Read Online First Comes Baby...: The Loner's Guarded Heart by Michelle Douglas - Free Book Online Page B

light hitting the water of the bay below. But then his scent swirled around her—a mix of soap and leather and something darker and more illicit, like a fine Scotch whisky. She dragged in a shaky breath. Scotch wasn’t Ben’s drink. It was a crazy association. That thought, though, didn’t make the scent go away.
    Her heart all but stopped when he knelt down in front of her and pressed the left side of his face to her stomach, his arm going about her waist. She found her hand hovering above his head. She wanted to rest it there, but that would make them seem too much of a trio. Her throat thickened and tears stung her eyes. They weren’t a trio. Even if by some miracle Ben stayed, they still wouldn’t be a trio.
    But he wouldn’t stay.
    And so her hand continued to hover awkwardly above his head.
    ‘Hey, little baby,’ he crooned. ‘I’m your—’
    ‘No!’ She tried to move away but his grip about her tightened.
    ‘I’m...I’m pleased to meet you,’ he whispered against her stomach instead.
    She closed her eyes and breathed hard.
    When he climbed back to his feet their gazes clashed and locked. She’d never felt more confused in her entire life.
    ‘Thank you.’
    ‘You’re welcome.’
    Their gazes continued to battle until Ben finally took a step away and seemed to mentally shake himself. ‘What’s the plan for the rest of the day?’
    The plan was to put as much distance between her and Ben as she could. Somewhere in the last day he’d become a stranger to her. A stranger who smelled good, who looked good, and who unnerved her.
    This new Ben threatened more than her equilibrium. He threatened her unborn child’s future and its happiness.
    The Ben she knew would never do anything to hurt her. But this new Ben? She didn’t trust him. She wanted to be away from him, to get her head back into some semblance of working order. She knew exactly how to accomplish that.
    ‘I’m going into Nelson Bay to start on the wedding preparations.’
    ‘Excellent plan. I’ll come with you.’
    She nearly choked. ‘You’ll what?’
    ‘You said you wanted my help.’ He lifted his arms. ‘I’m yours to command.’
    Why did that have to sound so suggestive?
    ‘But—’ She tried to think of something sensible to say. She couldn’t, so she strode back around the side of the house.
    ‘Time is a-wasting.’ He kept perfect time beside her.
    ‘It’s really not necessary.’ She tucked her hair back behind her ears, avoiding eye contact while she collected the tape measure along with the measurements he’d jotted down for her. ‘You only got back from Africa yesterday. You are allowed a couple of days to catch your breath.’
    ‘Are you trying to blow me off, Meg?’
    Heat scorched her cheeks. ‘Of course not.’
    He grinned as if enjoying her discomfiture. ‘Well, then...’
    She blew out a breath. ‘Have it your own way. But we’re taking my car, not the bike, and I’m driving.’
    ‘Whatever you say.’
    He raised his hands in mock surrender, and suddenly he was her Ben again and it made her laugh. ‘Be warned—I will make you buy me an ice cream cone. I cannot get enough of passionfruit ripple ice cream at the moment.’
    He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s nearly lunchtime. I’ll buy you a kilo of prawns from the co-op and we can stretch out on the beach and eat them.’
    ‘You’ll have to eat them on your own, then. And knowing how I feel about prawns, that’d be too cruel.’
    He followed her into the house. ‘They give you morning sickness?’
    She patted her stomach. ‘It has something to do with mercury levels in seafood. It could harm the baby. I’m afraid Camembert and salami are off the menu too.’
    He stared at her, his jaw slack, and she could practically read his thoughts—shock that certain foods might harm the baby growing inside her—and his sudden confrontation with his own ignorance. Her natural impulse was to reassure him, but she stifled it. Ben was ignorant about