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She grimaced as she shot a glance back over her shoulder. “I know. Sorry. I didn’t even think of that until we got here this morning and I saw all the women eyeing you like a fresh piece of meat.”
“Jealous?”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re here with me. They were the ones who were jealous.”
His pulse skipped at her words, but he tilted his head and lifted his brows. “Am I with you? Because I sure couldn’t tell when you introduced me to Tom and Dawn.”
Her eyebrows dipped slightly. “Well, what did you want me to say? This is Merit. He got me pregnant, and now we’re having a baby?”
“Whoa—I got you pregnant?” He flipped around and moved in front of her. She pulled up short as he said, “Uh-uh. It takes two to tango, Mae, and you were right there with me.”
She drew in a breath as if she was about to argue, and their gazes met and held. Merit’s pulse sped up as the memory of that night washed over him.
Her cheeks grew rosy as she averted her gaze. “You’re right. I’m sorry that came out wrong. It sounded like I blame you, but I don’t.”
“You sure about that?”
“Positive,” she insisted. Then she ducked her head and moved past him. “I totally agree that we are both equally responsible.”
“Good.” He fell into step beside her again. “And you can count on me taking fifty percent of the responsibilities. I told you before, I’m not going anywhere.”
She glanced at him, but didn’t reply as they reached her truck. He didn’t push it. He was going to go with the strategy of letting his actions speak for themselves. Plus, he didn’t want to piss her off and risk having her send him home the moment they got back to her house. He fully intended to hang out with her for the rest of the afternoon, into the evening, and Lord, God, please, the rest of the night, too.
In the middle of stowing all their stuff, he saw her reach to smother another yawn. When she moved toward the driver’s side, he suggested, “How about I drive? You’ve been yawning for the past hour.”
She paused with her hand on the door. “I didn’t sleep the greatest last night.”
“Well, with Ian off having fun, you can take a nap while I cut the lawn.”
“You don’t have to cut my lawn, Merit.”
“I know I don’t have to.” He held out his hand for the keys. “But I’m still going to do it.” He’d figured out how to fix the mower, mowing the grass should be a breeze.
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then shut it and dropped the keys in his palm.
“Smart,” he commented as she walked around to the passenger side.
“Tired,” she countered.
He laughed and drove her home—thinking about the tango the whole way.
Chapter 12
“I can cut my own lawn,” Mae protested as she and Merit faced off in her garage. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and she was getting a little annoyed. Thunder rumbled in the distance and time was running short.
“No one said you couldn’t,” he argued. “But surely you have other things you can do while I do it instead? Take that nap.”
“I’m not napping while you do my work.” She stuck her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “Surely there are other things you could be doing right now?”
With his sunglasses back on the top of his head, he slowly slid his gaze down her body and back up. “I can tell you about any number of other things I’d rather do right now. Where would you like me to start?”
At my lips and work your way down.
The heat that had bloomed in the wake of his visual caress reached her cheeks in a fiery rush. Well, damn it all anyway. How the hell did she combat that?
Don’t fight it.
No. Somehow she had to.
