Fuck. He gripped his cock and began pumping with his hand, using the soap that smelled like her to lubricate his hand as he pretended it was her tight pussy tugging at him and milking him to completion. It didn’t take long for him to come in long spurts, giving him a shot at getting through the day without dragging her into a secluded place somewhere to ease the constant ache.
He dressed in yesterday’s clothes and decided a stop at his place was in order. He strode into the kitchen to find Meg standing at the counter, drinking the same pink protein shake as last time.
“Morning.”
She turned toward him and grinned. “Morning to you too.”
Muscles he hadn’t realized he’d been clenching released at her easy greeting. He strode over, determined to set the tone not just for the day but for how he wanted things to be between them from now on.
He slid a hand behind her neck and pulled her in for a long, deep, strawberry-tasting kiss. He made sure to taste her completely, his tongue stroking the inner recesses of her mouth, before he ended it with a quick swipe of her lower lip.
“Delicious,” he murmured, meeting her gaze and amused by the dazed look in her pretty brown eyes.
“What’s on your agenda today?” he asked.
“Nothing exciting,” she said, turning away and heading for the sink, where she busied herself rinsing her glass.
He narrowed his gaze. “Remember what I said? Everything about you interests me. What’s up today?” he asked again.
“I need to go maternity clothes shopping,” she muttered, not turning around.
He walked over and surrounded her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I can manage a stop by the mall.”
She shook her head. “No. You do not want to come while I try on fat clothes.”
She set the glass in the sink and attempted to wrench away from him, but he held her in place. “What the hell, Meg?” He turned her around and lifted her chin. Tears burned in her eyes, and he narrowed his gaze. “Fat clothes?” he asked, trying not to get angry and to understand instead.
She remained stubbornly silent.
He shook his head, totally at a loss. Sometimes women fucking confounded him. “What’s with the embarrassment?”
“Men,” she muttered. She sniffed and shook her head. “Sure, you’re here now. My body is reasonably fit. I’m not stupid enough to think you’ll still be here when I’m big like a whale, so can we skip the embarrassment of you seeing me shopping for stretchy pants with a pouch in front? I’m sure you have better things to do, and besides, I already have plans with my friend Lizzy.”
He blew out a long breath, finally understanding. Or he thought he did. “I realize we’re getting to know each other, but can you give me a little credit? It’s not like I didn’t know you were pregnant going into this.” He was still attracted to her. And that was that.
“Whatever,” Meg said.
He had sisters, which meant he knew she was going to believe what she wanted to, his words be damned. Fine. He’d just go along with the program.
“I need to stop home and change into clean clothes. Then I thought we’d go by my brother’s and give him information to start digging into your ex. After that?” He’d concede defeat on this one. “You can go to the mall while I head over to work and talk to my boss.”
“I wasn’t aware I needed permission,” she said, trying to remain sweet but make her point. She caught his look. “Are you giving notice?”
“Something like that,” he muttered.
She wouldn’t like the next part of his plan, so he intended to put off explaining it to her until her mood and feelings about him improved. He fully expected the fireworks to start again when she found out he wasn’t leaving her alone to deal with her lurking ex.
The ride to Scott’s took longer than Meg expected, and by the time he pulled off an exit on I-95, she had a throbbing headache. And when he turned onto a tree-lined street with set-back houses—big Spanish-style houses in the adobe coloring she loved, with gates around each—the dull ache turned to a searing pain. “You live here?”
“Sure do.”
“On a cop’s salary? Not that it’s my business,” she quickly said, realizing how rude and uncalled-for her remark had been. “I’m sorry. I’m just surprised.”
He turned, his gaze hidden behind really sexy aviators. “I get it. And for the record, I want you to feel like you can ask me anything.” He turned into a long driveway and parked by a two-car garage. He pulled off the sunglasses and left them on the dashboard.
“Okay . . . Then how do you live here?” she asked, feeling a bit braver but still overwhelmed by the upscale neighborhood.
“My mother’s parents passed away, and when my grandfather died, he left us kids each a very nice trust fund. For me, it was a way to separate myself from my father’s money.”
She studied him without interrupting, wanting to understand this enigmatic, complicated man.
He shut off the ignition and twisted to face her. “When I was married, we lived in an apartment in South Beach.”
“Married?” This was the first she’d heard of it, and she couldn’t believe the uncomfortable twisting in her belly. She had to remind herself that he’d said he had been married. He wasn’t currently. And he’d been understanding of her past, so she could do no less for him.
He let out a groan. “It was a couple of years ago,” he said, gripping the steering wheel hard. “And in truth, Leah, my ex-wife, was more interested in my family name and status than me. But at the time, I didn’t really care. I thought I loved her, and I wanted her to be happy. What I didn’t realize was that she hated me being a cop and thought I’d eventually give it up because she wanted me to.”
