Page 41 of Baby Bodyguard

“Oh!” Her bracelets jangled as she paced in front of him. “I knew it. What’s the reason?”

“I want you.”

Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated him saying that. She stumbled to a halt and stared, wide-eyed. “You—”

“Want to make love to you. Yes.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me that comes as a surprise.”

She swallowed. “Somewhat. And… and the condition?”

So far he’d been able to stick to the truth. He could only hope it would last. “You’ve said you won’t have an ongoing relationship with the father of your child, other than sexual, that is. Ican’t agree to that.”

“You have to!”

“The hell I do. What sort of man would father a child and walk away afterward? Is that the sort of person you’d respect? The sort of man you’d want to get you with child?”

For a split second her gaze softened at his phrasing. It didn’t last long. Her jaw firmed, poking in his direction. “Maybe.”

He couldn’t help laughing, despite the seriousness of the situation. “No, you wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you or our baby.” He made a point of stressing the word “our.” She’d forgotten that aspect or pushed it from her mind. He intended to keep it right there in front of her, forcing her to deal with the issue. “If your plans come to fruition, we’ll be parents in less than a year. Both of us. Do you really intend to shut me out of the experience?”

Hope mingled with apprehension. “What are you suggesting?”

“I want us to get to know each other before we go through with this.” Anything to delay her. Still, he chose his arguments carefully, some deep yearning urging him to bind them together with every word he uttered, forcing Sami to mate the two of them in her thoughts and emotions. “I want us to make certain our decision is the right one. Once you’re pregnant, we’ll be committed. Changing our minds won’t be an option. So I suggest we make very sure this isn’t a mistake.”

“You’d like us to get to know each other?” she clarified. “In what way?”

“In the usual way men and women go about establishing a relationship.”

“You expect to date me?”

“Would you rather I said I hoped to sleep with you?”

“If that’s the truth, then yes.”

“I do want to sleep with you.”

Her expression hardened. “I knew it. This is all some elaborate scam to get me into your bed.”

“Getting you into bed was never the hard part.” He waited for the blow to strike before softening it. “I also want to know you as a person.”

“Why?” she whispered. He’d never seen her so vulnerable and it tore him apart.

“You know why. There’s something there, whether you’re willing to admit it or not.”

“Right. Sexual attraction.”

He shook his head. “Don’t lie to yourself. It’s more than that, Sami. Otherwise that kiss would never have happened.”

“Whatever it is, I’m not interested.” He could practically see her throwing up barriers, reinforcing them as hard and fast as possible. “I don’t handle long-term well. In fact, Istink at it.”

He changed tactics. “Even when it’s perfect? You said you were looking for the perfect man to father the perfect child. Why are you resisting?”

“I don’t mean perfect as inperfect.”She scrambled for another excuse. “I’m searching for a man who compliments me, whose strengths balance my weaknesses and vice versa.”

“Exactly. For instance… You might not do long-term well, but I excel at it.” He ached to pull her into his arms. But she looked as wary as Loner when Noah had first stumbled across the half-starved, terrified cub. “I can teach you how. All you have to do is trust me, sweetheart.”

“This is a really bad idea.”

“Is it? Why don’t we put it to the test?”

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