“I’m sorry.” Brawn adjusted his hold on her. “Are you all right? I forget that you don’t have our hearing or sense of smell. I assumed you heard me come in. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you well? The baby?” He lifted her out of the shower and hugged her.

Shock kept her silent but she was grateful his fast reflexes had saved her from a fall. Her hands gripped his biceps and he slowly lowered her.

“You could have knocked. You shouldn’t just walk into someone’s bathroom.” Her voice finally worked.

He released her once he made sure she was steady on her feet and grabbed a towel to wrap around her middle. Big hands patted her dry with care. “I heard you talking to someone and thought you had company in here.” Anger showed in his eyes as he glanced around. “Who were you speaking to?”

“The baby.”

His hands froze and he stared at the bump. “He can hear you? Us?” He grinned. “I didn’t know that.” He bent a little, put his face closer to her belly. “Hello, little one. I am your dad. I long to hold you in my arms.”

Definitely hormones, Becca decided as tears filled her eyes. That was sweet and it touched her that he’d say that to their unborn child. “I read baby books. They seem to think that while a baby can’t understand the words, they can hear voices and learn to recognize them. I talk to him constantly, probably too much, but I’ve been alone for a long time.”

Brawn straightened and held her gaze. “You will never be alone again. I have moved in.”

“You what?” Shock hit her again.

“I said I am going to care for you and I went to pack my belongings. I live here now with you. I turned over my council duties to the others. They were happy to fill in for me so you have me full-time.” He smiled, making her remember how handsome he was when he did it. “I’m all yours.”

A war raged inside Becca suddenly. She wished that were true. Looking into his sexy eyes made her want to never let him go but he was only there because she’d gotten pregnant. He was a stand-up guy, she’d give him that, but she didn’t want him that way.

“You can’t move in here.”

“I already did.” Muscles along his jaw clenched. “We will not argue.” His gaze dropped to her belly. “Our child will hear.”

Anger hit hard and fast. “Don’t use my own words against me.”

“Open your mouth.”

She lifted a hand and grabbed his jaw. “No. You’re not going to kiss me again and make me forget that I’m angry at you.”

“Why not? It worked. We can’t fight while we’re sharing sex.”

“You admit it then! You just had sex with me to get your way.”

Broad shoulders shrugged. “What is there to complain about? We both enjoyed it.” His hands slid to her hips. “I missed you, Becca. We have time to make up and we need to get to know each other before our child is born. I want you. It is just a side benefit that we can’t fight while we’re having sex. Don’t doubt that I really want you.”

She released his jaw and pressed her palms against his shirt, giving him a little push. “Talk instead of seducing me.”

A soft growl rumbled from him. “I want to do both. Let me take you to bed now.”

“No. It’s a bad idea.” She didn’t want her heart to get broken even more when the novelty wore off and he decided being with her was too much of a sacrifice. “You can see your son any time you want, Brawn. We don’t have to be together in order for you to be a part of his life.”

Beautiful blue, yellow-streaked eyes narrowed and he suddenly adjusted his hold, grabbed her and scooped her into his arms. He carried her out of the bathroom, strode into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. One hand fisted the towel and jerked hard, yanking it out from under her.

She grabbed at her br**sts to cover them, bent her legs up and glared at him. “Give that back.”

Brawn reached for his waist instead, gripped his shirt and tore it over his head. “I’m going to make love to you.”

“No, you aren’t. Sex isn’t the answer every time we don’t agree on something.”

He cocked his head, dropped the shirt and bent one leg a little to toe off his shoes. “We’ll talk after. I want you.”

She grabbed the blanket and jerked it over her body, sat up and pointed at him. “Stop!”

He grinned, kicked off the other shoe and unzipped his jeans. Her gaze lowered and she watched as he wiggled out of them. She swore he was teasing her with the way he slowly inched them down. His impressive, rigid c**k sprang free, pointing at her and he bent to shove them all the way down. When he stood, she couldn’t help but admire the picture he made. Just to really be mean, he shook out his long hair. It fell over his shoulders and down along his tan skin.

Becca had to remember to breathe. There was something so primal about Brawn when he was na**d, his hair free and his lips parted enough to flash his canines. A growl tore from him as he bent forward, flattened his palms on the bed and his catlike eyes stared at her.

“You’re mine, Becca. You can deny it but your body knows the truth.”

She inched back and wiggled slowly toward the headboard. His weight kept her from yanking the covers with her. He prowled closer on his hands and knees. She couldn’t miss the heavy weight of his c**k jutting forward since his stomach was rock solid and flat. Another soft growl came from him and he paused.

“Don’t fear me, beautiful.” One of his hands lifted and wrapped around her ankle. He shoved the covers away and pulled her carefully, until she lay flat.

He crawled over her until his face hovered inches above hers and his c**k brushed her thighs, which she’d clamped together. “Open up for me. I’m going to teach your mouth the truth too.”

Her heart pounded. She wanted him but she wasn’t giving in that easily again. A woman had pride, damn it. Her brain froze a little at seeing all that testosterone at its finest crouched over her, but she forced it to work. He liked to use her words against her so turnabout was fair play.

She glanced down. He kept his arms and legs braced to keep his weight off her. His thighs were spread apart with her body between them and she had wiggle room. Her gaze met his and she lifted her hands to grip his hips. “You think you can win me over with your kisses?”

He stared at her without saying a word but amusement sparkled in his eyes, telling her that he did.

“Straighten up.”

“I have you where I want you.”

“Straighten up and I’ll open my mouth.”

He hesitated but lifted his upper body to stand on his spread knees. He frowned as she sat up and suddenly wrapped her hand firmly around his shaft, getting a good grip that he couldn’t jerk away from. He hissed in air and alarm tensed his features.

