But CJ Andrews was no angel. He’d proven that several times over during their lusty night together. One glimpse of him and her body tightened, eager for more of the same. But that wasn’t her goal on this trip. Making love to him would only complicate an already dicey situation.
When he spotted her, he replaced his frown with a wide smile and started forward. Evidently her arrival made him happy, even under difficult circumstances. Thank God for that.
They’d liked each other from the moment they’d met. She wanted to maintain that positive vibe as they worked out the details of long-distance co-parenting. Hooking the strap of her small carryon over her shoulder, she went to meet him.
His ground-eating strides dissolved the space between them and he drew her into his arms without the slightest hesitation. “You look great.”
“Thanks. You, too.” She rested her hands on his muscled chest and looked up. The expression in his warm gray eyes tugged on her heart, just like the last time they’d stood in this terminal saying goodbye. “I’ve missed you.” Where had that come from?
“I’ve missed you, too.” Lowering his head, he brushed his lips over hers before pulling back to gaze at her. “Told myself I didn’t.”
“Same here.” She took a shaky breath and resisted the urge to nestle closer to his warm body. “I’m so glad to see you, but… I’ve decided we’ll be better off if we… if we don’t make love while I’m here.”
He blinked. “Really? Is it bad for the baby?”
“No. But it could be bad for us.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “That’s not how I remember it.”
Her skin tingled as a flush spread from head to toe. “Not bad in that sense. Bad for our future.”
“How so?”
“In the long run, this situation will work out better if we’re just friends.”
His gaze searched hers. “If that’s what you believe is best.” He swallowed. “But I won’t lie. I still want you. That hasn’t changed.”
The air between them sizzled and popped as the heat in his eyes turned her insides to molten lava. Two months ago, she’d tossed aside her better judgment because of that look. She’d had the freedom to do that.
Resisting him wouldn’t be easy. “Not for me, either, but more is on the line this time, and I can’t think clearly when I’m… when we’re involved in—”
“Let’s table this discussion.” He gave her a quick hug and let her go. “We’ll fetch your luggage and head to the ranch. I have a million questions about the baby.”
She abandoned the topic of sex with relief. Once they were on the road, he immediately began asking questions about the baby’s current stage of development and how pregnancy was affecting her. She was up on all of it. She’d had a long chat with her doctor and her sister Naomi had gathered a ton of info online.
“No morning sickness, then?”
“Not so far, thank goodness. My mom didn’t have it with me or Naomi, so maybe I’ll dodge that bullet. Mom said the women in her family tend to take childbirth in stride.”
“That’s lucky.” He drove with easy confidence.
He made love with easy confidence, too. She’d never been with someone who was the perfect combo of relaxed and intense. She needed to derail that train of thought ASAP or the question about sex or no sex would be moot. She concentrated on the spectacular mountain scenery out the window instead of the gorgeous cowboy beside her.
“I never asked you, but is Ricchetti Italian?”
“Portuguese.”
“Portuguese? Now that’s interesting. What about your mom?”
“She also has Portuguese ancestors by a weird coincidence.”
“Everybody says the baby will take after you instead of me because dark eyes and hair are dominant over light hair and eyes.”
“It’s not a done deal. My family tends toward dark hair and brown eyes, but there could be a throwback to a distant ancestor. I could have a towhead.”
“We could have a towhead.”
“Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I want to be part of this, but I have to warn you I’m the weak link. I’ll need parenting classes and tons of coaching. I know zilch about babies.”
A slow ache built in her chest. Clearly this was an area in which he didn’t feel confident. His plans for educating himself were sweet, but might be unnecessary. “Considering the baby and I will be more than six hundred miles away, you might not need to spend too much time on—”
“I’ll make the drive.”
“CJ, it’s a ten-hour trip.”
“I’m aware. I figured it out. I can’t afford to fly on a regular basis, so I’ll schedule three days off whenever possible.”
“That sounds like tough duty, twenty hours of driving for a very short stay.”
“Not as tough as you’ll have it on a regular basis. I’ve talked with Sarah at Gertie’s Sandwich Shop. She had a baby seven weeks ago, but her mom’s in charge of the shop, so Sarah doesn’t have full responsibility for the operation like you do. I don’t know how you’ll run Cup of Cheer and take care of a newborn.”
“I’ll have seven months to figure it out.”
“Who did you put in charge for this week?”
“My little sister. When I took time off for the wedding, I made sure my veteran staff members would be there, but this was last minute. Two of my key people are on vacation and I hate to dump full responsibility on her for a week, but…”
“Should be okay.”
“Hope so. I considered making it a three-day trip, but Naomi and my folks talked me into taking a full week. They don’t think we should rush this discussion.”
“I like them already.”
“They like you already, especially after I told them how you responded to my phone call.”
“How do they
