Page 22 of The Bad Girl and the Baby

He shook the image from his head, cleared his throat. “Call me Matt.”

She huffed out her breath, waved the papers in his direction, and then dropped them on her desk. “These seem fine. Very fair.”

She sounded as though she was surprised. He suspected she would always have difficulty separating him from his brother, and he was the least likely guy in the universe to get into her pants. Which was probably just as well.

Unsuitablewas an understatement of gargantuan proportions.

At the same time, it pissed him off just a little. He’d spent his life doing what he believed to be the right thing. Making his little part of the world a better place. Now to be judged, and found wanting, for something he hadn’t even done, stuck in his gut. Made him want to prove her wrong. Or kiss her senseless so she had no room in her head for anything other than how soon could they fuck.

Where had that thought come from?

He made to stand up, but then decided, considering the state of his arousal, that it wasn’t the best idea. “Sign them, and I’ll be out of here.”

“I bet your lawyer didn’t approve.”

“I think she believes you’re a threat to my person.”

“What, little old me?”

“Anyway, she does what I tell her.” He took a deep breath. “I know you think I should have told her about Steven—”

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Maybe. But only until I was out of there and could think more clearly. She’s very irritating, your lawyer. Actually, I think it’s better for Lulu if it isn’t general knowledge what her father was like. It will be hard enough for her to grow up without him, but to realize he was a bastard who all but murdered her mother would be too much of a burden for any kid.” He winced. “Maybe one day we’ll decide to tell her, but not for a long time, and not until she’s ready.”

“That’s a very…mature attitude.”

“I’m twenty-six, hardly a kid.”

“You don’t mind people thinking you’re…violent?”

She grinned. “Actually, I quite like it. And who’s to say I’m not? Your brother deserved what he got. But I enjoyed beating the crap out of him, so maybe I am.” The smile turned her face from interesting to beautiful. “I’ve always loved fighting.”

“And are you happy that I’m not like my brother?” He didn’t know why he was pushing this. But he needed her to admit it.

She just shrugged. “Almost happy. I think Lulu will be safe with you. That is, if you don’t bore her to death with all your rules and regulations.”

He went still at her words, indignation holding him in place. No one had ever called him boring before. He was a fucking dangerous, special forces, kill-you-with-one-hand-tied-behind-his-back guy.Boring?He pushed himself to his feet and took a step closer to her, but she just stared up at him with that cocky smile on her face. Her hands were shoved into her back pockets, pushing her breasts out. And her nipples were still hard, sending fire though his blood. “You think I’m boring?”

“Hell, yeah. Conservative, stuffy. You like the rules. I like breaking them.”

He had an underlying niggle that she was purposefully winding him up, whether it was to see if he lost his temper and thus proved he was like Steven, or whether she just wanted to…wind him up. Because he’d pissed her off earlier. He took a step closer until they were only inches apart, and his nostrils filled with the scent of hot woman, sending the last of his blood supply to his dick.

There was certainly none left to feed his brain and remind him what a bad idea this was.

They were poking each other with metaphorical sticks. Partly, he knew, because it was a way for them both to get a measure of each other. They were both fighters at heart. But there was something else. Even if she would never be honest enough to admit it.

The attraction had been there at that club the other night, sizzling between them. The difference was he’d seen no reason not to give in, see where it would take them. He’d expected a hot and heavy one-night stand and no regrets. Whereas she had already known exactly who he was. No amount of attraction could take them anywhere. There was too much history between them. And there was Lulu to consider. They needed to keep their relationship nice and impersonal. For Lulu’s sake.

Even so, it was there, the desire sizzling through his blood, setting his nerves on fire, making him want to overthrow the rules. Take her here, so hard and fast that she’d never forget the feel of him inside her, never again mistake him for any other man. Certainly not his brother.

They’d been silent for a full minute. She was watching him, but her breathing had picked up, and a little pulse beat frantically against the pale skin of her throat.

“So you think I’m stuffy?” he asked softly.

“Yeah.” But the word lacked conviction.

He reached out, waiting for her to back away, but she held her ground. He trailed his knuckles down over the bare skin at her waist, and she flinched but still didn’t move, then slid them across her flat, almost concave belly. She was so still, she might have been turned to stone. He caught the little ring in her navel between his fingers and thumb and tugged gently.

“I like this.”

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