it out of his clutches, he raised it above his head. Mallory was taller than most women, but Whit was taller than many men. And he was stronger and quicker, something she realized when he clasped both her wrists in one large hand and held the paper up to read it.
His grin arrived slowly. “‘Deciding Your Baby’s Gender the Old Fashioned Way?’”
When he loosened his grip, Mallory took advantage and yanked the page from his hand. “It’s just a few tips,” she said as she folded the paper into a small square and shoved it into her jeans’ pocket. “Something I found interesting.”
He leaned a hip against the counter and deepened his grin. “You found it on the Internet.”
Mallory turned back to the stove and stirred the veggies that didn’t need stirring. “Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Not a problem, but I am surprised.”
She afforded him a quick glance. “Why? It’s good to be prepared.”
“I agree, and I expected you to find some kind of how-to guide because that’s in line with your personality. But relying on old wives’ tales? That shocks the hell out of me. And honestly, I don’t believe any of it.”
“As I’ve said before, sometimes the old ways are the best ways. And you might as well face it, you don’t know everything about me.”
“But I plan to.”
That drew her attention to his face, particularly his trademark grin. “A girl has to have some secrets, Whit.”
“And a guy has ways of uncovering them, one by one.”
A shiver scanned the length of Mallory’s spine. “You wish.”
“I know.”
Greatly needing a subject change, Mallory told him, “Speaking of making babies, go look on my bed. I bought something for you today.”
“If it’s performance enhancers, I don’t need them.”
Mallory considered that she might need them when coming up against Whit Manning’s talents. “I bought you some boxers.”
His smile withered into a scowl. “I prefer briefs.”
“It’s only temporary. You can go back to wearing whatever you like after…you know.”
He inched closer to her side. “After we procreate?”
“Yes.”
“Mind if I ask why this is necessary?”
Mallory shrugged. “Supposedly it’s best if you’re somewhat unencumbered.”
“What if I just wear nothing at all?” He grinned again. “You know what they say, if you love them, set them free.”
Mallory laughed but it ended abruptly when his hand went to the knot on the towel. “Don’t you dare!”
“Why not? I could just walk around the house naked and unencumbered.”
A really nice idea, Mallory decided, before jerking herself back into reality. “Not a good idea, Whit.” At least not yet.
He folded his arms across his chest, enhancing the bulk of his biceps. “Does this have something to do with that list?”
“Yes.”
“Wearing boxers helps determine the sex of a baby?”
“That’s what they say.”
“They being who?”
“The people who came up with the list.”
He rubbed his chin. “Just one more question. You hoping for a boy or a girl?”
“Actually, a girl.”
“What if I want a son?”
That macho attitude didn’t surprise Mallory a bit. “You have a fifty-fifty chance.”
He pointed at her pocket. “Aren’t you stacking the odds against my choice by using those tips?”
She smiled. “I thought you didn’t believe in them.”
“I don’t, but I’d prefer not to take any chances, just in case.”
Mallory decided to use the one thing men always seemed to relate to—the act itself. “I get to be on top.”
“Guess we’ll have a girl then.”
They exchanged a brief smile before the moment turned rife with tension. The kind of tension that came with the tug and pull of desire. Mallory saw it in Whit’s dark eyes—a powerful, dangerous kind of desire.
He took her hand and rubbed her knuckles over his shadowed jaw. “After dinner, are you interested in priming the pump?”
She forced her eyes to remain on his face, focusing on the single strand of damp hair falling across his forehead. “My pump or yours?”
“Both.”
Avoiding Whit’s continued perusal, Mallory pulled out of his grasp and turned back to the stove. “Go try on your boxers and I’ll put dinner on the table. I thought we would eat out on the verandah since it’s such a nice night.”
He patted her bottom and she jumped like a freaked-out frog. “You do that.”
After he left, Mallory went through the motions in a haze, filling the plates and setting them out on the round, glass-topped patio table situated on the balcony beneath a blue-striped umbrella. As the largest in the building, Whit’s loft spanned a good deal of the ninth floor, and the wall of windows in the living room, as well as the balcony, provided a breathtaking view of the street below lined with sports bars and shops, the lights of the downtown skyline twinkling in the distance.
Mallory strolled to the railing to survey the coral sunset, her favorite time of day and her favorite scene. Yet the familiar atmosphere seemed somewhat surreal this evening. Things were changing between her and Whit; that much she knew. She supposed preparing to have sex with a man, according to a well laid-out plan, would present some changes—and challenges. She had to keep everything in perspective. Had to remember this was Whit, her friend. Her roommate. Nothing more would exist between them. Nothing could.
Granted, Whit was a great guy, but he was also a player. She’d made the fatal mistake of marrying one of those before. She wouldn’t make the mistake of falling for another, no matter how tempting Whit Manning might be. Even if she found the courage to go anywhere he might take her in terms of lovemaking. Considering past experience, she wasn’t certain she could.
Tucking that little reminder away for the time being, Mallory sat down and waited for Whit’s return. Several minutes passed before he appeared at the sliding glass doors leading into the den, wearing the boxers she’d bought on her lunch hour.
A giggle bubbled up in her throat and rushed out on a full-fledged laugh. Whit, on the other hand, did not look amused. But he did look cute as could be in the red thigh-length drawers, a bright yellow happy face centered strategically over the fly.
He looked down, then up again. “You’re kidding, right?”
Mallory let another little laugh slip out before she asked, “You don’t like them?”
“I look like a joke.”
He looked like a dream come to life, as far as Mallory was concerned. “Who’s going to see them?”
“Since we’re nine floors up, probably no one. But if I wear them to work, the guys will see them.”
Mallory drummed her fingers on the table’s edge. “Not unless you plan to go to the office without your slacks.” That pleasant image slipped into her brain—Whit wearing his dress shirt and nothing else. And she was really losing her grip on reality.
Whit rubbed