Page 19 of Dubious Secrets

My eyes catch him leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms and a goofy smile. “That bad already?”

I shake my head. “Not always, but first thing in the morning, yeah.”

When he continues to watch me as I finish up, I look up at him incredulously. “Why are you just staring at me?”

Ryker shrugs and pulls me into his arms. “I think I like it.”

“Like what?” I ask, confused.

His hand sprawls down my back, cupping my ass before lifting me. I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me out to the kitchen and sets me on the counter.

“I like watching how your body changes to carry my kid. I can’t explain it. It’s the most beautiful thing and it makes me want to fuck you all day.”

I laugh. “If it helps, I already want to fuck you all day.”

Ryker groans, adjusting himself and moving to the fridge. “Don’t tempt me. I need to keep you two fed. What does my baby want to eat?”

“Hmmm. French toast please,” I say as he hands me a prenatal and a cup of orange juice.

He leans down and kisses my bump. “Whatever baby wants.”

I laugh, shaking my head at him. It’s like last night finally eased away the remaining awkward tension, and I try to ignore the guilt while avoiding any thoughts of the missing person between us.

“How come you’ve barely left for work lately?” I ask, settling on the counter to watch him as he pulls out the ingredients to make us breakfast.

Little paws pitter patter in and Archibald lets out a big meow as he stretches. Ryker snorts, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a can of his food. He holds it up and looks at me. “You going to be okay if I open this?”

I grimace and plug my nose. “Tell me when it’s okay to look.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I hear Ryker open the can before clicking his tongue. After a moment, he comes back into the kitchen and squeezes my thigh. “I put him in the bathroom.”

“Thank you,” I say, and he smiles at me before it drops and he scratches the back of his neck.

“We need to talk about what happened last night. We can’t keep ignoring what’s happening between us,” he says softly. His eyes plead with me not to get upset as he turns back to the stove to finish cooking me breakfast.

I shift uncomfortably on the counter. “What did you want to talk about? I think it’s pretty simple. We’re caught up in the hormones of the pregnancy.”

Ryker’s eyebrows furrow. “You think that’s all it is?”

Yes. No. I’m not sure what he wants me to say because I want it to be so much more but that’s a secret I’ll never be the first to admit out loud.

He sighs. “I know this is going to make me seem like a shitty person, but I think it’s more than that. I mean, it could be the pregnancy, but I’m drawn to you in a way I can’t explain. Everything in my being craves being around you.”

I bite my lip, watching him as he makes my french toast. “I’m drawn to you too.”

Ryker’s lips quirk and he glances at me with eyes full of warmth before finishing up the cooking. He picks me up, and sets me down before handing me plates to carry to the table.

“Feel like shopping today?” he asks after we sit and I take my first bite of the delicious sweetness.

I give him an amused look. “You just can’t wait, can you?”

He groans. “No, I can’t. I’d build a whole nursery if I could.”

My heart clenches at the reminder that I’m currently taking up the spare bedroom while he’s staying in the main bedroom…with my sister. My eyes shift down to the plate, and I force a few more bites.

“We could always find a new house,” he muses to himself after a few minutes.

My mouth drops open. “Why don’t we just wait and see? I can’t believe I’m talking you out of being impulsive.”

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