“I’m not going to marry you, Jake,” she said, and then with a confused shake of her head, “Of all the people in the world, I wouldn’t have expected this from you.”

How could she not understand that his upbringing was exactly why being a part of his child’s life would be so important to him? Just because she was pregnant with a kid he hadn’t planned on ever having didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t going to let that child grow up without knowing his father.

“You’re pregnant with my kid.” He reached for her, putting his hands on her shoulders before she could get any farther from him. This was his chance to finally claim everything he’d ever wanted. Not just Sophie, but a family. “My kid, Sophie. You can’t keep it from me.”

“No,” she said, tense beneath his grip, “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“It’s exactly what you’re threatening.”

She shook her head, but she didn’t try to pull out of his arms. “I’m not. I swear I’m not. I’m just trying to let you off the hook.”

“Fuck being let off the hook.”

She flinched at his foul language and Jake nearly cursed again as the thought of losing Sophie already tore his guts to shreds. But losing his child too?

Not a chance.

Jake’s desperation to keep them both took precedence over everything else.

“One week.”

“What?”

“I want one week to convince you to marry me.”

“You seriously think you can convince me to marry you in seven days? You must be the most arrogant, self-absorbed—” She stopped mid-insult, clearly trying to regain control. She took a deep breath. “Look, if you want to be a part of your child’s life, I’m not going to keep him or her from you. But you and I both know we don’t have to get married to be involved parents. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this...or how you could possibly think I'm going to agree to your demands.”

Because just a handful of hours with you in my arms made it so I can hardly remember what my life was like before you. I only know it wasn’t any good.

Growing up, Jake’s neighborhood had been rough enough that he’d quickly learned to do whatever he had to do to make sure he walked away in one piece. Right, wrong, none of that mattered when your life was on the line.

This time, three lives were on the line—his, Sophie’s, and their child’s—and he’d fight as dirty as he had to for them.

“You’re the one who came to my house in Napa and took your clothes off.” He let his reminder of who seduced whom sink in before saying, “You owe me at least seven days.”

Sophie stared at him for a long moment, long enough that he knew he had her right where he wanted her. Finally.

“If I say yes, at the end of the week you’ll agree to do this my way?”

No. He’d never be able to do that, could never in a million years not claim his baby or the mother of his child. But it wouldn’t help his cause if she knew that going in.

Knowing he needed the week to work his magic, he nodded, just one more lie to add on top of the pile. But he wasn’t done playing dirty yet, not when he knew using their sexual connection was his best chance to get her to change her mind. Even if he burned in hell for it.

“The bed is part of the deal, Sophie. It’s non-negotiable.”

“Obviously,” she replied, shocking the hell out of him, yet again. “We’ll have a bunch of sex for a week and then you’ll leave again and I’ll deal with the rest of my life.” She shrugged as if she couldn’t have cared less about it either way.

Jake belatedly realized his misstep. At the end of the week, Sophie was going to use all the great sex they were bound to have to prove that’s all there was between them. He’d never had to prove the opposite to a woman, had never wanted to.

It was one heck of a situation. Especially considering, he knew now, that it didn’t matter how hard he tried not to touch her. He was barely going to make it another seven minutes, let alone seven days, without making love to her again.

“So we’re agreed?”

“Fine.” The one word from her mouth held a world of irritation. “I’ll give you seven days, but you can’t tell anyone in my family about us. About the baby.”

It made sense that none of them knew. Because if they did, her brothers would already have hunted him down. And killed him.

“Does anyone know apart from the two of us?”

“Only Lori. She wanted to do terrible things to you when she found out. Still does, actually.”

It would definitely be easier for him to win her over in seven days if her family wasn’t constantly interfering in their business, especially if her brothers put him in a full body cast. But Sophie’s keeping something so big, so important from the family that meant everything to her, didn’t sit right with Jake.

“You look different.” Glowing. “Your mother will take one look at you and know.”

Her face went white again. “Oh God, you’re right. I won’t see her.” He could see her trying to convince herself that what she was doing was okay. “It’s just a week.”

The seven days she’d promised him started ticking like a time bomb, laughing at him as he tried to figure out a way to turn it off before it detonated. They’d talk about her family later. Right now he had the mother of his child to win over.

“Have you eaten?”

“This morning.”

It was late, way past when she should have eaten dinner. “You’ve got to think about more than yourself now.”

“Are you accusing me of doing something to harm—”

He cut her off. “No. I just want to make sure you eat. Sit down,” he said, pointing to one of his bar stools. “I’ll make you dinner.”

“I thought you were needed at the pub,” she said, throwing his earlier words back in his face. She turned and headed for the front door.

Jake didn’t think before reaching out and pulling her against him. He knew being held by him was the very last thing she wanted, but she belonged in his arms.

“Seven days starts now.”

Chapter Eleven

Some things were way too weird for Sophie to get her head around. Like the fact that after all these years of wishing and hoping and dreaming, she was finally sitting in Jake’s kitchen.

Where he was cooking her dinner.