* * *
DUSTY WAS SURPRISED when Teressa insisted on visiting a lingerie store after the grocery shopping. They stashed the groceries in an insulated box in the back of his truck. Often when he was in town, he ended up staying the night and needed to lock things up.
He almost told Teressa they should skip the lingerie shopping because she looked so tired, but he couldn’t resist the thought of her wearing bits of lace under her usual shirts and jeans. He’d noticed that her beautiful breasts already looked a tad fuller. Her stomach was still flat, but it wouldn’t be long before she started to show. Because his baby was growing inside her. A wave of emotion he couldn’t identify—panic?—gripped him by the throat. He wasn’t used to dealing with...stuff. Feelings. Sure, sometimes he felt sad. Mostly happy, though, because face it, he had a pretty good life. He loved his work and loved his family, and if there were times when he felt a little lonely, well, that was what friends were for, right?
Life had been pretty much on an even keel for him for a long time until a few months ago when Pops’s heart attack had rocked his world. Then Sylvie moved home with a whole load of baggage that made him and Cal and Pops face the truth about his mom’s death. Adam showed up at the same time that Teressa started dating a guy who’d been hanging around on vacation. Man, he’d hated that guy. He shouldn’t have gotten so drunk, though, and tried to punch out the guy’s lights. Especially in front of the kids. He’d never handled her dating other guys too well, but hadn’t looked too hard for the reason why the thought of her with another man bothered him.
And now, this. More change. Scary change. But okay, too, in a way, because it was with Teressa, and despite all the stuff going on, he believed he and Tee would find a way to make everything work. Maybe not in a traditional way, but they respected each other enough that good things could happen. They just had to find a way that worked for them.
“So.” He cleared his throat. “Do I get to go with you to the store?”
“No. Yes. Do you want to?”
He glanced at her sideways and smiled. “What do you think?”
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Flirt with me.”
“I love flirting with you.” His smile spread.
“Dusty!”
“What?” He pulled into a parking spot, killed the engine and draped his arm along the back of the seat. He was tired of tiptoeing around his attraction to her. He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her the other night, and he wanted to kiss her again. Now. And later. And do other things, too.
“You promised we’d take things slowly.”
He slipped his hand from the back of the seat into the hair at the back of her neck. “We’re going into a store to buy you sexy underwear. I’m just trying to get us in the mood.”
“This is a bad idea.”
He shifted closer until his mouth hovered next to hers. “It’s a great idea. One of my best.” She smelled good enough to eat. Spicy, like cinnamon.
“Dusty?”
“Hmm?” He dropped a kiss on her jawline, followed it to her ear and found the sensitive spot below her ear he knew drove her crazy. He smiled to himself when he heard her hiss out a breath.
“Just one kiss, Tee, and then I’ll behave myself.” He slipped his hand inside her open jacket. She shifted sideways until her breast brushed against his hand. Not needing any more encouragement, he took the full weight of her breast in his hand and flicked his thumb over her nipple.
Teressa slid her hands around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. She kissed him as though she’d been waiting for him forever. He moaned into her mouth and dropped his hands to her hips to pick her up and put her in his lap. He cursed when his elbow hit the steering wheel, reminding him where they were.
“Holy mackerel, Teressa.” He pulled away from her, and then went back for a quick taste. “Where did that come from?”
She buried her face in the folds of his jacket.
“You okay?”
“A little embarrassed,” she said into his chest.
“Of what?”
“Of attacking you.”
He huffed out a laugh. “I’ve got a hard-on that’s probably not going away until I...whatever. I got the dibs on being embarrassed around here.”
She peeked up at him. “You’re not upset?”
“You can attack me anytime you want. I’m good with that.” He grinned. “I am curious, though. You’re kind of running hot and cold.” He sat up straighter. “That’s hormones, too?”
“Yup.”
“You get horny when you’re pregnant?”
When Teressa pulled away from him and sat on her side of the cab, his arms felt empty. “I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”
“How would you put it, ’cause it felt like you were really into me for a minute.”
She straightened the front of her jacket, flipped her hair over her shoulder and finger-combed the long strands into place. “I get...urges. Strong urges.”
His grin spread across his face. “Really? I’ve heard of women eating lots of ice cream and stuff, but I’ve never heard about pregnant women feeling hot.”
“Stop it.” She swatted his arm. Guess the wave of hormones had crested. “It’s not a joke. It’s embarrassing. And FYI, if you tell anyone about this, I’ll never forgive you.”
“On one condition.” He knew he should wipe the stupid grin off his face, but he was having too much fun.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
“Let me know when those hormones of yours get the upper hand. I’d be more than happy to help you out.”
“Everything’s a game to you, isn’t it?” She jerked open the door.
He immediately sobered. As usual, he’d pushed too far. “Sorry. I was just...trying to have a bit of fun.”
She looked at his crotch. “Are you decent enough to come into the store?”
He climbed out of the truck and adjusted the front of his jeans before pulling his coat closed. “I’m as decent as I’m going to get.”
And that was probably the crux of his and Teressa’s problems right there. He wasn’t good enough for Teressa and her children. She needed someone serious about life who would take care of her. He could barely take care of himself.
He followed her into the mall, blinking at the bright lights when they entered. He hated shopping, but it hadn’t been too bad tonight with Teressa. Strange, he’d never looked at it that way before, but he almost always felt good when he was with her. Not so much when she was mad at him, which happened more than he liked. So maybe he should smarten up and stop tormenting her. Make an effort to be more considerate.
“If you’re uncomfortable with me going in with you, I can meet you later.” There. See? He could play nice. He was dying to go into the lingerie store with Teressa, although she probably wouldn’t let him watch her try on any outfits or model anything for him.
“I’m not uncomfortable, but you might be. It’s a very...feminine place.”
“I’ve been in there before. I don’t mind it.”
Teressa sent him a sour look. Crap. Would he ever learn to