and willing to do anything on a bet. Not a recipe for happiness.
An unexpected pang of loneliness startled him. Damn. He didn’t want to miss his brother, but it seemed that he didn’t have a choice. Just when he least expected it, he found himself wanting to tell Jimmy something. Like now. His brother would think the entire situation was a badass joke.
Or would he? Maybe Jimmy would resent Dev stepping in for him—taking what should have been his.
As he climbed from the car, Noelle burst out of the front of the house.
“You’re here,” she said as she approached.
“Did you doubt me?”
“I thought about running away,” she said with a smile that didn’t erase the fear in her eyes. “I can only imagine what you’ve been through.” She glanced back at the house. “Okay, everyone is here. It’s just a barbecue, right? No big deal. My parents are really nice. My sisters will try to torture you, but don’t let them. I’m pretty sure I’ve already told you everything you need to know.” She bit her lower lip. “Do you think we can fake them out? I don’t know if I can. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m afraid I’ll throw up.”
She was the most honest woman he’d ever known, he thought humorously. No one else he’d ever dated would have confessed any of that—especially the throwing up part.
She looked pretty in a pale summer dress, with her long hair in a loose disarray of curls. Her eyes were dark with apprehension and her mouth trembled.
His gaze settled on her lips, and without thinking, he bent down and kissed her. The light touch was meant only to distract her, although he enjoyed the brief sensation of softness and heat, and wouldn’t mind repeating it. Not that he would.
Apparently it worked because confusion and shock replaced the fear.
“You kissed me,” she said as if she could barely believe it.
“Is that a problem?”
“What? No. It’s good, in case anyone was watching.”
“Now breathe and relax. We’ll be fine.”
Fine? Fine? Noelle could think of a lot of words, but fine wasn’t one of them. Devlin Hunter had kissed her. On the lips. And she’d liked it.
Oh, sure, it obviously hadn’t been significant, but still. Now he’d taken her hand in his and they were walking toward the house.
The handholding, like the kiss, didn’t mean anything. From what she’d seen so far, he was a man who liked to touch. That was good to know because when the baby came he or she was going to need a lot of physical contact. She liked that Dev wouldn’t be a standoffish father. The fact that his almost brotherly kiss had caused her brain to shut down was immaterial. And strange.
As they reached the front door, she had the sudden horrifying thought that there was the tiniest possibility that she was attracted to Dev. But she’d been dating Jimmy and was carrying Jimmy’s baby. And Dev was only doing this to take responsibility—something he did on a regular basis.
They had a very logical, well-thought-out agreement. There was no way she was going to muddle that by being attracted to him. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t what she wanted.
Just a fluke, she told herself. Nothing more. And as of this exact moment, it would never happen again.
Chapter Four
Noelle hyperventilated all the way to the front door. She was nervous and scared and still wondering about the kiss. But before she could pick a dominant emotion, they were in the house, and Tiffany, the baby of the family and already annoying at fifteen, yelled, “Noelle’s boyfriend is here, Mom.”
Dev squeezed her fingers in reassurance. At least that’s what she thought it was. That or he was expecting her to bolt and he was doing his best to keep her in place.
Noelle led him through the living room, into the kitchen, where her mother stood chopping vegetables for a salad.
“Mom, this is Devlin Hunter,” Noelle said, then swallowed. “Dev, my mother. Jane Stevenson.”
“Mrs. Stevenson,” Dev said easily and offered her mother his right hand.
Noelle’s mother looked up. Her eyes widened slightly in shock, then she smiled and shook hands with him. “Nice to meet you, Dev. Welcome. Please call me Jane. I hope you like chicken and burgers.”
“Who doesn’t?” he asked easily.
Her mother glanced at Noelle. “Your father is in the yard. Go on and introduce Dev. Then you can come back and help me with the rest of the food.”
Noelle nodded and walked Dev through the kitchen and laundry room, then out into the backyard.
Her father stood by a large barbecue. He had on a ridiculous chef’s hat and an apron that said in bold green letters, “I’m Irish. Kiss the cook.”
“That doesn’t apply to you,” she murmured in Dev’s ear.
“Good to know. I have to draw a line somewhere.”
That made her laugh, so for a second she forgot to be terrified as she introduced Dev to her father.
“Daddy, this is Devlin Hunter. Dev, my father, Robert Stevenson.”
Dev released her hand and nodded at her father. “Sir.”
Her dad raised his eyebrows. “I like the sir part, but Bob is fine. Unless you’d like to call me Sir Bob.”
Dev grinned. “Is it important to you?”
“I can live without it.”
There was a large shriek from the edge of the pool. Noelle turned and saw eight or ten teenaged girls either in the pool or lying around it.
“My sisters,” she said with a sigh. “And some of their friends. I’ll bore you with them later.”
“Good idea,” her father told her. “Don’t frighten him off just yet. Let’s lull him into a false sense of security and then we’ll let the girls loose.” He glanced at Dev. “Want a beer?”
Dev’s surprise was obvious. Her father laughed.
“Yes, I can be a pastor and still drink beer.”
“Good to know. Whatever you’re having.”
Her father held up his can.
“I’ll get it,” Noelle said and hurried back inside the house.
She found her mother still making salad, but as soon as she entered the kitchen, her mother turned on her.
“You said you were dating a guy from work, Noelle. I thought you mean someone stocking shelves or something. He’s the president of the company.”
Her heart sank. Were
