desk. “Think it’s about time we had a talk.”

“Did we lose another client?” He couldn’t even work up the energy to be pissed about it. Becka’s solution for bringing his sister in to work as a junior consultant was still hanging in the wind. He had been too twisted up inside over Becka to worry about work, which was ironic, because he’d been at the office since their fight.

His partner laced his fingers behind his head and stared hard at him. “Doesn’t sound like you’d care if we did.”

He didn’t in that moment, but he would. Aaron straightened in his seat and tried to focus. “I can get them back, whoever they were.”

“Probably, but there’s no crisis to deal with.” Cameron raised a single eyebrow. “Except the one I’m looking at right now. What the fuck is going on with you and your woman? You’re walking around here like a zombie, and judging from the state of the couch over there, you slept here last night.”

He glanced at the couch, guilt flaring. The thought of going back to his penthouse and fighting with Becka more, of having her layer rejection upon rejection over him had been...too much. Cowardly didn’t begin to cover camping out here for the night, but he wasn’t ready to be done and he hadn’t figured out a plan to keep it from happening. He would figure it out if he could just think. “You have a point. Get to it.”

“My point is that you’re fucking it up. I don’t do relationships and even I can see that.” Cameron shook his head. “She called earlier and sounded just as messed up as you do. Go home. Fix your shit. Don’t come back to the office until you have it taken care of.”

Aaron frowned. “What are you talking about? She didn’t call here.” He would have heard the phone. She had texted yesterday, but it was so damn confrontational, he’d set his phone aside without responding. A plan. I just need a damn plan.

“No, she didn’t call the office. She called me.” Cameron leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “Seems she couldn’t get ahold of you, which is confusing as fuck to me because you’re sitting right here with two phones on your desk and yet it looks like you walked out of a fight and have been acting like an asshole ever since.” He gave Aaron a disgusted look. “She wanted to make sure you were okay. Didn’t say as much, but the relief and hurt practically radiated through the phone, and if leaving her hanging like that isn’t some bullshit, I don’t know what is.”

She’d called Cameron.

Horror flooded Aaron. He hadn’t responded to her text. Hadn’t called. Hadn’t done anything to let her know where he was or where his head was at. For her to call Cameron, she had to have been in a bad place, worried about him, and he hadn’t done a single thing to stop that. He’d let his own hurt get in the way of everything. He’d promised her that he would be in her corner no matter what, and the first time she got truly skittish on him, he acted like a dick and left her.

He shoved to his feet so fast, he tipped his chair over. “I’m an asshole.”

“Finally.” Cameron sat back. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

He rushed out of the office, barely pausing long enough to grab his phone and his keys, and then took the stairs down to the street because he didn’t want to wait for the elevator. The trip to his penthouse took on a nightmarish quality. No matter how fast he moved, it wasn’t fast enough.

He should have taken a walk around the block and immediately come back after the fight.

Fuck, he shouldn’t have left in the first place.

It would have played on every single insecurity and fear Becka had. And then to leave her hanging...

He was well and truly an asshole.

Aaron raced through the doors of his building and took the elevator up to his floor. He burst through the door. “Becka? Becka, where are you?”

Silence greeted him.

I’m too late.

He closed the door behind him and stalked through the penthouse. The answers he sought lay in the spare bedroom. The closet doors hung open, all her clothing gone, along with her suitcases. Even knowing it was a lost cause, Aaron walked to the bedroom they’d begun sharing together and opened the door.

It looked exactly like it had when he’d left for work two days ago. A pair of Becka’s shoes had been tossed in the approximate direction of the closet. Her towel still lay in a pile on the dresser where she’d set it while she was getting dressed. There was even the slightest indent on the pillow she’d claimed as her own.

Aaron leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. It was worse seeing evidence of her here compared to the searing lack in the other room. It meant she hadn’t been able to force herself through the door. He’d hurt her that much.

Fuck.

He didn’t know how to make this right. There wasn’t a single plan that would work—he knew, because he’d labored over countless ones while he sat in his office and didn’t work. Becka was gone. He was to blame.

Each second ticked by, a reminder of the way he’d failed her. Aaron pushed off the wall and rushed back through the penthouse, looking for some indication of where she’d gone.

Nothing.

No note, no convenient piece of evidence that would lead him to her.

Think, damn it. You can’t go running down the street bellowing her name.

Even though that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Aaron dug his phone out of his pocket and called Lucy. It barely rang once before he hung up. What was he thinking? She might have told her sister she was pregnant, but showing up there would just reinforce her incorrect belief that she was somehow failing Lucy. Becka wouldn’t go to Lucy.

No, she’d go to Allie and Roman.

He started to call his friend, but Aaron paused. If there was one truth when it came to Roman, it was that the man loved Allie beyond all reasonable doubt. If Becka was there, he would stand sentry over her and Allie if it was what the women wanted. An admirable quality, but it would put them directly at odds, and Aaron couldn’t risk the possibility of being kept from her.

He couldn’t make this right if he couldn’t see her.

What do you think you’re going to do? That you’ll show up and she’ll be so relieved you decided to stop being a dick that she’ll fall at your feet in gratitude?

Not likely.

The odds were Becka would throw something at his head rather than sit still long enough to hear him apologize. He deserved it. There was no doubt about that.

He reached the ground floor and headed out onto the street. He had no plan. No guarantee that she wouldn’t kick him to the curb the second she saw him. Nothing.

Nothing but his love and an apology he didn’t even know how to put into words.

It didn’t matter.

He would make it right.

