The Proposition (The Proposition #1)(20)

She laughed. “Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald. Think you could let me down now? I’m going to have tile burn.”

His eyes widened. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

When she was back on her feet, her legs felt rubbery like they might not hold her. Their position wasn’t actually on the “to do” list of conceiving, so she knew she needed to get back to bed. “I better go lie down.”

“For the boys,” he mused with a grin.

“Yes, for the boys.”

After grabbing a towel, she stumbled out of the shower and wobbled into the bedroom. Drying off quickly, Emma grabbed the nightgown she had stowed in her purse and slid it over her head. A glance at the clock on the nightstand showed it was after midnight. She yawned and wondered how she was going to get up in the morning for work. Turning back the sheets, she slipped into the bed.

Aidan stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Self-consciously, she clutched the sheet around her. “Did I wear you out?” he asked, with a grin.

A shy smile curved on her lips. “A little,” she replied. She couldn’t bring herself to turn away when he dropped the towel and slid on his underwear. But then her heart sank as he started to reach for his pants. “Aren’t you staying?”

He turned back to her. “I hadn’t planned on it really. But you can. The room’s covered for the night.”

“Oh,” she murmured, unable to hide her disappointment.

She felt the heat of Aidan’s stare before he drew in a ragged breath. The bed sagged under his weight when he sat down. “Em, you knew what kind of man I was before we got into this. I don’t usually—”

“No, it’s fine.”

“You sure as hell don’t sound or look fine about it.”

“It’s just you just threw me for a loop with the lingerie and champagne. It all became less business-like and more...” She shook her head. “But I get it now. It’s always going to be just sex with you.”

Aidan groaned and ran a hand through his wet hair. “I should have realized this would happen,” he muttered.

“I’m fine, okay?” At his skeptical look, she sighed. “This is all a whacked out emotional roller coaster for me, and I’m sorry. I’m sure you hate women who get all demanding and emotional.”

He grimaced. “Sometimes.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I figured as much.”

“Actually, it’s me I hate this time for leading you on.” With a frustrated grunt, he dropped his pants and started back to the bed. When his hand gripped the sheet, she jerked her head up in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“What the hell does it look like I’m doing? I’m coming to bed,” he grumbled.

“But I thought—”

“I guess since you’re going to be the mother of my child, I can make an exception in your case.”

A strangled cry erupted from her lips. The last thing she wanted from him was pity. The moment Aidan got into bed she edged as far away from him as possible. In a huff, she twisted around in the sheets, leaving him in the cold in more ways than one.

“Em?” When she refused to answer him, he scooted across the mattress to her. “Why are you so pissed off? I’m staying, aren’t I?”

Emma turned back to glare at him. “I don’t want you to stay out of obligation or pity, Aidan. I want you to stay because you wanted to.”

“Fuck. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I just meant that I should stay since you were different than the others…someone special.”

She momentarily softened her expression. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Okay, then.”

“Can I have some cover now? I’m freezing my ass off.”

“Of course. I mean, we can’t have anything happening to that fabulous ass of yours now can we?”

“That mouth of yours is trouble,” he mused, as he slid under the covers. Surprise flooded her when he spooned up against her, and she couldn’t keep the satisfied sigh from escaping her lips.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, warming Emma’s face. She rolled over, shielding her eyes with her arm. For a moment, she forgot she wasn’t in the comforts of her own bed. And then the revelation hit her. She was in a king sized bed in the Honeymoon Suite at the Grand Hyatt.

When she turned over, she found Aidan had already left, without a goodbye. A pang of sadness crisscrossed its way through her chest, but she tried reasoning with herself that it was already almost miraculous he had stayed the night. She couldn’t expect for someone like him to wake her and give her a good-bye kiss. It was way out of his realm of understanding.

She glanced over at the clock and saw it was after seven. If she wanted to make it to work on time, she knew she needed to get going. Slipping on her dress from the night before, she lamented she hadn’t thought ahead of bringing something else to wear. At almost thirty, she had never experienced a walk of shame before, and now she would have one. After all, who in the world wore chiffon at seven in the morning?

Thankfully, the hallway was silent as she hurried down the floral carpeting to the elevators. When she got downstairs, only the hotel staff milled around in the lobby. She tried holding her head high as she passed them. She managed to keep her dignity until she gave the valet her ticket. He eyed her attire and rumpled hair and a knowing smile etched across his face. “One minute, ma’am.”