Page 43 of Baby Bodyguard

“Oh, please.” Sarcasm rippled through her voice. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“You don’t want the perfect man or the perfect baby.”

“You’re wrong!”

“Stop kidding yourself, honey.” He hit her with his take on the truth. “You’re hoping to create something better, to connect to something larger so you’re not alone anymore. That’s why you want a man who understands the importance of family. Because it’s what you’re missing in your own life. Well, I’m here to tell you that a baby won’t give you that. But a husband and children together just might.”

An intense yearning slipped across her face, almost painful to behold. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“You’ll never know unless you try.” He held out his hand. “Do we have a deal? First we’ll get to know each other. If it works out, we’ll consider having a baby together.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“There’s always the clinic.”

“Oh, Noah. I’m not sure about this.”

“I am.” This time he did reach for her, pulling her into his arms. “Let me convince you.”

She moistened her tongue in a way that made him think of hot, sweet kisses. Slow kisses, deep kisses, an endless slide of lips and tongue that drugged the senses and could only lead one place—straight to bed for a night of long, soul-altering passion. If he were smart, he’d walk out the door and out of her life. But he couldn’t bring himself to doit.

Babe had been right when she’d warned him against developing feelings for Sami. They were total opposites. He played night to her day, her personality as sunny and warm and emotional as his was quiet and deliberate and rooted in logic.He provided a rocklike solidity for her fluidity, her enthusiasm flowing over and around him, as bright and refreshing as a mountain stream. And like a rock in that stream, she tumbled him over and over, upsetting his thoughts and plans and decisions, turning him in directions he’d never intended togo.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he warned.

Her hands scaled his chest before wrapping around his neck. The decimated paper she held fluttered to the floor. “Did I mention you kissed like a dream?”

“I seem to remember reading that somewhere.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

The instant their lips sealed, he didn’t worry about disappointing her. All thought left him but one. To possess what she so generously offered. To plunder her mouth with sweet savagery. Pure desire pounded through him and all he could think about was consuming her, bit by luscious bit. Her head tipped back and her mouth parted, giving him full access. He didn’t waste any time, but stroked inward.

It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Ever since she’d first marched past him in her colorful cropped tops, he’d wanted to explore what lay beneath the flirty scrap of silk. He couldn’t resist the temptation any longer, especially not after what he’d seen from his vantage point in the garden.

“Hang on, sweetheart,” he warned.

Sliding his hands along the flat planes of her belly, he swept upward, filling his palms with the soft unfettered weight of her breasts. He groaned into her mouth. Heaven help him, but he’d died and gone to fly with the angels. Or maybe he’d descended into hell, since he couldn’t possess what he so thoroughly explored. More than anything, he wanted to forget all his fineideals—or what was remained of them—and drop this woman to the floor and make her his in every way possible.

A soft cry slipped from her lips to his and she covered his hands with hers, encouraging his touch. He backed her against the closed door, thrusting his hips into the cradle of hers. He cupped her bottom and lifted. She didn’t need any prompting, but wrapped her legs around his waist, cinching him tight. Taking her mouth in another demanding kiss, he shoved up her shirt, exposing her breasts. They were incredible, round and plump and tipped in the same hot pink as the bougainvillea blossoms tangled in her curls. He shaped her breasts, flicking his thumbs over the hardened peaks. And then he closed his teeth over them. Ever so gently he tugged.

The instant Sami’s cry rose to a shriek, Loner howled in concert.

Noah froze, silently running through his entire vocabulary of curses. Slowly, he released Sami and straightened. Her breath came fast and furious, her desperate gaze locking withhis.

“Does this mean we’re not going to finish what we started?” she panted.

“Not unless we’re willing to let the entire household know what we’re up to.”

“I could live with it, but I doubt you could.” To his everlasting regret, she lowered her shirt. “So where do we go from here?”

“That depends on you.” He fought to recover some semblance of control. “What’s your decision? Do you want to see where this leads?”

She shivered. “I think we both know where this is leading.”

“But there’s time to go slow, isn’t there?” Was he asking her or warning himself? He’d pushed things with that kiss. If he’d pushed any further, all his fine talk about establishing a relationship first would have been moot. “There’s no rush, right?”

For some reason his questions prompted tears. “But I’ve waited so long.”

“Will a little longer make that much of a difference?” He feathered a kiss along her neck as he waited for her response. “I seem to remember you asking me to have a physical before we got down to business.”

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