Nikki bit down on her lower lip. She held onto Kevin’s gaze and decided, if she had any hope of happiness, that she had to be honest. “I’m fine,” she told hi
m. “Better now that you’re here.”
His sharp inhale told her she’d hit a nerve. Well, good. It’s about time someone didn’t let Kevin off easily. All this tiptoeing around each other wasn’t good for her and wasn’t good for the baby. If she wasn’t careful she’d end up in a self-induced depression and there was no way she’d let these circumstances get her down. It meant pulling Kevin into the feeling world, kicking and screaming, but she didn’t care.
If she was going to live in his house and be around him constantly, then he was going to have to acknowledge that he wasn’t alone. That she was here, and she affected him as much as he affected her. Not that she expected anything more to come of it, she assured herself.
Perhaps this nap gave her more strength and perspective than she’d realized. Or maybe it was breaking through Mrs. Reid’s reserve, but something had changed. She was pregnant, she was happy about it, and she wasn’t going to let confinement get to her. She was going to live, and drag Kevin along with her.
“I can’t stay.”
She pushed herself higher against the pillows. “Why? Do you have important reruns to watch on television? Push-ups to do that can’t wait?”
A grin edged the sides of his mouth. “You aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“Why should I? I’m living in your house and having your baby. What about this is easy for me?”
“You’re too smart for your own good, Nicole.”
She laughed. “No, just too stubborn for yours. Stay with me,” she said, knowing she’d be catching him off guard. “Please.” She added the latter for good measure.
He leaned forward and studied her with his intense, dark-eyed gaze. She caught a whiff of his masculine scent and her insides curled with a rush of pleasure. By asking him to stay, she realized she was torturing herself with what she couldn’t have, and yet she wanted nothing more than to wake up with Kevin beside her.
“Mrs. Reid says you’re lonely.”
“It’s a combination of things. Boredom is one of them, but she’s right. I’m lonely. In here.” She tapped on her chest right above her heart. “It’s hard to explain. Maybe some of it’s hormonal, what with the baby and all—but...”
He narrowed his eyes as she spoke, absorbing every word. “Go on.”
“We created this life together. But when I found out I was pregnant I didn’t want to burden you. I planned on doing this on my own, but you pushed and pushed until you became a part of things. And now... here I am. But we’re further apart than ever.”
He let out a groan. “You know what I am, what I’m capable of. Isn’t it better if we just...”
“Shut up and lie down, will you?” She patted the bed beside her. Nikki wasn’t in the mood to hear how they were better off operating separately, how she shouldn’t put her faith in him because he’d let her down. She was tired of the argument, tired of the knowledge, and all she wanted was his shoulder to lean on for just one night.
With an unexpected chuckle, he eased himself beside her. The double bed dipped beneath his weight and the sudden rush of warmth and pleasure blindsided her.
“You’re a bossy female, you know that?” he asked.
“I suppose there are worse things I could be.”
He held out an arm and she curled into him, with an ease and a sense of rightness that shook her very soul. Because she could so easily get used to this. To him.
And he could just as easily take it all away.
* * *
Kevin woke up with Nikki curled in his arms. He didn’t remember falling asleep and he didn’t remember ever sleeping so soundly. Then again he’d never spent the entire night with Nikki.
That first time he’d woken with a jolt, realized what he’d done and bolted like a coward. Well, no more. It was past time he face what he’d done, accept responsibility and go from there. His arms encircled her waist and his palms lay against her stomach. Though still flat, within weeks, a slight bulge would rise. His child.
“Can you feel a difference?” The sleepy murmur caught him off guard.
“Not yet.”
“He’s in there.”
“He?”