The alternative—a future with Becka moving peripherally through his life—was too heartbreaking to even consider. If he fucked this up, they’d share a child and nothing else. He’d have to stand by and watch her move on. She might avoid relationships like a plague right now, but eventually she’d come across a man determined enough to get past her barriers, who would be patient with her skittishness, and who would earn her love as a result.

Fuck. That.

Aaron wanted to be that man. Aaron was that man.

He just had to prove it to her.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BECKA COULDN’T SETTLE into the movie. It was more than her bladder crying foul every fifteen minutes or the fact that too many peanut butter cookies had upset her stomach. She kept running over Allie’s words, and every repeat put her more on edge. She sat up. “I did fight for him.”

“Hmm?” Allie turned to look at her. “What’s that?”

“Aaron.” She pushed to her feet and pressed a knuckle to the small of her back, where an ache had started. “I moved in with him. I went on dates with him. I shared his damn bed. I was making an effort.”

“Uh-huh.”

She paced back and forth, energy snapping through her limbs. “You know what I need to do?” Becka continued before her friend could respond. “I need to go down to his office and say what I need to say. He can’t just ice me out and expect me to fade quietly into the night.” She spun around. “I love that asshole, and people that love each other don’t have a single fight and break up. That’s bullshit. He can’t ghost me. I’m having his freaking baby.”

Allie cleared her throat. “Well, technically, he could ghost you.” She held up her hands when Becka growled. “I mean, this is Aaron, and obviously he’s not going to because he’s Aaron. But just wanted to point that out.”

“You’re not helping.” She snatched up her phone and headed for the door. “I’m going to track that jerk down and figure this out.”

“Go get ’em, tiger.”

Considering Becka had said almost the same thing to Allie after she and Roman had their bumpy start, she didn’t growl at her friend again. “I’ll call you later.” She stalked to the door and threw it open.

And almost plowed right into Aaron.

He stood there, one hand raised to knock. “Becka.”

She froze. “Aaron.” Now that they were face-to-face, her anger drained away as if it’d never been, leaving only the hurt and heartbreak behind. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself. “What are you doing here?” He shifted, and she zeroed in on the plastic containers in his free hand. They looked familiar... “Are those peanut butter and jelly wings?”

He slowly lowered his hand. “I figured my best chance of getting you to sit still long enough to hear me apologize was if I provided your favorite food.” He motioned to the containers. “And if it brought up some of the good memories to combat what an asshole I’ve been, I wouldn’t complain about that, either.”

It was right about then that she realized they still stood half in the hallway outside the apartment. “How did you get up here?”

Guilt flared in his blue eyes. “One of my old clients lives on the floor below. I asked him to buzz me up.”

Shady. He obviously didn’t want to project his arrival for fear of how she’d react, which was enough to tell her that Allie had no idea he was coming. Becka shot a glance over her shoulder, but if her friend was eavesdropping, she was being subtle about it. After a quick internal debate, she stepped back. “Why don’t you come in?” Allie had set her up in their spare bedroom, so she led Aaron there.

He didn’t speak as she shut the door behind him, but he did set the food on the dresser. Becka opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. The fear rose again, the instinctive desire to retreat behind her shell to avoid being vulnerable. Letting Aaron in had hurt, and if he had showed up just to reject her...

Have a little faith.

She cleared her throat. “I overreacted. You startled me with the marriage thing, and instead of talking it out like a reasonable adult, I flipped my shit and unloaded a couple decades’ worth of issues on you. That wasn’t fair.” She pressed her lips together. “But I still think marriage isn’t the answer. Not like this—not in response to being pregnant.”

Aaron sank onto the bed and looked up at her. Her pain was reflected in his eyes, and it struck her that these two days apart hadn’t been any easier on him than they had been on her. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “After the doctor’s appointment... After that scare...” He shook his head. “All I could think about was that if we lost the baby for some reason, I could survive it. I’d be upset and sad because I’ve gotten used to the idea of being a father, but I’d survive. But losing the baby meant that I’d lose you in the process. You made it more than clear that the only reason you got back in contact with me again was because you were pregnant. The thought of losing you...”

He’d proposed because he wanted a way to link her to him, an assurance that she wouldn’t leave him.

Becka crossed the room to sit on the bed next to him. “You know, you could have just asked me if I planned on bolting if that happened.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she winced. “Then again, I probably could have been more forthcoming with the fact that I’m in love with you.”

“You’re in love with me.” He went so still next to her, she didn’t think he drew breath.

She stared hard at the door—anything was easier than looking at him in that moment. “Yeah, well, I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re kind of the greatest guy I’ve ever met and I’d have to be crazy not to fall for you.” The next part was harder to get out. “I have issues, Aaron. They aren’t going to magically disappear because of the love of a good man, but I’m trying to work on them. But you can’t leave like that. I sat in that penthouse for over twenty-four hours wondering if you’d left me, or if something had happened to you and... We’re going to fight. I don’t know a couple that doesn’t fight—even Lucy and Gideon—and I need to know that you aren’t going to hurt me like that again. I can deal with the arguing. I can’t deal with you disappearing on me.”

“I’m so fucking sorry.” He lifted her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I promise I’ll never do it again.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Good. Because next time I’m liable to hunt your ass down and cause a scene.”

“That won’t be necessary.” He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Come home, minx. I promise not to throw you over my shoulder and sprint to the nearest courthouse.”

She laughed, though the sound faded almost as soon as she’d given it voice. “I don’t know where we go from here. I was kind of hoping you had a plan.”

