“When are you breaking the news to your family?” he asked.
The smile he so liked faltered and disappeared. “Probably after the next doctor’s appointment.”
It was clear she wasn’t looking forward to that.
For the rest of the drive, they rode along in comfortable silence while the radio spit out a steady stream of rock ’n’ roll and country-and-western songs.
They were almost at her townhouse when he realized she’d fallen asleep. He lowered the radio volume, not that it mattered. Moments later, he pulled up in front of her town house and shut off the truck.
Reluctantly he woke her. “Lana, we’re here.”
“Hmm?” She yawned and stretched, then smiled at him, her eyes unfocused and drowsy. “I guess I fell asleep. It’s the pregnancy—I’m always tired.” She frowned at the front of her dress. “I must’ve spilled something on myself.”
The tender feelings stirring in his chest were new to him and gave him pause. Better not be falling for her. He wasn’t, he quickly assured himself. Plain and simple, what he felt was lust. He gave her a goofy smile and blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You slept with your mouth hanging open and slobbered a little.”
“I didn’t! I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. You looked cute.” For a moment he lost himself in her warm, welcoming gaze, forgetting where he was and what he was doing. All that mattered was being here with her.
This worried him on a different level. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea and assume he was getting serious about her when he wasn’t. He was contemplating how fast he could make an exit without being a jerk when the raw desire on her face stopped him.
Fresh hunger roared through him. No, not fresh. His desire for Lana was a constant simmer inside that’d suddenly flared up. Way up. He glanced away, grateful for the lights around the town house complex and for the people still outside after ten at night. They had no idea how bad he needed chaperoning.
“Thanks for everything, Sly,” she said. “For your decision to be a part of our baby’s life and for a really great dinner.”
“My pleasure.”Pleasure.The word reverberated between them. Determined to behave himself, he cleared his throat. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
“Don’t bother. It’s only twenty feet away, and you see all the neighbors out and about Remember, this isn’t a date.”
The manners his parents had taught him ages ago wouldn’t allow that. “I don’t care what it is,” he said. “I’m walking you to your door.”
“Stubborn cowboy.” She let out a soft laugh. “All right, escort me if you must.”
In the brief time it took him to round the truck and reach the passenger side, she’d let herself out and stood waiting for him. Her dress clung to her curves and showed a good length of leg. Her skimpy little sandals made them seem impossibly long.
He itched to run his hands up her calves and thighs. All the way up... Hardly aware of what he was doing, he slipped his arm around her and shortened his stride to match his steps with hers.
It was a warm night, and her silk dress had tiny sleeves that barely covered her shoulders. Her skin was smooth under his hand, and the faint scent of lavender he’d come to associate with her filled his senses.
His whole body tightened. If not for the unsuspecting chaperones all around, he would’ve stopped right there, pulled her to him and kissed her until they were both out of their minds.
Stepping onto her little concrete slab of a porch, she faced him. “This was the best non-date I’ve ever had.”
“You go on a lot of those, do you?” he teased.
Laughing, she placed her hand on her barely rounded stomach for a nanosecond, but he noticed and sobered. “You touched your belly a lot tonight. Does it hurt?”
“Not at all. I’m hardly aware I’m doing it. It’s because I’m growing a baby, and I still can’t quite believe it.”
The joy on her face was something to see. “May I touch?” he asked.
Her smile broadened. “Sure, but you won’t feel anything yet. It’s too early. We should probably go inside first. Who knows what the neighbors might think if they notice your hand on my stomach?”
Sly told himself to remain on the little porch, where they were both safe. But when she unlocked the door, he followed her in.
She stopped in the entry and turned to him. “Now you can touch me.”
Taking care to be gentle, he placed his palm against her stomach. Her silk dress was thin enough that her navel and warmth were evident. Maybe he didn’t feel the baby, but he felt plenty. He lit up from the inside out. Not the same kind of heat as sexual desire. This was different.
