“No. Whatever you’re having is fine. I’m not really very hungry.” She moved to the sink and washed her hands. “What can I do to help you?”
Her voice sounded sad. He didn’t know what had happened between her and his mother, but he knew it wasn’t bad. Not in the sense that they were still angry with each other. His mother had been acting strangely too after he’d come back, he only just realized. Kasey wasn’t her usual smart-assed self. And he realized that he missed it. He decided that he’d risk pissing her off just to get her fired up again.
“I thought maybe I’d move you in here.” He grinned to himself when she stiffened. “That way I can make sure you’re eating properly. Then there is your employment. I think you need to stop working until the baby is born. That way if—”
“Stop working,” she said in a low growl. “I most certainly will not quit working, you egoistical asshole. And I’m not moving in this monster. It would take a week just to clean it. And—”
“I’d hire you some staff. You’d not have to lift a finger. As for the name calling, that’ll have to—” His head snapped back. He didn’t know which of them was more surprised by her punch to his nose, her or him. He grabbed the towel off the counter when he felt the blood seep down his chin and glared at her. He hadn’t meant to make her that mad. But looking at her, he swallowed whatever he was about to say.
She was crying. Great sobbing sounds came from her and tears streamed down her face. When he stepped toward her to hold her, she took three steps back and nearly tripped over the chair. He stopped. He didn’t want her hurt; he’d already done that enough.
“Kasey, honey, I was—”
“I hit you. I didn’t…I shouldn’t have hit you. No matter how mad you make me, I know that violence isn’t the answer.” She sat down then popped back up. “I need to go home. I need to…you can’t believe how sorry I am that I…please, I need to go home. I’ll call a cab.”
“Kasey, honey, please don’t leave. I was trying to make you angry. Something had made you up—”
“You wanted me mad at you?” she asked incredulously. “You baited me until…are you insane? Of course you are. What sane person would piss someone off on purpose? I can’t believe…well, I don’t have a clue why I didn’t believe it. Look at your track record so far. You people seem to thrive on pissing people off.”
“Now just a minute. I told you I was—”
“No,” she snapped back. “I don’t care what your reasons are. Do you have any idea how emotional I am right now? I feel like everything anyone says to me makes me want to burst into tears. That man tonight, the one that bought me that vase, do you know that he treated me better than you did just now and he was a stranger? You wanted to make me mad. Well I hope you're fucking happy because you—”
He kissed her. Probably not the smartest move to get that close to a pissed off hormonal woman, but he wanted to touch her. Needed to hold her. And he was willing to have some of his parts bruised to do so.
Her body softened by degrees. Her mouth was firm beneath his, but she didn’t fight too hard to get away. He wanted to feel her wrapped around him, her body touching his, so he lifted her against him, sat her on the counter, and stepped between her legs. He pulled away long enough to look down at her, but didn’t back away.
“You are so beautiful when you’re pissed,” he told her softly. “I love the way your eyes spark daggers and your arms move. Your breasts do the most amazing dance when you do that.” He cupped one gently as he leaned down to run his tongue over the top. “And the way you look when you come makes my cock hard just thinking about it.”
“Stop it,” she told him as she arched into his body. “I’m mad at you. How could you do that to me? I realize that you only want the baby, but you could be a lot nicer to me until you have it.”
Royce felt as if she’d hit him. It wasn’t so much what she said, but that she would believe that he only wanted the baby. He took another step back when something else occurred to him. “I love you.”
Chapter 16
Kasey was standing in her kitchen when the phone rang again. She’d not answered it all afternoon and she wasn’t planning on it now. She knew it was her uncle; he wanted to know what the doctor said. Well, she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone just yet.
Royce had taken her home that night after he’d told her he loved her. She remembered thinking her heart was going to explode with happiness when just as suddenly as he’d said it, he told her he couldn’t be in love with her. It felt as if he’d broken it. She glanced at the papers on the table and then walked to the refrigerator to get something to drink. She couldn’t look at it or the check that was lying there that Curtis had given her before he’d left.