Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set (80 page)

He shook his head. "No. I don't think—"

"Look, Cole, I'm sorry I blew up the other day. Are you sure you won't come in for just a moment?"

"Yeah, me, too. But it probably wouldn't be too smart to stay, considering…"

She looked down at her own foot playing with the bottom of the screen door. "Since when have we done what's smart?"

His gaze trailed down her body to the evidence of that statement's truth. "Not so far,
that I can tell."

The shadow of a smile that played across his lips seemed genuine, if cautious. Looking at that sad smile, she knew she had to try and make things better between them. She desperately wanted him to believe she wouldn't shut him out of his child's life, if only he wouldn't take her baby away from her.

A hint of challenge covered the tremor in her voice. "You feeling smart tonight, warrior?"

His expression turned wary. "Hell, if I had half the sense of a polecat I wouldn't be standing here right now." He cleared his throat. "But even a polecat knows when to turn tail and run." He extended the cookie tin toward her.

Rebuffed but good.
She lowered her eyes and bit her lip, then raised her hand to take the tin.

Suddenly, she stopped.
No.
She wouldn't let herself give in so easily. Wouldn't just roll over meekly. As she had her whole life.

If she let him go now, there might never be another chance to straighten out this situation. To talk him out of taking her baby.

She drew in a breath. "Okay. Then how about a deal? I'll take the cookies if you'll take a walk."

He looked suspicious. "Off the end of a plank?"

She smiled, relieved he had chosen humor instead of anger. "Don't give me any ideas, Counselor. No, around the block, with me." She grabbed her coat and slipped it on.

After a short hesitation he relented. "I suppose that would be okay." He eyed her ample midsection under the gaping coat and frowned. "Are you sure about this?"

"Don't be medieval. Exercise is good for pregnant women."

"If you say so." He stepped closer, his tall frame towering over her. Once again, she was struck by his sheer, powerful masculinity. She took a steadying breath, and a faint scent of dusky cologne drifted across her senses. He reached out and pulled her coat collar together, buttoning the top button—the only one that reached.

She smiled up at him, won over by the tender gesture.

Over the months, she had gotten so used to being on her own and facing things alone that she found it a bit frightening to think that this overwhelmingly virile stranger had touched her deep inside and done things to her, made her feel things, no other person ever had.

And yet, when he smoothed his fingers down her lapels and smiled tentatively back at her, she felt unexpectedly comforted and protected by his powerful presence. She wanted to slip into his strong arms and just lean on him, just for a day. A year.

A lifetime.

No!
This was crazy! He was a player, and he didn't want her. He only wanted the baby—to take him from her. She had to concentrate on talking some sense into the man, not letting herself fall for him all over again.

Going down the steps, he offered her his arm. After a second's indecision, she took it. Oh, why did he have to be so darned considerate? It would be much easier if he really were a heartless brute. She sighed.

"You okay?"

"Yes. Just thinking what a mess this whole thing is." They reached the end of the walkway. Before she could steer them one way or the other, he stopped and moved in front of her, looking earnestly into her eyes.

"Before we get any further, I just want to say one thing." He waited for her nod before going on. "I want to say thank you."

Her mouth dropped open.

"In the same situation, a lot of women would have made a different choice. Regardless of what happens between us, I want you to know how happy I am you chose to carry my baby to term."

She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. He started walking again, and, in a daze, she allowed herself to be led down the sidewalk.
He was thanking her for her choice.

They walked along in thoughtful silence for a few minutes before she got up her courage, and said, "Cole, I need you to believe that I am keeping the baby. And that I'd never keep you from—

"I do believe you," he interrupted. "Honestly. I don't know what came over me the other day, but I swear I would never, ever try to take your baby away from you."

The tight squeeze around her heart slowly loosened. She stared at him, hope blossoming. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. I just want…" He raked a hand through his hair. "Look, I know I brought it up, but please, let's not talk about this tonight. It's Christmas Eve and I don't particularly feel like fighting. Let's just be Cole and Rini taking a walk, okay?"

She let out a little breath of exasperation, frustrated in her need to completely settle things between them. She looked up and found him carefully watching her expression.

"We'll talk," he said gently. "I promise. I'll even try to keep my temper."

She gave him a tentative smile, knowing she shouldn't let the subject go, but not wanting to ruin the fragile truce he'd declared. "All right."

In a companionable hush, they continued to walk. Fingers of darkness reached out from the trees along the street as the last sliver of sun disappeared below the horizon.

When they rounded the corner, Cole asked, "At the obstetrician's, you mentioned taking classes. What are you studying?"

She was mildly surprised he remembered her passing comment. "Nursing. When I graduate in June I can take the exam to be a registered nurse."

"You like it?"

"Very much. It's always been my dream to be a nurse. I'm determined to finish this time."

"You've started before?"

She nodded, plucking some leaves from an overhanging tree. The air rustled through the branches, sighing softly. She tore up the leaves and tossed them in the gutter. "My ex-fiancé made me quit college."

"This the same asshole who didn't want you distracting him in bed?"

Her cheeks burned under Cole's gaze. She definitely couldn't believe he remembered her saying that. Right after he'd plunged deep into her and she'd come apart in his arms.

Do you have any idea what it does to a man's ego—

She closed her eyes against the sensual vision, barely aware that they had stopped walking. Fiercely, she banished the memory. "He liked being in control."

