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The tsunami of longing crashed deep inside, leaving her scrambling for stable ground.
This all started so he could use you, remember? He might be a good guy, but he is NOT your Prince Charming.
She sucked in a fortifying breath and stepped into the room, determined to keep her perspective based in reality.
Her stocking feet were silent on the hardwood floors, but a slight tremble in her hand made the ice clink against the side of the glass. Dean’s head lifted, and their gazes locked. The expression of her own longing mirrored in his brown eyes tilted her world for a breathless moment.
God help her, she’d found her feet, all right. Unfortunately, they’d landed smack-dab in the middle of a dangerous, heart-engulfing pool of quicksand.
Chapter 16
Dean set aside his crumpled napkin and shifted the sleeping baby in his arms. He winced as his muscles protested after the extended period of time in one position at the kitchen table. But recalling the relief on Gina’s face earlier when the baby’s cries had quieted was more than worth the pain.
“When does he eat next?”
She glanced at the clock as she rose to rinse their dirty dishes and stacked them next to the sink. “Britt said about nine-thirty, so pretty soon.”
He followed her gaze, surprised over an hour had passed since they sat down to eat. Their casual conversation while sipping a glass of wine had flowed so easily, time had flown by.
“Once I get his bottle ready, I can take him again,” she said. “He liked me okay for that part, at least.”
“You must have a knack for the food,” he teased. “I was certainly impressed with my dinner.”
She shrugged off the compliment. “It was just grilled sandwiches.”
“I thought the barbeque sauce was a genius touch,” he insisted as the infant in his arms began to stir.
“I copied it from a restaurant,” she admitted. “It’s not that original.”
“I don’t care, it was still good.”
While she began mixing the formula in a bottle, he looked down to see blue eyes blinking up at him. “Well, hello again, little guy.”
He played with the baby, talking in a soft voice, not one bit uncomfortable in front of her. The infant gave a toothless grin and talked back with a gurgle and a wave of his arms. He caught one of those mini hands and felt the tug in his chest when the tiny fingers latched onto his. “Good to see you in a better mood, buddy.”
The exchange continued until Gina came over with the bottle. He sat up straighter for her to take the baby, and the back of his hand accidentally brushed against her breast. With her so close for even just that brief moment, he caught a trace of her sweet, intoxicating scent, and that’s all it took to put his body back on high alert.
She headed into the living room, and he couldn’t help leaning forward to watch the subtle sway of her hips. Straightening in the chair, he took a large swallow of wine and silently admonished himself to take a step back…a giant step back.
At a crucial point in his company’s existence, he’d bailed on Mike and Liz because he wanted to see her. He’d been slacking on his work because he couldn’t stop thinking of her. He’d felt bad for not being at the house when she woke up this morning, only to return home to find her note of apology for leaving before he woke up. He’d spent the entire day teeter-tottering—reaching for his phone to call her, pulling back, then reaching again thinking he’d text instead.
In the end, he’d done neither, then said screw it, and came in person instead. Because, yeah, that was so much better.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. He’d wanted women before, but never quite like this.
And what in the hell was that moment in the living room about?
Suddenly, this was too domesticated, too cozy. Sure, he’d always figured he’d have a family—someday. But he’d never yearned for one in a way that made his chest physically ache. Never felt like he was missing something until he sat in someone else’s house, holding someone else’s baby, while the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind cooked him a meal.
When he became aware of the elevated beat of his heart, he shoved to his feet with determination. His company and his employees depended on him, and obsessing about a woman wasn’t going to accomplish anything. He needed to put all this—her—on the back burner until he dealt with Jack once and for all and secured his future. Especially if for some unfathomable reason she was protecting the guy.
While they ate, he’d been tempted more than once to ask her about the fraud investigation Quinn had discovered, but didn’t want something he let slip to risk messing up the investigation.
He cleared the rest of the table, and then made his way into the living room to say good night. She was sitting on the couch with the baby and glanced up as he reached for his coat.
She lowered her attention back to Cody, but not before disappointment replaced her smile and twisted his gut.
Sonofabitch.
