Love You, Baby (Must Love Diamonds 3)

Her pulse skipped at the assumption he’d made. Not because she disagreed, but it was equally heartwarming to know he was thinking of them being together up until and after the baby was born.

Careful. One day doesn’t change who he is.

Or was?

She wanted to trust what he’d said earlier, that the coffee store chick had been a mistake, that he would’ve sent her away even if Mae hadn’t shown up. In the heat of the moment, she had trusted him, but what if she’d just been so crazy with need she’d have believed anything that fell from his gorgeous, talented lips?

Stop.

Stop thinking and just enjoy the moment.

“Six and a half months,” she corrected.

“Six and a half,” he murmured. He looked at her belly again, then shifted down to place his lips where his hand had been. His warm breath tickled her skin as he whispered, “Stay safe in there. Love you, Baby.”

Suddenly, Mae couldn’t breathe. Talk about instant tears. And for all her self-incrimination about being careful and protecting her heart and not trusting him too easily, the possibilities of all they might have together opened up wide before her.

Merit shot her a sheepish glance. “I heard they can hear people talk to them, and music, and stuff. Is that true, or do I just sound like an idiot?”

The baby was too small to hear anything for a few weeks, but she kept that to herself. “You don’t sound like an idiot at all.”

He moved back up beside her to swipe his thumb under the tear trembling at the edge of her lashes. “Is this something I said, or the pregnancy stuff again?”

“Both.”

He dipped down, and she closed her eyes as his warm lips moved over hers, gentle and languid. Yet another thread of warmth wove into the fabric of her tangled emotions. The guy was making serious headway.

When he bit and sucked her bottom lip, the slow build of heat rose from simmer to slow boil. But seeing as she was running on low sleep and getting hungry, she needed to eat before she became faint.

Mae rose up and pushed Merit onto his back, absently registering the storm had faded off into the distance. Her breasts crushed against his chest as she leaned over him, and she reached to brush his hair off his forehead as his hands splayed over her back.

“I’m going to take a quick showe

r and then figure out something for dinner. You want to stay?”

“Hell yes.” When she arched her brows with a slight tilt of her head, he amended, “Heck yes?”

She grinned and smothered his cute, sexy smirk with a kiss before scooting off the bed to duck into the closet for her barely used robe. Usually, she slept in a tank top and fitted cotton shorts, but she’d tossed them in the laundry with her dirty sheets.

“I’m not sure what I have in the fridge, but we can always order out, too.”

“I’m good with whatever.”

“Okay. Grab your jeans for the dryer, too.”

As she crossed from the closet to the hall, the bed creaked behind her when he moved to get dressed. Two steps into the bathroom, she reached out to shut the door, but Merit’s hand grabbed the edge a split second before hers.

She whirled around with a startled gasp. “Oh.” She saw he hadn’t gotten dressed at all. He stood there in his naked glory, hard and ready again. Her pulse raced as she jerked her gaze back up. “I didn’t hear you behind me.”

“Sorry.” His eyebrows rose. “Did your offer to stay not include joining you in the shower?”

Her cheeks burned as she realized how it had sounded to him. “Um…no?” When he took a step back, she reached out her hand. “But this is new for me. Do you want to?”

A corner of his mouth crooked up while he threaded his fingers with hers. “Do you really need me to answer that?”

She glanced down again and smiled as her nerves gave way for desire. “No. But I meant it when I said quick. I need to eat something for the baby.”

“In that case, let’s eat first. I want to take my time with dessert.”