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She slipped into a pair of black slacks and white blouse, then pulled her hair into a bun. After checking herself in the mirror one more time, Lucy left the bath
room. Maybe sinking herself into work would get her to forget about babies and frustrating Jennings men.
“And maybe hell really will freeze over,” she muttered.
God, he missed her. Reilly had tried everything to get back in Lucy’s good graces, to no avail. Why he bothered, he had no idea. Never in his life had he been so obsessed with a woman. He kept imagining the way she’d looked, sprawled out on his kitchen floor, moaning in ecstasy with his cock embedded deep inside her. And just like that, his dick swelled and hardened. He had to shift around in his seat just so his dick didn’t feel strangled. Reilly wanted to curse, but he knew it wouldn’t do a bit of good.
“What’s wrong with me?” He wasn’t the type of guy to pine away for a woman. Still, when he’d attempted to move on, to get over Lucy by taking another woman out, he’d only ended up more frustrated. His dick hadn’t wanted the cute blonde. It wanted to be back inside Lucy, where it was all snug and warm.
“Shit,” he bit out and started to add the numbers all over again. At first he’d loved the idea of helping to run the restaurant. A night owl by nature, Reilly loved the fast-paced revelry that the Blackwater provided to their customers. But, he’d never counted on there being so much damn paperwork involved. He hadn’t realized how much went into keeping the restaurant afloat and staying in the black. How his dad had done it all those years was beyond him. Ever since Chet Jennings had passed away, Reilly’s mom had taken over the daily running of the restaurant. But when things had started to go south and she’d gotten in over her head, Reilly and his brothers had stepped in to help. They’d remodeled and expanded to the point where the restaurant was bringing in a nice profit for the first time in way too long.
Still, as Reilly finished tallying the previous night’s profits, he did see the appeal in being a part of the family business. Of course, he liked his other businesses too, and he’d fought hard to be his own boss, setting his own hours and not having to answer to anyone but himself. It worked for him, which was why he was content to have a small part in the restaurant.
A sound outside the office drew his attention away from his thoughts. It was a woman’s voice. And not just any woman. He’d know that belligerent, sarcastic tone anywhere.
Reilly got to his feet and was in the kitchen before he even realized how eager that would appear. He should have played it cool and stayed in the office. Forced her to come to him.
But she was here, and Reilly couldn’t wait to find out why. It had to be damn good for her to have shed her pride and searched him out.
“You need to back off, little man.”
That from Lucy, who in all her splendor was staring daggers at the Blackwater’s chef, Eddie. Eddie was a big, beefy man not about to be intimidated by a woman as fragile as Lucy. Her calling him little, now that was downright hilarious.
“Look, lady, he’s busy. Come back later.”
“If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to kick you so hard you’ll be singing soprano.”
Reilly chuckled, drawing their attention immediately. Eddie was the first to speak.
“I’ve told her you’re busy, but she insists on seeing you.”
Lucy peeked around Eddie and shouted, “Well? Don’t just stand there like a lump. Tell him to let me through already!”
Reilly crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorjamb. “Why? You seem to be handling things just fine.”
“Tell him, or you’ll be looking for a new chef.”
He gave in at that lethal threat. “Eddie, give it up. She’s liable to hurt you.”
Eddie looked at him with a grateful expression and growled, “Good luck!”
Yeah, he’d need all the luck he could get, but he didn’t much care for the way Eddie was acting toward Lucy. “Lucy Rice is a friend of mine. Show some respect.”
Eddie glared at Lucy and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, you’re all full of remorse.”
Eddie threw up his hands and started grumbling under his breath as he pushed through the double doors leading out from the kitchen.
Once his frustrated cook was out of sight, Reilly turned to Lucy and said, “Come on.” He motioned for her to follow him as he headed back to his office. When he entered the small room, he rounded the desk and sat, then indicated the chair across from him. Lucy sat with her back ramrod straight and her purse clutched in a tight fist in her lap. God, she looked good. The purple streak in her hair was gone, which was a shame, because he’d liked it. The dressed-up Lucy Rice was downright edible. But this T-shirt-and-jeans version was no less appealing. With her mass of black hair tied back in a ponytail and no makeup on, she looked all of eighteen. Holy shit.
He heard Eddie still shouting obscenities and groaned. “I may be forced to defend your honor pretty soon if he doesn’t shut up. I can just see me challenging that big bull.”
Lucy’s lips curved upward. God, she was so pretty when she smiled. It’d been way too long since he’d seen her. He wanted to see her laugh. Christ, he was hungry for her. And if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d explode.
“So, what brings you here? Everything okay?”
She shrugged and blurted, “I’m pregnant.”
