Page 62 of Unexpected Kisses

Iwashoping it wouldn’t come to this. My stomach rolls and my heart knocks rapidly against my ribs as I contemplate what’s about to happen. Raising my shaky hand, I press the doorbell and try to draw enough oxygen into my lungs so I don’t pass out. Imagine that, AJ opens the door to find me collapsed on his stoop. I spin on my heel to face the street as a distraction and focus on gaining my self-control while I wait for him to answer the door.

Within less than a minute, the sound of the door opening has me turning around to face the man who has infiltrated my thoughts at every turn. Starting at the floor, I take in his bare feet, torn jeans, and black Henley.

Shit! I’m in so much trouble. I’m a sucker for AJ in a Henley.

This is going to be tougher than anything I’ve ever done. But if this works and I get pregnant, then all of this discomfort will be worth it. With a bit of luck, I’ll be pregnant this time next week and I can put all of this behind me and focus on the future. And he can work on building his relationship with someone that’s not me. I could cry at the thought.

His lips spread in welcome and he steps back, making room for me to enter his home for the first time. “Hey, Sarah.” He leans forward, his warm breath ghosting across my skin as he presses a tender kiss to my jaw near my ear, and my flesh burns at his touch. It’s not the first time he’s kissed me there, and my reaction this time is no less potent than it was then.

“Hey.” I try to make my voice light so he doesn’t pick up on my nerves. His place has an industrial feel to it with a combination of rough brick and smooth concrete walls, as well as large factory-style windows. It should feel cold and sterile, but it feels warm and inviting. I would never have guessed this was a home from the outside because it looks like a factory with a roller door at the side of the building. I was expecting it to be dark and dank on the inside. I couldn’t be more wrong. Even though the space is large and open, it has a certain homeyness to it. My entire apartment could probably fit inside his living room space. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you. It took a bit of work to get it to where I wanted it to be, but I’m happy with the outcome.” I nod as he leads me deeper into his home and across gorgeous hardwood floors. “This is the kitchen, which is probably obvious.” He half chuckles.Is he as nervous as I am?“And the space at the back of the house is my office. Dylan and I work here.” He slides open a huge barn door to reveal the most incredible computer setup I’ve ever seen outside of the office. “All of the bedrooms are upstairs.” He points to the ceiling.

“Wow. This is impressive.” I’m genuinely impressed as I’m sure he can tell by my wide eyes as I take in everything.

“Thanks. Would you like a drink or anything?”

Since my tongue is stuck to the top of my mouth, I figure it may be a good idea to have a drink. I swallow around the dryness. “I wouldn’t mind a glass of water if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” He deftly reaches up to grab a couple of glasses, exposing toned ab muscles just above the top of his jeans. I quickly tear my eyes away and watch the play in the muscles of his forearms as he releases the lever on the filtered water tap to fill them. His hand is steady as he passes a glass to me, and I take it, trying to hide the tremble in mine. His eyes rise to mine and a comforting smile touches his lips. “Are you nervous, Sarah?”

I half-laugh with embarrassment. “Yeah. How could you tell?”

He moves into my space and his scent surrounds me, comforting me, making me feel safe. From the first instant I met AJ, I’ve felt completely safe in his company. He takes my free hand in his and my eyes drop to watch his much larger hand surround mine. “Your hand is shaking and your voice has a slight tremor that would be unnoticeable to most people unless they were paying attention.”

My eyes snap up to his. I swallow. Has he moved closer? The lighter flecks of caramel in his chocolate eyes are impossible to miss with him this close to me. His other hand rises and he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, then strokes his knuckles gently down the side of my face to my chin. He raises my face to his and I swallow the excess saliva that’s decided to multiply in my mouth. “You don’t need to be. We’ll do everything at your pace. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, just say so. Okay?” He crouches down so he’s at eye level, raising his brows in question on the last word.

How can he be so calm about this?We’re about to have sex!It’s not a date, where one thing leads to another and wemayend up in bed together. This isplannedsex and it feels completely awkward.

I nod silently and his eyes follow the movement. One side of his mouth tips up and he moves closer, pressing his lips to mine tenderly. They’re warm and soft, and I would give anything to be able to return his kiss, but I can’t.

I need to keep myself in check.

He’s doing this to help me get pregnant.

He’s not in love with me.

He doesn’t want a future with me. He wants someone else.

The reminders run through my head on a loop and I draw back, putting much-needed space between us. If he’s disappointed he doesn’t show it. “I thought we could eat dinner upstairs on the deck. How does that sound?”

He’s acting normal. Like tonight’s no big deal, so I follow his lead. If he can do this, so can I.

“That sounds really nice.” I hold up my sweater. “I have this if it gets a little cool.” I set my purse and sweater on a stool and wash my hands at the kitchen sink. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope. You sit there”—he points to a stool situated at the counter—“and look beautiful.”

I get comfortable on the designated stool as my cheeks flush. While he cooks dinner for us, I take a sip of my water and run through everything I’ve seen so far of AJ. He helps clean up whenever he’s at someone else’s home. I look around his neat home and decide he must do a decent job with housework, and now I find he cooks. He’s fantastic looking. Is sweet and thoughtful, as well as generous with his time and his … uh sperm. He runs his own successful business and defies gravity by climbing rock walls. I can’t find any faults with the man.

He holds up a plate with shrimp, snapping me out of my head and back to his kitchen. “You okay with these? I can leave them out.”

“No. I’m all good. I’m not allergic to anything that I know of. Are you?” Do allergies get passed down through the genes? I should probably look that up. I take another sip of water.

“No, nothing that I know of.” He turns back to the wok and continues preparing the delicious-smelling meal.

“What are you cooking?”

“Char Kway Teow. It’s a Malaysian noodle dish. I hope you like it.”

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