Page 14 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

“Looking good, girlie,” Nana said with approval.

She picked out my jewelry and took her time going over my perfume. “Wear this scent. This is the smell to wear when you want the guy to get handsy.”

“Nana!” I said in mock shock.

“What? I ain’t dead.”

I was saved by the doorbell, and I ran down the stairs to get it. I flung open the door and feasted my eyes. He was wearing nice slacks with a brushed cotton button-down shirt. His hair looked more styled than usual, and he smelled delicious. He smiled that sexy grin at me.

“Wow, you clean up nice,” I exclaimed, my eyes wide.

“Thank you… I think. I would have brought you flowers, but since this isn’t a date, I figured I was off the hook.”

“A woman always appreciates flowers, for any reason or no reason,” I tossed back at him.

His eyebrows rose. “Noted.”

“Bye, Nana,” I called up.

“Bye, kids. I won’t wait up. Stay out as late as you want, or don’t come back at all,” she yelled down the stairs.

I groaned and shook my head.

He opened the passenger door to his perfectly detailed Toyota Prius.

“How come your rides are always pristine? Don’t you ever run through mud or rainstorms?

“I have the time to wash them and give them TLC.”

Okay, I saw that my initial thought of him being lazy might be off the table, but I still questioned possible lack of motivation. Well, shit, I wasn’t in the market for a husband, and I needed to stop being all judgy.

We pulled into a parking lot of a brick building I hadn’t noticed before. He took my hand, helping me out of the car all gentlemanly-like, and with his hand on the small of my back, guided me into the restaurant. I was pretty sure my insides were turning to putty at his touch.

“Reservation for Dan Adler, please.”

Heads turned as we were escorted to a corner table on the far side of the restaurant. Some people waved at Dan and said hello. They looked at me curiously, trying to assess the situation. The downside of a small town—everyone wants to know your business. In New York, people were very busy minding their own business.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Dan said, pushing in my chair. Dang, a girl could get used to this. “Mind if I order us some appetizers?”

“Go right ahead. I like pretty much everything.”

He caught the waiter’s eye and said, “We’d like to start with sparkling water, as well as bruschetta, pan-fried scamorza, and caponata. Thank you.”

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. “Wow, I may not make it to the main course. That sounds wonderful, even if I don’t know what two of those three things are.”

“They’re pretty delicious. I love Italian food,” Dan informed me.

“I have a feeling they don’t have my usual—mac and cheese,” I said as I opened the menu. I tried to look at the entrées and not the prices, but I failed. This meal was going to cost him several days’ pay.

“Hey, since this isn’t a date, we’re going dutch, right?” I asked.

I didn’t want to insult his manhood, but I also didn’t want to give him credit card debt. Instead, he looked amused. “I can afford it, Nicole. Just enjoy yourself.”

And I did. Conversation was easy with Dan. He was a good listener and pretty funny. He asked me questions about nursing, like he really wanted to know what a day in the life of a nurse was like. I tried not to feel too flattered. He probably was like this with everyone.

Damn, though, his green eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and his mouth looked so—kissable. When I’d finished eating, I had to sit on my hands for fear that one of them would pounce on his hand resting on the table.

I grabbed my water goblet and gulped it down. I needed to have a serious Come-To-Jesus meeting with myself. Wanting to kiss him would NOT work. I was having a baby. A baby that was nothisbaby. No guy wants to be with a pregnant woman who was having someone else’s baby. And I was going to be a mother—with responsibilities.

---