“I don’t.” He cuddled her closer. “Turns out, plans don’t save you from fucking up from time to time. I love you. You love me. We’re going to have a baby together. Maybe we don’t have to have every little detail ironed out right now.”

God, she loved this man. But he wasn’t the only one who would be making compromises. Becka looked up at him. “I’m not ready to rush into marriage or anything but...maybe let’s not take it completely off the table?”

“If you’re sure.”

She laughed and, this time, it was downright joyous. “Oh, I’m sure. You’re stuck with me, Aaron Livingston.” She leaned up and kissed him. “But I’ll be honest—I’m going to go balls out when I propose to you. Think those crazy prom proposals, but just downright extra.”

He grinned against her mouth. “I can get onboard with this plan.”

EPILOGUE

“GET READY TO PUSH.”

Aaron braced himself behind Becka and tried not to wince as she clasped his fingers in a death grip. Her entire body went tense, little ripples making waves in the birthing pool they sat in. He couldn’t help her. He couldn’t step in and take away the pain radiating from every pore of her body as she tried to bring their daughter into the world. All he could do was hold her and let her crush his fingers and breathe the way they’d been taught in their birthing classes.

As the contraction passed, Becka slumped against him. “Ouch.”

“You’re doing wonderfully,” Lucy said as she mopped Becka’s brow. She had her dark hair tied back and a look of concentration on her face, as if she could will Becka to have an uncomplicated labor.

“You are,” the midwife confirmed. “The baby’s in position and engaged. A few more pushes and you’ll get to hold your daughter.”

Aaron smoothed back the damp hair from Becka’s forehead. “I love you. You’re amazing.”

Becka huffed out a strained laugh. “I’m thinking murderous thoughts about you right now.”

“You can tell me all about them if it would help.” He reached between them and gently massaged the small of her back. The contractions were coming fast now, and they had less than twenty seconds before the next one by his count.

“No energy.” She drew in a long breath. “Here we go.”

“You’ve got this, Becka. Almost there.” Lucy mimicked the breathing pattern they’d been taught to use.

The battle to bring their daughter into the world was exactly that—a battle. Becka bore down with a determined silence that scared the shit out of him. There was no screaming. No yelling. None of the things he’d read about and tried to emotionally prepare for so he could support her. Nothing but a focus that left him totally and completely in awe of her.

“This is it, you’re doing great. Don’t stop. Harder, Becka. Push harder. You can do it!” The midwife’s commanding tone had Aaron biting back a snarl; Lucy held her breath in utter stillness, but Becka let loose a muted shriek and the midwife crowed in delight. “Here she is!”

He barely got a glimpse of a wrinkled pink face before their baby let loose a scream to shake the rafters. The midwife grinned. “Healthy set of lungs.”

Things moved quickly after that. Aaron could barely process that the event had finally happened—that they were parents—in the midst of all the insanity. Lucy fielding the news out to Allie and their men. Nurses coming and going. Becka being checked out and pronounced perfectly fine.

Both Aaron and Becka changed into dry clothing while their daughter was weighed and measured and underwent all manner of poking and prodding.

Finally—finally—the last nurse shut the door and they were alone.

He pushed out of the chair he’d been relegated to and crossed over to sink onto the edge of the bed. Becka lay with her eyes half-closed, their daughter lying against her naked chest. Aaron carefully stroked the baby’s downy-soft hair. “She’s here.”

“She is.” Becka smiled, and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. “She’s perfect. More perfect than I ever dared dream.”

“You both are.” He pressed a soft kiss to their daughter’s head and then another to Becka’s lips. “What do you think? Is she a Summer or an Evangeline?” The two names they’d finally settled on after months of rigorous debate and even a fight or two.

She looked down into the baby’s sleeping face. “Summer. Definitely Summer. She’s been in this world a grand total of two hours and she’s already brightened everyone’s life she touched.” Becka made a face. “Oh God, motherhood is going to turn me into one of those people, isn’t it? I’m so happy I can’t even think straight, and if I had my phone, I’d already be sending pictures to everyone in my contact list.”

He chuckled. “I already texted a picture of her, along with her weight, length and time of birth, to all our friends and family.” He’d restrained himself to a single picture, but he already had half a dozen in his phone. Aaron grinned. “How long do you think it will be before Roman stages an intervention?”

“Two months—tops.” She smiled back. Becka reached out and covered his hand with her own. “Hey, Aaron?”

“Yes, minx?”

She nodded at the bag they’d packed and repacked three separate times in the last month, convinced that they’d forgotten something important every time. “Can you grab my purse out of there?”

Curious, he dug through the bag until he found the tiny clutch that she’d insisted on. He handed it over and watched as Becka used her free hand to dig inside it. She paused. “Okay, so in my head, this would be all soft lighting and I wouldn’t be feeling like I’ve just been ripped in half and look like day-old roadkill, but squint a little and pretend with me.” She pressed her lips together. “Aaron Livingston, you are the best man I’ve ever met. Better than I deserve, and I damn well know it. I can’t promise that your organization and borderline compulsive need to research things won’t drive me to drink sometimes, but I do promise that I’ll love you for the rest of our lives.

“There’s no one else but you for me. I want a life with you. I want to fill our home with a couple more kids. I want meandering walks to delicious food trucks and old movie marathons and the early-morning talks over breakfast and the nights spent wrapped up in each other.”

She glanced at Summer and laughed. “Though I suspect we’ll both be too exhausted for the next however many months to do more than sleep in that bed. But the point stands—I want a future with you. With us.” Becka leveraged open the tiny box in her hand and turned it to face him. “Will you do me the immeasurable honor of being my husband, Aaron?”

