Free A Baby on Her Christmas List by Louisa George Page B

to reining in his libido, like any other decent man would? But something a lot like a mind meld had happened, pushing him to continue, and he’d been unable to stop.
    Her lips were a little swollen, her good eye misty, hair messy, as if she’d just scrambled out of bed. She looked sexier than anyone he’d ever seen. Sexy and very off limits.
    Actually, sexy, off limits and torn. ‘Really, Liam, I think you should go.’
    ‘Yes. I’ll come back and finish this off another time.’ He went to get his T-shirt, shook off some of the debris stuck to it before pulling it over his head. ‘I should order you a pizza or something. You need to eat. Regularly and properly.’
    ‘I can manage a phone quite well.’ Waving her hand in front of her, she gave him a brief smile that was laced with hurt. ‘Please, just go. You’re officially off the hook. Go, and let me die a thousand embarrassed deaths in peace.’
    He didn’t know what was running through her mind, but he’d take a big guess that it wasn’t him actually agreeing with her and leaving. The last thing she needed right now was uncertainty. But everything was messed up and muddied; there he was tangling her pregnancy with his feelings. He was having a hard time separating the baby issue from his attraction to Georgie. If they didn’t get everything out in the open, this would be hanging over them for ever. ‘But shouldn’t we talk about what just happened?’
    ‘No. That’s not going to get us anywhere but deeper in trouble. It’s pretty clear from your face that you’re shocked. Please. Please. Just go.’
    ‘I’ll be back tomorrow to help you.’
    ‘Off the hook, I said. I can manage. Please...’ She was biting her bottom lip and looking so regretful that he did her bidding. She didn’t want him around. And the truth was he didn’t much feel like staying when his head and his body were so much at odds and he was at risk of making things worse. Or, even more catastrophic in the long run, helping to make her feel better in the only way he wanted to right now, which would be a one-way ticket to the far side of stupid.

CHAPTER SIX
    M ORTIFIED . J UST DOWNRIGHT mortified. Georgie was surprised her cheeks hadn’t burnt a hole right through her pillow. Twelve hours later and she was still...utterly mortified. Half peering, half feeling her way around her house, she went downstairs to the kitchen, finished wet dusting all the surfaces, popped the kettle on and contemplated pushing two pieces of wholegrain bread into the toaster. Then gave up on the idea. Ruining friendships had sent her appetite running and hiding along with her pride.
    And, okay, so he’d kissed her back, and appeared to have been enjoying it, but the moment he’d cut loose and let her go she’d seen doubt and fear and confusion run across those eyes. Eyes that had turned, once again, a darker shade of navy.
    But, man, he’d tasted so good.
Felt
so good. Until the moment he’d jerked away and she’d wished she could have been swallowed up in the house’s perennial dust cloud and whirled back to five minutes previously. Before the kiss that had probably, finally, broken their friendship.
    And it was all her fault. She’d pushed him in one direction to give her his sperm, acknowledged he didn’t want to go there at all but had done it anyway, and then had pulled him to her in a selfish moment of unwarranted and uninhibited need. Putting her head in her hands, she leaned against the grey kitchen bench, dusty again already, and groaned. Stupid.
Stupid
.
    God knew where they’d go from here.
    The doorbell rang quick and sharp and then Liam was calling out, and then standing in her lounge, muscled arms filled with brushes and buckets and tools, which he put on the floor in the corner of the room.
    ‘Morning.’ He stopped short and frowned, and her stomach contracted. ‘Holy cow, you look awful.’
    ‘Thanks a bunch. So do you. Why don’t you come right in and make yourself at