An Act of Persuasion(50)

He laughed as he imagined was her intent. But the intensity of the moment wouldn’t leave him. He’d been staring death in the face four months ago and now he’d helped to create life. It seemed so miraculous.

And yet completely mundane. Something couples did all the time.

“Please marry me,” he whispered. The idea of not having her and the beating heart inside of her body as his was incomprehensible to him.

When he looked to her for an answer, she smiled at him gently. “No. But I will go on another date with you.”

“I’ll take it. Let me take you to lunch.” He helped her off the table and watched her hide that precious belly under pants that he could now see were definitely too snug. Women, he decided, could be ridiculous about things like going up a pant size. He made a mental note to pick up some things for her. Something stretchy that she might like.

“Can’t. Have to get back to work.”

“Then dinner tonight. My place this time.”

She had to think about it and he wondered at the hesitation. She’d promised to give him a chance. That meant dates. Plural.

“What?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should keep it to a restaurant.”

“Last time I took you to a restaurant for dinner you upchucked in a public bathroom. I would think you would prefer the privacy.”

“It feels like we’re moving a little fast.”

This frustrated the hell out of him. Of course he was moving fast. He had only five months left to convince her to tie herself to him for the rest of her life. Reining in his impatience he used sound logical reasoning.

“For almost four months you practically lived with me. Now coming over for dinner is moving too fast?”

She shrugged. “That was work. This is a date.”

“I’m not going to pounce on you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Not that he didn’t want to. Hell, he’d been a few steps away from sinking his fingers into her and making her come while she lay on an examining table in a doctor’s office, of all places. Pouncing was the least of all he wanted to do to her.

The very idea of having her in his house—potentially wearing a comfortable pair of yoga pants—was enough to make him salivate. But he was determined to move at her speed. Which meant what he wanted didn’t matter.

“Fine. Then a restaurant.”

“Wow, you caved pretty fast. That’s not like you.”

“I call it compromising.”

“That’s not like you, either.”

“I’m growing,” he growled.

She laughed and it sounded sweet to hear. How long had it been since she’d laughed with him? Even though she was mostly laughing at him. He was her straight man and in the beginning of their relationship he’d found it incredibly annoying that he was so amusing to her. After a while, he would purposefully say things he knew would inspire her humor. Just so he could hear her laugh.

“Okay. I’ll come to dinner at your house. But we agree no funny stuff. I’m not ready for that yet. Not like you had a chance after you called me fat anyway.”

“I didn’t call you—” Enough. He’d won. She was coming to his house for dinner. It was all that mattered.

* * *

ANNA LOOKED AT the computer screen on her desk then at her cell phone she placed next to it. Then at the screen—which hadn’t changed—then at her phone again.

It would be the easiest thing in the world. She could call him and tell him she wasn’t feeling good or was too tired and simply cancel their night together. It happened. Dates got canceled. It wasn’t like she was shutting him off completely. He would, no doubt, ask for a rain check and she would gladly give it.

They could reschedule for the weekend when she had more free time.

They could reschedule for next month when she wasn’t so freaking freaked out.

Anna dropped her head back and moaned. That’s what was happening. She was scared and she couldn’t really define why. Watching his face when he realized he was listening to the beating heart of his child was like nothing she’d ever seen before. Not out of Ben Tyler.

Ben Tyler was stoic. He was whiplike smart. He was responsible and in charge of every element of his life.

A man in firm control.

That he should find awe in anything didn’t feel right. Not for him. Yet it had been plain to see he’d been shaken to his core by the sound of a heartbeat.