Dare to Hold Read Online Free PDF Page A

shirt, her damp hair hanging long in the back, curling as it dried.
    “Good morning.”
    She jumped and turned toward him. “You startled me.”
    “Is that breakfast?” He pointed to a pink smoothie she drank from a straw.
    She nodded. “Protein. It’s good for me.”
    “And the baby. I didn’t forget.” One of her many complications. He pushed the reality away.
    A light blush stained her cheeks. “Right. So you understand why we shouldn’t draw out this awkward morning-after thing any longer.”
    He raised an eyebrow. So she really was eager to get rid of him, and it rankled. “No breakfast?” he asked, teasing her.
    “Sorry. Nothing but healthy shakes, and I really need to get my day going so…” She gestured toward the front of her apartment.
    He strode toward her, leaning one hip against the kitchen counter. “About last night.” He slid one hand behind her neck in a possessive hold.
    “What about it?” she asked, voice shaking. She didn’t know what to expect from him, but he affected her. Her body and voice couldn’t lie about that.
    “It was great,” he told her honestly. “ You were great.” He touched his nose to hers in a soft gesture, one he knew was at odds with the man he was in the bedroom. But she brought this side out in him too. Something else to ponder, as nobody ever had before. “So thank you.”
    “Oh. You’re welcome.” She blushed harder. “I mean … never mind.” She waved a shaking hand through the air.
    There it was. Cute again. He shook his head, remembering his cool, icy, sophisticated ex-wife. So. Not. Cute.
    He grinned at a flustered Meg. “I know what you meant.”
    “Oh,” Meg said softly, and she slid her tongue across her lip in that nervous gesture he found so endearing.
    This morning it reminded him of the things they hadn’t done together. His mouth on her pussy. Her lips on his cock. Yeah, there was a lot left undone. And he wasn’t just talking about sex, though that had been a good start. It would make it that much more difficult for her to keep him at arm’s length now that she knew what he did. Together they were explosive.
    How they came together? That would be the next step. One that would determine just what they could mean to each other outside of the bedroom.
    He pulled back and rose to his full height. “Take care of yourself.” Knowing she’d say no and get defensive, he didn’t ask her for anything. Offer her dinner. Ask her questions. Nothing.
    Keep her frustrated and guessing. Missing him, if he was lucky. That was his game plan, and he was looking forward to the challenge. Because he fully expected Meg to make him work for her. And after last night, he was okay with that.
    *     *     *
    Meg wasn’t sure how she made it through the rest of the weekend. She was jumpy and nervous. She kept checking her phone, hoping, expecting to hear from Scott. She didn’t. Apparently he was a man of his word. One night meant just that.
    Wasn’t that what she’d wanted? Why was she so … hurt, then, over his silence?
    Monday at school dragged. The kids were extra cranky, little Billy Miller spilled paint on Lilah Devlin’s shoes, one kid had a fever, and by the time the day ended, Meg was so grateful she wanted to cry. Tomorrow she had an appointment with the principal to tell him she was pregnant. She was due in early September, when school would just have restarted for the new year, and he’d need to plan ahead. She didn’t think being unmarried and pregnant would be an issue, but she was nervous anyway because she worked in a private school, and that meant she was subject to the school board’s decisions, and she had no doubt the principal would share her new status with them.
    On Wednesday, she was having dinner with Olivia. Dylan was out of town on business, and the other woman wanted to compare pregnancy notes. Since Olivia was due two months later than Meg, they had that in common. She hoped it wasn’t awkward that