Her ni**les were hard against his chest. He wondered if he should wish he couldn’t feel the points of her need against him, or if he should keep on reveling in how good it felt. Being a hedonist at heart, he went with the latter.

She settled in as he pulled her into him, her arms twining around his neck. Heat flashed through him and he didn’t resist the urge to break the kiss and lick up her neck. Sick bastard that he was, the taste of her skin only drove him more crazy. If he didn’t step back now, he’d be taking her to the floor and f**king her right then.

Licking his lips, he stepped back, grabbing the strap of her bag. He needed to rein in his need for her, to savor the little nips he’d taken from that delicious mouth.

Internally he battled with himself. He knew he was pretty f**king smooth with women. He knew they liked him, wanted more of him than he usually was willing or able to give. But this was not the same. She was not just any woman, and while he had no problems using his skills and wiles to woo her, he desperately hoped she saw him as more. Felt as if she did, especially after the engagement party, which had left him with the feeling that she understood him to the bone.

He’d never been so . . . unsure and off balance with a woman before. He wanted to do everything right. Wanted to take it slow, but not too slow. Wanted to ravish and worship every inch of her. It was disconcerting and frustrating. And part of that filled him with the surety that she was worth every little twinge of doubt.

That and the way she looked at him just then as they approached the elevator. She touched her lips with her fingertips and his c**k stirred to life again, just when he’d wrangled it into submission.

“The kiss was real then and it was real just a minute ago. Despite what you might think, I don’t just lay my lips on any old woman.” He could still taste her. “Just ones I find myself unable to stop thinking about.”

She turned, and in two steps he had her backed against a nearby wall. She swallowed hard, blinking up at him. Not afraid. What he saw in her eyes cheered him. Desire.

“I should seek treatment for the need to get you against walls and doors so I can get up on you.” He said it as a tease, but it wasn’t far from the truth.

The need to kiss her coursed through him. But he didn’t give in, instead enjoying the sexual tension.

“Can you drop me at my condo? I bused in today.”

Clearly she hadn’t expected him to say that. Her grin was wry. “Yes, of course.”

And then he dipped his head to take her lips, just a brief breath of a touch. She sighed into it, dizzying him with her response.

His phone rang, and he groaned at the ring tone. Ben’s home number, so he grabbed it and answered.

“If you two even think of leaving this building without coming up here to say hello, I’m going to pout.”

“Hey, Erin.” He looked to Ella. “Erin says she’ll pout if we don’t go up to say hello.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “All right. She’s such a baby.”

Overhearing the jest, Erin laughed and hung up as the car arrived on their floor. As they went inside, she tossed “Yes” back over her shoulder.

“Yes, you’ll go out with me?” Inside the elevator she was so close, so warm. He had sweats on, and in a short period of time, she’d know just how much he liked her being so close and warm.

“Yes, I’d like to go out with you for pizza and beer. It’s my last full day of school and my last day as manager at the café on Friday too, so that’s something else to celebrate.”

“I’ll pick you up at your apartment at seven.” He had to call on years of nonchalance to not sound like a stalker.

Luckily, she smiled. “All right then.”

Erin was in the hall with Todd when they got out. She waved. “Come on in. I just made cookies.”

He hung back, after seeing the look in Todd’s eye. The women went inside.

“What’s up?” he asked Todd quietly.

“Your dad called Ben a few minutes ago. He went to take the call outside, but he hasn’t come back in yet. If I go out, well, Erin will know there’s a problem.”

“On my way. Near the greenhouse?”

Todd nodded, and he headed to his left when everyone else had moved to the open kitchen on the right. He caught sight of his brother standing next to the hot tub enclosure.

“Got a cigarette?” Ben asked when Cope walked outside.

“No. Hang on.” He went back inside, quickly locating the French cigarettes his brother smoked occasionally.

“Here.” He handed over the sleek black case and a lighter. He braced himself, knowing it must have been very bad indeed to drive Ben to smoke.

Ben lit one, looking out over the city. “Dad called.”

“Todd said. What happened?”

“He wanted me to know he’d be happy to start a college fund for the baby.”

Knowing there was more to it than that, Cope leaned against a nearby bench. “That so?”

“Yeah. As long as I get a DNA test to ensure the baby is mine, everything will be just fine.”

Cope blew out his breath. “Jesus. What the f**k? Why would he do that?”

“Mom and I had lunch a few days ago. She wanted to be sure Erin had what she needed. She came to look at the nursery, all that jazz. She must have talked to him about it.” Ben shrugged, but Cope knew his brother’s eyes, and there was pain there, far more than the DNA comment would have caused.