Page 19 of The Christmas Gift

He made her sound like a common criminal. She scowled. “For the record, the first time we agreed to one night. When I left—”

“Snuck out,” he corrected. “Because I remember setting an alarm.” His heated gaze swept the length of her supple frame.

Ivy flushed. “—It was a new day!”

“Semantics.” He opened the door to his suit. “What about a few days ago?” He crowded her into his place and shut the door, his bulk blocking the exit.

A few days ago, she’d been scared. Cor hadn’t acted as she’d expected. She’d been prepared for all manner of accusations, threats against asking for his support, even a demand she prove the baby was his, but he’d done neither. Instead, he was leaning into fatherhood as if he’d expected her revelations.

Turning to get away from his penetrating gaze, Ivy gasped at the empty room.What the…She swung back to him, almost spilling the beverage.

Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t stop the sprang of disappointment at seeing his place empty. Perhaps he’d changed his mind after all and was clearing the air before work. “You’re moving?”

“No,” he said, tilting her chin until her gaze held his. “You are.”

Ivy jerked, understanding the meaning behind his words. “I can’t move in with you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have a life…a company to run.”

“Ivy, we both know most of what you do is virtual and you can set up shop anywhere. There’s no reason Bourbon can’t be home.”

The heavy thump of her pulse drummed in her ear. Constantly moving was safe. It kept her from being disappointed or worse, forming ties that would eventually break her heart. Her parents had formed ties, settled down with a white picket fence and baby, and look where that got them. She couldn’t remember a time in her childhood when they didn’t argue. Although they never said Ivy was the source, she suspected raising a love-child wasn’t what they expected.

The few friends that remained from college were scattered from state to state with lives of their own, and she was happy to visit them when she traveled.

Could a relationship with Cor work? Could she set aside the possibilityshewas no different from her parents?That she could hurt him.

They were both successful, ambitious like her parents. But, where her parents had felt restricted by a baby, Cor and Ivy were enthusiastic. At the moment though, even as she tried to keep him at bay, sharing the joys of motherhood…seeing the sentiment reflected in Cor’s gaze was a special experience.

“Fine.” He shrugged when she didn’t counter his claim. “Tell me where home is and we’ll move. Fair warning though, wherever we move, you should expect my father and best friends to visit often.”

“You told your friends?” Panic rose in her chest. “Your father knows I’m pregnant?” Oh, why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? Work was going to be more awkward than she originally thought.

“Hey.” He ran his hands along her arm. “We got this.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You wouldn’t have an office of people thinking you’re some gold-digger.”

His jaw clenched. “You’re a successful businesswoman, we both know you don’t need me for shit.”

He was wrong. While she didn’t need his money, she was starting to admire his persistence. It had been a long time since a man desired her for herself or wasn’t threatened by her success. He was the complete opposite to what she thought she wanted from a man, yet Cor made her heart beat in a whole new rhythm. Beneath his playful personality was a kind, considerate man. He was possessive, a quality she’d steered clear from in the past.

“Dad doesn’t know about the baby yet. When he does, I guarantee, he’s going to be ecstatic.” He tilted her chin again. “And you’ll love Wren and Spencer. They are big softies. I suspect they’ll be fighting to outdo each other for the baby.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” she said, cautiously glancing around the space.

“Think on it,” he suggested. “If you’re not happy, I promise, we’ll try raising the baby your way.”

“Okay.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I’ll think about it.”

Blair was right, Cor was all in. It didn’t matter whether she was prepared for the onslaught. He was a massive storm dragging Ivy in his path. Ready or not, she was being swept up. “Can we go to work now?”

Cor grunted, seemingly satisfied she hadn’t outright said no to moving in. “Not until you whip out that tablet of yours and start redecorating our suite the way you want.”

The cheery, laid-back playboy she’d met before was a cover for the persistent personality he kept leashed. Ivy was starting to believe the commanding part of him wasn’t just slated to the bedroom.

Ivy knew what he was doing, he was getting her to emotionally invest in the space. By penciling plans into her organizer, she was committing. The thought of putting her stamp on his apartment was a tempting elixir, she admitted, even as she tamped down her fear. Fear that she was falling for him too soon.

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