Page 135 of Hot & Heavy

Can we go back and get a cheeseburger, French fries and a chocolate milk shake? Oh, you are a tyrant to starve me so!"

He stopped abruptly.

She ran into him.

"Where are you living?"

He could see that she considered not telling him, but she must have noticed the "No mercy" expression on his face. She gave him the address, which was only two blocks away. Yep, Alison and Ragnor had a lot to answer for. He recognized the address as Allie's old second-floor apartment in a Coronado Victorian house.

He began pulling her along again, walking briskly. When they got to the house, she asked, "Are you going to beat me? If you even try, I swear I will kill you… mayhap not right away… but sometime in your sleep perhaps."

He still held her hand firmly, but he put the other hand to her cheek and said, "Oh, Maddie, don't you know? I would never, ever hit you. Never."

"Well, I don't understand what all the hurry is about, then," she grumbled as they made their way up the stairs.

"Sweetheart, I am pretty damn sure I am going to make your day."

Pink or blue, baby…

Ian had lost his mind.

That was the only conclusion Madrene could come to as he shoved her inside her apartment and tugged her toward the bathing chamber. "Pee in this cup," he said, handing her one of those disposable cups that hung in a special case on the wall.

"I beg your pardon." He must have gone barmy. 'Tis my fault. I made him demented.

"Pee in the damn cup." He had the nerve then to lift her skirt, pull down her panties and shove her onto the toy-let seat. Then he shoved the cup between her legs.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Undoubtedly. I'm not leaving till you do it."

Despite her mortification, she did as he ordered. "You'd better not be planning that perverted thing in bedsport that they did on Sex and the City. There are some things that I will not do. For a certainty, that crosses the line."

His mouth gaped open like a blowfish, and then he laughed.

After she got up and adjusted her clothing and washed her hands, he barred her from leaving. "What is going on with you?" she asked.

He had taken out the box he'd purchased downtown. It had the letters E, P and T on it. She tried to sound it out, but the word made no sense.

Taking an object out of the box, he stuck it in the urine. He truly is demented. Should I suggest he see a head doctor?

Then he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly to him. In a voice so soft she hardly heard him, he whispered against her ear, "I think you're pregnant. This is a test that will tell us for sure."

"No!" she cried out, trying to struggle out of his embrace. "It is so cruel of you to tease me on that subject. How could you? How could you?" Madrene's legs gave way, and her heart nigh burst with agony.

He still held her tightly, making soothing noises as he stroked her hair. "You've asked me to believe in miracles… time-travel, for God's sake. Can't you believe in miracles, too?"

"Do not do this to me. I beg you," she cried.

"If time-travel could happen, maybe you're not barren like you think, or at least not with me."

She was sobbing loudly now. The pain was crushing her lungs. She could barely breathe.

Ian was no better.

He was taking a huge gamble. He could see how badly Maddie was taking his suggestion, but he had to go on. This might very well be a make-or-break point in their relationship. Hey, Lord, if You're up there, I could use a little help. Please don't let me have set her up for a crushing disappointment.

"Where's my brave girl who fights off Viking invaders, Arab sultans and Navy SEALs? She doesn't even have the nerve to take a pregnancy test? I don't think so!"