Fast on the heels followed the knowledge that he wouldn't be leaving her with some other man to make those babies. The thought stirred satisfaction—and guilt. Lori might imagine she was selfish for the least little wish, but he knew better.
He was the selfish one.
Chapter 7
Lori stepped through the hospital's automatic doors, Gray trailing her. The late-afternoon sun prickled along her fair skin just as apprehension and an underlying excitement prickled along her every nerve.
Magda would be coming home with her in two days. Stay objective, Lori warned herself. This was just another case. Another child. A very special child.
Cars roared and honked past in rush hour traffic, echoing the thundering of Lori's blood throbbing through her veins.
She slumped against the brick wall, gasping in drags of heavy air to steady her stuttering heart. "I can't believe I'm going to do this. I have seventy-one other kids to follow up on in the next few weeks. What am I thinking taking on a sick four-year-old full-time?"
Gray leaned beside her, his boot propped on the wall behind him. "You're thinking she'll have nowhere else to go if you don't."
"I know, I know. Meanwhile, I have to buy clothes, food, toys and a thousand other things before she's released from the hospital. Will she really be ready to go forty-eight hours from now? That seems awfully early."
"She'll be fine. A secure home where she feels loved is the best medicine at this point." He pushed away from the wall. Bracing a hand on her back, he sauntered beside her across the street toward his Explorer. "Where do you want to go first?"
"To get my car, of course."
"I, uh, meant shopping. Which mall?"
"You want to go … shopping?" Shock immobilized her. A car honked for Lori to clear the road.
Gray ushered her across, his hand still planted possessively on the small of her back. "I want to help you find what you need to settle Magda. This was my idea, after all, so I feel responsible."
Responsible? She'd wanted many things from Gray in the past, but grudging obligation hadn't made her top-ten list. "Thanks, really. But I can manage on my own. I'll be able to wrap things up at the office while she's in the hospital. I'll have the weekend to acclimate Magda. Meanwhile, I can work out the rest of the accommodations. We'll be fine."
"I'm sure you will." Gray stopped by the passenger door. "Where do you want to go shopping first?"
Something else she'd forgotten about Gray. He was a mule. Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn. While easygoing most of the time, he could simultaneously smile and dig those boot heels in deeper than oak tree roots. "You really want to go shopping?"
"With you. Yes, I do."
The thrust of his jaw convinced her. But why? "Do you want to pick up some early Christmas gifts for your nieces and nephews?"
"Sure. It beats fighting the crowds later."
"Yeah. I guess so." But a guy shopping months ahead of time? Not a chance. He was holding back, and she didn't like it. At least they'd always been straight with each other. As he reached to open her door, she grabbed his wrist. "Cut it out, Gray."
"What?"
"This isn't going to get you an invitation back into my bed."
He slid a slow look down to her hand still on his arm. Humidity and longing weighted the air until it became almost impossible to breathe. She jerked away.
Gray regarded her through a lazy blink. "I didn't ask for one."
"Yeah, right. Why else would a man offer to spend an afternoon perusing the latest styles at Baby Gap?"
"Because I want to help. Honey, we never played games in the past. Why would I do that now?" His eyes deepened to those jewel tones that never failed to send shivers down her spine, regardless of the summer heat. "If I wanted back in your bed, you would know."
Her pulse double-timed like the hummingbird speeding through a nearby flower bed. She couldn't stop herself from asking, "And you don't want me anymore?"
He flattened his palm on the car beside her. Those glittering eyes cruised her mouth, her neck, sweeping a leisurely ride down to the curve of her hip. "I've never lied to you, and I don't intend to start now. Hell, yes. I want you." His gaze snapped back to meet hers. "I'm just not interested in having my ego trounced again."
Sympathy melted her heart like butter over a warm roll. She'd forgotten how fast he could level her defenses with his honesty.