“Don’t worry.” She smiled. “I won’t hurt you. Don’t fear me, sexy. You wanted my mouth open, believing you could seduce me into doing whatever you want but turnabout is fair play. Learn this, baby.”

She licked her lips, kept eye contact with him and her hand on his hip gripped him as she brought her lips to the crown of his cock. Her tongue licked the tip, tested the texture and she almost laughed when Brawn’s eyes widened with astonishment and he snarled.

Her gaze dropped to his rigid shaft and she took it inside her mouth, sucked and turned her head at different angles as she worked him slowly. Sucking him in, easing him to her lips, teasing him with her tongue. His body shook and he growled, an animalistic sound she reveled in. He thought he could control her but she was the one in charge now.

She lifted her gaze, saw he’d thrown back his head and his hands clenched his thighs, probably to keep from grabbing her. She took him deeper until she knew she’d hit her limit at the back of her throat, tightened the suction and moved a little faster.

“Becca,” he rasped.

She ignored his attempt to distract her. She kept going, moved faster and played. Her hand on his hip slid to his firm abs, loved the texture of each muscle and explored higher until she brushed her fingertips over an erect nipple. She pinched him lightly there between her thumb and fingertip.

Brawn roared out as his sweet taste began to flood her mouth and it shocked her when he suddenly grabbed her head and jerked her off his cock. His s**en hit her throat and br**sts as he came down, pinned her flat, with his h*ps over her ribs and rubbed his shaft between her breasts.

He shook with the force of his release and Becca lay there stunned. He hadn’t hurt her but he could have. His ass rested just above her extended belly and if he’d put his weight down, he could have crushed her under him. He shook again, his eyes snapped open and he stared at her.

“Don’t ignore me when I warn you. I almost spilled my seed in your throat.”

“That was the point,” she managed to finally get out.

“I would have choked you. We shoot hard. Don’t you feel me inside you when I come? I could have hurt you.”

She swallowed, wasn’t sure what to say and Brawn suddenly lifted away from her, climbed off the bed and stormed for the bathroom. She watched his na**d, firm ass go and struggled to sit up. Her heart was still racing with the fear that had jolted through her from the sudden body slam on the bed, even though he hadn’t hurt her.

Water ran in the bathroom, cut off and Brawn came stomping back into the bedroom with a wet hand towel. She held out her hand, knew he’d brought it for her, but he stunned her when he sat down, gripped her shoulder and flattened her again.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He began to gently clean her throat and chest with the warm towel. “I didn’t want to hurt you.” He leaned closer. “I loved what you did but you have to pull your mouth away at the end when I warn you.”

Becca wasn’t sure what to say—something that happened a lot with Brawn. “Open your mouth.”

“I barely got a taste before you jerked away. You’re not using that to clean my mouth.”

His lips crushed down on hers, his tongue swept inside her mouth and he threw the wet towel away. Shock hit her at the passion in that kiss. He shifted his body to crouch over her again. He pinned her down without putting weight on her belly and finally broke the kiss. His gaze roamed her body.

“I love seeing you without clothes. You are so pale and soft. So beautiful and soft.”

She frowned. “You said soft twice. Is that your way of telling me that I have a lot of love handles?”

He growled. “No. I like you the way you are.”

Becca’s gaze narrowed. “You like New Species women. They are tall and fit and about as far from me as it gets. I’m soft, as you put it. Pale. Why are you here, Brawn? As if I didn’t already know.”

He frowned. “I want to be with you.”

“Bullshit. You want to be a decent person and I got pregnant. That’s why you’re here but you can be a dad to the baby without being in a relationship with me. You—”

His mouth covered hers. Brawn’s mastery with his kisses soon made her lose the will to fight. He settled more of his weight on her though he was careful to watch how much weight she took and used one hand to cup her breast. She moaned at the rough texture of his palm as he played with her taut nipple. Becca wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Brawn finally pulled his mouth from hers. They were both breathing hard.

“I need you,” he purred.

Becca swallowed and nodded. She needed him too, in the worst way. The guy was addictive as hell—was like kissing a bolt of electricity that turned her on. Brawn lifted away, scooted down the bed and stood at the end. Strong hands gripped her ankles and pulled her body down the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t want to put weight on our baby. I can take you on my knees here with you on the edge of the bed the way we did before. It worked.”

Yes, it did. She kept that to herself.

“I love the way you look. You turn me on.”

Her gaze lowered to his waist and how his c**k pointed at her, remembering that he could recover that quickly. “I see.”

“I’d much rather you feel, beautiful.”

Her stomach clenched and she felt heat spreading between her thighs. He lowered to his knees as his heated gaze took in her body, spread out before him once more. “Open your thighs for me. I want to see you, take my time and taste you again.”

“I am not really, uh, comfortable with you looking that closely at me. I mean, I’m pregnant, Brawn. Last time you took me by surprise but I’ve got stretch marks.”

He frowned. “So?”

“I’ve never really been comfortable showing off my girl parts. In the heat of the moment is one thing but I’m not there yet.”

He bit his lip. “You let other men see your girl parts but you’re denying me now?” He suddenly growled softly and a hint of anger burned within his dark-blue eyes.

Becca bit her lip. “My…hell, I’m just not comfortable with that, all right? My husband wasn’t interested in seeing that and now I’m kind of self-conscious. The other time you didn’t exactly ask my permission and by the time I could think straight, well, it was afterward. Let’s just have sex. I love it when you play with my cl*twhile you’re inside me.”

Brawn frowned. “You were married and he didn’t get you past being shy of being studied and licked?”

She shook her head. “He liked the lights off. This is about as brazen as I get, Brawn. I’m lying here na**d in broad daylight.”

“I don’t want to just look at you. I want to taste you and learn every part of you.”