My Ex's Baby (Crescent Cove 8)

On top of all of that, time was passing and she hadn’t gotten her period again yet. Did that mean we’d been successful? Who knew? She’d informed me she wouldn’t take a test before the right time, whatever that was, and I was torn between wanting to knock her up and wanting it to take a while so she still needed me.

The shop phone rang and I picked up, barking out a, “Yeah?” without looking at the readout.

“Did you send this strapping young man up here with this fine piece of wood?” She sounded flirty and breathless, and I could hear Caleb’s rich laughter behind her.

I fisted a hand on the phone stand. “It’s my piece of wood, and it’s far finer than his.”

“Touché.”

“We were supposed to bring it up there together, but God forbid he ever not shoot his wad in a hurry. Kind of his specialty.” I deliberately spoke loudly enough for Caleb to hear me if he was standing close.

Which he would do without thinking, because Kinleigh was a beautiful, presumably single woman and Caleb was perennially on the search for a good time. And hey, I hadn’t staked a claim on her, so all good, right?

Except it wasn’t. Not even a little bit.

“It’s a lovely piece, August. Truly. But where am I going to put it? It’s too big.”

Caleb said something in the background and I could only imagine what shot he’d taken at my manhood in jest. He didn’t know that was a particularly sore spot right now when I was doing target practice on Kinleigh’s ovaries and constantly wondering if I’d scored.

That was my life now. Times on a sheet. Goals and practice. Being with her was still sexy as hell, since Kinleigh made me hot even when she was unconscious, but I couldn’t deny I wouldn’t have minded being intimate with her when implantation wasn’t an issue.

“I’ll be right up.”

“Wait, you don’t have anyone to man the store—”

I hung up. I usually wasn’t testy, especially not with her, but I was in a mood today and my brother wasn’t helping.

Once the chair shoppers had stopped browsing for other pieces for their kitchen and went on their way, I flipped the door sign to closed and went outside to march upstairs.

I needed a minute of fresh air to cool off.

My greeting as I entered Kinleigh’s shop was her light, airy laughter as she opened and closed the drawers of the armoire. I stopped in the doorway, savoring how she looked for one more moment.

My brother had rested his arm on the top of the thing and was looming over her, probably checking out her perfect little ass in another one of those thin, summery skirts she loved to wear. If that wasn’t enough, I could very clearly see the lines of her pale blue thong when she was bent over at that angle.

I took a deep breath and came closer, resting my hand on the small of her back. “What do you think, babe?” I gave my brother a death glare, tempting him to push me over the edge.

Kinleigh’s head reared up, bumping the open armoire door at the same time as Caleb raised a brow and held up his hands in his increasingly annoying “no problem” gesture. Maybe everything was casual as could be in his world, but in mine?

Not so much.

“Are you okay?” I palmed the top of her head, feeling for bumps, and she stared at me with wide, uncomprehending blue eyes as if she didn’t grasp what was happening. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have surprised you.”

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Her throat rippled. “You can let go of me now.”

“No, I really can’t.” It took everything inside me not to lower my head and take her soft, unpainted mouth. The kind of kiss she couldn’t slot away as for fun or reproduction, or maybe some combination of the two. But not anything more.

“You’re acting strange.” She nudged me back. “You chased off your brother.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “So I did. Too bad.” Had to hand it to Caleb, maybe he wasn’t as absolutely oblivious at catching subtext as I’d assumed.

“He brought that up for you. It’s awfully heavy. Why are you mad—oh.” She cupped her hand over her mouth, her pupils flaring brighter for an instant. That lively blue practically rendered me mute. I didn’t see her that amused nearly enough.

“Oh, what?”

She let her hand drop. “You’re jealous.”

I crossed my arms. “What do I have to be jealous of?”