More Than He Expected Read Online Free PDF

chest and shoulders exposed by
her dress.
    Alex had been too preoccupied earlier to notice how Gwen had
changed since he had seen her in November. Last year, long hours at the hospital
and attempts to diet before the wedding had trimmed her petite frame to the
point of being almost too thin, in his opinion. Women always worried too much
about those last few vanity pounds. In his experience, a woman with curves and a
healthy appetite was more fun both in bed and out.
    Now, as he watched her from the window, he could see Gwen was
obviously pregnant, but everything about her seemed to be softer and more
welcoming. Her skin radiated a rosy, maternal glow. Her breasts were fuller and
her hips a touch rounder. Pregnancy really suited her.
    And him.
    The fire in his gut that had been building since he had gotten
into the car this morning returned. The shock of their previous discussion had
dulled it, but now it was back with renewed fervor. The woman he’d fantasized
about for months was here, looking more beautiful than he remembered. Standing
in the sunlight with her long, flowing dress, she looked more like some ancient
Greek fertility goddess than a nurse.
    The tightness in his groin forced him to shift his stance
uncomfortably. Alex was surprised by his visceral reaction to her. There was
something primal piqued by her new, soft curves. Typically the sight of a
pregnant woman threw up red flags declaring her off-limits. It was something
he’d never considered, given he never planned to settle down and start a
family.
    But Gwen wasn’t off-limits. Her situation was unique and
certainly complicated, but he didn’t see any barriers between them. If she could
be coaxed into continuing their affair, they could spend another fantastic week
in bed together. Alex wanted that week to start as soon as possible.
    “Sworn off men, have you, Gwen? We’ll just see about that.”
    Letting the curtain drop, he headed downstairs to join the
party and begin his heated pursuit of Gwen Wright.
    * * *
    “About damn time!” Will shouted toward the house.
    Gwen turned that direction in time to see Alex strut onto the
blue flagstone patio that arched out from the house. The tall, white pergola
that lined the back of the house was covered in clematis vines this time of
year, and it shaded almost everything below. Patches of dark and light danced
across his face as he approached the outdoor kitchen, where everyone had
congregated.
    “The party can officially start,” he announced, giving Gwen a
brilliant smile before he bent down to pull a cold bottle of locally microbrewed
beer out of the small refrigerator inset to the right of the grill.
    The small gesture brought a wave of warmth to her cheeks that
had nothing to do with the sun. Perhaps she’d worried for nothing. When Adrienne
had first invited her up here for the Independence Day holiday, she’d had
doubts. Her friend had promised her a relaxing vacation by the ocean with
nothing but fun and friends. It sounded like a dream.
    The time away from work would be a godsend, as would going a
couple days without having to climb the four flights of stairs to her apartment.
Her daily routine got rougher as each week ticked by. She couldn’t imagine what
it would be like in the last few months. She needed this break more than she’d
realized.
    But she’d known seeing Alex again would be awkward. Her being
pregnant made it doubly so. It wasn’t because they had parted on bad terms. They
had both known it was nothing more than a little short-term fun. He’d had a
business trip to go on, and it had seemed like the right time to end whatever
they had going. But once he was gone, she’d been left with this restless, icky
feeling she’d never felt before.
    Eventually the complications of her life had put those concerns
out of her head, but it had just confirmed some of the thoughts she’d been
having about her choices in men. As in—she always made bad ones. Alex was no
different. And it just