Free The SEAL’s Surprise Baby by Amy J. Fetzer

okay? Though you don’t baby-sit your own kids, you raise them.”
    If anything he said could have won her over, could have let him deeper into her life, that was it.
    “Friends, then.” It sounded hollow and lackluster to her. But that’s what you wanted, right? a voice in her head whispered.
    An hour and half later, Jack stopped the car in front of the bank. Melanie glanced at her watch and sighed.
    “You looked relaxed,” he said.
    “I am. Thank you, Jack. Lunch was wonderful.”
    He smiled, pushing back the urge to touch her.
    Melanie looked into the back seat, smiling. “Well, she’s wiped out.”
    He strained to see. Juliana’s dress was rumpled and her knees were dirty from trying to crawl all over the park. “She’s amazing.”
    He turned his head a fraction. Melanie’s face was within an inch of his. And if he moved a fraction, their lips would meet. The temptation was eating him alive.
    “Thank you for her, Melanie.”
    Her eyes glossed a bit. “You took part.”
    “Yeah, but I didn’t carry her for nine months alone. I didn’t suffer pain to get her here so I could love her.”
    He eased back a bit and gently brushed a strand of hair off Melanie’s face. “Someday you’ll tell me all about it? I hate that I’ve missed so much.”
    Missed so much of you, he thought. Of being the first one to know about the baby, of seeing Melanie grow round with their child and being there to hold her when she was scared.
    “Yeah, someday.” Someday, Melanie thought, she’d give him the video her father had taken during her pregnancy and the birth. The latter being something she wasn’t ready to share with anyone just yet.
    She turned away and opened the car door. He was there in an instant offering a hand. Her fingers slid easily into his and he tugged. “See you at home?” she asked.
    His gaze raked her features. “Yeah. We’ll be there.”
    He swore he wasn’t going to do it, swore he’d back off, but he couldn’t resist. She was taking his breath away by the second and he needed to touch her. Over the rim of the car door, he leaned and brushed his mouth over hers.
    “Jack,” she whispered, and there was no protest in her tone.
    He didn’t touch her anywhere else, just applied a bit of pressure, his lips sweeping gently over hers. Melanie made a tight little sound in the back of her throat, worrying his mouth, reveling in the taste of him. It was an aphrodisiac, a drug swimming throughher system and making her want to be addicted to him. She could do that so easily. This, with Jack, was always good.
    Gently he pulled back, his breathing a little faster, his eyes a little softer. A fractured smile curved his lips as if he’d just learned something he’d already known. He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip.
    “See you later.” He stepped back and moved to the driver’s side.
    Melanie couldn’t move. Instead, she stared at him across the top of the car, then forced herself to turn and walk into the bank. Her steps were a little less steady and her pulse was…well, out of control.
    Oh man, she thought, pushing through the revolving doors and ignoring the glances from her staff as she walked to her office. She went immediately inside, closed the door and dropped into her chair.
    Oh man, oh man, oh man, she thought, pressing her forehead to the desk and letting out a long shaky breath.
     
    They fell into a strange routine. Jack showed up in the morning early enough to have coffee with Melanie, and he was there when she came home at night. He cooked something fantastic every evening, and they dined together, but after Juliana was tucked in bed, he’d leave with a casual, “See ya.”
    Melanie found herself wishing he’d hang around a little bit longer, but she knew that would only lead to trouble. He hadn’t tried kissing her again, but every time he was within a foot of her, she felt her insides clench and pull. She acted as if it didn’t matter, as if she didn’t feel it, but alone