“Parenting books.”
“Who the fuck are you?” she murmured. He helped her with a hand under her elbow. He gave her some space by retreating to the narrow and dimly lit hallway.
She joined him a few moments later and followed him out to her kitchen. He went to her fridge and opened it. All it contained was half a carton of milk, a bowl of soup in a Tupperware container and three apples. Her freezer didn’t prove to be much better, besides a few bags of frozen french fries.
“That’s it,” he said, slamming her freezer. “You’re coming to live with me. Before I was willing to let you do what you wanted, but that was until I saw that you have no food and are cleaning a cat litter box. You need food.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have food. I’m not coming to live with you.”
He scoffed. “Not enough.” His eyes glanced at the clock on her oven. “Grab your purse. Otherwise we’ll be late.”
Glaring at him, she did as she was told, slinking into her jacket as she pushed past him and out into the cold November day.
“Don’t you lock your door?” he asked, watching her head to her car.
She rolled her eyes again and pushed past him, digging her keys out of her purse and locking it. “My landlords are always home. Besides, the door is shoddy. A raccoon could bust in if the wind was blowing from the right direction.”
He grunted. “No excuse. Lock it from now on. And we definitely lock the doors at my house. Have an alarm too.”
“I’m not living with you,” she murmured, not letting him get ahead of her and making her way toward her car.
“You’re driving with me into town, though. We’ll discuss the living together thing more later.”
“No,” she said, opening up her car door. “I plan to go grab some groceries after the ultrasound. I’ve worked nights the last three days and haven’t had time to go shopping.”
She didn’t give him a chance to respond before she started her car. Or at least attempted to start her car. But instead it just sat there and sputtered.
Not bothering to even ask, he made his way to his truck and drove it closer to her car, positioning them bumper to bumper. He popped the hood of his truck and motioned for her to do the same. With a growl he could practically hear through the car, she complied. He hooked up their batteries and instructed her to start ’er up. Seconds later, the sputter turned into a rumble, and exhaust was floating out from the back like a chimney.
He unhooked the jumper cables and shut both hoods. But before she could pull away and leave him there, he walked over to her side of the car, opened the door, leaned in, grabbed the key and shut it off.
“What the hell?” she asked, trying to push him out. Her car wasn’t exactly big, and he was taking up a lot of her personal space. But that smell of hers was making it hard for him to concentrate.
Pulling her key from the ignition, he stood. “You’re driving into town with me. Then we’ll grab lunch and groceries. I want to make sure you’re eating right. Taking care ofourbaby.”
If looks could kill, he’d be six feet under.
He snickered to himself but hid his face by glancing off toward the sky and the dark clouds. Shit, more rain. Like they needed more.
He liked her stubbornness. Liked her fight and temper. It was all the cuter coming from such a tiny package.
She growled and huffed as she abandoned her car and complied, falling into step with him as he headed to his truck. Like the gentleman his mother had raised, he held open her door for her and watched her tight little ass flex as she climbed up into the cab.
“That’s better,” he said, slamming her door and chuckling at the glare she was giving him as he rounded the front of the truck to the driver’s side. “Much better.”
“I have to pee,” Krista said with a wince as she and Brock sat there in the waiting room of the ultrasound clinic.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked. “Means your bladder’s full.”
“Yes. Doesn’t mean it’s not uncomfortable as hell.” She gave him a curious side-eye. “How’d you know?”
One bulky, leather-clad shoulder lifted half an inch. “I’ve been reading.”
“Krista Matthews?” said a woman in blue scrubs and square frameless glasses, interrupting Krista’s thoughts before she could think of a witty comeback for the man sitting next to her. Instead she just breathed a sigh of relief and pushed herself up out of the chair.
“Oh, thank God,” she murmured, following the woman down the hallway to one of the rooms, her big burly shadow hot on her heels, smelling all sexy and shit.
“Just in here,” the ultrasound tech said, holding open the door.
