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Too reasonable. Something is up.
She extracted her hand, because she couldn’t quite think straight when he was touching her, and turned to look out the window. All the words coming out of his mouth were right, but there was something off about the delivery. It was like he knew the steps to go through but he didn’t really believe that it would be that easy any more than she did. “I don’t…I don’t trust you anymore.” It hurt to say that aloud, but it was necessary. Everything had changed, and that lack of trust was the most damning part. Hope took a deep breath. “I’m not staying. End of story. So whatever you’re planning, knock it off.”
“What makes you think I’m planning anything?”
Because he was too calm, too settled, when a few short hours ago he’d been totally and completely out of control. That switch didn’t flip without a good reason, and she hadn’t agreed to anything he wanted. Not really. She was leaving and that was that, and the fact he was so calm about it didn’t sit well with her.
It all added up to trouble.
Even if she didn’t know the specifics, she was smart enough to see which way the wind was blowing.Chapter NineDaniel spent the next hour walking on eggshells. He knew he’d pushed Hope too hard that morning, and he was determined to figure out a better way to convince her that staying with him was the only option. Every single thing he said was the wrong thing, and he didn’t know how to fix that. All he knew was that if Hope left in a couple days, she wouldn’t be back.
So he gave them both a break and went outside to let Ollie run for a bit. The pup was in her element, running circles around him and then darting off to chase phantom animals, racing back and then starting the whole process over again. She, at least, didn’t plan on leaving him the first chance she got.
Ollie barked again, wondering why he’d stopped playing, and he crouched down to ruffle her ears. He’d never considered himself underhanded before now, but he’d do worse than mess with Hope’s car to get her to sit still long enough for him to find the right words to get her to stay.
Can’t convince her from out here. He pushed to his feet and headed for the door, Ollie on his heels. Daniel opened the door—and then stopped when he heard humming deeper in the house. He sat down on the mudroom bench long enough to yank off his boots and then went in search of her. The living room was empty, but he found her in the kitchen, her phone set up to play some funky music he’d never heard before, her hips shaking as she moved around the stove, dumping ingredients into a casserole dish.
This could have been my life.
It still could be.
Without thinking, he crossed the distance between them and slid his arms around her waist. She went still as he rested his chin on the top of her head. “Damn, darling. I missed you.”
“Danny—”
He turned her in his arms and framed her face with his hands. “We talk too much.” And they never solved a damn thing doing it. Then he kissed her.
She went soft against him, her hands sliding down his chest to grab his hips and pull him closer. That was all the invitation he needed to tip her head back and deepen the kiss. Shit might be fucked up beyond all reason when it came to them, but at least they still matched up here.
Today she wore those damn yoga pants again. It didn’t matter to him that he could see the ridges of her scar beneath the thin fabric, because they gave him a heavenly view of her ass whenever she turned around. And the stretchy fabric was more tease than barrier. He reached between them, rubbing the heel of his hand over her clit. “What do you say?”
She blinked at him, her brown eyes hazy with lust. “What?”
“This thing.” He kept rubbing her, shifting so he could press a knuckle on either side of her clit, stroking up and down slowly. “I want inside you, darling. I want it so bad, it’s been driving me fucking crazy.” Her breath hitched, and he pressed his advantage. “You want it, too. You’re so wet, I can feel it.”
“I…” She bit her lip. “It’s a mistake.”
“Probably.” Definitely. “But what’s the worst that could happen?”
Her smile was bittersweet. “It’s already happened.”
Part of him hated that she thought getting pregnant was the worst thing that could happen, but now wasn’t the time to start fighting about it. He’d have to show her that this was a second chance in disguise—a way to make things right once and for all—and the only way to get her to sit still long enough was an orgasm-induced coma.
