Page 8 of The Plan

“A date? Lucky you. Well, she’s going to have to wait this time.”

She was sucha sarcastic little brat sometimes. It had both driven him mad and made him want to kiss the sass right out of her more times than he could count. George ran his gaze over her,just drinking the sight of her in. The office seemed brighter, more alive with her there. She wore jeans that showed a perfect female body. And the thin little pink t-shirt was the clinging kind. It clung to beautiful curves that he wanted to touch. His palms practically itched to touch her. “Can I get you something to drink? I put a new mini-fridge in the back room.”

She’d reminded him to do that for weeks, and he’d just not bothered. Just like he’d replaced her desk chair with one that was more comfortable after his sister had complained. His guilt had lasted for a whole damned week. He should have treated Veronica better—and not just the having sex with her thing. He had taken advantage of her—and Giavonna had had to point that out every chance she had.

His own sister thought Veronica was far too good for him. To even work for him. Giavonna didn’t know what had prompted Veronica to quit, either. His sister would flay him alive if she ever learned. She’d asked time and time again when she’d been helping him out at the office, but…he wasn’t ready to talk about Veronica just yet. Just not yet.

“A water will be fine.” Veronica just stared at him, her arms crossing under her breasts.

Veronica blinked at him. Wet her lips. She didn’t look away. George knew something had happened. Or she wouldn’t have come back to him at all. “Tell me.”

“Probably best to just rip off the band-aid. Here’s the deal. Things have changed.”

“What do you mean?” She could have her job back. All she had to do was ask. He was a better attorney when he had her. He’d also like to think he was a better man with her acting as his conscience right there in his office forty-five hours a week. Plus overtime. To his shame.

George had realized after she’d quit that he’d kept her late three or four nights a week because he’d wanted to spend those hours with her. Even if it was only the two of them working.

He’d always order dinner for the two of them from the nearby diner. He’d pull the window blinds down and close them to keep people traveling down Main Street from seeing they were in there together. And they would work. Talk. Though she didn’t open up much at all.

He had treasured those nights. Missed them now, more than anything. Just being with Veronica. That had become more than clear over the last three months and four days. He had been an idiot to have missed that. “Veronica?”

She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. Her eyes, an interesting shade between blue and gray, met his. “Okay, Georgiano, here it is. I’m pregnant. Since I’ve only slept with one man in my life—you, by the way, in case you’re in doubt—I’m pretty certain that unless aliens are responsible for some strange experimental purposes—which is possible, actually, considering some of the weirdos in my immediate family—you’re going to be a father. I need to know what you want to do about it on your side of things, before I start making my plans.”

George just stared at her like she had completely gone off the deep end.

Was this for real?

6

Why wouldn’tthe fool man justsaysomething?

Ronnie waited. And waited. Those hazel eyes of his were just staring at her. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. “Well? What do you want to do now?”

“I’ll tell you what I want to do,” he said. “What’s going to happen.”

Then he was right there. His hands went around her waist and Ronnie was almost lifted right off her feet. His arm went behind her waist. Her front pressed to his.

“George!”

“I’m going to just keep you now.” There was an intensity in his tone that had her almost freaking out. “Forever.”

He almost had her bent over her former desk here. His hands weren’t in territory he hadn’t asked permission for, but this was most certainly not the reaction she had been anticipating. Screaming at her for ruining his life and his precious plans was a bit more what she’d expected. Not this. “Have you gone mad? I thought you didn’t want any strings, remember? You were rather insistent.”

“I didn’t want strings—because you are just too damned young for me, and I have no right expecting more from you. But that just changed.”

“Because of the baby. I’m not stupid.” She put her hands on his broad chest. Her fingers spread. Oh, he felt hard and strong, and she could feel the man’s heart racing against her palms. “I take it you want the baby.”

“I want the baby…and you. You’re not getting away from me now. You are not leaving me again—I won’t survive you leaving me a second time. You are my world.”

“You really did just fall off the turnip truck, didn’t you?” She wasn’t going to fall for the man’s tricks here. George Hiller was one of the best schemers she had ever seen. She had what he wanted. What was his, in that convoluted caveman brain.

Of course he was going to use every weapon he possessed to get what he wanted. “I’m not going to fall for it. You made it very clear what you wanted from me that night. That…isn’t going to happen ever again.”

His hands tightened. She couldn’t help it. Ronnie had no real control. She arched against him. Her breasts, super-sensitive at the moment, pressed against his chest, too.

He growled. He actually released a growl. “It’s going to happen again and again, Veronica. You are just going to have to get used to it.”

Had he seriously just said that?

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