Page 5 of Suddenly Pregnant

“It will be—tomorrow. For now, you’re just a guest in my house. Helping out an old, sickly man with a suspicious mole.”

Jack bit back a smile. He shouldn’t have exposed her like that. Though watching a lovely shade of pink spread across her freckled cheeks gave him an odd sense of joy. She was something else, this Billie.

“Oh…” she licked her lips. “I’m so sorry. Shit,” she said, then clapped her mouth. She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “I didn’t mean to—”

He lifted his hand to keep her from worrying. “Hey, it’s fine.”

“Wait a moment… how do you know what I said?”

“I meant to knock on your door to let you know I got sandwiches. Just in case you were hungry. Then, I heard you.” In his defense, she wasn’t a low voice. Though he had no idea why she’d lied to whoever she was talking to. Could it have been a jealous boyfriend? He didn’t hear the other voice, making it hard for him to figure out.

What kind of secrets was she hiding? Fuck. Me. Dead.

Of course she could have a boyfriend. She should. After all, she was exquisite—in a natural, fresh faced kind of way. Wavy auburn hair framed her pretty face, and most times her smile reached her luminous green eyes. And the freckles…

He wondered if they also peppered her shoulders.

Arousal hit him in the gut, and he prayed it wouldn’t slide lower. Recognizing she was sexy was one thing, but acting on it, something else entirely.

“Oh… I tend to be a loud phone talker.”

“I’ll remember that when I tell you my deepest secrets.”

“Yes, you might not. I also suck at keeping secrets, in general.”

Quality personal assistant, he told himself inwardly. He wondered about making a joke about it, though it was probably too soon. They barely knew each other, and she was visibly nervous after he verbally accosted her.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” He pointed at the dining table. “I’ll go grab the sandwiches.”

He scurried to the kitchen, and snatched the bag with the sandwiches he’d purchased. His was a meatball sub, but he brought her a couple of different options.

A twinge of guilt stabbed at him. He could have done more than give her food and shown her around, but he didn’t want to complicate things. They already lived in the same place and she worked for him. Friendship would be a stretch.

Though he had to feed her. Until she was driving around and more independent.

He grabbed a couple of bottles of water, and when he opened the fridge, a bottle of wine caught his attention.

No. Probably best to keep this alcohol free, just so they wouldn’t get anything misinterpreted. Especially him. He needed more help than she did, probably.

Although… he caught her looking at him a few times.

“Do you need help?” she asked, entering his kitchen. “I’m too antsy to just sit and look pretty.”

“Grab some napkins,” he said, pointing at the cupboard.

She did as he told her, and retrieved some paper napkins.

They both sat on the breakfast nook, and even though his kitchen was large and airy, the much larger formal dining table would have given them a better buffer. He sat across from her, but he felt if he stretched out his legs he could accidentally brush against her. The idea sent an irrational amount of excitement, heating his bloodstream.

“This is so good,” she said, taking a bite out of her sandwich. “What’s in it?”

“Mainly beer-battered bug tail, lettuce, mayo and lime.”

She took another bite. “Never knew bug tail would taste this delicious.”

His gaze fell on her lips. Her very kissable lips. Then, he shoved some of his sub down his throat, desperate to keep from thinking about her in that way. It wasn’t professional, ethical, or respectful.

He’d done his share of mistakes, but he’d never slept with an employee before. And right now, while he had to prove himself to the board of shareholders, wasn’t a good time to be slapped with a lawsuit. All the reasoning was there. All he had to do was listen to it.

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