Page 78 of Playboy

“Name it.”

He turns, his expression serious. “Give him a shot. For the next few days, get to know the father of your baby.”

“Like you did with Jen?” I tease, willing my nerves to remain steady.

He rolls his eyes. “Jen and I never had the kind of connection you have with Hall.”

I don’t even know what that means. Why the hell does every one of my friends swear there’s more going on between us than there is?

Not interested in arguing, I duck my head and rifle through my purse, double-checking that I have all I need. “Fine. I’ll be open-minded.”

Noah sags in relief. “Thank you.”

We’re still hovering near the door when a knock sounds from the other side.

When Noah pulls it open, we come face to face with Daniel, who’s wearing a smirk and a black shirt withdaddyscrawled across it.

“Harry!” He holds out his hand, and then the two of them do some weird slap-grab-bro-hug thing. When they’re finished,Daniel zeroes in on me, his lips tipped up in the sexiest smirk. “Ready for our next adventure, dream girl?”

I huff like I’m being put out, even as a zing of excitement courses through me. “You going to tell me where we’re going?”

He steps past Noah, drinking me in. His perusal comes to a halt at my stomach. Then he’s reaching out, hand splayed, like he can’t stop himself. Just before his fingers brush my abdomen, he pulls back a fraction. “May I?”

My lower belly coils tight in response. God, why is that hot?

May I?

Fuck.

I suck in a breath and nod.

When he gently presses his palm to my stomach, tears burn my eyes. It’s too much. The way he looks at our connection, the reverence in his gaze. Dark eyes on my face again, he gives me the softest, sweetest smile. Like he knows exactly what I need. Exactly how to handle me in this moment. “Our baby’s in there,” he whispers.

I suck in an unsteady breath and nod again. There’s no way I could speak right now.

He tugs me to him, hugging me with the perfect amount of pressure. Tight enough to imbue me with the comfort I need but not too tight. “You got that list for me?” he murmurs in my ear.

I nod against his shoulder and clear my throat. “It’s a note in my phone. I’ll share it with you.”

He releases me and pulls his phone out, clearly eager to get his eyes on the bucket list I added to last night. Some of the items are ridiculous. Others are simple but still meaningful. I put a lot of genuine thought into all I hope to accomplish in my life. It’s absurd, really, but typing it all out was therapeutic. Like putting it into the universe made it hold less weight.

I hit Send, and an instant later, his phone buzzes. My stomach flips as he unlocks the device, my nerves a mess. I’vegiven him yet another piece of me, and part of me wants to unsend the message before he can open it.

For a solid minute, he uses his thumb to scroll through all the bullet points. Finally he peers up at me, his messy hair hanging over his forehead. “Give me until the end of the list.”

I tilt my head, lips turned down in consideration. Does he mean what I think he means? “Why?”

“You want to get to know me, and I want to get to know you better. Give me until the end of the list.”

Tongue pressed to my cheek, I step closer. “There are quite a few things on that list, Playboy. You sure you’re up for it?”

With a grin, he cups my face with one hand. “For you, always.”

Stomach swooping, I lean in. God, I want to kiss the ever-loving shit out of this man?—

“I’m going to get out of here,” Noah says, his voice like a bucket of ice water.

Oops. Poor guy. If he hadn’t spoken up, there’s no telling what would have happened next.

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