He lifted the ring out of the box. It was a dark gray that he suspected was titanium and had a faint abstract pattern etched on the outside. “You proposed.”

“Well, yeah. I did say I was going to.”

He left the bed long enough to grab a nearly identical ring box from the side pocket of the bag. Aaron returned to her, smiling so hard his face hurt. “You beat me to it, minx.” He opened the box and showed her the princess-cut diamond he’d had commissioned over a month ago. “The answer is yes, Becka. I’ll be your husband if you’ll be my wife.”

She touched the ring, smiling as hard as he was. “I was thinking three kids, but that might be the leftover adrenaline making me loopy, so that is completely open to negotiation.”

They both glanced down at Summer. Aaron shifted to drop a lingering kiss to Becka’s mouth. “I love you. I love you so much it makes me crazy in the best way possible.”

“The feeling is very much mutual.” She smiled against his lips. “Do you want to hold her?”

He carefully took Summer from her and cradled their daughter in his arms. Aaron’s chest hurt with how right it was to have this right here, right now, with this woman. “Welcome to the world, princess.”

Dare to read more sexy stories!
Check out our other Harlequin DARE titles,
available now:

Take Me On by Dylan Rose

Forbidden to Taste by JC Harroway

On Her Terms by Cathryn Fox

Discover more at Harlequin.com

Keep reading for an excerpt from Take Me On by Dylan Rose.

Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin DARE story.

Harlequin DARE pushes the boundaries of sexual explicitness while keeping the focus on the developing romantic relationship. Calling all fun and fearless heroines! Come meet the alpha heroes of your wildest dreams.

Edgy, Explicit, Satisfying Romances.

Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin DARE every month!

Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters

Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

Pleasure Payback
The Mortimers: Wealthy & Wicked
by Zara Cox

Damian Mortimer blew Neve Nolan’s mind in the bedroom—then nearly destroyed her business. Now, two years later, she will play him, and this time she’ll end up on top. Except what Damian does to her body might be far more exciting than the thrill of revenge!

Mr. Temptation
by Rachael Stewart

Career-focused Zara Anders, an estate agent for the elite, has sworn off men—until gorgeous Swedish billionaire Daniel Lazenby gets under her skin. He offers her a business deal too good to be true...and some out-of-office fun too tempting to turn down!

Rescue Me
by Faye Avalon

Maddie Mallory has never forgotten her sizzling week with stone-cold businessman Gabe Harrington—or what it cost her. Now Gabe is “rescuing” Maddie before she marries the wrong man. All Maddie wants is one last lust-fueled week with Gabe...if she can resist falling for him again.

Baring It All
Blackmore, Inc.
by Rebecca Hunter

Scientist Natasha Petrova knows her raw lust for bodyguard Max Jensen isn’t logical. A sexperiment on a secluded tropical island might be the perfect place to explore their attraction. But exposing her heart could be the most dangerous conclusion of all...

You can find more information on upcoming Harlequin titles, free excerpt and more at Harlequin.com.

THE BILLIONAIRES CLUB

Exclusive. Elite. Always discreet.

Welcome to The Billionaires Club!
Join the members of this elite club—Ash, Seb, Orla and Imogen—as they get up to exciting, sinfully sexy and downright dirty naughtiness at exclusive, international and glamorous events. Let the debauchery begin!

Have you received your invitation yet…?

Enter the world of The Billionaires Club:

The Debt by Jackie Ashenden (Sep 2019)
The Risk by Caitlin Crews (Oct 2019)
The Proposition by JC Harroway (Nov 2019)
The Deal by Clare Connelly (Dec 2019)

***

Harlequin DARE publishes sexy romances featuring powerful alpha heroes and bold, fearless heroines exploring their deepest fantasies.

Four new Harlequin DARE titles are available each month, wherever ebooks are sold!

HDARWA0519

Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!

Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.

Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice

OR

EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.

Click here to join for FREE

Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com

Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.

Take Me On
by Dylan Rose

CHAPTER ONE

MACKENZIE FOX SAT in the back of a car, en route from the airport to her hotel, and already she was sweltering. It wasn’t just the lack of A/C. The driver had rolled the windows down, letting in a gust of hot air that swept across her cheek each time the car picked up speed as they rolled down Collins Avenue. Plus, she was seriously overdressed. Attired in her go-to travel outfit—comfy black leggings, Ugg boots and a zip-up sweatshirt emblazoned with Honor Yoga, the name of the studio she owned back in Brooklyn—she knew she looked like an out-of-place New Yorker. Just a few short hours ago she was slugging through the slushy February streets, bundled up against the frigid temperatures.

Glancing out the window, she could see the heat rising off the hot bodies that filled the sidewalks. A woman in a pair of jean shorts cut so high that her perfectly rounded bottom was almost completely visible. A group of girls laughing as they crossed the street at an intersection, wearing nothing but neon string bikinis, their bodies bouncing and glistening as they walked. Jogging alongside the cab was a perfectly chiseled man running with his shirt off, with warm brown skin. She noted the beads of sweat glistening on his chest and back and imagined he tasted like salted caramel.

Whew! She had only been in Miami less than an hour and already Kenzie was feeling the heat.

Just as the car pulled up to the entrance of the legendary Fontainebleau Hotel, Kenzie snuck a glance at her appearance in the rearview mirror. She pulled her long, curly brown hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and reapplied a swipe of her signature crimson gloss to her lips. The driver, an older man with tanned, wrinkled skin and hair graying at the temples, gave her a wink.

“Enjoy Miami, chica.”

“Thanks,” Kenzie said, opening the door and slinging her only luggage—a small overnight bag—over her shoulder.

