Page 56 of Crazy Imperfect Hearts

“You tell me.”

I gaze across the living room. “I suppose because I didn’t want to be talked out of it.”

“Yup. Same.” He takes a bite of steak.

“So if you’re afraid of being talked out of it, and I’m afraid of being talked out of it, does that mean we’re making a huge mistake, Lucas?”

He puts his fork down. “It means it’s nobody’s goddamn business except ours.”

I nod, knowing exactly what my friends would say. They’d probably show up with slide shows, graphs, and statistics about how epically bad this plan is.

“When are we going to tell them?” I ask. “Assuming it happens.”

“I was going to leave that up to you.”

“Can we just play it by ear? Even if I do get pregnant, there are still things that can go wrong.”

His head cocks to the side. “But you aren’t planning on waiting too long are you? I mean, it’ll be obvious after a while.”

“I’ll have more time than most,” I say, glancing down at my fluffy midsection. “I’ve seen women my size go into their third trimester without it being obvious.”

“You want to waitthatlong?”

“I don’t know.”

He tops off my wine. Again.

“I’m a sure thing, Lucas. You don’t have to get me drunk.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, but who knows, this may be one of the last drinks you get to have for a long long time.” His finger taps on his lips as he watches me take a sip. “You aren’t going to drink when you’re pregnant, are you? Jeez, there’s something else I should have told Candace to add.”

“I’m not going to do anything to put the baby at risk. Sushi will be the one that kills me. I love sushi. Especially the raw stuff. But from what I’ve read, that’s a hard no.” A thought occurs to me, making me smile like a Cheshire cat. “So listen, since I’m going to have to give up drinking, raw sushi, and a whole slew of other stuff with nitrates and all, I think it’s only fair that you have to give up something too.”

He touches the wine bottle. “I work in the business, Regan. Sorry, but I’m not giving up drinking. That’s a hard no.”

I’m somewhat amused he thinks that’s what I was talking about. I reach across the table and pull a half-full pack of smokes from his breast pocket, tossing them on the table.

“You want me to quit smoking?”

“God, yes. First of all, you can’t smoke around the baby.” My head falls back, and I sigh. “Guess I should have had Candace addthatto the contract. Second, you’ll no longer smell and taste like a chimney. And third, and most importantly, you’ll live longer. Won’t you want to be around for his or her graduation? Wedding? Grandkids?”

“Jesus.” He swipes a hand across his jaw. “This really could be happening.”

“If you’re having second thoughts, now is the time to pull out.”

“I’m not.” He puts a hand over mine. “Pulling out is not going to help us, Ray. I’m pushing in. I’m pushing in all nine inches. But before I do, I’m going to make sure you’re ready for me.” His eyes fall to my cleavage. “I’ll suck your nipples until you squirm.” He waves his fingers in the air. “I’ll use these on your clit. And inside you. I’m going to find that little pebble of a spot deep within and massage it until you’re so wet you’re dripping. I’ll use my tongue on you.Everywhere. And maybe my teeth. Your pussy is going to beg for my cock, Ray. It’s going to drag everything out of me.” He leans close. “Every last fucking drop.”

I clear my throat, unable to speak or eat another morsel.

He stands, goes to the very drawer that holds my wine stopper, corks the wine, then pulls me to my feet. “Let’s go make a baby.”

Chapter Twenty

Lucas

On the way to her bedroom, her cat watches me from the doorway across the hall. His eyes say it all: he doesn’t like me.

“What’s your cat’s name again?” I ask.

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