14. Stephie
STEPHIE
I know something is wrong as soon as I walk into Dane’s office.
He’s pacing up and down by the windows, blue sky and blue water of the docks behind him.
The air is charged, like there’s a thunderstorm building.
And when he turns—breathtakingly handsome in his charcoal suit and crisp white shirt—his grey eyes are threatening rain clouds.
He stops moving as I close the door. He’s imposing, framed by the full height windows. Tall. Dark. That jawline is enough to cause damage.
I swallow nervously.
“Hi?” It should be a simple greeting. We’ve done this hundreds of times before, but it’s never felt like this. He doesn’t turn. I gulp. “You called, Mr Bridger?”
He shifts, so he’s regarding me from the side. “You can call me Dane.”
I shake my head. “Not in the office.”
“Yes. Even here.” He scowls. “Because you and I are having a baby together. I don’t want anyone misunderstanding our relationship.”
“Exactly! I’m your employee, and I’m having your heir, but…” My heart thuds because he cannot know how much I wish this wasn’t the extent of what we are to each other.
“That’s another thing we should sort out,” he says darkly.
“Oookaaay?” I draw out the word uncertainly.
“I’m claiming your pregnancy as mine, but it’s not enough.”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
“We should marry.”
I think he’s joking for a moment, or I heard wrong. But then he comes to stand right in front of me, and lowers his massive body until he’s on one knee. We’re face to face. For once.
And his silver eyes are as serious as I’ve ever seen them. He reaches into his suit pocket, and pulls out a small, black velvet covered square box. A ring box.
His hands are shaking slightly as he opens it and reveals the contents. A gold ring with a deep-red stone, surrounded by dozens of smaller clear stones. It’s totally excessive. It’s beautiful.
“A marriage of convenience,” I hear myself say faintly. “Because of the baby?”
He doesn’t reply. Instead, he catches my hand in his. Deftly, he removes the ring and tosses the box away without looking. Then using both hands to hold one of mine, he slowly drags the gold band onto my finger.
The metal is cool, but his hands are warm, and the ring is so lovely, I could weep. It’s not at all unlikely, given how pregnancy is making me. I can’t say anything because my throat has closed from emotion.
If Dane wants me to be his wife, I’ll figure out the way to be the best wife I can for him, even if I never earn his love. I am not the sort of idiot who thinks being close but not quite enough is too painful. I’ll take what I can get, love my baby—our baby—and Dane, and consider myself lucky.
And I’ll live off the memory of the night he made me his, and gave me a baby, and this sweet moment when I can delude myself that he’s proposing because he loves me too.
He rubs his thumb over my knuckles where I’m now wearing his ring.
“Marry me. Be my wife.” It’s not quite a question. Typical of Dane.
I nod, my stupid heart expanding.
“Say it. Say yes,” he demands.
It’s so reminiscent of that night when he wanted me to tell him yes before he split me open and gave me a baby, it makes speaking difficult all over again.
“Yes.” The word comes out as a squeak. I don’t even need “please” this time.
He nods slowly, and I could swear he’s relieved. He laces our fingers together, and squeezes.
“The blood tests are back.” His voice is controlled.
I freeze, my body turning to brittle ice as I realise I’ve delayed too long.
“When were you going to tell me?” he says with deadly calm.
“About what?” I croak. But I know. The shiver over my skin as he strips me naked with his eyes says everything.
“I asked you.” Muscles twitch as he clenches his jaw. “I told you I couldn’t remember that night.”
It takes all my strength not to run. I can see myself, clutching my pregnant belly and sprinting out of the room in a futile attempt to not have this conversation with the father of my child and my billionaire boss.
Most especially with a man who is known for casually murdering anyone who gets in his way.
I think deceiving him about whether we had sex, and then getting pregnant and refusing to terminate probably falls under the second category, judging by his expression.
I’m trembling. The fear pulses through me as I open my mouth and try to come up with an excuse that isn’t a terrible betrayal.
