“You’ll be a beautiful mother,” he said quietly.
“Do you really think so?” she asked.
“Yes, I do,” he said.
She wanted to ask him if he’d missed her today, if he’d thought of her at all, but she knew the question would sound silly. “How was your day?” she asked.
“Good. Fuller than I expected. I had dinner with a prospective client. The owner of a cosmetics company based on the west coast.” He rose from the chair.
“Sounds exciting,” she said, hoping he would tell her more.
“It’s the beginning stages, so anything can happen. You know how it goes.” His gaze fell over her like a warm veil of heat. “Come upstairs and we can relax in the hot tub.”
The desire in his eyes temporarily dissolved her questions. She gave a slow shake of her head. “Pregnancy and hot tubs aren’t a good idea. Something about the high temperatures being dangerous for the baby.”
He nodded. “I see.”
“But a bath or a shower is okay,” she said.
He extended his hand. “Come upstairs with me,” he said. “I’ve missed you.”
Those last three words were pure magic to her.
On Sunday, Brock didn’t go into the office and Elle persuaded him to go for a walk on the beach and share a picnic.
Brock leaned back against the quilt they’d spread out on the sand. “I can’t remember the last time I did this.”
“Maybe you should do it more often,” she said, packing away the remnants of their picnic lunch.
“Maybe,” he said, his gaze skimming over her, taking a long swallow from his water bottle. “How are you adjusting to being a Maddox bride?”
“I’m getting there,” she said. “I’m just hoping my husband will be home more when our child is born.”
He inhaled and nodded thoughtfully. “I’m working on it. My father spent a lot more time at the office than he ever did with us.”
“What do you want?” she asked. “More time in the office? Or more time with your child?”
“I hadn’t even considered it until now,” he said. “I was always too busy protecting and growing the company.”
“I don’t really know what to expect of a father,” she said and shrugged, “because my father left as soon as he found out my mother was pregnant.”
“That must have been tough for both of you,” Brock said.
She nodded. “It was, but my mother and I were always very close, so I’m lucky that way. Unconditional love between us.”
“But something tells me you had to take care of her a lot,” Brock said.
“True,” she admitted. “But with her, I always felt good enough. Did you ever feel that way with your father?”
“Hmm,” he said. “Good question. I was always pushed to do better, do more.” He glanced at her. “In that way, you were lucky.” He rose up and leaned toward her, pressing his mouth against hers. “What inspired you to be such a hard worker?”
“I didn’t want to be at the mercy of any man,” she said. The answer came easily to her lips.
He lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes. I spent my entire life with my grandfather supporting us though he was ashamed of us. I didn’t want that for my future. I studied and worked hard,” she said, then closed her eyes. “Then my mother got sick.”
She felt him stroke her hand. “When did Koteas approach you?”
Bitterness filled her mouth. “When my mother’s improvement dipped and the only thing that could help her was the experimental treatment. Of course, insurance wouldn’t cover it. And my grandfather wouldn’t cover it without a price.”
“Did you plan to seduce me?”
Elle laughed and opened her eyes to meet his gaze. “That’s one of the funniest things you’ve ever said to me. I was terrified you wouldn’t hire me. When you finally did, I was fascinated by you. You were this unstoppable force. I’d never met anyone like you.”
“You went to bed with me without a blink of an eye,” he said.
“I—” She broke off, feeing a stab of guilt mixed with a myriad of other emotions. “I couldn’t miss out on being with you,” she said. “Why did you decide to be with me?”
“Same reason, different words,” Brock said, sliding his hand behind her neck and drawing her mouth against his. “I couldn’t resist you.”
Six
“Oh, my God! Vandals have struck,” a woman’s shrill voice called.
Just out of the shower, Elle quickly wrapped her robe around her. Alarmed, she pushed open her door and raced—carefully—down the stairs.