Her Unexpected Hero (Unexpected Heroes #1)(35)
Author: Melody Anne

“Maybe because I don’t need a man to hold my hand.”

“We all need somebody, Alyssa. Sometimes we’re just too damn headstrong to admit that. Are you really so disgusted with me that you don’t want to give us a chance? What we had that night isn’t something that comes around very often. We were good together then and we could be good together again. You’re different from any other woman I’ve met, and I think that if we gave it a go, we’d be exceptional.”

“So, you want to get involved, get married, have a dozen kids and an endless stretch of sleepless nights?”

A twinkle lit his eyes. “I’m game if you are.”

“Jackson! Can you be serious for once? I don’t have time to play games. In less than five months I’m going to have a screaming, messy, sleep-deprived life. I know what I’m in for. I’m actually looking forward to it. None of my plans include carousing around town with a known playboy who never calls back the next morning.”

“You didn’t leave your number, so you can have no idea if I would have called.”

“Would you have?”

He sat there as if really thinking about it. “I am almost positive I would have.”

“You think you would have? Is it unusual for you to call a woman after you’ve already bedded her?”

“Okay, so I haven’t done it in a long time. But that doesn’t mean a man can’t change.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what it means. The only reason you want to be with me is that I’m some sort of challenge. I unintentionally wounded your poor manhood when I slipped from the hotel room on the first day of the year. Yes, our night was great. Yes, I’ve thought about it,” she said, and a satisfied grin splayed across his face. “No, I don’t want to repeat it.”

That wiped the grin off. Good.

“I think you’re a liar. Whether you’re lying to me or to yourself or to both of us, you are indeed lying. I think you want to spend a lot more nights with me.”

“Even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. I have another person to think about now. I no longer get to meet a stranger on New Year’s Eve, have wild sex, and then disappear. Mothers don’t do that.”

“I know some pretty hot mothers who do indeed do that.”

“Well, they aren’t the ones I’ll be spending my time with at PTA meetings,” she snapped.

“You won’t even know who you’re spending time with at those meetings, darling. Everyone has secrets, and the older we get, the more savvy we are at fooling those around us.”

Jackass. “I’m not your darling, Jackson. You’re going to shoot my blood pressure right through the ceiling if you don’t quit harassing me.”

“Then quit arguing with me. I’ve decided I’m not going away. I like the idea of having a baby around.”

“You don’t get to make that choice.” Those words sent fear spiraling through her. That’s what she was afraid of. She was terrified he wanted to keep the baby around . . . and not her.

“I can make up my own mind, Alyssa.”

“Well, you can’t make my decisions for me. I’ve said it over and over again, and you just won’t listen. Save what little pride you have left and scurry on out of here before I lose what shred of patience I have left.”

“Do you like pizza?”

His change in topic threw her completely. Nothing she was saying had the smallest impact on him. He just sat there looking calm and in control. What would it take to drive this man away? And did she really want to drive him away, or did she just want to see whether he was strong enough to stay? He’d already run off once. What would stop him from leaving again?

“Everyone likes pizza,” she finally huffed.

“Good. I have one on the way.” He picked up her remote and turned the television on.

“We don’t have pizza in Sterling,” she pointed out.

“It’s coming from Billings.”

“What? Who does that, Jackson? Who has pizza delivered from that far away?”

“I wanted pizza, sounded good,” he said nonchalantly. She didn’t even want to think about how much it was costing him to get his pizza.

“I just had breakfast not too long ago.”

“I hear that pregnant women eat a lot.”

“That was rude!”

“How?” He stopped what he was doing to give her his full attention.

“Are you calling me fat?” she said.

“How do you translate my saying pregnant women eat a lot into your being fat?”

The puzzled expression on his face was almost endearing. Almost, not quite.

“Do the math. Eating a lot equals consuming a lot of calories, and that makes you fat.” Did she have to spell everything out?

“I just don’t get women.” He turned back to the TV, ignoring the question and her ranting.

She’d really better come up with a game plan, and soon, or he was going to get his way from simply wearing her down, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.

Alyssa said nothing more as he played with her television remote, flipping through the channels as if he didn’t have a single worry. When he found an action film and settled back in his chair as if it were his freaking room, she almost lost her temper again.

“What. Are. You. Doing. Now?” she finally asked after five entire minutes passed without a word between them.

“Making myself comfortable. I’ll talk to you more when you’re being reasonable,” he said before turning back to the big chase scene.

“That’s it,” she snapped. “And I’ll talk to you when you learn to behave like a civilized human being and not a spoiled jerk who was clearly never taught manners.” She picked up one of her pillows and tossed it straight at his head.

“Thanks, darling,” he said, and he tucked the pillow behind his neck and kicked back just a little bit more.

Fine. If he wanted to hang around her boring room and waste his time, it was a free country. But she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. Grabbing the remote from him, she flipped stations and found Pretty Woman, then leaned back and smiled.

Her triumph was a bit lessened when he didn’t say a word, just watched the romantic comedy without complaint. What would it take to ruffle his feathers? Because he sure as hell knew how to rile her up.

The pizza was delivered a few minutes later, sending Jackson down the stairs to answer the door and bringing him right back to her room with a big cardboard box. When the smell of grease and cheese hit her nostrils, she hated him a little more because she began salivating.