Read Online The Playboy's Baby by JM Stewart - Free Book Online Page A

the bagels. And for putting me to bed.”
    “You’re welcome. Couldn’t leave you to sleep on the couch.” Dillon shot a smile over his shoulder while he filled the coffeemaker with water. “Always gives me a crick in the neck. Did you call Doctor Marley’s office this morning by any chance?”
    She cleared her throat and pinned her gaze to the back of his head. Her heart running a marathon in her chest, she forced herself to move into the room. She couldn’t very well stand there and ogle him. “We have an appointment at one. Annie should be up from her nap by then.”
    Stepping up to the sink beside him, his clean soapy smell drifted to her. She longed to lean over and discover the scent on his skin. The image flashed in her mind in vivid detail. Dillon in the shower, water pouring over his naked flesh…
    Heat crept into her cheeks, and she jerked her gaze to the sink. She wrenched the faucet, sending water pouring into the metal basin. She tried to concentrate on soaping the sponge and scrubbing at the small pile of dishes. It gave her hands and mind something to do, but if he didn’t get dressed soon, she’d have to resort to cleaning the entire kitchen.
    He leaned back against the counter beside her, hands gripping the edge. She didn’t dare turn and look at him. To do so would be tempting fate. Right then, her hands itched to touch him.
    “After we’re done at the doctor’s, if you’re up for it, I’d like to go get a crib, along with anything else you think we’ll need.”
    Wait a minute, he said “we.” Surprised, she looked over at him. “You’re making a home for her.”
    “Shouldn’t I?”
    She turned back to the sink and ran a dish under the water to rinse off the soap. “Just surprised is all. Given all the things Janey told me about you, I wasn’t expecting you to take this so well.”
    “You expected me to turn away my own flesh and blood.”
    A flush heated her cheeks. “Well, when you say it like that, it does seem rather harsh, but yes. I didn’t expect you to actually want a child.”
    The coffeemaker sputtered and Dillon pushed away from the counter. He moved around her, opened the cabinet beside the sink, and pulled down a mug. “There are a lot of things about me that would likely surprise you. You ought to try judging me based on my actions.”
    She let out a harsh laugh. “We grew up together, remember? You and Janey were pretty wild there for a while.”
    He made a sound of disapproval, and Emma glanced over at him. He stood scowling at the counter, shaking his head.
    Dillon turned that scowl on her. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
    Then he pivoted and moved around her.
    She followed his trek back to the coffeemaker, where he filled his mug with the rich, steaming liquid.
    “What do you mean?”
    He turned his head and pinned her with an intense gaze again, but this time he leaned down, until they were nose to nose. “Just once, I’d like to see you stop making assumptions about me. I didn’t get your sister into all that trouble. Janey found it all by herself.”
    Emma met his gaze, narrowed her eyes, and squared her shoulders. “You were right there with her. You can’t deny that. Every time I found Janey getting into trouble, it was usually with you. Like the time the two of you took my mother’s car out joyriding?”
    He straightened but his gaze didn’t waver. “Mmm. Because I didn’t like the thought of what might happen if I let her go off by herself. Your sister could find trouble in church.”
    Did she hear him right? She shut off the water and leaned her hip against the counter. “Are you telling me you went with her all those times to protect her?”
    “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Frankly Em, there are a lot of things you don’t know about. Things I promised Janey I’d never tell you.”
    “Like what?”
    He sipped his coffee. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
    Apparently he intended to keep his promise and she had to