“You did?” Her wariness struck a chord.
“I was wrong not to reassure you.”
“I get it.” Her sweet smile banished his worries. She bore him no resentment. “You are famous and rich. I imagine all kinds of women would like to be your baby mama.” Although her tone was lighthearted, her eyes remained somber.
“I’m glad that woman is you.”
He set her down near the couch, and they stood facing each other. Their gazes locked as the significance of their new reality sank in. They were going to be parents. In a silence so intense that Oliver could swear he heard their heartbeats begin to synchronize, he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. Without knowing it, they’d been actively moving toward this moment for weeks, yet they were virtual strangers.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Oliver said. “That’s why I asked you to meet me here.”
“Can we talk over dinner? I’m starving.”
“You are eating for two.”
“Some days I feel like I’m eating for four. I’m hungry all the time.” She made a face. “When I’m not nauseated, that is.”
“Four?” The thought of having multiple children with her struck him like a bolt out of the blue. He never imagined having any children, and now he could see his entire life thrown into chaos by the rambunctious, beautiful clutch of children they made together. “Is that how many you want?”
“Oh, no.” She sounded so sure that he frowned. “I can assure you I’m only having one.”
For no good reason her answer disappointed him. “Big families have their pros and cons,” he said, thinking about his childhood and the dynamic of having twin brothers who were five years older. “Did you only ever see yourself with one?”
“To be honest, I never imagined myself with any.” This revelation matched how he’d always thought his life would play out and left him wondering how the pair of them were going to cope.
Oliver enfolded her in a friendly hug. “I think you’re going to be a great mom.”
Instead of boosting her confidence, his compliment seemed to frustrate her. “How can you say that when I don’t have any idea what sort of mother I would make?”
“Neither one of us has a great childhood to draw from, so I guess we’ll just have to make it up as we go. At least we know what not to do, and I for one intend to put our child’s needs first.”
“Says every terrible parent ever,” she murmured. “What if we’re no better?”
When he’d first put his arms around her, Sammi had tensed. Now she set her forehead against his shoulder and let all resistance bleed from her muscles. Her warmth moved into him like rare whiskey, heating his blood, encouraging his hands to wander. He sent his palm coasting along her spine while need built into something intense and unstoppable. Her back arched beneath his caress, bringing her flat belly into light contact with his lower abdomen. The resulting lightning bolt forced him to swallow a groan.
“You don’t really believe that.” He set his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face up. Her anxiety made him eager to reassure her. “How about we focus on what will make our child happy?”
“And if that means all the toys money can buy?” She arched her eyebrows. “What happens if we spoil our child rotten and end up with a rotten child?”
Oliver widened his eyes in mock horror. “Suddenly I’m terrified.”
“Suddenly?” She laughed. “I’ve been barely holding it together since the first positive pregnancy test.”
“The first one?” he echoed, his spirits lifting at her grin. “How many did you take?”
She grimaced.
“We’ll just try to do the best we can and balance freedom and boundaries. Play with work. And make sure we show how much we love him or her.”
Oliver hadn’t grown up knowing a lot of physical affection. The only time he was sure that his brothers loved him was when they let him win at a video game or took a couple of minutes to help with homework or offer pointers on his free throws. And his mom was too busy with keeping up appearances in her social circle to provide any motherly love. Nor had Sammi shown any sign that she was given to unrestrained hugs or spontaneous touching, and he’d guessed her mother was the reason why.
Yet here they stood with their arms locked around each other, committing to being better parents than the ones who’d raised them.
“We can do this,” he murmured, his jaw tight with determination.
“Of course we can.” Her fervent vow made his heart ache. “And we will.”
And then he was threading his fingers through her silky hair and drinking in the spicy floral scent of her perfume. She trembled beneath his gentle touch, whisking him back to those delicious hours with her in his bed, their bodies wrapped together in slick, naked glory. Arousal coursed through him, making him greedy to revisit those long hours. Oliver drew her to him harder than he intended. Desire pooled in his belly as her thighs pressed against his, the contact whipping up a thunderstorm in his emotions.
For days he’d believed that he could treat her like any other woman he desired, enjoying his time with her and then setting her free. Discovery that he was the father of her baby complicated their situation.
Oliver knew he should let her go. But he didn’t...couldn’t release his grip and set her free. Hunger roared. Need battered him. He cupped her face in his hands and bent down to press his lips to hers. He hadn’t planned to kiss her, but as with every other time they touched, his body had a mind of its own.
Before the kiss overheated, the tentative pressure of her hand on his chest shattered the stranglehold of his libido. She turned away