But Kenzie wasn’t here to enjoy herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t need a longer vacation. God knows, she could use a break from the seemingly endless string of blizzards they were experiencing back home. But this trip was all about business, not pleasure. And it was business she was eager to get out of the way.

A week ago, to the day, her great-aunt Lilly had passed away. Having never met the woman, Kenzie didn’t think it necessary to fly down for the funeral. But within a day of hearing the news, a lawyer had contacted her, letting her know that she was named in Aunt Lilly’s will. There were a few pieces of family jewelry, a savings bond, and most interestingly, a stake in a small rum distillery.

When the attorney mentioned there was an interested party willing to buy out her share, Kenzie was relieved. Not only did she have no interest in running a distillery, the money from the sale would likely allow her studio to stay in business, despite the astronomical rent hike her landlord had slapped her with earlier that month. Although her business was profitable, the skyrocketing city rents were in danger of putting her out of business.

Kenzie entered the palatial lobby and was heading toward the front desk when a voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned toward the bar where the laughter was coming from and her eyes landed on an olive-skinned man in dark blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a sports jacket. He was seated next to a scantily-clad, beautiful Latina. Apparently, whatever he had said was extremely amusing because the woman was laughing with her head thrown back, a long mane of hair cascading down her spine. The man, dark-haired with a strong face and piercing brown eyes, looked past his companion and momentarily locked eyes with Kenzie, sending a shiver up her back. He flashed her what was most certainly a devilish smile before turning his gaze back to the woman.

Wow. Kenzie unzipped the front of her sweatshirt, pulled out a magazine from her bag and fanned herself furiously as she waited to check in. It had been a while since she had experienced this kind of instant attraction to someone. There was something animalistic about the way he had looked at her, with those dark eyes peering out between strands of his black hair, which was just long enough to be sexy. In that brief glance, she had taken in the entirety of his perfect form. Her mouth went dry as she imagined the mysterious stranger kissing the sensitive spot on her neck that always sent the blood rushing straight to her nether regions, causing her nipples to harden and her insides to melt like butter.

“Bottle of water, miss?” asked the desk clerk.

“Yes!” Kenzie croaked, stepping up to the desk and taking the bottle, relieved at the opportunity to cool down this fire that a stranger had suddenly ignited.

“How many keys will you be needing?” asked the clerk as she typed quickly on her computer.

“Just one,” Kenzie answered. Just one had been the answer to that question for quite a long time now. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, but with running her own business, the last thing she had time for was dating. Ever since her fiancé Cole’s death a few years ago, she had thrown herself into her work—and it had paid off. Sure, there had been interest from many guys, mostly fellow yogis who showed up at her studio or hung around the vegetarian café she frequented in her neighborhood. She was a bit ashamed to admit it but in recent months she had found herself craving something a little bit...meatier.

With the key to her room in hand, Kenzie took the elevator up to the 28th floor and found her room at the end of the hallway. Opening the doors, she sighed at the sight of the giant, king-size bed at the center of the room. Further exploration revealed a serene bathroom with a claw-foot tub, and out on the balcony, a view of the ocean. Her first idea was to strip off all her clothes, get into the plush bathrobe the hotel provided and plop herself down on the bed in front of the TV and order room service. But then she thought of Missy, one of the yoga instructors at the studio, and how disappointed she’d be if all she did in Miami was binge-watch Queer Eye. “You need to get out there and have some fun!” her friend had told her.

Kenzie had a flash of the handsome stranger from the bar’s devilish grin and, wondering if he was still down there, opened her carry-on and pulled out a silky, magenta slip dress she had tossed in her bag as an afterthought.

Why not? she thought to herself, kicking off her boots, and pulling off her too-heavy clothing until she was standing naked in front of the giant mirror positioned directly in front of the bed. Kenzie caught a glimpse of herself and couldn’t help but smile. It was true—she had a pretty rockin’ body, and it was hard-earned, with many hours spent running, doing yoga, challenging herself both physically and mentally. She swiveled her hips to the side, checking out what her friends referred to as her “yoga butt,” which was ample and firm. Kenzie slipped the flimsy dress over her naked breasts, thought about putting her bra back on for a moment and then decided against it. A tiny pair of black panties and heels completed the look. Letting her curls loose from the bun, they cascaded over her creamy white shoulders. Now that was more like it!

Back down in the lobby, Kenzie made a beeline for the bar but was dismayed to see that the handsome stranger was no longer there. What was she thinking, anyway, seeking out a random businessman in a hotel lobby? Okay, a totally hot businessman, who looked like his sole purpose on the planet was pleasuring women, but still. The obvious conclusion was that Kenzie Fox was desperately in need of a good fuck. All this pent-up sexual energy was bad for her prana. Sitting down on a stool, she flashed a smile at the bartender, ordered her usual—a club soda with lime—and pulled out her phone. Maybe Missy was right, it was time to try online dating.

But before she had time to search for a dating app, she felt a hand graze across her lower back. It was a strong, firm hand—clearly a man’s—and the surprising touch sent a tingle up the length of her spine.

“I was hoping to see you again,” said a sultry male voice with the slightest hint of a Spanish accent.

Kenzie turned to her left and laid eyes on the arresting man she had noticed earlier. Up close, he was even more handsome than she’d previously noticed, with intense, dark eyes that made it impossible for her to look away from him. His longish dark hair was thick and full, and Kenzie imagined raking her hands through it in the heat of passion.

“Do you mind if I sit down?”

