Marcus turned serious, his gaze becoming intense on hers. “I’d like to take you out a lot sooner than that.”
Claire’s stomach dropped. What? Had he just said he wanted to go out with her? A pregnant, not-quite-divorced woman he barely knew?
Marcus laughed softly. “Don’t look so surprised. I figure I can use all the friends I can get. I like you. Don’t look at me like that. Sophie told me about everything.”
“Did she tell you about the baby’s father?” Claire asked, not wanting to mislead him in any way.
He nodded, crossing the room to stand before her. “From what I hear, he’s a real asshole.”
A laugh she couldn’t quite squelch left her lips. “That’s one way to describe him.”
A strand of hair came loose from her ponytail and Marcus reached out to tuck it behind her ear. The pleasant scent of his aftershave teased her senses. His fingers brushed against her jaw so fleetingly she might have imagined it.
She saw a flicker of awareness in his eyes and realized that the impossible was happening. This man might actually be attracted to her. Tofive months pregnant, no makeup on at all, life an utter messClaire Morton. Impossible. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. It was too soon.
Marcus tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, stepping back abruptly as though sensing her discomfort. A crooked grin tugged at his lips. “So what do you say to lunch? Take me away from all this.”
“Lunch?” she echoed stupidly.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” He winked, looking boyishly charming and utterly irresistible. “Falls between breakfast and supper. You eat it?”
“Very funny.” She tapped him lightly on the arm, noticing how firm it was beneath his long-sleeve shirt. “I know what lunch is, Marcus. I just didn’t know if I should sneak out on Trevor and Sophie.”
Marcus shot her a look. “Believe me. They won’t be coming out of that bedroom for, oh, I’d say a good hour, hour and a half. They’ll never even know the difference.”
“Marcus.”
He shrugged, putting on a mask of innocence. “What? I meant that it will take them that long to decide where the furniture should go. What did you think I meant?”
She bit her lip, aware that she was blushing furiously, as ridiculous as that seemed. The man had a certain knowing way of looking at a woman that reduced her to a stammering, blushing tween.
Marcus wagged a finger at her. “Naughty mind. Very naughty mind. I’m shocked, in fact.”
“Ha.” Claire found her tongue. “I find it hard to believe anything would shock you.”
He raised a brow at her. “Is that a challenge?”
She was instantly wary. “No.”
“I think it was.” He shook his head. “No backing out of it now.”
“I can hardly back out of a challenge if there was no challenge to begin with,” she pointed out dryly.
“Ah,” he said quickly, “but there was one. I distinctly heard it. Now you have to try to shock me.”
She gave him a measuring stare. “I don’t think I could.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. You might be surprised.”
“All right,” she decided, feeling bold. “I’ll go to lunch with you.”
He winked. “I knew you’d see things my way.”
Claire sent him a look. “I’m sure most women do.”
They had lunch at a quaint little café not fifteen minutes from Sophie and Trevor’s house. Marcus drove them, since he claimed he wanted to familiarize himself with the area more. Now that Sophie and Trevor had taken up permanent residence here in rural Pennsylvania, Marcus would have to make the nearly three-hour drive here from New York City fairly often.
Claire sat across from him now, toying with the grilled chicken on her plate. She’d initially been starved, but the baby had shifted, making her stomach get awfully small awfully quickly. It felt as if there was no room. She sipped at her lemonade and considered Marcus.
