“I wasn’t sure I could talk about it without crying.”
He was glad she’d been able to hold back tears. He didn’t do well when a woman cried. He never knew what to do or say other than give a hug, which he knew didn’t fix a damn thing. “But the doctor said it could be fixed, right? With surgery?”
“Yes, but the point was that I just wanted something to be right, to be easy. Everything over the last year has been a nightmare. This was supposed to be my way of looking to the future. I guess I felt a little defeated.”
“So we didn’t just make a baby.”
“We didn’t just make a baby.”
Relief washed over him again. No baby. Good. Things were tangled enough. Now he just had to deal with his own internal conflict over the LangTel takeover plan, and that might require action on his part. He was excellent at keeping the business and personal separate, and in this case, he’d clearly allowed the two to commingle far too much.
“Are you feeling better now?” she asked. “You were pretty panicked there for a minute.”
He laughed quietly. He had indeed let it get the better of him. “I’m fine. Although I wish you would’ve told me about this earlier. We could’ve skipped the condom all together. I’m clean. I get tested every year for my physical. Plus, I’ve never not used one, so it would be virtually impossible.”
“You’ve never felt what it’s like without one?”
He shook his head. “Never worked out that way. It can’t really be that different, can it?”
A mischievous smile crossed Anna’s face. It was so sexy. She scooted closer, until their thighs were touching. She kissed him, sending vibrations through this entire body, especially the parts they’d just been discussing. She took his hand, twined her fingers with his. “I’ve heard that it’s very different.”
“Very?” he asked between kisses. His body was ready to discern this for himself.
She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. “Why don’t we test the theory?”
Seven
Jacob finished off his third cup of coffee. Two was his limit, but he hadn’t slept at all. It was difficult with a woman in his bed. It was partly sexual distraction, but there was another side to it. Something wouldn’t allow him to relax enough to give in to real sleep.
He placed his mug in the sink and strode down the hall to the foyer, where Anna was waiting. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute. I need to take care of something in the garage.”
“Okay.” Anna nodded, smiling thinly. Things were definitely awkward between them now that it was the morning after. How could they not be strained? They’d crossed a line that might’ve been better left uncrossed, however much they’d both wanted to do it.
He hurried out the door and around back to the garage. He’d deliberated about waiting and making his phone call after they returned to Manhattan, but he had to do it now. He couldn’t sit in the car with her for five hours feeling even worse about his secret. He needed absolute privacy, and he wasn’t about to kick Anna out of the house. That meant the garage.
He had to take steps to clear his conscience. Could he go through with a LangTel takeover at this point? Even if he and Anna never ended up taking this any further? The answer was a surprising, but decided “no.” The guy with the killer instinct for business rarely changed his mind and he never undid his own work, but he was sure. He couldn’t hurt Anna. Not after what they’d shared. Even if this weekend had to be the logical end, it wouldn’t erase their most intimate moments, and he didn’t want to forget them anyway. He wanted to keep them in his head for as long as possible.
He entered the garage and closed the door behind him. He wasted no time pulling out his cell to call Andre, his closest ally in the War Chest. He had to end the campaign against LangTel, even if it might be a tall order. His fellow investors were astute, shrewd, and skeptical to a fault. They would want to know why he was backing off, and he couldn’t tell them the real reason. He couldn’t tell them that he’d seduced a woman who’d gone and seduced him right back.
“Jacob. What’s up?” Andre answered. “Not like you to call me on a Sunday.”
“I know. I wanted to talk to you about the LangTel deal. I’m out.” He held his breath, not offering any reasons. With his investment record, he could sometimes get away with only a mention that he was making a move and others would follow suit. The why wasn’t always necessary.
“You’re what? Are you insane? Why would you do that?”