"He liked being a jerk." Cole ran a hand over his face, then turned, and they continued walking. "Sorry. None of my business."

She stole a glance at him, her mind wandering over the disastrous end to that day in May, then to what he'd said in his office. Suddenly, she had a sinking feeling maybe she had misjudged him back at the powwow. She should…

A twinge of terror rushed through her body at the thought of lowering her defenses long enough to find out the truth. She reached deep inside and exorcised the chiding of her mother and David, drawing on the memory of her father's love to give her strength.

"Is it really true you weren't flirting with those women at the powwow, or coming on to them? That they meant nothing to you?"

He stopped so abruptly she was forced to halt and turn around.

"Those were my— I coach some students in Native American dancing." He rubbed his fingers over the front of his shirt as if seeking something, and started walking again. "Sometimes they get a little carried away."

"Just a little?" she muttered, following along beside him and feeling strangely giddy. "What about the older one? The one you were kissing."

He gazed up at the moon and said quietly, "That was my ex-wife, Lindsay. And I wasn't kissing her."

It was Rini's turn to stop dead. "Your
wife
?"

"
Ex
-wife. It happened a long time ago, and it was over almost as fast as it started. She left me after less than a day of wedded bliss." He took Rini's arm and led her on.

She looked up at him, a twinge of something niggling at her conscience. "That must have been rough on you."

"Lindsay graduated the same year as my brother, Billy. Her father was a gen-u-ine bigot. Big man in the country club set. She rebelled by getting drunk and hanging around with the Indian kids from the local rez."

He kicked a pinecone and continued. "One night Lindsay and her dad had a big fight and she got back at him by running off to Vegas and marrying one of them—me. She vowed her ever-lasting love and I believed her. Of course, it was all just a big joke. Unfortunately, I didn't know that until it was too late. See, I was actually in love with her."

"Oh, Cole. That's awful." Rini's stab of sympathy materialized as a small contraction. She put a hand lightly on the baby.

He shrugged. "I seem to be cursed with women running off on me."

His voice was light, but Rini detected a wealth of emotion behind the words. She swallowed a huge wave of guilt. She'd had good reason to run off. At least, she'd thought so at the time.

"Anyway, Lindsay's daddy had the divorce papers drawn up the next day." He looked grim as they went around another corner. "I see her now and then, mostly at the powwows. She was there the day you and I… Anyway, she gets a sort of perverse pleasure tormenting me with the kind of display you witnessed. It's annoying, but everyone knows she isn't serious. She'd probably fall over in a dead faint if I ever reciprocated."

"You didn't look particularly annoyed," Rini observed testily. She rubbed her belly as the volley of contractions continued. Lord, she'd be glad when this pregnancy was over.

He smiled at her and winked. "For some reason, I was in a good mood that morning."

She wanted to smile back but was hit by another cramp, sharper than the others. She took a deep breath and put both hands on her stomach as it continued to tighten.

Cole's smile faded, his brows drawing together. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She let out the breath. "Just a bout of Braxton Hicks."

"
Huh
?"

"Contractions." She laughed at his alarmed expression. "Just practice ones. Don't worry, I'm not going into labor. But I may have overdone this walk thing. Could we sit down for a minute?"

"Of course." His eyes searched around, the concern in them apparent.

She felt her heart do a little flip-flop. "The curb's fine. Really. You'll just have to help me up, is all."

* * *

Cole held Rini's hands, easing her down onto the shallow curb. He hoped like hell she wasn't going to have the baby right here on the street. He might be looking forward to being a dad, but that would be pushing it a bit. "Jeez, Rini. Are you sure about this?"

"Not to worry. I'm almost a nurse, remember? Watch out for your suit!"

He sat down beside her. "Forget the suit. Is this really normal?"

"Perfectly."

A nervous laugh escaped him. "Guess I need childbirth classes or something."

She shot him a sidelong glance. "You want to come to one of mine?"

He stared at her, not quite believing his ears.

"Alexa's been coming with me, but she'll be tied up with some award presentation for Kenny next time." She shrugged. "But I can go alone."

"No! I mean yes. I mean, yes, I'd like to come."

"It's Friday night. Don't you have a hot date?"

He grinned. "I do now." He watched her smile shyly, her cheeks glowing as rosy pink as her soft, full lips. Damn, there she went again, going all innocent and sexy on him. It was all he could do to resist leaning over and crushing the velvet of those rose petal lips with his.

He clamped his teeth together.
No, this was too much.
He'd really have to get hold of himself. This made twice in a week he'd almost lost his head. And Rini Herelius was not the kind of woman he should ever let into his life—a woman who ran away first, and only asked questions when it was far too late.

But what was it about her that reduced him to a sparking tangle of live wires ready to short-circuit his common sense?

He stood quickly, schooling his expression. "We should get back. Feel up to walking again?"

She nodded and reached up. He grasped her hands and carefully helped her to her feet. She teetered against him, wincing.

"Rini?"

"It's okay. I just got up too fast." When he saw a thin film of sweat on her brow, fear coiled in his gut. "To hell with this." He swept her up into his arms and started down the sidewalk toward her sister's house, carrying her.

"Cole!"

"Put your arms around my neck," he ordered.

"This really isn't—"

He strode quickly down the street, ignoring her irritated glower. "Look, my mom would kill me if anything happened to you or the baby while I was delivering her blasted cookies. So stop squirming and enjoy the ride."