My pulse lunged, the moment my eyes locked with Ward’s. I’d successfully managed to avoid any alone time with him the last few days. It was sheer willpower on my part to avoid him. I was going crazy inside, literally at battle with myself.

I wanted him badly, the ferocity of my desire making me feel crazy. I wasn’t accustomed to this kind of desire. Sex with him was like a drug.

Hell, I was already addicted. My mind spun back to the other night and what he said.

Mine.

I was a muddled hormonal mess. I was pregnant, planning to have our baby and conflicted about Ward’s presence in my life. I didn’t want to be forced into this situation with him. But a baby was serious. No matter what. I couldn’t exactly shut him out, yet I wanted to keep the boundaries clear and not allow him to think he could take over.

Someone said my name, nudging my thoughts back to reality. I needed to get a grip. Following the direction of the voice, I found Maisie looking at me expectantly.

“Yeah?” I asked.

She giggled, flicking a brown curl off her cheek. “I was just saying hi. We can’t stay late tonight, so no cards.”

Lucy Caldwell, a blonde haired fairy and close friend, rolled her eyes from across the table. “Oh, that’ll be terrible. You won’t be here to kick all of our asses.”

Maisie shrugged. “Hey, I learned one good thing from my dad, and it was how to kick ass at cards.”

Amelia piped up. “Good thing we trust you, or I’d think you counted cards or something.”

Maisie’s dark brown eyes widened, a look of affront crossing her face. “Don’t even say that.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “We know you don’t cheat. Get over it.”

Conversation carried on around us, and I felt the burn of Ward’s gaze on me.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I whispered.

He didn’t respond, taking a pull from his beer and then sliding his hand onto my thigh under the table, the heat of his touch sending a flash of heat spiraling through me.

I flicked my eyes to him, tearing them away after a second. Because I could hardly bear to look at him without getting drawn into his searing gaze.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

He squeezed my thigh, his palm sliding up, strong and sure, and coming to rest at the crease by my hip. My attention was drawn to his touch, my pulse throbbing. My sex clenched, and my panties were wet instantly.

He took another drag on his beer, setting it down and replying conversationally to something Beck said. Hell if I knew what. I was so distracted to have Ward beside me and his hand on me, I could hardly think, much less pay attention to anything around me.

I was quite relieved the table was full and everyone was in the swing of chatting, eating, and drinking. When the waiter swung by, I shook my head at the offer of a beer and requested water. The entire time, I felt the heat of Ward’s gaze on me, sensing the absence of his attention when he commented on something else someone said.

His touch, stealthy and sure, dragged along that sensitive crease, my pussy practically begging for his touch. He didn’t disappoint, his palm cupping over my mound. I swallowed, making a feeble effort to resist the urge to arch into him. I gulped some water and took a shuddering breath. “Stop it!” I hissed, trying to keep my expression calm and never once looking at him.

“Only if you tell me why you’ve been avoiding me,” he answered, sotto voce.

“Because this is crazy,” I whispered. “We work together, and frankly, you’re my boss.” Taking another gulp of water, I wished I could cool off. I could’ve used a stiff drink about now, but that wasn’t an option.

Maisie said something to me, and I glanced her way. Ward took that moment to drag his fingers over my clit, teasing me through the denim of my jeans.

I managed to choke out a response to Maisie. “What was that?”

My capacity to listen was nearly obliterated.

“When was the last time you were up in Fairbanks?” she repeated. If she noticed I was out of it, she let it slide.

“Oh, that was two months ago now,” I managed, my voice cracking on the last word.

“Oh, okay,” she said, returning to whatever the hell she was talking about with Beck.

“You need to stop,” I whispered fiercely, once her attention was off of me.

“No,” Ward replied.

I finally flicked my eyes over to his to find his gaze waiting for me. A smile teased at the corners of his mouth. On command, my belly flipped once, twice, and then again, flutters spinning it wild.

“Ward…” I warned

His low chuckle sent a shiver down my spine.

“Come home with me,” was his only reply.

Because I was starting to feel like a coward, I finally held his gaze, willing my body to relax and my expression to remain calm. I was relieved for the slightly dim lighting in the bar, hoping my flushed cheeks wouldn’t be obvious to anyone looking my way.

“Tonight?”

He nodded slowly, sliding his hand out from where he’d been teasing me, his palm resting easily on my thigh. I instantly missed the heat of his touch between my thighs. Masking my restlessness with another sip of water, I took a breath.

“Yes. Tonight,” he said, enunciating clearly

“Look, we can…” My words trailed off when he shook his head sharply.

“Look, I get that you’re driving the bus here. It’s your body, but you told me you wanted this baby, so I’m adjusting on the fly.” He was speaking low enough for no one else to hear, but I had to hold back the urge to glance around just in case. “You said it yourself, we need to talk. I wasn’t up for it the other night, but now you’ve been completely avoiding me for three days straight. Not cool,” he said bluntly.

Indignation rose inside with a flash of heat. I narrowed my eyes. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

A blatant lie I didn’t mind admitting to myself, but I wasn’t fessing up to him. His eyes darkened to smoke, his hand sliding stealthily between my thighs again. My hips shifted reflexively into his touch this time, and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning.

“If I have to play dirty, I will,” he said pointedly.

I was a hot mess inside. That was the plain truth. I hadn’t expected to get pregnant. I was scrambling on my own to figure out how to adjust to this reality and what it meant for me. I sure as hell hadn’t expected to be facing a man who would now be permanently part of our child’s life, and as a result, my life.

When his fingers drew away again, my words slipped out unbidden. “I’ve been avoiding you because we can’t just have sex all the time.”

I gulped my water again, fighting the flush of heat, wishing the ice water could cool me as quickly as his eyes heated me.

“And why is sex a problem? I don’t see anything wrong with it. We’re pretty damn good at it. If you think for one hot minute I’m walking away, you’d better think again. I didn’t plan on any of this, but it’s a part of my life now, so I’m dealing with it. You’d better get ready for me to be a part of your life for a long damn time.”

A little thrill raced through me, savoring the raw demand in his words and the heat in his eyes. That was how bad I had it for him.

Hormones, it’s just hormones.

That was what I kept telling myself. Maybe if I said it enough, I’d believe it.