She stood on the indoor balcony overlooking the pool and watched him swim laps. Being in the mansion was intimidating. Not only that but she felt as if she was in the lion’s den. Every time Ethan looked at her, she felt her stomach clench with nervous excitement. So far he’d kept his distance to give her time to become accustomed to the idea of them being a couple, but he openly stared at her, almost longingly. His eyes told her he wanted to kiss her again like he did that night. Mya wanted him to, but certainly didn’t approach him. She was a pregnant woman, for God’s sake, and he wanted his money. It was as simple as that. Right now, he saw her as a conquest. Wasn’t that how playboys worked? You’re as good as the next big game? Either way, she had no clue what the next move would be or if she should make it.
“You’ll start to boil the water and cook Robin with that death stare if you keep that up.”
Ethan’s voice startled her, and she whirled around to face him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“It’s hardwood floor and tiles right here. I couldn’t sneak if I wanted to,” he said and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You were in your own head.”
Mya sighed. “I guess so.”
“Thinking about me?” Ethan asked with a huge smile.
“No!” she denied a little too quickly, and he chuckled. Thank God he changed the subject.
“So I think we should have a quiet dinner alone,” Ethan said and added quickly, “here at the house, not outside. I know that really bothered you.”
“What about Mr. Swimmer?” she asked, referring to Robin.
Ethan rocked on his heels. He actually looked a little shy. “I spoke to him this morning before you came down to breakfast. He’s going to get lost in the east wing, where the gaming room is located. Apparently he found an Xbox three sixty that Easton left here with a bunch of games.”
“Oh…I guess that’s okay. Do you want me to cook?” Mya asked.
“No, I’ve got that part covered.” He gave her that boyish grin that always made her heart skip a beat. “How does chicken fettuccine with Alfredo and spinach sound?”
“It sounds yummy. Can we have buttery garlic bread?” she asked, then gasped—she felt the first light fluttering in her stomach.
Ethan had his hands around her shoulders and began leading her from the balcony over the pool to the solarium. “Is something wrong? Should we call your doctor?”
“No, no, it’s fine. I-I think I just felt the baby move. I’m about twenty weeks now, and it’s like little butterflies in my stomach,” she explained excitedly.
“Can I feel?” Ethan asked.
“You won’t be able to, not for a few more weeks.” Mya pressed her hand against her stomach as she spoke. This was her special moment, and she was savoring the first tangible sensations that proved her baby was healthy and happy inside her.
“Mya, I want you with me,” Ethan said suddenly.
She looked at him in confusion. “I am with you. I’m right here.”
He took her hand. “No, you’re three bedrooms away at the end of the hall. We’re getting married, and there’s a baby on the way. A baby I want as my own, the same way I want you. Move into my room. There’s a second suite that connects to mine that I use as a study. We can replace that and start creating a nursery. I want to feel the baby kick in your stomach. I want to share each moment, and I want to be a husband and father.”
“Ethan, that sounds like a really good idea on premise,” Mya said. “I’m honestly scared that if I let you in you’ll get bored, and by that time, I’ll be invested in us and you won’t be. If it was just me, I could live with that, but a baby will love you, and if you’re not there, then I have to pick up the pieces.”
“Then we should call this off, and I should take you home.” His tone was serious and his lips a firm line.
“But the will…your grandfather…you’ll lose it all.” She clutched his hand. “I’m willing to help you keep it all. I’m not saying no.”
He pulled his hand away. “Well I am. I don’t care about the damn money. I thought I did, but all this time, I’ve had a chance to mull it over. Easton and I took this company from the Dark Ages. We’re the ones that took it to a Fortune Five Hundred company. If the board has to run it, they’d be stupid to let us go, and if they did”—he gave her a direct stare, the one she knew well when it came to business—“I’ve got enough of my own money I can start over and rebuild whatever I lose. What I want is you, and this has stopped being a way to keep the company and all about what I’ve felt for you since I met you. If you don’t feel that, fine, I can take no for an answer. But I can’t stand living with you being out of arm’s reach and never having you.”