The Unexpected Baby(51)

The phone rang. She dried her hands and took the receiver from the wall-mount, and Liam said aggressively, ‘You got it?’

Her heart stopped, then punched at her savagely. ‘Where are you?’ She’d gone cold all over, shaking. Everything had been so wonderful, Jed had been so perfect, so understanding, and she had put Liam and his demands to the back of her mind.

Now he was filling her head with panic. She wanted to put the receiver down, go on pretending he didn’t exist.

‘Close.’ He answered her question. ‘I’m looking at the front of your property right now. Nice place. Must be worth a bomb. So when and where do we meet?’

Her stomach was churning sickly, her brain in a tumult. But she had to think. And quickly. Jed would walk in at any moment.

She cast a wide-eyed, frantic glance at the door and said tightly, ‘Then you will be able to see the big door in the wall. The package will be outside it tomorrow at dawn.’ And she hooked the receiver back just as Jed walked through, and felt her face flood with guilty colour.

‘You OK?’ His eyes narrowed with concern. ‘Who was on the phone—not bad news?’

She had to get herself together. Stop shaking. Look normal. She pulled in a deep breath, willed herself to carry this off.

‘No, of course not. Just my agent reminding me I’m due to give my publishers a synopsis of my next book any time now,’ she invented, hating having to do this, reminding herself that she was doing it for his sake, trying to feel better about it and failing miserably.

‘Sweetheart...’ He came closer, his easy smile making her want to weep. ‘Don’t let them pressure you.’ He folded his arms around her and her head dropped gratefully against the wide span of his chest. His skin was warm, slick with sweat. She parted her lips, tasting him.

‘You never need write another word,’ he said firmly. ‘Not unless you want to. And if you do, then you tell them you do it on your own time, at your own pace. That clear?’

He was making a stand for her, taking her side as she knew he always would. That it was inappropriate didn’t matter a damn. He would shoulder her problems, deal with them fairly and firmly, always on her side.

She wound her arms around his neck and said fiercely, ‘I love you!’

‘Hey! You think I don’t know that? That’s why I’m here. That’s why I married you, remember.’ He was smiling as his lips took hers.





Very gently, Elena moved Jed’s arm, holding her breath, afraid he would wake.

She hadn’t slept, increasingly edgy as the hours of night slipped past her. Constantly reminding herself that she was doing this for his sake alone was the only way she could stop herself from breaking down and confessing everything.

He had slept, wrapped around her. His conscience hadn’t been stinging, keeping him awake. Tomorrow—today, actually—they were going to Seville.

Over supper Jed had told her he was due to meet the designer he’d contracted to gut the present building and turn it into something discreetly impressive, glamorous yet restrained, the international hallmark of a Nolan’s showroom.

‘I’d like you to be involved—if only to give your opinions. Besides—’ his eyes had glinted at her ‘—I want you with me. I can’t bear to be away from you for a second, let alone the best part of a day.’

‘You think I’d let you go without me!’ She’d smiled for him, hanging onto the thought of the trip to Seville. By then the business with Liam would be over. He’d have taken his bundle of crisp notes and run. And she could put him out of her mind and get on with her wonderful life with Jed.

Gingerly sliding out of bed, she wondered if she’d be too sleepy to make any contribution to today’s business meeting. And then told herself of course she wouldn’t. Relief that this was all over would carry her through, make her bubble and bounce with sheer happiness.

The louvres were open, and she found her silk robe by the grey pre-dawn light, slipped it on, the fine fabric cool against her naked skin, and tied the belt with shaky fingers.

She was hardly daring to breathe, and her heart felt as if it had swollen to twice its normal size, bumping about inside her chest. But Jed was still sleeping. She slipped like a shadow from the room.

It would take no longer than three minutes—four at the most—to slip out with the package and get back into bed. And if he did wake during that time, find her missing, he’d assume she’d gone to the bathroom.

She’d deliberately left her handbag on top of the counter just inside the kitchen door, so she didn’t need to put a light on to find it Quickly, she reached for it, and knocked the salt and pepper grinders to the tiled floor. She cursed herself for forgetting they were there.