his strong jaw, his lips molded for passion, the scowl furrowing his brow that somehow doesn’t diminish his attractiveness.
“Don’t get too angry at the owner. That’s more money than he probably sees all year.”
“That shouldn’t matter.” He runs a hand through his hair. “We’re supposed to stick together, thick and thin.”
“She was going to find some way to stay here anyway.”
Evelyn even managed to do a clever photo op with Brenda just to be able to print an article that would claim the Cranburys love supporting small businesses. Glossing over the fact that her son was the one who drove through the damn window of the store.
“I can’t watch this.” Gage tears his gaze from the infuriating sight of a man in a suit walking five yapping dogs and slides his hand into mine.
I think I could lose myself in those blues.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
A small bump of fear. “You weren’t there. You didn’t hear what she said.”
“I don’t need to hear it, Liv. Know why? Because they’re not taking this baby away. There’s no way in hell that’s happening.”
So much fucking confidence.
My voice falls into a hush. “I won’t be able to take the paternity test for weeks. They’ll be here that whole time, and if it’s his…”
I don’t even want to think about what happens.
“They’re not going to stay here. Eventually they’ll get bored and leave.”
I wish I could believe he was right, and I wish I could remove the guilt of being the reason why their presence is inflicted upon this town. “He’s going to get me fired.”
Numb, I let him pull me into a hug. “You don’t want to work for a place that’s under their thumb, anyway.”
“But then I won’t have health insurance—how am I supposed to get to doctor appointments?”
He sighs into my hair. “We’re husband and wife, Liv. I can get you transferred to my insurance.”
God. I keep forgetting. “That takes a load off my mind.”
“Good,” he says, punctuating his reply with a smack to my ass.
I flush as people near the strip mall glance at us, laughing. “What the hell did you do that for?”
He gives me a one-armed shrug, a grin tugging at his handsome face. “I don’t like seeing my wife look so serious.”
“Are you some kind of ape? You don’t grab your wife’s ass in public!”
I dig my finger into his chest, but he grabs my hand and holds it to his lips, kissing it. A small shudder runs through my body when I feel the imprint of them. It makes me think how long it’s been since I’ve had his mouth touching every part of me.
Then he sucks in his bottom lip, letting out a low growl. “You’re sexy when you’re pissed. Now get your cute little ass to the café and start writing.”
He’s unbelievably sexy when he looks at me like that, under those hooded eyes that always seem to awaken a lustful instinct inside me. It’s as though he could command me to take off my clothes right here—and I’d be tempted to obey just to feel the ecstasy of his gaze stroking my naked body.
Then he wraps an arm around my waist and yanks me back, running his fingers under my jaw. His lips touch mine, setting off an explosion of warmth that cuts off way too soon when he pulls back. My heart flips over and over when he lets me go, regret etched in every line of his face.
I ignore the jingle of the bell announcing a new customer in the café. I’ve written in public before, but always in noisy, crowded spaces where I didn’t have to worry about anyone craning their necks to look at what I was writing. My hand flies across the paper, jotting down ideas for my book. The outline is almost fleshed out. I reach for my coffee cup, draining the dregs, and power through the last couple scenes.
Someone walks along the café tables. My shoulders bunch up and I crowd my hands around my notebook. The man stops right next to my table, lingering there for too many seconds.
Go away.
But he doesn’t. In fact, he grabs the chair right in front of me, and slides right into the seat.
It’s Mark. Of course.
He looks at me as though he’s sucked on a lemon, the bitterness pushing his lips into an absurd pout. “You didn’t tell me you were pregnant.”