Chapter 21
Raj watched as Helen walked down the hallway towards Angela’s bedroom to put Angela into bed for an afternoon nap. She was so damn elegant and yet, there was a sensuousness to her stride that always captured his attention. Helen could fit perfectly into his life, if he could figure out how to convince her to give them a chance. He knew they could have a future together, if only he could cut through that wall that surrounded her now.
Was it because she knew who he was? Five years ago, there hadn’t been a wall when they’d come together. It had been hot, passionate sex. Now that their daughter was in the picture, a relationship was…both more complicated and simpler.
In his mind, it made sense for them to get back together and figure out how to move forward as a family. But Raj could understand why Helen was wary this time around. He remembered talking to Tila about how terrified she’d been after she’d discovered that she was pregnant with twins. Raj assumed that even a single child pregnancy would be scary.
So, he was going to figure this out. Slow and steady, step by step, he would unravel Helen’s fears and help her work through them.
“She’s down for an hour, maybe two,” Helen said, reemerging from the hallway. She stood in the great room, looking awkward. Raj considered talking to her about their relationship, but the fatigue and wariness in her eyes warned him to hold off.
Instead, he gestured to the coffee table where a top of the line computer had been delivered while they were out. The technical-computer gurus had set everything up so that all she had to do was log in and start searching.
“A secure computer was delivered. Why don’t you do your research while I make some calls?” he suggested.
Helen hesitated, then nodded. Her movements were a bit jerky, but she moved towards the sofa and perched on the edge.
Raj watched her for a moment, thinking that Helen looked delectable. In the past, he would have walked over and started nibbling on Helen’s neck, whispering all the things he wanted to do to her into her ear. She would turn and give him that sultry smile and they would have been in bed and naked within moments.
Not on the agenda now, he reminded himself.
“I’ll be in the office down the hall if you need me for anything,” he told her. Then Raj shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the door. For a moment, he wondered if she would be more comfortable in the office. But when he turned back to look at her, Helen had already snuggled into the thick cushions of the sofa, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
Raj wanted to know what she was looking up, but the intense concentration on her face warned him that she was already hard at work. He didn’t want to distract her so he forced his feet to carry him to the office.