Page 6 of Oops, My Professor Got Me Pregnant!

Nico startled at Lauren’s quiet prompt, then realized that he’d been looking at the ice cream and letting his mind wander for longer than he’d meant to.

“Sorry.” He stepped up to the counter and ordered a scoop of pistachio and a scoop of chocolate. As soon as the shop employee handed over the cup, with a small plastic spoon stuck in the top, Lauren handed over a ten-euro bill to pay for both their treats.

“You got the coffee,” she reminded him as Nico began to protest.

“Fair enough.”

Lauren gathered her change and they continued their stroll along the river. As evening came on, the banks were filling with families and couples and people out with their dogs. The sight of running and shouting children gave Nico that strange feeling he always had when his son wasn’t around — he missed Louis, but felt embarrassingly grateful to have a little time to himself, too.

Nico glanced over at Lauren, who was eating her chocolate cone in small, dainty bites. She smiled at him, and he noticed a spot of chocolate ice cream at the very tip of her nose.

“You’ve got something there.” He pointed to the same place on his own face.

Lauren blushed. “Oops. How embarrassing.” She dabbed at her nose with the cheap paper napkin the shop had provided, but succeeded only in smearing the spot up toward the bridge of her nose. “Did I get it?”

“Not quite.”

She tried again with equally meager success, then gave a little sigh of frustration when Nico shook his head again.

“Here.” He stepped forward and lifted his own napkin, which was still pristinely clean — his cup left much less opportunity for drips than Lauren’s cone did. He lifted the napkin to her nose and carefully wiped away the last bit of chocolate ice cream.

“Thank you.” Lauren’s voice sounded a little strange. Nico lifted his gaze from her upturned nose and met Lauren’s eyes. They were a bright, light blue, like the sky in the early morning, and they were fixed directly on him.

Nico realized then that, in helping Lauren with the ice cream, he’d come closer to her. Much closer. Those morning-sky eyes were right there, as was the soft pink curve of her mouth. From this distance, Nico spotted a smattering of freckles across Lauren’s flushed cheeks and couldn’t help but notice the way that yellow sundress hugged her curves as if it had been made just for her. If he reached out a hand, he could rest it on the curve of her waist. If he dipped his head, they would be kissing.

In that moment, Nico recognized this afternoon for what it was. It wasn’t just an opportunity to help a lost American or occupy his time while his son was away. It was the first time in a long time that Nico had been completely caught up in the thought of a woman. It was the first time in a long time that he had felt his heart race like this or felt the magnetic pull to be closer to someone. And it was the first time in a long time that Nico had looked at a woman and never wanted to look away.

Maybe there was even a chance for something to happen between them. After all, Lauren was a pretty tourist looking for a Parisian adventure, and Nico was, for all she knew, an unencumbered bachelor. Maybe, if he closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss to Lauren’s mouth, she’d lean into him with a sigh and kiss him back.

But Nico wasn’t going to lean forward. He still didn’t know how Lauren felt about him — and even though he felt a deep attraction to her, something in him rebelled at the thought of kissing a woman who was nearly a stranger on the banks of the Seine. He wanted to know more about her first. That would make a kiss, if it did happen, all the sweeter.

None of that meant that he wanted to step away from Lauren or look away from her beautiful, upturned face right now, though.

CHAPTER 3

LAUREN

Is he going to kiss me?

The question whirled in Lauren’s mind as she looked up at Nico. He was standing just inches away from her and looking down with an intensity that made her heart race.

Is he going to kiss me?

Do I want him to?

If Nico closed the gap between them and kissed her, Lauren would kiss him back. She knew that as clearly as she knew that the sun would rise in the east and that the moon orbited the earth. After all, Nico was extremely handsome and, for the first time in many years, Lauren had both the interest and the opportunity to act on her attraction.

So, yes. She wanted Nico to kiss her.

But she also wanted more than a kiss. Perhaps she wanted nothing more than a fling with a handsome Parisian — after all, she hadn’t come here looking for a relationship. But still, she wanted more time with Nico. She wanted him to show her around Paris and to keep looking at her with those deep brown eyes.

A kiss would be a good start, though.

If only Lauren were brave enough to rise onto her toes and kiss Nico herself. But it had been so long since she’d even flirted with someone, and shyness rose in her.

Then there was a soft “flump” sound and Lauren blinked, then looked down. A quiet chuckle from Nico drew her attention back up, and she followed his gaze to her hand, which was now holding an empty cone.

“Oh, no!” Lauren glanced down at the remainder of her chocolate ice cream, which was now in a heap on the ground. Then she started to laugh too, and the tension of the moment was broken. Soon they were both in stitches.

---