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the tone of Rex s  being knocked up comment. He didn t need to put it quite so baldly.
Rex stood up and began pacing again, just like he had earlier in the cabin.  Biologically,
we might run into some problems along the way. Mated couples tend to get itchy, sexually
speaking, when they have to spend extended time apart. As he paced, he ran his hands
through his hair. Pearl couldn t help but think that his slightly ruffled exterior made him
look even sexier.  But that aside, I thought, maybe, that we could ignore the pregnancy thing
for a month or two, and just get to know each other& you know& date.
He was chewing his lip again when he stopped in front of her.  Do you think you could
do that? Date me, that is? He fiddled with his cufflinks and looked away.  I am supposed to
be a catch& 
Pearl was beginning to think that he might be more of a catch than he realized --
hardworking, solvent, endearingly earnest -- even if he did drive her nuts.
 That was pretty much the conclusion I d come to. After all, this isn t the dark ages --
you don t have to get married if you get  knocked up.  Rex frowned at her discreet mockery.
 Can we just not announce it to the world that I m in the family way? I know in a few
months it ll be obvious, but I d prefer it if people weren t just assuming that we re together
because I m pregnant.
Rex was still frowning.  Why do you think people would assume that s the only reason
I d stick around?
Accidentally Were? 61
 I don t exactly burn up the local nightlife, Rex. I ve a few close friends -- like your
neighbor, Shaun -- but everyone else thinks I m a cold fish. Last night was the first night I ve
ever just gone out and let loose. A wry laugh slipped out.  Maybe my mother was right. I
mean, look where it s gotten us.
 Well, I don t think you re cold, and I d like to think that if I d met you in any other
situation I would say the same. She d like to think so, too, but she kept her skeptical side to
herself.  In fact, after this afternoon in the kitchen, I d have to say you re the least cold
person I know -- and pretty to boot.
Rex s pensive frown had turned into a leer. He was making fun, but at the same time,
his eyes burned with something a lot darker than humor. That heat made her nervous, as one
of her other decisions had been to resist him at all costs until she knew him better. That
might not have been the best of all your ideas, Pearl.
Flustered, she stood, joining him on his feet with a rush.
 Whoa, Pearl, where are you going? Rex reached out to steady her as she wobbled.
 Surely that s not the first compliment you ve received?
 Ah& no. Of course not. Thirty-one years on the planet, and his was the first genuine
compliment she d received from a man. How galling was it to come to that realization?
Rex tilted her chin up so he could see directly in her eyes. The man exuded the vitality
of a man much younger, yet small crow s-feet that betrayed his age crinkled out from around
his eyes as he concentrated on her. Pearl hoped she d managed to hide her emotions. A wry
smile tilted his mouth to the side, and he leaned in, touching his lips to hers.
It started off soft and gentle, but in moments they groaned in unison and opened their
mouths to one another. Rex scooped her closer, pressing her bottom forward until her mons
rested against the fly of his trousers. She raised her arms around his neck and dragged him
down to her as her belly arched into him, her back curving over his arm.
62 Anne Douglas
Her light dress let the heat of his body soak quickly through, and she wished the cloth
would disappear. She was ready to take him again, with no preamble, as if she hadn t already
had him twice that day.
Pearl felt his body quake as he pulled away with a curse.  Damn it, Pearl. How do you
do this to me? Rex s hands wrapped around her forearms and he broke her hold on his neck.
He took a step back, his hands dropping away as if scalded before wiping the back of one
hand across his lips.  Lady, believe me when I say you are no cold fish.
Embarrassment raced across her cheeks. Years of fake compliments were shown for
their true worth by one man s genuine, if impolite, reaction.
Accidentally Were? 63
Chapter Ten
Pearl woke after a strangely lonely Sunday to Monday morning and the weirdest
craving for breakfast. She wanted, no needed, a burger with a double meat patty, cheese,
bacon, egg, and jalapeño sauce. Her stomach grumbled its discontent as it told her she needed
it, now!
The alarm clock hadn t yet buzzed, and its numbers glowed green -- 6:35. If she
showered in a hurry, she could be out of the house by 7:15, and could stop in at the Greasy
Spoon, have Dave make her a burger, and not be late for work.
The rumble of her stomach had her throwing back the covers, but a wave of dizziness
and nausea when she went to stand had her grabbing for her headboard.
 How can I be hungry and sick to my stomach at the same time? She really needed to
talk to Rex more about Were pregnancies, or find another female Were to ask. She was sure
the cravings and nausea weren t supposed to hit  til way into the fourth week or more, not
just after two days.
 What a bloody mess. I m going to have a lot of questions for this Grande Dame woman
come Friday. Though Pearl had a funny feeling the mysterious Grande Dame wouldn t be
all that forthcoming when it came to bodily functions.
64 Anne Douglas
The shower set her on her feet again, and it had taken her only ten minutes to get to
the Greasy Spoon and take a solo seat at the counter. Dave had a busy weekday clientele, and
as he was one of the few friends she d made in high school, she knew better than to take up
booth space.
Dave had looked twice when she d asked for the special order, and then looked twice
again when she fell on the burger like a woman who hadn t seen food for a month. The clink
of the jalapeño sauce bottle brought her head up.
Her eyes rolled back in her head as she managed to swallow the huge mouthful of
burger then lick her lips.  God, thank you, Dave, you have no idea how much I needed this.
 Hmm&  Dave looked at her speculatively, his claw tap, tap, tapping on the
countertop.  I think I might.
Wait, his claw?
Pearl watched, fascinated as the claw morphed back into the short, tidy nails she knew
he usually sported, then looked back up, mouth agape despite the big bite of burger she d just
shoveled in.
 Now, now, Miss Priss, you know better than to chew with your mouth open. Her
smart-arsed friend reached over and pushed her jaw shut with a clunk.
 Dave? Pearl swallowed with an audible gulp and wondered if her eyes were goggling
like a flabbergasted cartoon character s.
 There s not much need to keep my secret any longer. Dave shrugged and smiled like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]