“I’m sorry,” Sammi said, setting her hand on his knee, the innocent gesture making his pulse jump. “I didn’t mean to stir up sad times. My mother changed a lot when my career took off. Suddenly I was making more money in a month than she’d make in a year, and it began to consume her.”
“So, you’re looking at tiny apartments, hoping to re-create your happy childhood, and I’m trying to throw money at you because that’s what my parents did in an effort to appease me.”
Sammi leaned her head against his shoulder. “Maybe we need to meet somewhere in the middle.”
Oliver handed back her phone, contentment humming across his nerve endings, awakening his desire to lose himself in her. “It would be nice if every one of our disagreements ended this well,” he said, covering her hand where it rested on his leg. The stirring behind his zipper drowned out sensible thought.
“I don’t think you should count on that happening.”
“You’re planning to cause trouble for me at every turn, aren’t you?” He turned his head and grazed his lips over her smooth forehead.
There was a smile in her voice when she answered. “Trouble’s in the eye of the beholder, don’t you think?”
The car stopped in front of his building before he had a chance to respond. Sammi shifted away from him and glanced out the window. Recognition widened her eyes.
“What are we doing here?”
“Come upstairs and let’s talk.”
“Talk?” she echoed, a frown appearing. “About what?”
Instead of answering, Oliver opened the door and slid out. Once he stood on the pavement, he turned to find Sammi still sitting in the car. She worried her lower lip between her teeth.
“You don’t trust me?” he asked, flooded by bitter resentment. The emotion caught him by surprise. Nothing Sammi had ever done before aroused such a strong negative reaction. This feeling was usually reserved for interactions with his family.
“Of course I trust you. That’s not what this is about.” With a sigh she took his hand and set her foot on the pavement. “Fine, let’s go upstairs and talk.”
Thanks to Sammi’s show of great reluctance, Oliver felt no satisfaction at convincing her to do as he asked. Instead, irritation kept him from offering reassurance as they entered his building. Then, as the elevator rose to his floor, his increased heart rate caught him by surprise. Although he’d been pondering his decision for several days and thought he was at peace with it, Oliver found himself gripped by anxiety. He hadn’t realized until now how important it was for her to say yes to his proposal.
“You asked for my help in finding a place to live,” he began, leading her into his living room. “Now you’re going to listen to me.”
Given the tight set of her mouth, she looked poised to argue. Instead, she merely raised her eyebrows and waited for Oliver to reveal his plan.
“I think you should move in with me.”
“What?” She goggled at him. “No. That’s crazy...” She paused. “I mean, I couldn’t put you out like that.”
“You won’t be putting me out.” He took both her hands in his and let his thumb play over her skin. “You need a place to stay. There’s plenty of room here.” He wanted to keep her close while her pregnancy advanced. The idea of watching her grow round with his child thrilled him in a way he’d never imagined possible. “And this way, I won’t have to worry about you or the baby.”
“When you say move in...” Her cheeks grew rosy as she assessed his expression. “You mean as roommates, right?”
Her need to clarify the arrangement sent desire through him like a current of electricity. Suddenly every cell in his body was sizzling with awareness. His senses alerted him to the clammy grip of her fingers, the peppermint coolness of her nervous laugh, and the play of relief and regret in her brown eyes.
“I want you to be comfortable,” he replied, deliberately keeping his answer vague.
“And what happens if I get so comfortable living with you that I don’t want to leave?” A smile ghosted across her lips at whatever she believed his expression had revealed. “Oh, don’t worry. I have no more desire to live with you than you have for me to invade your bachelor space.”
“You wouldn’t be invading, and it isn’t exactly a bachelor space.” Frustration flared. He knew she wasn’t immune to him, so why did she persist in keeping him at arm’s length?
She gave him a wry look. “You are a bachelor. And it is your space.” She pulled her hands free and widened the distance between them. “Give me a couple days to think about it, okay?”
“What’s there to think about? You want to be practical. I’m offering you a way to save a great deal of money.” He was hoping that using logic would up the appeal of his offer. “Think of your budget.”
He knew the speed with which her body was changing would soon affect her income. She’d already had to skip casting calls for next spring’s New York Fashion Week, and even her hopes of acting as a maternity model had dimmed because so many fashion firms used regular models with fake bumps.
“I haven’t been able to think about anything else,” she grumbled.
Hearing the surrender in her voice, Oliver relaxed. “Moving in with me is a smart option.”
“Is it?” she countered, expelling a hearty sigh. “I took the easy way out and let my mother make decisions for too long. Now I feel like I’m making the same mistake with you.”
“I don’t want to control you,” he said. “In fact, I made the suggestion for purely selfish reasons.”
“Such as?”
Letting her long wool coat slide off her shoulders, she cast it onto a nearby chair and took a step
