Page 45 of The Baby Bargain
I will cut down on caffeine. By the time I'm ready for the next, uh, round.
Chase stays laser focused on the computer. Even as I grab our drinks and return to the table.
I take a long sip. The mix of sweet and spicy isn't comforting. It's cloying. Too much sugar. Not enough cinnamon or ginger. Not even a hint of cardamom. How can the second be so much less good?
It's the same drink.
It must be something else.
The look in his eyes screamingAriel is so out of her depths.
Sip. Swallow. Sigh. "What's the verdict?"
He reaches for his drink, eyes still on the computer, takes a long sip, lets out that deep, beautiful sigh of pleasure. "When's the last time you dated?"
"Don't sugar coat."
"It's a little clinical."
"I should be to the point."
"Yeah." Finally, he looks at me. "But think about it from the guy's perspective."
"He gets to have unprotected sex."
A laugh spills from his lips. A full-blown belly laugh. He doubles over, clutching his stomach.
His cheeks turn red.
His eyes light up.
It's so beautiful. I don't even care that he's laughing at me. Only that he's laughing.
I need to make this happen again. To bring that joy to his eyes.
It's so…
Yummy.
Delicious.
Amazing.
Wonderful.
Fascinating.
Fulfilling.
Thrilling.
None of the adjectives that come to mind properly convey the magnitude of Chase's laugh.
"What?" My cheeks blush. I want him to keep laughing. I do. But I want to be in on the joke too. "Is that not accurate?"
"No, it is." He presses his palms into the table. Struggles through a breath. "It's perfect."
"So what's the problem—"