Kenzie nodded affirmatively. She wasn’t usually at a loss for words but somehow her ability to form them was suddenly impaired. She felt her cheeks get hot and hoped that he didn’t notice she was blushing.

“My name is Antonio Navedo,” he said, extending his hand to her. “I noticed you earlier, when you were checking in.”

“Yes, I noticed you, too.” Okay, there was no hiding it. She was seriously blushing now. “MacKenzie Fox. My friends call me Kenzie.”

“Where are you traveling from, Kenzie?” he asked, taking the bar stool next to her and turning his body toward her so that their knees were almost touching.

“New York,” Kenzie answered, regaining her composure. “I’m here on business,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“But there has to be a little room for pleasure, no? I find that to be very important.”

“Yes, you seemed to be enjoying yourself when I saw you earlier,” Kenzie ventured with a hint of challenge in her voice. She watched as Antonio’s face changed from amused to slightly serious. There was a flash of danger in his eyes that was incredibly sexy.

“That was my business associate,” he said in a serious tone. “I often take my meetings here.”

Kenzie let out an amused little laugh. Business associate in what? she wondered. But did it really matter? She tried her best to stop her gaze from traveling from Antonio’s sensual lips down to the small V of skin exposed at his shirt collar, but her eyes went there anyway.

Just then the bartender reappeared, placing the club soda in front of Kenzie.

“What can I get for you, Antonio?” he asked. Kenzie raised an eyebrow. Was he a regular at a hotel bar? That was a definite red flag. What kind of business was he involved in anyway?

“The Atlantico Reserva, neat. Thank you, Jose. And for you?” he said, turning to Kenzie. “Something besides the water?”

“I’m good with this,” Kenzie said, pursing her red lips around the straw and taking a long sip. She felt Antonio watching her mouth and suddenly felt downright pornographic. Removing the straw from her mouth, she smiled. “I don’t drink.”

She said it offhandedly, disguising the fact that her choice to abstain was a heavy subject. Three years earlier, Cole had been at the wheel in a drunk driving accident. When Cole didn’t survive, she had stopped drinking alcohol, thinking that it could do no good in her life.

Antonio raised an eyebrow and smiled back at her. “So, what do you do to relax? When you’re not ‘on business’?”

Kenzie thought for a second and realized she couldn’t remember a time in recent years when she wasn’t totally consumed with her business. It was the most important thing in her life now, and ever since she had found out the studio was in danger of closing, she’d had trouble sleeping. Maybe some relaxation would be just the thing to set her mind straight.

Kenzie turned her body toward Antonio’s so that her bare knee grazed the inside of his leg. “I own a yoga studio. So, I guess you could say my work is my relaxation. Do you practice?”

Antonio’s eyes lit up and he laughed loudly. “Uh, no. I prefer other forms of physical activity.”

Who was this guy? On the one hand, his smile was so warm and inviting, she felt like she already knew him. But then there was that glint in his eye, and the way he commanded the room that suggested to her that he was someone very powerful, and quite possibly, dangerous. In any case, he was oh so different from the gentle, overly-intellectual men who tried to court her back home. Antonio was such a...man!

Falling back to the hair-twirling habit that manifested itself whenever she was nervous, Kenzie twisted her hair up to the top of her head and formed a makeshift bun and exhaled deeply. Was the air-conditioning out of whack or was she just not used to all this intense heat?

Unexpectedly, Antonio reached his fingers into her glass and fished out an ice cube. Taking the slippery cube between two of his manly fingers, he reached around Kenzie and began to trace circles with it at the base of her neck.

“Better?” he asked, maintaining direct eye contact with her as droplets of water melted down her back.

“Oh yes,” Kenzie whispered. Emboldened by his move, she leaned closer to him. “Maybe I could show you some yoga poses, I’m sure you could benefit from them.”

Antonio leaned toward her, matching her body language. They were so close that she could breathe in his scent—a mixture of fresh cologne and sweat that nearly made her swoon, making the hairs on her arms stand up on end and sending electric signals straight down to her lady parts.

“I would like that very much,” Antonio said in a low, husky voice. Kenzie glanced down at his crotch and could see that he was feeling the same shock waves, too. Part of her wanted to reach out and put her hand on that sexy bulge, right there in the bar, but propriety, and the nearby table of vacationing senior citizens, stopped her.

“Should we go to my room?” Even though she was usually confident, Kenzie surprised herself with how forward she was being. Maybe being away from home was making her feel especially free.

“Yes,” Antonio responded immediately. There was an urgency to his tone that was both flattering and vulnerable.

Kenzie slid off the bar stool and tossed a bill onto the bar. As she turned and strode confidently toward the elevators, she could feel the tender area between her thighs getting wetter with every step. It had been a long time since it had happened spontaneously, and the sensation surprised her. Without needing to turn around, she could feel that Antonio was following close behind.

Pressing the up button a few more times than was necessary, Kenzie imagined stepping inside the elevator with Antonio, and thought about what he would do to her. Envisioning him pushing her up onto the side of the wall, his mouth devouring her lips and neck, she teetered on her high heels, praying for the moment when the doors would finally open.

As they did, Kenzie was dismayed to see a large family crowding the small elevator car. When they didn’t exit, she stepped inside, disappointed to see that Antonio was separated from her, forced next to the opposite wall by the family’s gargantuan stroller. Antonio made eye contact with her and shrugged. After what seemed like an eternity, the car stopped on Kenzie’s floor, and they politely excused themselves past the vacationers, alone at last in the deserted hallway.

