‘Is she okay?’ he asked in Italian as he stared at Phoebe.
Why wouldn’t she meet his eyes? What was wrong? He stilled, filled with strained energy. But the doctor assured him everything was as it should be—Phoebe was healthy, the foetus developing normally, its growth aligned with the possible conception date he’d given her. He fidgeted, impatient with her focus on the infant. He already knew it was his, he wanted to know more about Phoebe. But as the doctor promised to email through the test results urgently, Phoebe stalked to the door and pointedly glared at the waiting bodyguard. Edo jerked his chin and the bodyguard moved to escort her to the car. He shot a glance at the doctor, ignoring the cool hint of condemnation in her eyes as he thanked her, then swiftly followed his reluctant fiancée out. She was already strapped in and staring out the window by the time he got in.
‘You okay?’ he asked once they were underway and heading to the estate at last.
‘You mean the doctor didn’t tell you everything?’ Phoebe muttered icily. ‘Clearly you leaving the room was purely performative.’
‘She only told me about your health in relation to the foetus.’
Because he didn’t trust Phoebe to tell him if there were problems. But the doctor had confirmed that there were none—everything was exactly as it should be, and frankly the relief flooding him now obliterated the fact that she was angry with him. Volatile emotions were only to be expected, given this was a huge shock with huge ramifications. But Edo could now breathe more easily. He would leave her alone to process things and progress his own plans. He pulled out his laptop, determined to finally finish the reports he’d been stalled on since seeing her again in London.
‘Do you want to know if you’re having a son or daughter?’ Her icy voice sliced into the silence.
He froze. His mouth gummed.
‘Does it matter to you?’ she added when he didn’t—couldn’t—respond. ‘It doesn’t to me, so I didn’t find out, but you might be able to work it out if you study the picture.’ She placed a photograph over the laptop keyboard in his lap. ‘The doctor printed it, seeing you didn’t want to be present for the scan.’
Edo blinked but there was no avoiding the image—a head, a little body, even littler limbs. A baby. An indefinable emotion slammed into him. He tensed, rejecting it. He didn’t want to knowthis. He didn’t want to feelthis. Whateverthiswas. It just made his blood run cold.
He picked up the photo and only just stopped himself from crumpling it in his fist, instead he shoved it into the front pocket of his laptop bag. He couldn’t look at it. Couldn’t consider what was coming. Not now. Not yet. Not ever. Cold sweat slicked because he knew it wasn’t good enough. And that was the problem he couldn’t overcome.Hecouldn’t give her the fairy-tale shereallywanted. And he could never be all that child needed.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asked huskily after a moment.
They’d not had lunch but honestly, he didn’t want to stop, he just wanted to get her to the estate. To where he knew they could be safe.
‘No.’ Her reply was brutal.
He glanced at her but she’d turned to look out the window and he couldn’t see her eyes. Didn’t need to. She was angrier than ever. She was right to be. But nothing he could say would make this better, he would focus on what he could do. That was plan—yes to the panic room, to the twenty-four-hour protection team, to the best medical care that could be bought. And he would ignore the photograph peeking out of his bag for as long as he could.
* * *
Phoebe stared out the window, stewing for hours. How could he not even look at the picture of their child? She shouldn’t have agreed to marry him. He obviously wasn’t interested the baby. Or her. Only in their security. It was shocking. And it hurt. She remained silent for the rest of the long drive. So did he. But the view—the countryside—changed. Just as dusk darkened the sky, it became recognisable.
‘This is your estate,’ she murmured.
He glanced up from whatever it was that had held his attention for so long and nodded. ‘I’m sorry I misled you that day in summer. I didn’t think it was important.’
He didn’t need to apologise aboutthat. That wild, warm afternoon was supposed to have been a single moment—light, free, fun—neitherof them had intended to get close for long. But now they were stuck with each other. Even if their marriage would be temporary, their lives would be permanently entwined because they were having achildand at some point he’d have to face that fact.
When they pulled into the estate, she dutifully—pointedly—remained in the car while the security team got out and checked the compound with alert experience. Two more hefty men came out of the main building to join them. How had she not noticed this insane security that day he’d brought her here? How had she not worked out that his running mates weren’t mercenaries but bodyguards—that, while there’d been banter between them, they were employees? Because Edo had seemed relaxed and fun, and she couldn’t reconcile the man she’d met then with the grimly distant one waiting by the car door for her now. But, as she took the hand he extended, that silky desire swept through her—as strong as it had been all those months ago, as unstoppable. It sent her pulse racing and her awareness sharpened. She needed to workthatout as well. But Edo lacing his fingers through hers didn’t help.
‘Isabella runs the villa. She’ll provide anything, you only have to ask.’ He jerked his chin towards the middle-aged woman who now stood just outside the large doorway.
Phoebe smiled at the soft-eyed Isabella but didn’t get a chance to speak because Edo’s hold on her was tight and he kept walking. She’d not entered the main building back in summer but she didn’t get time to truly look around now because he pushed on too fast, clearly determined to get her…where?
Her breathing quickened. Did he want to get her alone? Want to explain? To her horror that treacherous part of her desperately wanted to be alone with him. Even when she was mad with him.
He led her up a flight of stairs, opened a door and drew her inside before releasing her hand. ‘We have admin to do.’
Phoebe stepped into the vast study and stared at the perfect piles of papers set out on a large table. Disappointment slammed, adding to her anger. He didn’t want to get her alone to ravish her, he wanted legal certainty.
‘Apparently so,’ she gritted.
Some poor assistant had been working hard to have printed and sorted all these forms and documents. She snatched up a pen and signed the first super-quickly in a pique of fury, barely scanning the text because she, who prided herself on paying attention to details, was utterly distracted—and appalled—by the overwhelming urge to touch him. Her anger only seemed to make it worse—hell, her want for him now was wilder than that afternoon they’d shared. It seemed she increasingly lost control of herself when she spent too long near him and spending several hours trapped in the back seat of a car with him wasdefinitelytoo long.
They both silently, furiously, filled in and signed everything.
He set down his pen then glanced at her, his brow furrowed. ‘You need food. We shouldn’t have missed lunch.’
