Chapter 14 #2
Later, when they retired, it was difficult keeping his desire at bay, but he had to hold her.
He had slept without her for three nights, and it had been pure torture.
But having her lush curves pressed up against him was another form of torture.
He lay there wide awake, even after his wife had fallen asleep, and had to fight not to give in to his desire.
It was in the early hours of the morning that he finally drifted off.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“The store. I’ve been out for three days.
” She looked up at him as he came into the room while she was trying to decide what to wear.
“What do you think?” She held up a snug-looking, gold-colored cashmere dress in one hand and a winter-green one in the other.
She was only wearing matching black lace panties and a bra that barely covered her breasts.
His sleep-deprived body was not proof against such a thing.
“Neither.”
“What about-”
“You’re staying home.” He had risen early to take a run at the gym in an effort to try to get rid of his enormous appetite for her. So much for that, he thought wryly.
Putting back the dresses in their slots, she fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I’m going in. John cleared me for-”
“You just had surgery. Take another day.” He headed for the bathroom and wished fervently that he had showered downstairs.
She followed him, her seductive scent in his nostrils. Before he could slam the door shut, she marched in behind him.
“I had surgery three days ago. Brant, I have a business to run, and you cannot expect me to- you cleaned out the store! I have to go in and make some more orders, and as much as I trust Willow and the others, I know what I want, and my suppliers like to hear from me. I promise to take it easy. I will just sit at my desk and be on the phone the entire time.” She threw up her hands.
“Why am I explaining all of this to you?”
He tugged off his sodden shirt. He had hit the treadmill and the weights with a vengeance. Now he was feeling like he had been run over by a truck. It took everything in him not to whimper.
“Because I am your husband.”
“I’m going in,” she warned.
“All right. Half day.”
“No-”
“Three in the afternoon.” His tone was implacable, warning her that he was not to be swayed. “You leave at that time, darling, or I come and cart you out of there.”
“What can I get done in those few hours?”
“A lot. Now go and get started. The earlier you go in, the more you can get done. The green.”
“What?”
“The dress. Wear the green. It goes well with your complexion.”
“Why, thank you.” Her sarcasm had him grinning.
“I love you!” he called after her.
“Bite me.”
His grin faded when she slammed the door shut. Wincing from the pain, he slowly dragged off his sweats and stepped under the pulsing hot shower, whimpering in relief as the jet sprays pummeled him.
“Honey! Look at you. You’re glowing. And this is after being in the hospital for three days.
You look great.” Juliet circled the desk, admiring the cut of her dress and the diamond earrings in her friend’s lobes.
“You look like a rich man’s wife. Oh, how could I forget?
You’re the wife of a multi-billionaire.” Shaking her head, she sat on the chair in front of the desk.
“Oh, just shut up and let me tell you what that gorgeous and exasperating man did.” With her eyes sparkling, Indigo told her friend what she had come home to the day before. “You knew.” Realizing that her friend did not look in the least bit surprised alerted her.
“Of course I knew. Your man contacted me. He had his mother, your housekeeper, and Willow all working together to find out what you would like. The woman is not a bitch after all. Honey, he’s a keeper.”
The emotions started welling up again and she had to tamp them down ruthlessly.
“I love him.” Indigo shook her head in wonder. “And he truly loves me.”
“You doubted that?”
“Of course. He’s Brant O’Keefe and I know what you’re going to say. That I should stop thinking I’m not good enough. But it’s not only his looks and his money. It’s his reputation as well. And to think he could love someone like me. He bathed me.”
“Come again?”
Pushing aside the purchasing invoice, Indigo leaned her hands on the desk and smiled smugly. “He gave me a bath. It’s not the first time.”
“Bitch,” Juliet muttered mildly. “You sure hit the jackpot, and it could not have happened to a more deserving person. I’m happy for you. Now tell me about this wedding.”
“Oh crap! That reminds me, I need to call his mother.”
A month later, she wasn’t pregnant.
She had been hoping against hope that with the problem fixed, she would have conceived.
But she wasn’t pregnant, and the disappointment was so keen that she felt it deep in her soul.
So, she left the store early and came home.
Barely acknowledging Mrs. Holt, who was in the middle of telling her that she had left some lamb and wild rice in the warmer, she went straight to bed, without taking off her clothes.
That was how Brant found her. Mrs. Holt had called in concern that something was wrong with Ms. Indigo. “She usually stays and chats for a little bit, but she went straight upstairs.”
He told her he would deal with it and wondered if she was being paranoid.
His wife was tired. Next month they were getting married, and she was in the middle of planning a wedding along with his mother and the wedding planners.
And her store was very busy. It was spring, and people were shopping like crazy.
Crossing the room, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the sheets down. She had been crying.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Indigo.”
“It’s nothing.” She wiped her hand across her cheeks. “Are you hungry? I think there’s lamb chops-”
“I don’t give a damn about that. Start talking now. What the hell is it this time?”
Sitting up, she dragged the sheets around her. “I got my period today.”
His brows lifted. “All right. And you’re in pain.” He should have realized it. “I’ll get some medication-”
“No.” She grabbed his arm before he could move.
“I’m not in pain. At least, not like before.
I haven’t vomited-” She paused and wondered at that for a second.
She had not even thought about it. It hadn’t even entered her mind that she was not experiencing any of the usual symptoms, and that it did not matter.
“It was just some minor cramps, and I took something before I left the store.”
“Then what is it? What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath before responding. “I’m not pregnant.”
He simply stared at her blankly. “Come again?”
Letting her hand drop from his arm, she plucked at the sheets and avoided his eyes. “I’m not pregnant.”
Brant could not believe what he was hearing!
“Let me see if I understand what you’re saying.
A month ago, you had corrective surgery and now, thank goodness, you’re not on the floor writhing in excruciating pain and puking your stomach lining out, but you’re crying because you’re not pregnant. Is that right?”
When he put it like that, she felt small and foolish, and ungrateful.
“I thought I would be. What if I can’t get pregnant? What if-” her voice petered off when he rose.
“I’m going to take off this suit and the tie that is strangling my neck and then I’m going to take a shower.
After that, I’m going downstairs to bring the meal up.
It’s a beautiful evening and I was thinking we could eat out on the balcony to enjoy the evidence of spring.
When I come back, I want to see you in something comfortable and ready to sit out on the balcony with me, partaking of the meal.
” The mild tone disappeared as he speared her with a look, tawny eyes glittering.
“It’s only been a month, a goddamned month.
I would like you to put it away right now and enjoy the evening with me.
If not, I would prefer to dine alone.” With that, he bounded down the steps and headed toward the bathroom.
Huffing out a breath, she glared after him, her tears drying up and her anger surfacing. What would he know? she thought peevishly. He had nothing to worry about. He wasn’t the one who would not be able to produce a child. He was virile enough to produce ten children.
Then it struck her that he was right. Here she was, crying over something too trivial for words. It was just a month, and there was still plenty of time for her to get pregnant. Sighing softly, she pushed the sheets off her and went into the closet to choose something to put on.
When he came back with the meal, he was relieved to see that she had changed into leggings and an oversized pink-and-white shirt and was setting the table.
“I think the white will go very well with the meal,” she said quietly as soon as he placed the tray in the middle of the table. She walked over and wrapped her hands around his neck.
“I’m an idiot.”
“Not my wife.” Placing his hands around her waist, he nuzzled her lips. “Never my wife.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I know it. Let’s eat.”