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“Maybe not now, but over time I think we could make it work.”
She shook her head and started to stand, but he was quicker. He knelt in front of her and placed his palms on her thighs. “Fine, no marriage, but at least let me apologize for the way I treated you that night at my house. I was such a fool, Lucy. I don’t know why I jumped to the worst possible conclusion. Please forgive me?”
She bit her lower lip and stared down at the floor. “I would never sleep with someone just to get a job. Never in a million years.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I was an ass, and it cost me big-time.” He paused, then asked, “Give me a chance to make it up to you?”
She narrowed her eyes, and her body stiffened a fraction. “How?”
“Come back tonight and audition.” When she started to speak, Reilly rode over her and said, “I really would love to hear you sing.”
“You haven’t hired anyone yet?”
“I refused to,” he replied, smiling at her surprise. “I wanted you to get the first shot. I owe you that.” He shrugged. “At the very least.”
She was quiet for so long Reilly was afraid she was going to say no. Finally, she said, “As long as you’re honest with me, then I don’t see what it could hurt.”
Reilly grinned. “If you suck, I’ll be sure to tell you.”
“Gee, thanks,” she mumbled as her lips curved upward.
“You won’t regret this, Lucy, I promise.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but you might. I’ve never sung for an audience before. This is new to me.”
“Consider me warned.”
“Also, not that it’s any of my business, but who was the woman who showed up at your house that night?”
“Jeanette,” Reilly quickly answered. “She’s a good friend, nothing more. She’s been carrying a torch for my brother for years now. The night she showed up at my house, she was upset by something River did. She needed a shoulder to cry on, that’s all.”
“Oh,” Lucy said in a softer voice.
He stood and tugged her to her feet. “So, maybe after the audition you’ll let me take you to dinner. We have a lot to talk about, don’t you think?”
She laced her fingers together in front of her. “Yes, I suppose we do.” She licked her lips nervously and looked away. “Dinner sounds nice.”
He wanted to shout in his triumph, but he had other ways of celebrating a victory. Reilly cupped her face in his hand and tugged her around to look at him. When her gaze was once again on his, he murmured, “God, I’ve missed you.” Then he dipped his head and tasted heaven. Oh, hell yeah. The woman was made for loving. Damn, he’d missed her taste. Her scent. Even her sassy mouth. No woman had ever gotten to him the way she did. It was as if she knew just which buttons to push.
Reilly locked his thoughts away and devoured Lucy’s plump lips. He licked, torturing her with ideas of more. Then he teased his tongue back and forth over the seam of her mouth. He was only too glad when her lips parted. It was a small sign of surrender, but Reilly would take whatever he could get. She twined her arms around his neck and melted against him. He ached to be inside her tight heat.
Bending at the knees, Reilly lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the desk. Without really paying attention, he swept everything to one side. Lucy’s spine went stiff, and she attempted to push him backward. Reilly let her, but only so he could taste the delicate skin on her throat. He kissed the ivory skin, and his cock went hard.
“Reilly, wait.”
He lifted his head and looked into her pretty blue eyes, seeing need reflected there. “Did you miss me, Lucy?”
“Yes, very much,” she admitted, “but we’re moving too fast. Again.”
Reilly smoothed his palm down her body until he encountered her tapered waist. He squeezed and felt her shudder. “You’re right. Damn,” he groaned as he tried to get himself in check. As he thought of the reason she’d come to him, Reilly’s gaze zeroed in on her belly. It was still as flat as ever, but his mind imagined it rounded with his child. On a whim, Reilly leaned down and kissed her there, through her T-shirt. He thought he heard her say his name, but it was so faint he couldn’t be certain.
He lifted away from her, then helped her down off the desk. A blush turned her cheeks a cute shade of pink, and Reilly’s heart squeezed tight. For all her bravado and sass, she had a soft inner core that sent a rush of fierce protectiveness through him. That she’d soon be the mother of his child only made him more determined to keep her safe.
“Come back at seven o’clock. It’s Sunday, so the restaurant will be closed by then. You can sing to your heart’s content. Sound good?”
She nodded. “Thanks.” She started for the door, then turned. “And I’m looking forward to dinner.” A smile curved her lips upward.
“Me too,” he replied, unwilling to so much as blink until she walked out the door.
