“But, I like Dr.—”
“She’s the best OB in the state,” I said, cutting off her protest. “Plus, her office is at my hospital, so it will make it easier for me to attend all of your appointments.”
She nodded, though she certainly looked put out over it. “Bossy,” she muttered. I mentally shrugged. She’d get used to it.
“I can’t fucking believe we are having a baby,” I breathed with awe.
“About that, how did you know it was yours?”
“What?” I was genuinely confused by her question.
“When you realized I was pregnant, you said ‘we’re having a baby,’ you didn’t ask if it was yours.”
It had never occurred to me, not even once, that my beautiful dancer would get involved with someone else, that it was possible she hadn’t felt the same strong connection between us. I frowned and glared at her sternly. “Because we both know you’re mine. You have been since the moment I laid eyes on you.” I was irritated when she didn’t agree right away, but she distracted me with her next comment.
“I have no intention of keeping you from the baby, just so you know. You can be as involved as you want.”
“I’m going to be there for everything, the Lamaze classes, the midnight snack runs, baby proofing the apartment. Although,” I mused, “we can tackle that after you’re moved in and we get married.”
Chapter 5
Juliette
I leapt off his lap like a startled cat, practically hissing with irritation at the backhanded way he’d brought up marriage. Something so sacred should be treated with more respect than a casual comment to the woman you’d knocked up during a one-night stand—even if I was the woman in question and a part of me desperately wanted to accept his proposal. Or his assumption that we were going to get married since he hadn’t actually bothered to propose.
“I can’t—you just—this isn’t—” I sputtered, unable to form a complete sentence.
“You can,” he snapped, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me back onto his lap.
“You will.” He dropped a kiss on my lips when I tried to disagree with him.
“And none of this is up for debate.” His hand rested on my stomach, giving it a little squeeze for emphasis.
“Forgive me for thinking I should have a say in decisions that impact my future.” My sarcastic response earned me a little swat on my butt after he’d tilted me to the side. “Hey!” I yelped.
“I think you meant to say our future,” he rumbled. “Didn’t you, Jules?’
“Well, yeah. Kinda. Sorta,” I mumbled, flustered by the rush of heat in my veins from the sting his hand left behind. “I mean, obviously our lives will be intertwined from now on because of the baby, but that doesn’t mean you get to just proclaim that I’m going to move in and marry you. You can’t expect me to meekly follow your dictate like some brainless sycophant.”
“I never said I didn’t expect you to need a little time to agree with me, baby,” he chuckled. “Feel free to try and resist, as long as you keep in mind that it’s futile because you’re going to have my ring on your finger to go along with my baby in your belly. At least your defiance gives me an excuse to get creative when it comes to convincing you to say yes.”
“Creative?” I gasped as his palm slid up my thigh to cup me intimately.
“How else am I supposed to get you to mindlessly agree with me except to make you lose all reason?” His question was a rumble of sound against my skin as he kissed my throat and worked his way around to my ear. “It only seems fair since you’ve driven me out of mine for months. It’s a damn good thing our new fundraising campaign has decreased my surgery time because you’ve been hell on my concentration.”
“Really?” I whispered back, surprised to hear he’d thought about me enough to mess with his focus.
“I couldn’t seem to get you out of my head.” He gripped my neck to pull me closer and dropped his forehead against mine. “Not that I tried too hard. It made me feel closer to you.”
I melted, utterly enchanted by his admission. It was entirely unexpected and made me feel like maybe he wanted me for more than just the baby—and sex. I had no doubt he wanted me for that, not with the proof of his desire hard beneath me.
“And now that I have you back where you belong, you’re going to have a hard time getting me out of you. I need you too badly.” His tongue slid between my lips and caressed mine slowly. This kiss was softer than our others, more thorough, as he leisurely explored my mouth.