“It’s right over here,” Kenzie whispered, leading the way to her room. Part of her wanted to turn around and let Antonio take her, right there by the ice machine, but the good girl inside her told her to wait. With Antonio so close behind her, she could feel his hot breath on her neck, she keyed into the room and he followed her inside, letting the door click shut behind them.

Turning to face him, Kenzie wrapped her arms around Antonio’s neck, bringing her mouth up close to his in a dizzying haze of anticipation.

“Wait,” he whispered, breaking the spell and pulling back from her. “I thought you were going to show me your yoga.”

Kenzie tilted her head to the side in confusion. “You want me to do yoga? Seriously?”

But Antonio didn’t need to answer. She could tell by the way he was assessing her form that he was totally serious.

“Okay.” She shrugged, moving away from him. If this was what he considered foreplay... “Get down on all fours.”

Antonio laughed, but then he removed his shoes and suit jacket and did what she told him to. Kenzie assessed the muscles of his back, visible through his T-shirt, and his firm ass through those tight-fitting jeans before getting down on the floor next to him.

“Follow me,” she said, leading him through a cat-cow sequence. “Arch your body up—like a cat. Then open your heart forward...”

Kenzie turned to see that Antonio not only had perfect form, but he was syncing his breath with hers. She looked straight ahead, pushing out her chest and could feel Antonio’s gaze wandering toward her ass, which she knew was on display with her dress riding up, exposing it to his view. When pushed back like that, it took on its roundest possible shape.

As she continued the sequence, Antonio moved in front of her. When she tilted her gaze up to meet his, she could see the unbridled desire in his eyes.

“I have to kiss you now,” he said, pulling her up toward him. They were facing one another, both on their knees, and Antonio grazed the side of Kenzie’s neck. His mouth was wet and hot, and the sudden contact sent a shiver running through her body. Hungrily, she moved her mouth to meet his and instantly they were locked onto each other, a swirl of tongues meeting, taking turns playfully biting each other’s lips as they gasped for breath. It was so crazy that she was doing this with someone she’d just met. Kenzie couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such a sense of urgency. She glided her hand down the length of Antonio’s body until she found the hard bulge in the front of his pants and tentatively began to touch it.

Meanwhile, Antonio was doing some exploring of his own, his hands going down the curves of Kenzie’s body, awakening something inside her that she had been ignoring for too long. With a look of confidence that made her head dizzy with desire, Antonio pulled Kenzie’s dress up and over her head, and began kissing her naked breasts. Kenzie threw her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the moment and really letting herself feel every sensation.

With her nerves tingling, she looked at Antonio and pulled up his T-shirt, managing to get it over his head while taking in the view of his chiseled chest and abs. His body was perfect—sexy and fit without being overly muscular—and she allowed herself to enjoy it without restraint, planting hungry kisses on his torso. For a second, she worried that her forwardness showed just how ravenous for sex she really was, but before she could really think too much about it, Antonio had gotten behind her, putting his strong hands on her hips.

Kenzie eased back into an on-all-fours position and waited with anticipation to see what he was going to do next. Her question was answered almost immediately, as Antonio cupped her pushed-out bottom in his hands. He sighed audibly, squeezing her ripe bottom as she stared forward. Kenzie quivered as he ran a finger down the center of her still-clothed rear until it found the wet spot. Moving the soaked fabric to the side, Antonio quickly found her most sensitive spot and began making circles around it, which forced Kenzie to let out a deep sigh, almost like an “Om.” This was more fun—and more intense—than any vinyasa she had ever experienced.

Just when she thought she was about to come, Antonio abruptly stopped his massage of her nub of oh-so-sensitive nerves. Glancing back at him, she could see the look of determination in his eyes as he unzipped his pants, releasing the erect rod that was now so close to her body. Hooking his fingers on the sides of her panties, he quickly yanked them down. Kenzie suddenly felt the nakedness of being totally exposed to him. She wiggled her hips from side to side, her way of inviting him in without saying a word. But Antonio was still admiring her, still holding back on giving her what she really wanted—the full length of him inside her. Kenzie thought that if he didn’t touch her in the way she wanted soon, she was going to explode. It was a delicious form of torture, but she was done waiting.

“Please,” she croaked, hating to admit that she needed anything this badly, but unsure how to stand another moment without it. Kenzie didn’t have to wait any longer. In an instant, Antonio gave her exactly what she needed—the full length of his cock buried inside her, and she sighed in relief. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed that feeling of fullness, and she sank down, reveling in the sensation of the firm drilling she didn’t know she had needed so badly.

But before Kenzie could relax into the feeling, Antonio grabbed her now-unfurled long hair in his hand and pulled her back up to him. Kenzie moaned in pleasure at being wanted—and taken. She knew that both of them were close but didn’t want things to end just yet. Not before she had shown him her most erotic posture.

“Come join me over here,” Kenzie said invitingly, lying down on the bed. Taking an ankle in each hand, like she had done so many times before in her practice, she opened herself up to him. Ananda Balasana—it was one of her favorites. She had never before thought of it in such an erotic sense, but in the moment it seemed like the perfect introduction for Antonio to yoga, and so much more.

Antonio stood at the edge of the bed and looked hungrily at her. Sliding his lean body over hers, he plunged into her and moaned out in pleasure. Seeing her like that had obviously been too much for him to take, too difficult to hold back. Letting go of her ankles, Kenzie reached down to her pleasure center and with him still inside her made quick back-and-forth motions over her erect nub until she came, hard, her face buried in his shoulder.

