Page 27 of His Best Man's Baby

“You haven’t eaten, so you’re weaker.”

“I haven’t been able to keep anything down, so I didn’t bother.?

?

“Don’t you think you should talk to your doctor about this? It can’t be healthy. You’re eating for two.” He picked up the washcloth and rang it out. She realized her blouse stood open, exposing her breasts. Good thing she’d wrestled a bra on that morning. When he leaned over and placed the cloth on her chest then reached behind her, a flick of his fingers relieved the clasp on her bra, and her nipples were in clear view for him.

She smacked his hands again and covered herself. “You just want to see me naked.”

He grinned. “I’m not going to deny that, but I do want to help you, and I’m not going anywhere until you let me get you cleaned up and in fresh clothes. Then you’re going to try some soup.”

“I don’t have the flu,” she growled. Mustering the energy to drive him away or to get up did not work. She lay at his mercy. “You’re the worst nurse.”

He gave a bow of his head. “Thank you.”

Tae didn’t see how she could win the battle, so she gave into him. Jax removed her clothing from the waist up and took his time running the warm, soapy washcloth over her skin. She had to admit it felt good, and if she were not so ill, she might have liked his touch too. To her surprise, he didn’t try anything funny, but she did notice his gaze lingering on her nipples, which made the traitorous buds tighten. Their doing so drew more of his attention, and the cycle continued.

At last, Jax brought a T-shirt from the bedroom and pulled it over her head. He removed her jeans but didn’t replace them. When he reached for her panties, she drew the line. “No, absolutely not!”

He gave in. “Fine. Let me empty this, and I’ll help you brush your teeth.”

Tae imagined her light brown skin flamed red as he went through the steps of caring for her. His touch, rough as it was, seemed to settle her stomach, and soon he brought in a small bowl of soup and set it on the coffee table.

“Do you need me to feed you?”

“No. I can do it. I’m feeling a lot better.” She was, and a “thank you” trembled on her tongue. Mumbling the words made him chuckle, and he cleaned up the tools of his nursing while she ate the soup with a spoon. Chicken and noodles never tasted so good, but she wondered if Jax could cook anything not from a can. She doubted it.

The evening passed with Jax staying and watching TV with her. Every time she looked at him, she willed herself to tell him the truth, that the baby was his, but her lips wouldn’t part. Why was he there anyway? Did Daniel spill her secret, and Jax waited for her to admit it for herself? No, she believed Daniel when he said he wouldn’t do that.

“Why are you here, Jax? Aren’t you bored? I would think a man like you would be either starting his weekend early or planning it, trying to decide which woman to call.”

He eyed her with a straight expression, one that revealed little of whether she had offended him. “Is that how you see me?”

“Isn’t that you?”

“It is, normally.”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“You’re having a baby.” He glanced at the TV screen. A commercial played for disposable diapers, of all things. Jax ran his palms over his thighs as if they were clammy. “I could be his or her daddy.”

She blinked. He’d figured it out! This was the perfect time to come clean. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

“I know I’m not, and I don’t want to horn in on Daniel’s territory, but well, I don’t know how much he will be here for you and the baby with Alise to deal with.”

Tae bit her lip. Jax still thought she’d slept with his best friend after he’d married Alise. What kind of women did he take her for? Or did he think she loved Daniel so much, marriage papers would mean nothing to her? She considered whether Jax thought he somehow protected his friend from the Jezebel by being at her place now. Thinking that way hurt her more after all he had done tonight than him calling her names. She wanted to tell him to leave, but again, since she was keeping the baby, he had a right to know she took care of herself on behalf of his child.

Her stomach growled, and she pressed a hand to it, embarrassed. “Wow, sickness gone, and I’m starving. Are you hungry? You’ve been here like three hours.”

She stood up, and he reached out as if to steady her, but she was fine. He followed her to the kitchen, and she opened the freezer door. The compartment was filled with frozen dinners and a few meats she usually popped into the Crock-Pot on the rare occasions she felt like a more elaborate dinner with veggies. Cooking wasn’t her forte.

“None of that looks healthy,” he said, standing behind her.

A shiver tingled in her back at his nearness. “I never claimed to eat healthy. This body takes work to stay this way.”

Jax’s gaze raked her and paused at her ass. “Indeed.”

“Stop staring.”

---