Baby for the Billionaire(42)

The look in his eyes turned hard and dangerous. He would be a formidable enemy. “She did, did she?”

“So you didn’t call her?”

“No.” His gaze focused back on her. “Did you think I had? Is that why you didn’t tell me before now? You’ve been worrying yourself sick about it.”

“No, that’s not it at all. I figured you just wanted to tell her to stay away from you.”

“I’d already told her. And she knows the score. She was just trying to cause trouble.” He stared at her. “And succeeded.”

“No, she didn’t.” Brenda had tried to make her doubt Nick, but in the end she hadn’t succeeded.

Nick’s eyes were razor-sharp. “You’ve been upset all evening. In fact, you haven’t been yourself since Sunday at the party.”

Somehow she held it together. Sunday was when she’d learned what her father had done.

“I told you it’s because of everything else.” She swallowed past her dry throat. “I believe you, Nick. I swear I believe you.”

He studied her face, taking his time to measure her words. Finally a gentle look came into his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Her heart tilted inside her chest.

In the end they stayed for over two hours, talking about nothing much in particular and listening to a folk singer. Sasha could feel the tension easing out of her as the wine took hold.

“I think that did us both good,” Nick said on the drive home.

She leaned her head back against the leather seat and smiled sideways at him. “We should do it more often.”

He chuckled. “I believe you’re slightly drunk, Mrs. Valente.”

“Enough to take the edge off my pain,” she said without thinking.

His scowl was instant. “You’re in pain?”

She bit her lip and thanked heaven he had to concentrate on the road. “I had a headache before,” she lied. “I thought it was going to turn into a migraine.”

He darted a look at her. “Do you often get migraines?”

“No.” But she had the feeling she may well start after all this.

Without warning, he gave a crooked grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll kiss you better if it returns.”

“Then it’ll be worth it.”

“Don’t say things like that when I’m driving,” he pretended to growl.

She just smiled.

They arrived home and he parked the car in the sweeping driveway, but something happened inside her as she watched him come round to open the passenger door. A sense of impending doom centered in her chest. Suddenly she had the feeling this was all coming to an end.

“Come on, milady,” he drawled, holding his hand out.

She vaguely heard him. This moment was far more important than joking or teasing or anything else in this world. God, she loved this man. How could she ever tell him the truth?

She stood up and cupped his face with her hands. “Make love to me, Nick. Make me forget all my headaches.”

He looked down at her, his brows drawing together. “What’s all this about?”

“Nick, don’t talk. I need you tonight. Make me yours.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then must have thought better of it. He released his breath and lowered his head.

After that it seemed like they kissed all the way to the bedroom. And in the bedroom … dear God, in the bedroom … their lovemaking took on a poignancy she was sure Nick felt, too. There was a deeper focus in his eyes as he looked at her. A longer than usual pause as he entered her.

And when he made her his—perhaps for the last time—her heart hurt.





Eleven




Sasha’s pace quickened as she stepped from the elevator and walked toward Nick’s office in the House of Valente building just before noon. Her sense of impending doom from last night had alleviated by the time she woke this morning, making her realize it had mostly been the wine.

But not all.

There was still a heavy feeling inside her that she’d been trying to push aside all morning, and it hadn’t helped that the hours had dragged until it was time to come into the city for the harbor cruise. She’d needed to keep busy.

And she’d needed to see Nick again. Hopefully being with the man she loved would help push away those demons and doubts riding on her shoulder.

“He’s in the conference room,” Nick’s personal assistant said. “I’ll just let him know you’re here.” She went to press the intercom.