LITMIR.BIZ

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Brady held the bottle between his hands as he leaned his elbows on his knees. “I should have called.”

      Her sleepy smile made him forget to breathe. “I didn’t expect you to.”

      Would she have expected him to if they were more than strangers? But they were more than strangers. He cleared the lump from his throat. “Did you want to eat?”

      She nodded and started to rise, but froze when she saw the quilt. “This is gorgeous. Hand quilted. Where was this hiding? I didn’t see it before.”

      Her smile dropped, and color rose in her cheeks.

      “I mean…” She cut herself off with a groan and sank into the couch. “I shouldn’t have, but Penny…”

      “It’s okay, Maggie.” Brady stood and offered her his hand. “It’s not like I have corporate secrets lying around my apartment.”

      He helped her up but didn’t let go. Her body’s warmth reached for him like a lover’s embrace.

      “What you see is what you get.” Brady wasn’t sure if he was trying to warn her off or make it clear that he didn’t have anything to hide.

      She cleared her throat. “I should have asked before snooping around.”

      Her gaze lifted to his and it felt like that night again. Energy pulsing between the two of them. Before there had been cattle lulling and the distant howls of coyotes as the backdrop, not the theme from Law & Order. He wanted to pull her in those last few inches and kiss her. To see if the spark between them could be coaxed into a fire. But he didn’t. He’d never been one to shy away from attraction, but Maggie was different.

      She blinked and stepped back. Busying herself with folding the quilt, she said, “I made dinner, but wrapped it up so when you got home, it would be ready.”

      He didn’t know what to say. How could he think of sex when she was vulnerable in his apartment. With nowhere else to go in the middle of the night. She wasn’t some random woman or coworker. This was Maggie Brown, resident of Tawnee Valley, his brother’s classmate and the mother of his child. The type of girl you settled down with, and his commitment was to his work and his new life in New York.

      She draped the quilt over the couch back and went to the kitchen.

      His fingers itched to put the quilt away. To hide that piece of Tawnee Valley he’d kept. A memento of better times. He picked up the end, intending to pull it from the couch back.

      “Penny was okay with staying an extra day or two. Amber only insisted I bring home something spectacular,” Maggie said from the kitchen.

      Brady forgot about the quilt. “Hopefully, I don’t disappoint her.”

      “I think she meant a souvenir like a snow globe.” Maggie reappeared with the two plates of food and set them on the table. “I’m not sure what to tell her about you.”

      Brady held out a chair for her, and she took the offered seat.

      “What have you told her?” The aroma of fried chicken stirred his taste buds. Potatoes and vegetables rounded out the meal. His stomach rumbled. “It’s been forever since I had fried chicken.”

      “I hope you like dessert because I made cookies, too. Idle hands and all that.” She shrugged her shoulders as if embarrassed.

      “I should have told you I would be late.” Brady bit into a piece of chicken. He couldn’t contain his moan of pleasure. He never would have guessed he missed good country cooking. “Heaven.”

      Maggie flushed with pleasure. “Thank you. Amber hasn’t asked about her father too much.”

      “But when she does?”

      “I don’t know. I tell her that her father lives far away.”

      “Which is true.” Damn Sam for his interference. Not that it would have changed much. His work had been in England and hadn’t left room for a family. Even now he had no idea how he could work a child into his life, but he had to try.

      Maggie met his gaze with sincerity. “I wasn’t bitter about it. It was what it was. You weren’t in the picture, but I wasn’t going to bad-mouth you to someone who loves you whether she’s met you or not.”

      “She loves me?” Brady couldn’t keep the wonder from his voice. His family had always been a unit. Mother, father, two brothers. He’d never had the opportunity to question whether his parents would be there for him or if he wouldn’t love them if they weren’t. “Does she say that?”

      “She doesn’t have to.” Maggie folded her hands together and he could see an inner battle being fought.

      “Why is that?” He wasn’t sure she’d answer, but it seemed to be what she was struggling with. Maybe searching for the words.

      Finally, she raised her head to face him. “Because no matter what, a little girl has faith that her father, wherever he is, wants her and that whatever is keeping him from her must be important.”

      The carefully chosen words made Brady want to question Maggie’s relationship with her father. Mrs. Brown had been on her own, but since his mother hadn’t been one for gossip and preferred to keep to the farm, he didn’t know as much about everyone in their small town as some people. This overwhelming urge to protect Maggie rose within him. Had her father hurt her?

      He opened his mouth, ready to grill her for the details so that he could right her wrongs, but Maggie hadn’t come to him. She wasn’t offering herself to him.

      “I hope I earn that trust.” Brady broke the eye contact and returned to eating.

      “I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Maggie took her plate into the kitchen. He could hear the faucet running. “Do you want cookies now or later?”

      What could he say or do to make things right? He stood and headed for the kitchen. Unfortunately, Maggie was heading out at the same time. He caught her shoulders as they ran into each other.

      “I—” she started, but stopped herself. Her warm, hazel eyes gazed at him. He could almost smell the fresh-cut grass, the fragrant flowers growing wild, surrounding them. Eight years ago, she’d kissed him, offering him a taste, tantalizing him with the promise of nothing more than a night.

      He wanted to kiss her and it had a little to do with the nostalgia that she evoked in him and everything to do with the sexy woman she’d become. She didn’t seem aware of her own sexuality. Maybe he was overworked, maybe he had put too little priority on his sex life, because right now, he longed for Maggie to give him an offer like that one night. But what good would that do? No strings attached was what had left Maggie alone for eight years. But right now, he wanted another stolen moment with her.

      Her hands came up on his chest. His heartbeat quickened. Could she feel it below her fingertips? Her lips parted and he couldn’t resist the temptation any longer.

      He lowered his head slowly, giving her ample time to smack him, run screaming to her room or ask him what in the world he was thinking. Instead, she rose up on her toes and met him halfway.

      Her lips were soft under his and her arms clutched around his neck, drawing her body in close to his. Soft curves melted into him as lust hit him hard below the belt. It was all he could do to keep his hands planted on her shoulders.

      When she made a little noise of need in the back of her throat, his brain went into meltdown. His hands flowed down her sides until they reached the bottom of her sweater.

      Her breath hitched as he touched the skin at her waist. He pulled away from the kiss and met her gaze. His fingers lightly brushed along her sides under the sweater. Giving her every opportunity to stop him and hoping she wouldn’t.

      Maggie didn’t look away, could hardly breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest and her insides had turned molten. This shouldn’t be happening. Somewhere, little warning bells were going

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