Tempt Me

“Hmm. Well, I hope she feels better.”

“Me, too.”

And it wasn’t like there was anything more he could do for her, Austin thought, because Mia certainly wasn’t communicating with him.

Chapter Eleven

“I’m nervous,” Mia admitted as Austin pulled the car into a parking lot in Manhattan for her trial prep with the district attorney. “I mean, not nervous for the prep but for the trial on Friday, which is ridiculous considering I’ve done this before.”

“It’s normal to be worked up. First of all, this guy has been trying to scare you away from testifying. And second, it’s nerve-racking not knowing what the defense is going to ask you. The good news is, it’ll all be over soon.” He placed his hand on hers, and to his surprise, she didn’t pull back.

Her skin was soft and his dick noticed. Of course it did. It was the first time he’d really touched her since he’d carried her up to his bed.

Taken care of her.

Fallen asleep beside her.

Woken up holding her, her lithe, warm body curled back into his.

Since life had felt right and good if only she hadn’t been sick. And she’d been sick for a while now. A niggling thought suddenly prickled at his brain.

No. They’d used protection.

But maybe it hadn’t worked?

One thing he knew for sure, if she was pregnant, unlike Kayla, Mia hadn’t arranged for it to happen.

How had he not recognized the possibility before? It wasn’t the flu, no fever, no cough, chills, congestion. And the longer it went on, the less likely it was a stomach bug.

Hell, it had been right in front of him this whole time and he’d been blind. Because Kayla had had a textbook perfect pregnancy, no morning sickness at all.

Mia could be pregnant.

Fuck.

But instead of panic, he felt an overwhelming sense of rightness settle over him, making him wonder, what the hell had he been fighting so damned hard against?

She was his perfect complement in all ways. An out-of-the-blue realization? Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe it had been floating around in the back of his mind for a long time now but he’d taken his time coming to the right place because she’d been there all along.

He’d been an ass, letting things go on as they’d been, Mia always there in his life but not where she should be. In his bed. In his heart.

He loved her.

He blinked. Glanced at her delicate profile, the serious expression on her face an indicator of the way she’d withdrawn from him because he’d let her.

“Austin? I asked if you’re ready to get out of the car,” she said, concern in her voice.

He blinked. “Yeah.” He wasn’t. Inside he was trembling.

He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and put her out of her misery. Whether she knew, suspected, or not, she needed him. But there was something she had to get through first and it needed her focus. However, when this mess that was screwing with her life ended, they were going to have a serious talk about their future.

Because her being around wasn’t enough for him. Not when she’d become as essential to him as breathing.

He climbed out and strode around to her side, helping her stand. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked. She’d seemed fine this morning but he had the sense she was hiding as much as she could from him… and now he understood why.

“Yes. Better today,” she said, ducking her head, not meeting his gaze.

She obviously didn’t want him to know. Because he’d made it clear he didn’t want to start over with marriage, a family. He damned himself for being so clueless.

“You ready to do this?” he asked.

She nodded. “I don’t think I’ll be in with Kate for long. An hour, tops.”

“I’ll be waiting when you get out. I’m not leaving you alone.”

“I appreciate that.”

He dealt with the parking lot attendant and led Mia out to the street. On the walk to the office, he kept an eye on everything going on around him. The city was busy, people rushing to work on a normal morning, but he had an arm around Mia, holding her close, ready to protect her if need be.

They approached the building, which had five steps up and a set of double doors through which to enter. Before they reached the first step, Mia looked down and her sunglasses fell from her head to the ground.

She paused, bending down to retrieve them at the same time Austin caught sight of a man with a gun. Everything happened at once. The man fired as Austin shoved her to the ground, doing his best to take the brunt of the fall even as he kept her beneath the protection of his body.

Mia screamed. People around them shouted, in a panic. And Austin had to let the shooter go to concentrate on Mia.