Free The Heart Doctor and the Baby by Lynne Marshall

herself into his arms? It was the dumbest thing he could do to let his guard down, yet he savored the delicate feel of her spine and shoulders, inhaled the shampoo-fresh scent of her hair. He’d missed this part of a relationship.
    Casting his misgivings aside, he stopped holding himself back and kissed her head, soon finding the smooth skin of her cheek. Memories of closeness and pleasure flashed in his brain. He hadn’t felt her tense or pull back, so he kissed her earlobe. It was warmer than his lips.
    She adjusted her head and her mouth was right there for the taking. Any man in his right mind would kiss her, buta gentleman, a colleague and friend, a man who dreaded commitment and dreamed of China and a year away, should ignore that plump lower lip and its upper, perfectly fitted mate.
    He ignored the warning, exhaled and dipped his head. Just a taste, that would satisfy this curiosity he’d harbored for the past month. How did it feel to kiss René Munroe?
    Moist and warm, and open, her lips pressed against his, so soft, so inviting. He meant to restrain himself, but the lure of her lips made him quickly forget. He covered her mouth and flicked his tongue over the smooth surface, felt the tip of her tongue and explored it. She tasted like sweet cider, but so much better. He drew back and kissed her from another angle, finding the same sweet invitation. Again and again they joined mouths, deepened, flicked and swirled tongues. His body, with a mind of its own, shifted toward her in a desperate attempt to make as much contact as possible. One arm held her close, as the other grazed her butter-soft skin.
    One long crimson polished finger touched his chin and slid down his throat, dipping below his collar. Hell, at this point she could pinch him and that would turn him on, too, but that finger and the sensual trip down his neck made him groan. He weaved his hands through her hair and deepened the kiss, then followed the curve of her arms and hips, moved inward and cupped her full and pliant breasts.
    Wrong move. Her head snapped free from the kiss. She closed her eyes, though he’d seen the bright blaze within them before she did, and pulled away from him.
    â€œOh, my God. What have we done?” she whispered.
    He ignored the stirring in his gut, and acted as surprised as she did. He needed to do something, to lighten the mood, to distract them from the trail they’d foolishlyembarked on. “Hold on. Hold on. We can pretend this never happened.” Like hell he could. “Blast that sparkling cider. It does it to me every time.”
    His clumsy attempt at humor helped them both save face, but he needed to say more. This attraction wasn’t in the contract, but damn he’d wished they’d taken time to explore other avenues for her to get pregnant. Like the tried-and-true natural way, the way they could easily fall into bed if his better senses didn’t keep cropping up. He knew where that would lead—to something he could never give.
    He’d already let her down. He dropped his head and glanced first at his feet, then at her. “I’m sorry if I took advantage of the opportunity.”
    She screwed up her face. “Jon, I threw myself at you.”
    â€œBut that was out of happiness, and I went right into sexual mode…”
    â€œStop.”
    His gaze flew to hers. She offered a measured look. “I think now we’re both aware of something we hadn’t bargained on. At least, I hadn’t,” she said, pushing the thick hair he’d mussed out of her face.
    He nodded. “I’ve got to tell you, it’s pretty damn strong on this side of the couch.” He crossed his foot over his knee, knowing he couldn’t possibly hide the full body reaction she’d caused.
    â€œYou didn’t sign a contract for a girlfriend and a baby.”
    â€œYou’ve got a point there. We can’t ignore that you’re going to have a