Moonlighter (The Company, #1)(40)

“Did you hear any of that?”

“All of it,” she nods. “Thank you for playing Bad Cop.”

I slap my chest. “I think it comes naturally to me.”

But my joke doesn’t seem to put her at ease. In fact, she looks pale. “Hey, sit down. Are you shaking?” I guide her toward the edge of the bed.

“I know it’s silly.”

“Not silly,” I argue. “But I’ll admit that I’m a little mystified. I heard you give a tongue lashing to a trio of sexist executives last night. But this needle-dick frightens you? He’s not worth it.”

“I know that, but he could seriously complicate my life. And…” She sighs. “Nobody has ever hit me before. It’s like he burst the bubble I was living in, where my wits were always enough to keep me safe.”

That makes me pause. I forget, sometimes, that not everybody feels physically capable of physically defending themselves. “I know he scares you, but you’re going to be okay. You have the resources to defeat him.”

“I do,” she agrees. “And isn’t that just plain lucky?” She takes the bag and holds it up in the air. “He needs money to make more of these. So I’m going to bribe him. That’s all he ever wanted from me anyway.” She makes a face. “And now he’s going to get millions just for leaving me alone—”

She breaks off at another knock on the door. “I think I know who that is,” I tell her. I pick up the gift bag and take it into the living room. When I look through the peephole, I see Gunnar.

I open the door and give him the bag without a word.

Then I go back to Alex, wrapping an arm around her. “They have to check that bag for bugs.”

“Yikes. I was too wound up to think of that.”

“I got you. Can I ask a stupid question?”

“Sure.”

“Have you thought about just keeping Tatum in the dark? What if you just never told him about the baby?”

“Believe me, I’ve had this fantasy many times. But I can’t disappear to a convent for six months. During my third trimester, I’ll meet with dozens of industry executives. It would get back to him.” She shivers. “I don’t want to spend the next year wondering when he’s gonna turn up asking questions. I have too much on my plate already for that kind of uncertainty.”

“Yeah, okay.” I notice she has a hand spread out on her stomach. I reach down and cover it. “If you want to keep your secret a little longer, don’t make this a habit just yet.”

“You’re right.” She pulls both our hands away.

“What does it feel like anyway?”

“Well, nothing much. At the beginning, I threw up all the time. Now I’m just hungry. But pretty soon I’ll be able to feel the baby move. They say it’s like a little flutter at first.”

“Wow.” Maybe I’m just slow, but up until now, it didn’t really sink in. There aren’t two of us sitting here right now. There are three.

Until Alex stands up suddenly. “We should go to dinner. I just need to put on clothes.”

Not for my sake. The joke is on the tip of my tongue, but for some reason, I hold back my snark. “All right. Let’s go,” I say instead. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

She gives me a weak smile and disappears into the closet.





14





Eric





We dine on a terrace at a restaurant just a couple of miles down the beach from our hotel. I order the freshest sushi I’ve ever had in my life. Alex orders seared salmon because pregnant women aren’t allowed to eat raw fish. But she seems happy, anyway.

Especially when Gunnar texts us both to say that the gift from Tatum is clean. It’s just a fitness band. It doesn’t have evil superpowers.

“I feel like celebrating. What if we walked back?” she asks as I sign the check. “It’s such a nice night, and I spent the day holed up in conference rooms.”

“Sure. Let’s do it.” I don’t think my knee will complain. Much. And I love the beach.

Alex cancels the car that’s waiting for us, and we head down to the shore. The sun is setting, and the tide is going out, so the beach looks like a photo in a travel magazine.

And, fine, it’s the most romantic place I’ve ever been. I’m not the kind of guy who thinks much about romance, but I’d have to be dead not to notice the rosy pink sky and the way the breeze ruffles Alex’s skirt around her bare knees.

She bends down and removes her sandals, dangling them off one finger so she can walk barefoot in the sand. I stop to remove my shoes, as well, and just when I’ve got the first one off, she’s says: “Last one to that funny palm tree is a stink monster.”

Then she takes off running.

Aw, hell. I haven’t lost a race to Alex in twenty-one years, and I don’t plan to start now. I take off after her with one shoe on and one off. My knee complains immediately, but I’m a very competitive man. And, let’s face it, a hell of an athlete. I can outrun a girl even while taking it easy on my knee.

Alex squeaks as I gain on her. The leaning palm tree is within reach, so I dive for it like I’m sliding into home plate. “Yes!” I shout from the still-warm sand. “Guess who’s a stink monster?”