Antonio rolled over onto his side, his breath ragged from the encounter. Kenzie was also gasping for breath, trying to recover from the heights of pure pleasure and also doing her best to sort out what she had just done. It’s no big deal, she told herself. It wasn’t like she was going to fall for the guy. This was clearly a one-time thing. Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t turn him down for a second spin, but that was the extent of it—an itch that needed to be scratched, nothing more.

The next morning, Kenzie awakened alone, like she always did. But somehow, this morning she felt especially invigorated. She knew that it had everything to do with the sexy man who had shared her bed, if only for a few hours. But what a few hours it was! She felt simultaneously disappointed and relieved when Antonio had gotten out of bed and walked, stark naked to the bathroom to put his clothes back on. Sure, it would have felt great, sleeping the night in his arms, but that wasn’t what this was. Besides, she’d done the impossible. She had broken her dry spell and there were no strings attached! It was really the perfect situation.

She wanted to text Missy, to tell her about her crazy adventure with the sexy Latino, but she knew that if she didn’t shower and dress quickly she’d miss the meeting at the lawyer’s office—the whole point of this spontaneous trip.

Attired in her most professional yet form-fitting pantsuit, Kenzie took an Uber to an office building downtown and, staring out the window at the rows of palm trees that they passed, replayed the events of the previous night in her head. It was so unlike her to be that spontaneous, that reckless. But she couldn’t suppress the smile that now seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face. Now all she needed to do was get this deal over with and fly home with a big fat check which she’d summarily place in front of the building’s landlord. Better yet, maybe it would be enough to start investigating a bigger space, in her favorite neighborhood of Red Hook.

When she reached the office building, Kenzie took the elevator to the third floor and found the suite for the law offices of Melinda James, whom she had been emailing. Kenzie was buzzed in through a set of double doors and stepping inside a large open space filled with cubicles, she looked around for someone to guide her to the correct office. Just then, Melinda, a tall woman in a floral top and skirt, rushed over to her and shook her hand.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, leading Kenzie into a conference room decorated with a potted palm that seemed to be an attempt at Floridian décor. “Mr. Navedo and his associate have just arrived as well.”

Navedo? That name seemed to ring a bell, but why? Kenzie got her answer as soon as she set foot in Melinda’s office. There, seated at the conference table, was Antonio and Elena, the young woman she had seen him with at the bar yesterday.

“Antonio?” Kenzie blurted, unable to hide her surprise.

“You two know each other?” asked Melinda, a bemused smile playing on her lips.

“We’ve met before,” Antonio calmly explained.

Antonio may have been calm but Kenzie’s blood was boiling over. What was going on? Who was this man?

“Who doesn’t know the most successful distiller in all of South Florida and the Caribbean?” Antonio’s associate chimed in.

“Very true,” Melinda conceded.

“Antonio, may I have a word with you—in private?” Kenzie asked, her voice shaking.

“We’ll give you two a moment,” Melinda said, gesturing for Antonio’s lawyer to follow her out of the room. Once the door was closed, Kenzie practically pounced over the conference table.

“What’s going on here?” she demanded.

“What’s going on,” Antonio said calmly, “is that I’m interested in a property that you’ve recently acquired.”

“Did you know who I was...last night?” Kenzie’s eyes were ablaze as she waited for an answer.

“I may have gone there to scope you out,” Antonio admitted, “but it was you who seduced me.”

Kenzie was speechless. Okay, so maybe it was her that did most of the seducing, but Antonio had been a willing participant. More than willing! And the fact that he hadn’t revealed that he knew who she was seemed unnecessarily deceptive.

“Were you afraid that if I knew who you were I wouldn’t sleep with you?” Kenzie asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“No,” Antonio answered emphatically. “I was afraid that maybe you wouldn’t want to do business with me. But I couldn’t stop myself.” His last sentence was whispered, and the two of them both instinctively looked toward the door, where the other women were waiting.

“I’m sure we can work out a good business deal,” Antonio said with a smile. “One we can both benefit from. My family has a long history of rum production. And I’m sure you have no interest in a little, run-down distillery.”

“Why are you so sure about what I’m interested in?” Kenzie asked, her tone simultaneously flirtatious and challenging.

Antonio looked up and chuckled. “I just figured...”

“That because I’m a woman I don’t know anything about how to run a business?”

Antonio reached out and touched Kenzie’s hand. “No. Not at all.”

The door handle clicked, which caused Kenzie to jump, pulling her hand out of Antonio’s grasp.

“Everything okay?” Melinda asked, peeking her head back into the office.

“Everything is fine,” Kenzie said, looking directly at Antonio. The practical side of her said to put her pride aside, take the check and catch the next plane back home. But something else in her was beckoning her to take a risk. So maybe she didn’t know anything about the rum business, but she also hadn’t known anything about opening a yoga studio when she’d started one. When was the last time she’d taken on a real challenge? Looking at Antonio, she could feel that there was unfinished business between them.

Kenzie turned to Melinda. “We were just discussing the terms of Antonio’s proposal,” she said, almost sweetly. “And I think we both agree that I have a lot to offer.” Kenzie locked eyes with Antonio who raised an eyebrow with what looked like a combination of genuine surprise and unmitigated lust.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Melinda said matter-of-factly. “Any thoughts on next steps?” she asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. Kenzie wondered if she suspected that there was something more between them than an unsigned contract. At least for Kenzie, the electricity she felt ricocheting off the walls was undeniable.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go see my distillery now,” Kenzie said, unable to prevent a small smile from forming on her lips.

Copyright © 2019 by Dylan Rose

ISBN-13: 9781488048616

Make Me Yours

Copyright © 2019 by Katee Hird

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.Harlequin.com