Christmas Baby for the Billionaire (South Shore Billionaires 1)

That had been two hours ago, around eight o’clock. Right now, her belly rumbled and the baby kicked all at the same time. They hadn’t eaten dinner.

“Someone’s hungry.”

Her breath caught at the sound of his amused voice. His eyes were still closed, but the corners of his mouth twitched.

“I am. And so’s your kid. Besides, that casserole is cold now and we should eat it and then put the leftovers in the fridge.”

“But you’re warm and snuggly.”

Snuggly wasn’t the word she’d use. Her breasts were heavier now and more sensitive with the pregnancy, and the slippery sheets felt almost like a caress. She was nearly naked in bed with him; that was distraction enough. But she was also starving. And truthfully, she was still reeling from what had happened between them. She needed some distance to make sense of her thoughts.

It had been good between them before. Tonight had been...better. Because it wasn’t just a fling anymore. Their connection had been transcendent.

She shook her head and figured that kind of thinking was going to get her into trouble. They still had to figure out this parenting thing with clear heads. Regretfully, she slipped out of the sheets and went searching for her bra.

“Here.” He got out of bed and, fully naked, went to the closet and took out a soft robe. “Put this on if you don’t want to get all dressed up again.”

It was charcoal gray and thick and soft, and she wrapped it around her body while his scent rose from the fabric. “Thanks,” she murmured.

And tried not to look at his butt when he went back to the closet, but she failed. It was a rather spectacular backside.

He returned wearing a pair of plaid sleep pants and a sweatshirt. It shouldn’t have been attractive, but it made her want to crawl inside his embrace again.

They went to the kitchen and Tori scooped up servings of casserole and put them in the microwave. While they were heating, she put the rest in containers and put them in the fridge, next to the salad that had never been touched. Jeremy filled water glasses, and within moments they were seated at the counter again, chowing down on the chicken, broccoli and rice with creamy sauce.

“This is delicious.”

“It’s my mom’s recipe. I don’t know where she got it, but she used to make it now and again, especially for potlucks.”

He took a sip of water. “Potlucks?”

She laughed. “Okay, so not everyone in the world caters their functions. A potluck is where you have a gathering of some kind and everyone brings a dish. It’s awesome because you get this amazing variety of food. Some people just stop at the grocery store and get platters of veggies and stuff, you know? But then other people bring amazing dishes. We had a neighbor who always made meatballs. A guy from church who came with a ton of hot chicken wings. And don’t get me started on the salads and cheeses and appetizers...”

He laughed, scooping up more food. “It sounds fun.”

“It is. And if it’s a kitchen party, then you also bring your own alcohol and someone is likely to bring a guitar and it gets fun and rowdy.”

His face took on a faraway expression. “What?” she asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had that in my life.”

She patted his hand. “Where I come from, few people are rolling in cash. Everyone chips in, good times had by all. It’s what happens in a community.”

“In my community, people decorate and cater and send out invitations and try to impress each other.”

“Sounds dreadful.”

Now his face was downright pensive. “I’m sorry to hear that, because my mom is holding something quite similar to that on Saturday, at our house in Connecticut. I want you to come.”

All the warmth that had been flooding through her body froze. “Oh, no. Meet the parents? Not likely.”

He pushed his plate aside, and she did, too. She didn’t have much appetite left.

“Tori, after tonight, I think we need to start talking about what we plan to do. I mean, really talk about it. This whole week has been amazing and fun. But the point was also to be alone together, to decide what we want to do about us and the baby. We haven’t even talked about that at all.”

She nodded, looking down at the smears of sauce on her plate. “I know. I’ve been avoiding it because everything is going to change.”

He put his hand over hers. “Would you consider moving here?”