Page 259 of Mountain Men Heroes

I pushed harder on his chest and he loosened his hold. I stepped back, needing the distance between us. Without it, I was likely just to melt in his arms and say yes to anything he suggested.

I wrinkled my nose, once again struck at how out of character I acted around Mac. I’d already allowed him to get too close for comfort. What was that all about? I’d chalk it up to pregnancy hormones, but I did it even before I was pregnant.

Never in my entire twenty-four years had I considered having a one-night stand. My previous sex partners had been few and far between and only when in the context of a committed relationship.

But I’d allowed Mac to charm me into his bed the night we met.

Confusion washed through me. Instinct warred with my practical nature.

My heart might want exactly what he wanted—to try things out with him, see where it went. But my head told me that the only place that would lead was to heartbreak and loneliness in a life that was already too full of heartbreak and loneliness.

“Gabriella?”

God, God. I squeezed my eyes shut. Just the sound of my name on his lips sent bolts of desire and need through me.

Mac moved in again and pulled me tight against his body.

“Are you okay?”

I opened my eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I am anymore.”

“I know all this is scary. And I know you’re probably not ready to consider pursuing a relationship with me yet.”

I opened my mouth to agree wholeheartedly with that last statement, but before I could get a word out, he gave me a gentle shake.

“But please, please just agree to stay here. At least until the baby is born. We can figure anything else out from there. See how things go.”

He stared down into my face so intently, I couldn’t look away.

“Please, beautiful. Stay.”

And at that moment, I knew I was right to be worried. I did exactly as I feared.

I melted into his body and agreed to everything he asked.

“Okay,” I whispered.

He leaned his forehead against mine and smiled. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Seven

Gabriella

“Everything will be fine, he said.” I leaned my head against the cool porcelain of the tub, allowing my body to fall to the bathroom floor. “I promise, he said.”

My stomach rolled again and I braced, ready to jump up and heave over the toilet again, if necessary. But the nausea receded. Finally.

I sighed with relief and gave myself a few more minutes rest just to be sure my stomach wasn’t going to revolt again.

The last month had passed in a blur. And true to his word, Mac had done his best to take care of me.

What he hadn’t counted on when he made his promise was that my body and our baby would conspire against him. All those What to Expect books had said that morning sickness usually wore off as you entered your second trimester.

Not in my case. It only seemed to get worse. According to the doctor Mac had found for me in town, this was perfectly normal. My body was going through the normal amount of changes that came along with pregnancy. And along with those changes came the morning, noon, and night sickness for some. I fell into that category and man did I wish I could fast forward to about ten minutes after delivery already.

But the last month hadn’t been all bad. I started showing in the last week or so.

I smiled and stroked my hand over my little baby bump. I should probably be freaked at the thought of raising a little soul who would depend on me for every little thing. But for some reason, I stayed completely calm about it. And with each passing day, I got more and more excited to meet my baby.

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