air.
âCar trouble?â he asked, sounding amused as he shoved his hands into his armpits to help block the cold.
Caress looked up at him in annoyance at his amusement, and he dropped his grin.
âIt wonât start and I have a doctorâs appointment,â she said, moving back to bend inside the car and pop the hood.
Miss Independence , he thought.
Julius wasnât one of the let-me-take-a-look-under-the-hood kind of men. Nor was he interested in being in twenty-degree weather trying to figure out what was wrong with her ancient car. What he was was a gentleman. A gentleman who believed in paying those who enjoyed doing certain things in lifeâ¦like fixing cars.
âWhat time is your appointment?â he asked, walking down the slanted drive to stand beside her in front of the car.
âIn thirty minutes,â she answered, pulling the stick to check the oil.
Julius shook his head. âNo, no, no,â he told her in a stern and deep voice that invited no argumentâor so he hoped. He gently removed the stick, stuck it back where it belonged, and then closed the hood. âGive me five minutes to dress and call a mechanic. Iâll take you to the doctor.â
Caress instantly shook her head. âI canât afford a mechanicââ
Julius felt like rolling his eyes but he didnât because maybe he was hanging around Dwayne too much. âCaress, let me do this for you,â he requested in a serious tone as he looked down into her bright eyes that were filled with water from the January cold winds beating around them.
Caressâs gaze was one of refusal.
Julius nodded in persistence.
âIâll pay you back for the car,â she told him with determination that made him want to smile.
Julius wanted to take her to the doctor anyway. Maybe hearing from the doctorâs mouth what her due date was would help ease the questions that still remained with him as to his true role in Caressâ unexpected pregnancy.
Â
Caress settled deep onto the sand leather-heated seats of Juliusâs Range Rover. She couldnât lieâit was a far better ride than her chilly, in-need-of-shocks-real-bad hooptie. Still, she hated to think that Julius thought she was pushing herself or her baby onto him. Of course sheâd be happy if he would get happy about the baby at least, but nothing else was foremost on her mindâ¦during her working hours at least.
She shivered at the heated memory of her erotic dreams of him at night. Pregnancy obviously didnât cool her desires any because one thing she couldnât deny was that Julius Jones, debonair urban man of the new millennium, turned her the hell on without even trying. And Lord knows he wasnât trying worth a damn.
âThanks again,â she said, glancing over at him as he drove with ease and confidence. âI wish I didnât have to bother you.â
Julius glanced over at her as well and their eyes met briefly before she looked away. âItâs not a bother, Caress.â
They fell silent and the soft strains of some instrumental jazz filled the interior of the luxury vehicle again.
âI guess if your car hadnât broken down this morning you wouldnât have told me about this appointment either?â he asked, adjusting his position in the driverâs seat.
âOf course not,â she answered. âI clearly see our situation for what it is and nothing more. So the whole happy picture of us going to doctorsâ appointments and shopping for the nurseryâ¦andâ¦picking names together is not what Iâm looking for. And I ainât trying to push it on you either.â
She felt Juliusâs intense eyes on her and it made her feel electrified, but she ignored looking in his direction again.
âThis is a hard situation for us both, Caress,â he told her.
âI agree, Julius,â she answered.
They fell silent again.
âYou still not
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