Their Pregnancy Gift

She was right. Except now it made him feel like a man who’d trudged through the desert for days and had finally found an oasis. Unable to stop himself, he put his arms round her and held her close, breathing in the soft vanilla scent of her shampoo.

And from holding her it was only one step to sliding his cheek against hers. Turning towards her. Letting his lips touch the corner of her mouth. And then finally kissing her properly, losing himself in the sweetness of her mouth.

It suddenly slammed into him what he was doing.

Kissing Danielle Owens.

He had no right to do this.

He pulled back and looked at her in anguish. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.’

‘No?’ She traced his lower lip with her fingertip, and it made him ache.

‘This is a bad idea,’ he said. ‘I’m not in a place where I could even consider asking you out, and offering you a fling would be—well, not very honourable.’

‘When my divorce came through,’ she said, ‘I made a pact with Hayley, my best friend. We agreed that this is the Year of Saying Yes.’

‘The Year of Saying Yes?’ He didn’t quite understand.

‘It means you say yes to every opportunity that makes your life happier, even if it’s only for a little while. I was supposed to be going to Iceland with Hayley—but I broke my foot so I couldn’t go. Though I made her agree to go on her own, so she got to see all the things on her bucket list: the midnight sun, watching whales in the sea, walking on a glacier. I’m hideously jealous, because a lot of them were on my list, too—but no way was I going to hold her back. And she admitted I was right to make her go because she had a wonderful time.’

‘So what are you saying?’

‘I’m saying,’ she said, ‘that maybe you could do the same. It doesn’t have to be a year of saying yes. Six months, maybe, or even a week.’ She paused. ‘Or just tonight.’

His breath caught. ‘Are you suggesting...?’

‘I’m saying that you need to stop thinking and start doing. Live in the moment. No strings.’

Make love with Dani. Right at that moment, he wanted it more than he could ever remember wanting anything. But he had to be sensible and hold himself back. ‘There’s just one tiny, tiny thing. Given that I might be carrying a faulty chromosome,’ he said, ‘I don’t want to take any risks of passing it on. And I don’t have a condom.’

‘Whereas I do,’ she said. ‘Which isn’t to say that the Year of Saying Yes means I sleep with every man I meet.’

He didn’t think that Dani was the type to sleep around. Far from it. ‘Have you actually slept with anyone since Christmas Eve?’ he asked.

‘No, and if I’m honest I didn’t sleep with Leo very much in the last six months of our marriage,’ she admitted. ‘But I’m prepared now, in case I do meet someone.’

Someone.

Him.

The possibilities made every nerve-ending tingle.

‘So have you slept with anyone since you ended your engagement?’ she asked.

‘No,’ he admitted.

‘Which means this is going to be faintly awkward and embarrassing, and there’s no guarantee that either of us will remember what we’re supposed to do.’

He couldn’t help smiling. Which meant he’d smiled twice in one evening. Twice in eight months. And it was all thanks to Dani. ‘That’s really terrible, considering what we both do for a living.’

‘Maybe we should just stop overthinking it,’ she said.

‘The Year of Saying Yes?’

‘Or six months. Or a week. Or just tonight,’ she said. ‘Maybe we should just consider this a rebound thing. No consequences, no worries, just a moment out of time for both of us.’

She was right. They were both overthinking it. And it sounded as if her world had been shattered, too, by her ex. Maybe tonight they could salvage something for both of them.

He kissed her. ‘Yes.’

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS THE first time Dani could ever remember propositioning anyone. And in some ways she was taking advantage of Alex; he’d opened his heart to her and told her exactly why he was keeping a distance between himself and the rest of the human race. He was vulnerable. Hurting.

Then again, so was she. She’d spent months trying to convince herself that she was over Leo. She didn’t love her ex any more; but she was finding it hard to get past the knowledge that she hadn’t been enough for him. That something in her was lacking. That maybe she was too bossy and unloveable—and that was why he hadn’t wanted to have a baby with her.

She hadn’t even told her best friend about that bit, feeling too ashamed of herself. Other people had it much worse—Hayley had had to bury the love of her life when she was only thirty years old—and Dani knew she was just being a whiny, selfish brat about her own situation.

But just maybe she and Alex could help each other feel better. If only for a little while.

She stroked his face. ‘I’m glad it’s a yes.’

He turned his head to press a kiss into her palm. ‘Me, too.’

His blue-green eyes had darkened. Gratifyingly so. And Dani felt desire kick deep inside her.

‘Then let’s go somewhere more comfortable.’

