Page 48 of Misadventures With My Fake Fiancé

“I'm pregnant.”

“Wha—”

I hung up right as Mike came in the room.

“Do I want to know why you're grinning?” he asked.

“That was Jane West. Goldie's daughter-in-law.”

He nodded.

“I surprised her with the baby bomb. Let her live with that little gem without the details for a bit. If I'm going to suffer, I might as well enjoy myself.”

“Women are cruel.”

“Seriously. Take Goldie for example. She came up with an imaginary baby first, now this. What am I going to do?”

I started to pace the small space, doing my best to wear a groove in the navy carpet. He sat down at the foot of the bed to watch me like a tennis match.

“Take the money and enjoy yourself. You said you wanted to go to grad school. Based on the numbers Goldie mentioned, now you can.”

“When you called Goldilocks looking for Veronica as your fake girlfriend you said you'd pay me to come up here and help you,” I reminded him.

Mike thought for a moment. “Sure. I said I would.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Come on, I'm just messing with you. I'm not going to take your money.”

“So now you've got a bunch of your own. What's the big deal?”

“Ugh,” I groaned, running my hand over my hair. He just didn't understand.

He stopped me on a pass by grabbing my wrist and turning me to face him. For once, I was taller than he. “What's bothering you?” he asked, eyes full of concern.

“There are too many things to cover right now.”

“Okay, so what's bothering youthe most?”

“I'll probably be fired when the school board finds out.”

He frowned. “How are they going to find out?” His thumb ran idly over my palm.

I looked at him, eyebrows raised. For a doctor, he wasn't very smart. “Are you kidding me? If Goldie knows, and Goldie's neighbor's something-or-other helped her, then everyone in town knows.”

Mike shrugged ever so slightly. “Maybe not. Goldie might blabber to family, but she's not one to talk.”

True. If Goldie told the secrets she knew about all of her customers, everyone in town would have a story out there and she'd be out of business. Being the owner of an adult store meant confidentiality. Quite a bit like being a lawyer.

“There's more to this than just Goldie and the book. What is it?”

He pulled me in between his legs and wrapped his arms around my waist. He was warm, solid, and his head was against my breasts. He moved the pendant, which was in the way—and stabbing me in the ribs—and gently tossed it over my shoulder, then settled back in. “Mmm. I like this.”

I liked it, too. Too much. Made me think of him in a similar position earlier with a lot less clothes. I just wanted to settle into the comfort of his embrace. I felt protected and safe, but he was being a smart ass. I smacked him on the shoulder, but he was unmoving. “You are definitely a breast man.”

He lifted his head, looked up my body and grinned. “Absolutely. So tell me. What'sreally, and I mean deep down, bothering you?”

I tensed. This was a very sore spot that I didn't share. Inevershared. I held my embarrassment over what my very ex-boyfriend had done and said to me like a shroud. Was this personal shame something I could tell to Mike? Was I ready?

Someone knocked on the door, saving me from giving away my secrets. I breathed a sigh of relief. Mike released me and I stepped back, letting him answer it.

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