was making a mess of this already. With a rough breath, he slid his hold from her chin to cradle her nape. “Autry, come on. I want you and the baby safe. Come stay with me until we get everything with the threats and the break-in sorted out. You can have the extra bedroom.” He smiled, rubbing the velvet skin below the softness of her hair. Palpable tension resided in the muscles there, and he wanted to make it better, make the fear and the worries go away for her. “Completely platonic. No pressure.”
Her lips parted and she shook her head, dislodging his easy touch. “You really have lost your mind. Us? Platonic? Do you really not remember what it was like between us?”
Considering he’d been trying to forget for four months? Hell, he’d dreamed about her. “I remember.”
She tightened her arms, resting atop the swell of their child. His throat closed. That was his baby. His and Autry’s—a mind-boggling, too-pleasant idea. She blew out a breath, a sarcastic puff. “And you think we can live together without going there again?”
He leaned closer and the sharp scent of her cotton-blossom lotion filled his senses. “Okay, so maybe not platonically.”
“You’re unbelievable.” She placed her palms against his chest and pushed. Stanton planted his feet. His chest burned from the simple contact, made him want to pull her closer. “First you assume I’ll agree to marry you just because I’m pregnant. Then you ask me to live with you, all blasé about the whole thing. Well, I have news for you, Sheriff Reed. I don’t need you. I’ve made it just fine this far without you—”
“Were you fine last night?” At his words, her face paled and a flash of self-hatred streaked through him. But this was his child, his last chance, they were talking about here, and he’d do whatever necessary. “What if he comes back, out of nowhere? Will you be fine then?”
“You bastard.” She closed her eyes, her skin whitening further. When she opened them, the blue depths blazed. “You don’t play fair, Reed.”
“Not when we’re talking about my child.” Not when they were talking about her. He’d spent the day dealing with flashes of what could have happened the night before, if he hadn’t been in time. Damn it, he wanted her safe, and he could do that. Was that too much to ask? He cradled the sides of her stomach, her shaky sigh traveling up his arms. “Our child. I’m not putting it or you at risk with this guy out there.”
She sagged, exhaustion constricting her mouth. “So it’s all about safety, huh? A few days or weeks until you catch the guy. If I fall into bed with you, that’s just a fringe benefit.”
“That’s not it at all. Listen to me.” Resting his hands on either side of her again, he leaned in and held her gaze. He had to get this right. He had too much to lose. Something else had been flashing in his head all day—how damn lonely he’d been without her the last few weeks. “Yes, I want you and the baby safe. Absolutely. But I want a chance too. A chance to be the father this baby needs and deserves. To be…” He swallowed. “The man you deserve. Give me a couple of months. Move in with me. Or let me move in here, at least until we do catch this guy.”
“Lord, you’re crazy. I’m crazy for even considering it.” She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “What is us living together supposed to prove, anyway?”
He slipped his hands up to frame her face, being careful of the darkening bruise on her cheek and jaw. Fury at Nate trembled in him again and he was vigilant to keep it out of his voice. “That we can make this work. We can, Autry. You know we’d be good together. Don’t you think we should at least try? Our baby deserves that much.”
She flexed her fingers against his chest, curling them into his shirt. “I don’t know. I’m just…there’s too much going on right now and you—”
“Can make some of it better.” He muttered the words near her temple,
Her lips parted and she shook her head, dislodging his easy touch. “You really have lost your mind. Us? Platonic? Do you really not remember what it was like between us?”
Considering he’d been trying to forget for four months? Hell, he’d dreamed about her. “I remember.”
She tightened her arms, resting atop the swell of their child. His throat closed. That was his baby. His and Autry’s—a mind-boggling, too-pleasant idea. She blew out a breath, a sarcastic puff. “And you think we can live together without going there again?”
He leaned closer and the sharp scent of her cotton-blossom lotion filled his senses. “Okay, so maybe not platonically.”
“You’re unbelievable.” She placed her palms against his chest and pushed. Stanton planted his feet. His chest burned from the simple contact, made him want to pull her closer. “First you assume I’ll agree to marry you just because I’m pregnant. Then you ask me to live with you, all blasé about the whole thing. Well, I have news for you, Sheriff Reed. I don’t need you. I’ve made it just fine this far without you—”
“Were you fine last night?” At his words, her face paled and a flash of self-hatred streaked through him. But this was his child, his last chance, they were talking about here, and he’d do whatever necessary. “What if he comes back, out of nowhere? Will you be fine then?”
“You bastard.” She closed her eyes, her skin whitening further. When she opened them, the blue depths blazed. “You don’t play fair, Reed.”
“Not when we’re talking about my child.” Not when they were talking about her. He’d spent the day dealing with flashes of what could have happened the night before, if he hadn’t been in time. Damn it, he wanted her safe, and he could do that. Was that too much to ask? He cradled the sides of her stomach, her shaky sigh traveling up his arms. “Our child. I’m not putting it or you at risk with this guy out there.”
She sagged, exhaustion constricting her mouth. “So it’s all about safety, huh? A few days or weeks until you catch the guy. If I fall into bed with you, that’s just a fringe benefit.”
“That’s not it at all. Listen to me.” Resting his hands on either side of her again, he leaned in and held her gaze. He had to get this right. He had too much to lose. Something else had been flashing in his head all day—how damn lonely he’d been without her the last few weeks. “Yes, I want you and the baby safe. Absolutely. But I want a chance too. A chance to be the father this baby needs and deserves. To be…” He swallowed. “The man you deserve. Give me a couple of months. Move in with me. Or let me move in here, at least until we do catch this guy.”
“Lord, you’re crazy. I’m crazy for even considering it.” She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “What is us living together supposed to prove, anyway?”
He slipped his hands up to frame her face, being careful of the darkening bruise on her cheek and jaw. Fury at Nate trembled in him again and he was vigilant to keep it out of his voice. “That we can make this work. We can, Autry. You know we’d be good together. Don’t you think we should at least try? Our baby deserves that much.”
She flexed her fingers against his chest, curling them into his shirt. “I don’t know. I’m just…there’s too much going on right now and you—”
“Can make some of it better.” He muttered the words near her temple,
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