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bother you again.”
     
    She heard the truth of his words, the utter sincerity of his voice. Hope saw her namesake in his eyes. She closed her eyes, desperation flowing through her. If only she could believe him. So many times she’d been wrong. Doubt niggled at the back of her mind. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.
     
    “I have to say I hate it when you abuse your bottom lip.” His breath brushed her skin.
     
    Her eyes flew open in time to see him lower his head. His mouth was on hers. He sucked her lower lip between his and soothed the sting her teeth left on her flesh with his tongue, gliding it back and forth across her delicate skin. She slid her hands up his chest and over the curve of his shoulders as he bent to compensate for the difference in their heights. His kiss intensified as he slipped his tongue deeper into her mouth. She combed her fingers through his hair, enjoying the softness of his locks gliding between them. He skimmed his hands down her arms and slipped them around her waist. Lucas straightened, pulling her up off her feet and up against his body. She dug her fingertips into his shoulders and broke the kiss, giggling. With her belly between them, all she felt were the tight muscles of his abdomen.
     
    “What’s so funny?” he whispered against her cheek.
     
    “I’m pregnant.” Giddiness filled her.
     
    “Babe, that’s obvious.”
     
    “No, I mean being intimate with you is impossible.” She released his shoulders.
     
    “And this makes you happy?” Confusion marred his voice.
     
    “No, actually it doesn’t.” The roller coaster that had become her emotions took a dip and she quickly deflated.
     
    “Tell me what you want, Hope.” He lowered her to her feet.
     
    “I don’t want to hurt if we can’t make this work.”
     
    “Do you trust me?”
     
    “More than most.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
     
    “Then trust me with your heart.” He pressed his hand against the left side of her chest. “With your body.” Lucas ran his index finger along the edge of her dress to the deep v between her breasts. “And have faith in us.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Lucas told himself to breathe slowly. When Hope took his hand and led him toward the dark area beyond the living room, he hurriedly went over his technique in his head. Would she like it fast and hard or slow and gentle? He groaned inwardly, shuddering in his shoes like a hormonal teenager certainly wouldn’t inspire confidence. Lucas felt the sheen of sweat coating his face and knew his palms were getting moist. The fact that it had been well over a year since he’d been with a woman had never bothered him until now. He truly hoped it was like riding a bicycle and he hadn’t forgotten how to please a woman.
     
    She flipped the switch as they entered her bedroom and he glanced around before shutting off the lights. Hope turned to face him. The light from the other room shone across a part of her face leaving the other half of her features in shadow.
     
    “Why did you turn off the lights?” she asked softly.
     
    “My leg, I’ll have to take it off.” Flashes of Michelle and her reaction to his mangled body raced through his mind.
     
    “So?”
     
    “Watching me take off a leg will kill the mood for sure.”
     
    “Couldn’t be any worse than watching me undress. Believe me it’s not pretty.” She reached past him and flicked the toggle. Hope squeezed his hand and the side of her mouth kicked up in a half grin. “You asked me to trust you, now I’m asking you to do the same.”
     
    He was still staring at her when she started to turn away from him and suddenly froze. “Shit.”
     
    She released his hand and hurried over to the clothing-laden bed. Outfits were strewn over the mattress’s side, on the floor, and she was draping the various pieces over the crook of her arm.
     
    “I created this mess when I was trying to find something to wear this morning.” She glanced up at him when