She’d half expected him to hold her hand, but she wasn’t prepared for him to scoop her up in his arms—as if he wanted her so much that he couldn’t wait. It shocked her and thrilled her at the same time.

‘Which door?’ he asked when he carried her into the hallway.

‘On your right,’ she said.

He finessed the door handle, switched on the overhead light and closed the curtains, all without dropping her.

And then he let her slide down his body so she was left in no doubt about how much he wanted her.

She reached up to him and kissed him.

He untucked her shirt from her skirt, and unbuttoned it really, really slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on hers the whole time. Whenever his fingers brushed against her, it made her skin tingle.

‘My turn,’ she said, and undid his shirt. She blew out a breath. ‘Nice musculature, Dr Morgan.’

He inclined his head to acknowledge the compliment. ‘Thank you.’

She pushed the soft cotton off his shoulders. ‘Nice arms.’

In return, he pushed her shirt off her shoulders. ‘Turn round.’

Not sure where he was going with this, she did so.

‘Nice back, Dr Owens.’ And then he kissed the nape of her neck before loosening her hair from the scrunchie she kept it in at work.

Her knees went weak. Alex’s touch was doing things to her that she’d forgotten could even happen.

‘May I?’ he asked, his fingers at the clasp of her bra.

‘It’s the Year of Saying Yes,’ she reminded him, though she liked the fact that he’d asked.

‘I know. But if you change your mind about this...’

‘I’m not going to change my mind,’ she said.

He unsnapped her bra and let the lacy garment fall to the floor, then slid his arms round her and cupped her breasts. ‘Beautiful,’ he said, and kissed his way along her shoulder.

Desire shivered through her. ‘Alex.’

‘I know. Me, too.’ He turned her to face him and kissed her lightly. ‘You’re gorgeous.’

She hadn’t felt it. Not for months and months and months. She’d felt ugly and rejected and unloveable, and hated herself even more for being so self-indulgent when so many worse things were happening in the world. But Alex’s touch was helping to salve the bruise that went right through her.

‘So are you,’ she said.

She paused with her fingers on the waistband of his trousers. ‘May I?’

‘Yes,’ he whispered, and the huskiness of his voice sent a thrill down her spine.

She undid the button, lowered the zip and eased the material over his hips. The trousers pooled at his feet and he stepped out of them. She picked them up and hung them neatly over the back of her chair, and Alex laughed softly.

‘What?’

‘Very organised.’

‘If you’d been wearing jeans, I would’ve left them on the floor. But these are your work—’

He stopped her by kissing her. ‘I was teasing. Actually, I really like the way you just sort everything out without comment or fuss. It’s adorable.’

That hadn’t been what Leo had said. Her ex had seen her as a control freak. An emasculating bitch. And Dani wasn’t entirely sure that her best friend was right when Hayley had said it was simply Leo trying to make excuses for his behaviour and pin the blame on her.

‘Dani,’ Alex said, his voice gentle. ‘The deal was we’re not thinking. We’re just feeling. Tonight is tonight.’

‘Yeah. Sorry.’

He drew her into his arms and stroked her hair. ‘Your ex was incredibly selfish and incredibly stupid. Don’t blame yourself.’

Much, much easier said than done.

‘No,’ she fibbed.

‘Dani.’ He tilted her chin upwards, making her meet his eyes. ‘You’re lovely. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.’

His kindness almost brought tears to her eyes.

He slid his hands down her sides. ‘Right now, you’re wearing too much. And I’m not happy about your standing around in that walking cast.’ He groaned. ‘And that makes me feel horrible. I’m pushing myself onto an injured woman.’

She wasn’t sure how much was theatrical teasing and how much he meant it, but the teasing note in his voice made her feel better. ‘It’s removable. And if you carry me to bed it’ll take the pressure off my foot.’ Pressure that wasn’t really there in the first place, but she was going along with his line of whimsy.

He slid the zip of her skirt downwards, got her to step out of it, and then folded it neatly and hung it on the chair with his trousers. ‘I’m a neat freak, too,’ he said.

Dani was grateful for that.

‘And you’re beautiful, but this overhead light is a little too harsh.’

‘I’ll switch the bedside light on if you deal with the main light,’ she said.

‘Deal.’

And funny how the softer light made the room feel so much more intimate.

She’d never shared this bed with anyone, and part of her felt apprehensive about sharing it now. Was she doing the right thing? Was she just setting herself up for heartbreak?

But then she stopped thinking as Alex dropped to his knees in front of her and peeled her tights downwards. He nuzzled her abdomen, and she couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath.