“What happened?” he asks again. He hasn’t let me go. Our fingers are still laced together, the engagement ring mocking me. Was that a trick?
I try to swallow, but my throat is dry as a plant I’ve been tasked with caring for. I don’t know whether to try to back away or say something sensible like, “I love you and please don’t be upset with me, I just really wanted your baby.”
Then my chin is between his forefinger and thumb, and he’s jerked it up so I’m looking into his face. He’s silent for a long beat, and I realise that what I assumed was anger, is torment. He’s in pain.
“Tell me what happened, Stephie. Please.”
And that one word unravels me. He’s only said please to me once before, and my body melts in recollection.
“You said in the morning you couldn’t remember, and I thought you were lying,” I whisper.
“You said you’d been drugged, but you were acting weird.
I assumed you didn’t want it to be awkward, because I’m your employee…
” I trail off, desperate to make him understand, but aware I messed this up.
“You had this expression on your face, like you felt… Guilty? As though you knew that we had sex.”
Dane rubs his thumb over my bottom lip slowly, then releases my chin and slides his fingers up over my cheek, pulling me to him with our clasped hands.
“I thought it was a hallucination.” He pushes his fingers into my hair. “I thought it was impossible. I dreamed that you were in my arms, all night. And I thought I’d done something stupid or terrible, or both,” he admits in a low, tortured voice. “I feared I might have hurt you, or scared you.”
“You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to.”
A relieved smile starts in his eyes and spreads to his mouth. “Good.”
“What do you remember?” I can hardly dare to believe this is real, and Dane’s expression says this is similarly beyond his comprehension.
“You touching me. Us kissing.” His silver eyes dip to my lips. “Feeling you come on my cock, squeezing me like you’d never stop. Flipping you over and fucking you with all the suppressed passion of four years of desire.”
A whimper escapes my throat as he tightens his fist in my hair. “Yes.”
“I remember you saying yes.” He brings our joined hands to the small of my back and pulls me to him. I go easily, of course I do. I raise myself onto tip toes, desperate to be close to him.
“I remember not telling you the things I should. Like how I love you, and I always have.” His breath is warm on my lips.
“How you’re the sunshine in my world, and I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you.
But I need you to be happy, and safe, above all, and if that’s without me…
” He doesn’t complete the sentence, but I understand.
“It’s with you. I can only be truly happy with you.” My heart is so full. I have Dane, and his baby, and he wants us both? This is more than I could ever have dreamed.
He lets out a long, shaky sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me I’m the father when I was back in London?”
I wince. “You were a bit of a dick about it that day. But I should have told you. I’m sorry,” I say, helpless with regret.
“Don’t be.” He shakes his head slowly as he pulls me closer still, and the hard ridge of his erection presses against where our baby is a little bump in my stomach.
“You’re not upset?” A residue of anxiety is there, even as he’s stripping away all my concerns.
“Only that we’ve wasted so much time.” His grey eyes bore into me. “Why did you keep the baby, Stephie?”
“Because I wanted it.” There’s no space for anything but the truth now. “Desperately.”
“Good. Because you and me and our family are what I’ve longed for since you turned up to work for me as a far too young and innocent woman.”
“You wanted me all this time?” I’m gripping him, my hands tightening, and I’m leaning in. It’s so alien that he might have wanted me as much as I craved him. It’s like discovering the stars and the moon and the expanse of the universe. My mind can’t comprehend it.
“Princess.” He shifts his grip to my hair, and I gasp as he pulls my head back.
“I want you on any terms you’ll give. I have a hunger for you that’s infinite.
If you let me, I’ll make you come so many times you’ll beg me to stop.
I’d spoil you until I’m broke. I’ll do anything you ask so long as you’re by my side.
I love you, body and soul. I couldn’t be happier that you’re pregnant with my child, and the fact our baby is biologically mine as well as mine by claim. ”
I whimper and press myself to him even closer, shuddering with happiness.
“You’re both mine.”