“By driving me out of my mind?” he asked as he closed in on her.
“Exactly.” She tipped her chin and smiled. “Don’t act like you didn’t love seeing me. I know you, Lucas. Things might be different now, but you’re still a man with basic wants and desires.”
He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her body to his. “There’s nothing basic about my wants and desires for you, Tart. Never has been. You know exactly what buttons to push to make me ache for you even when you’re not here.”
Her brow quirked as her gaze darted to his lips.
“I missed you tonight.” Damn it. He hadn’t meant to let that slip.
“You mean I didn’t check in?” she asked. “Are we back to those archaic rules of yours?”
“That’s not what I meant.” When she gave him another eye roll, he corrected himself. “Okay, fine. Maybe that’s what I meant, but is it wrong that I want to know what’s going on with my wife?”
She shuddered in his arms, and he wasn’t sure if it was from anger over his words or if she was turned on.
“Is that the type of marriage we have?” she asked, still staring at him, her eyes searching for answers. “We check in with each other and discuss dinner or grocery lists and schedules? Because that’s not the impression I had.”
Lucas clenched his jaw and reached up to toy with the ends of her hair. He stared at the strands between his fingertips and weighed his next words. Every time she brought up their marriage she made him sound like a lovesick husband from the ’50s. And damn it, she was right.
Not the lovesick part. But they did need some sort of boundaries before moving forward.
“Maybe we need to discuss what each of us expects,” he stated, pushing her hair back over her shoulder and trailing his hand down the column of her neck. “Besides me saving your business and finding out about Sterling.”
“Oh, so the baby is off the list now?”
Her mocking tone had him biting the inside of his cheek as he stared into her gaze. “No, actually it’s not. But I thought we could keep this a little more...”
“Simple?”
Lucas nodded and circled her waist with both hands. He couldn’t be this close and not touch her. He wanted to unfasten each of those little buttons and expose whatever sexy lingerie she wore beneath the dress, because he knew Paisley. She loved lace and satin.
“How about if I make dinner three nights a week and have it ready when you get home?” he suggested.
Paisley’s brows rose. “Are you joking?”
“I don’t want to make your life with me miserable.”
She shook her head. “I’m just surprised you offered to cook. What about the other four nights?”
Lucas shrugged. “We’ll order out or I’ll take you wherever you want.”
Her gaze narrowed and she pursed her lips. “Do you think all of this is going to make me give in to being your baby mama?”
Lucas couldn’t help but laugh at her. “No, I didn’t think things would be that simple.”
Hell, he sounded ridiculous now, but seeing her so upset, well...damn it. He’d wanted to help. Was that absurd for her to believe?
“I don’t have to be the enemy here,” he defended.
Paisley stared at him for a moment before surprising him by wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck.
“I don’t know what you are, but right now I need you,” she murmured before easing back slightly. “I don’t have many people I can count on and I don’t know what your angle is quite yet, but I have to trust you. For now, anyway.”
He didn’t like that niggle of guilt. He sure as hell didn’t like that she doubted him and how much she could trust him. His revenge wasn’t on her, but Sterling. Yes, he was using her to get to the old bastard, but he didn’t want her hurt.
Lucas couldn’t help but worry that no matter the outcome, a part of Paisley would be crushed. She wanted to have a father, especially since her mother was gone, but did she truly want one who was so deceptive and slimy?
“What do you say you get me that information on the bride and I’ll call for takeout?” Lucas suggested.