He undid her cast and removed it gently, then finished taking off her tights, letting her lean on him for support. ‘You mentioned something about carrying you to bed.’

‘Uh-huh.’ She stole a kiss. ‘Strictly speaking, I should’ve been wearing a Regency dress and you should be in a frock coat and a flowing shirt with a waistcoat, cravat and silk breeches.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Just call me Darcy, hmm?’

‘Something like that.’

‘It’s too late for the outfit,’ he said. ‘But I can still do the carrying. Though, before I forget myself completely, where do you keep your condoms?’

‘Top drawer of my bedside cabinet,’ she said.

‘Would you mind if I...?’

‘Sure,’ she said. Whatever she’d previously thought about Alex being rude and difficult, she’d changed her mind. He had perfect manners.

And then she stopped thinking as he scooped her up and carried her over to her bed. He pulled the duvet back and laid her back against the pillows. And she felt weirdly shy all of a sudden; he must’ve sensed it, because he climbed into bed next to her, pulled the duvet over both of them and drew her into his arms.

‘You can still change your mind,’ he said. ‘The Year of Saying Yes is about seizing opportunities, not making yourself do something you don’t want to do.’

‘I want to do this,’ she said. ‘But it’s been a while.’

‘Same here. And we agreed, no pressure. This is just for tonight. A moment out of time.’

‘Never to be spoken of again.’

‘Exactly. And now we stop speaking,’ he said, and kissed her.

And after that it was easy to stop thinking, stop speaking, and just lose herself in pleasure—to let herself enjoy touching him, exploring the hardness of his muscles and the softness of his skin.

* * *

Alex dipped his head and nuzzled the hollows of Dani’s collar bones. He loved the way her skin felt against his mouth, and the soft fruity scent of her shower gel. She arched back against the bed and he moved lower, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. She slid her hands into his hair, urging him on.

And he forgot all the nightmares that had plagued him over the last few months. All he could think of was Dani, and how much he wanted to be inside her. How much he wanted to give as much pleasure as he took.

He kissed his way down over her abdomen, then shifted to kneel between her legs.

‘Alex, yes,’ she whispered as his tongue stroked along her sex.

He teased her, flicking the tip of her clitoris with the tip of his tongue, until her hands clenched in his hair and her body tightened beneath his mouth. And then he ripped open the foil packet he’d taken from her bedside cabinet, slid the condom over his erection and pushed into her.

‘Alex,’ she whispered, and he held still, letting her body adjust to the feel of him inside her.

Her dark eyes were wide with pleasure, and he loved the knowledge that he’d been able to do that for her.

‘I wanted the first time to be for you,’ he said softly.

Her eyes filled with tears, as if she wasn’t used to her feelings being considered like that. Then again, given the little she’d told him about her past, consideration hadn’t been high on her ex’s agenda.

‘Hey. It’s the Year of Saying Yes,’ he said.

She smiled. ‘Yes.’

And then she took it to another level, wrapping her legs round him to draw him deeper and tensing her muscles round him.

‘Oh. Yes.’ The breath hissed out of him.

And then he stopped thinking, instead responding to the physicality between them and revelling in the way she made him feel.

By the time he climaxed, his head was spinning; and then he felt her body rippling round his as her own climax hit. He wrapped his arms round her and held her tightly until it had all ebbed away.

‘I’d better deal with the condom,’ he said finally.

‘There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Help yourself to anything you need.’ She paused. ‘Stay tonight.’

He ought to say no. Put distance between them. Go back to being sensible and isolated.

But every bit of him yearned to say yes. To spend the night with her wrapped in his arms, to let her take the loneliness away—and to make her feel less alone, too.

As if his dilemma showed on his face, she said softly, ‘It’s the Year of Saying Yes.’

So what else could he do?

‘Yes.’

* * *

The next morning, Alex woke, feeling slightly disorientated: this wasn’t his bed, and he was spooned against a warm female body, with his arm wrapped round her waist.

Dani.

Thanks to her, his heart felt lighter than it had for months. But it still didn’t change the stark reality of his situation. Even though he wished things could be different, last night had to be just that: last night. A one-off. Something that had healed some of the pain for both of them, but still a temporary solution.

He was about to try and disentangle himself from her when there was a sharp shrill, a groan, and then she reached out to hit the top of the alarm clock and the noise stopped.

And then she turned to face him. ‘Good morning.’

‘Good morning,’ he said warily.

She pressed her palm briefly against his cheek. ‘Don’t look so worried. I usually hit the gym before work, so you’ve got plenty of time to have breakfast and then get back to your own place for clean clothes.’

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