Against the Sky by Kat Martin

as he walked around the house made her want him, made her remember those long, purposeful strides that had attracted her before. And those eyes, as blue as a sky in summer. Eyes that should have been cool but instead seemed to burn with an inner heat.
    He was the kind of man who touched easily and without conscious thought, the kind who made a woman feel protected and desired. She remembered the taste of him, the feel of his heavy weight pressing her down in the mattress, of his hard length moving inside her. She thought of the heat and the pleasure, and dampness settled in her core.
    Clearly being pregnant didn’t destroy a woman’s sexual desires, or at least not at this early stage.
    Samantha shifted beneath the sheet, the cool fabric abrading her nipples, which had peaked just thinking about Nick’s mouth closing over them. Her womb clenched. She wanted Nick Brodie just as she had from the moment he had appeared in that Las Vegas hallway.
    And yet she needed more from him now than just sexual gratification. She needed to know him, trust him. She had to think of the tiny being growing inside her that would one day become his child.
    Samantha sighed into the darkness. She couldn’t help thinking of how Nick had handled the situation last night with the boy, Jimmy Evans. Nick had been calm and collected, strong and steady for Mary, but under it all, she had sensed his deep concern.
    Nick had been just as relieved as Mary when the boy had walked back into the house unharmed, except for a few cuts and bruises. His concern had surfaced when he had taken a stand with the boy, who clearly needed direction from an older male figure now that his father was gone.
    So far Samantha had seen nothing in Nick Brodie’s behavior that would lead her to believe he would be anything but a responsible parent.
    Then again, few men were happy to have such a huge responsibility thrust upon them by a woman they barely knew.
    Samantha heard movement in the bedroom next to hers. Nick was awake, just as he’d said. How long would she be able to resist the urge to go to him, offer him her body as she had before?
    But a sexual relationship would change the dynamic between them, alter her perception in any number of ways. She needed time.
    Samantha plumped her pillow, put it over her head, and tried not to wish Nick would storm through the door and demand a place in her bed.

Chapter Nine
    The aluminum boat rocked as Nick pulled the cord on the motor and the small outboard engine sputtered to life. He grabbed the handle and began to steer the boat toward a different fishing hole, one that he and Jimmy favored. The lake was smooth as glass, just the frothy wake of the propellers behind them, and the occasional silver flash of a fish in the water ahead of them. A cool breeze whispered through the trees along the shore.
    Sitting in the bow, rod and reel in hand, the boy had been quiet all morning. Nick hadn’t pressed him, just let him ease into the quiet rhythm of two men fishing, relaxing and enjoying the day.
    It was one of those crisp fall mornings that were golden in Alaska, the leaves brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, the sky a cerulean blue, not a cloud in sight.
    If it weren’t for the serious expression on Jimmy’s puffy, battered face, Nick might have wished he’d brought Samantha along.
    He cut the engine, let the boat drift closer to shore, into a spot where the branches of the trees hung over the water, and rocks on the shoreline provided habitat for grayling or rainbow trout.
    Jimmy cast his line into the water like a pro. He’d been fishing since he was a little boy. Nick cast his own line, let it sink into the water.
    â€œHow’s your face?” he asked casually.
    â€œIt’s okay.”
    â€œHow’d the other kid look?”
    Jimmy just shrugged.
    â€œWhat were you guys fighting about?”
    Jimmy drilled him with a look. “You said we didn’t have to