Then the baby’s babble drew her attention and innocent eyes met hers. Gingerly, Greer took her, drawn by a force greater than any she’d known. She cradled the bub so carefully she hardly dared move, feeling the warm weight against her breast.
The little girl said something incomprehensible and waved her arm.
Greer carefully lifted one hand to stroke the soft skin of the child’s hand. Instantly those splayed fingers curled around one of hers in a surprisingly strong grip. The baby gurgled then smiled, and Greer felt something shift inside, like a knot tugging loose.
* * *
Greer decided against putting her hair up for tonight’s party. She gave it a final brush, then surveyed herself in her bedroom’s full-length mirror.
She’d found the dress unworn and still in its plastic sheath amongst the other clothes in the dressing room of Conall’s Sydney mansion. She didn’t remember buying it—there were still some gaps in her memory—but one look had told her it would be perfect for a billionaire’s party.
A vivid scarlet, it shaped to her body before flaring a little around her knees, flirting around her legs as she walked. The bodice was cut straight across the top of her breasts with a wide, square neckline and narrow shoulder straps. Tiny scarlet beads sewn all across the fabric scintillated under the lights when she moved.
She almost hadn’t packed it. It was the sort of dress that drew attention, and back in Sydney that was the last thing she’d wanted. Yet impulsively she’d added it to her suitcase at the last minute.
Greer half turned and watched how the dress caressed her body. She looked confident and sexy.
The way she’d felt when she and Conall were simply lovers. Before her miscarriage. Before the accident that sapped her self-assurance. Before the doubts and second-guessing.
She pressed a hand to her stomach where butterflies the size of dragons swooped and dived. She might look ready to take on the world but she didn’t feel it. Not yet.
But she would, she assured herself.
Something had altered today. Pain still shadowed her and she had serious doubts about her relationship with Conall. But she was tired of hiding, for that was what she’d done. Tired too, of expecting the worst. It felt like she stepped out of the miasma engulfing her.
She’d had a long, hard think about her situation and what she wanted. She loved her career but what sheneededwas Conall. The man who’d tried to support her even while she’d pushed him away.
So he didn’t love her. But he cared and had refused to let her walk away from their marriage. Unlike her father, Conall was a protector. Surely it was possible caring might turn into more, if she were brave enough to put doubt and hurt aside. If she were brave enough to be more open with him. Greer wanted children and he hadn’t but perhaps with time, that would change.
With time. Her mouth twisted.
All her life she’d worked hard, not taking risks but striving steadily to achieve her goals. Maybe it was time to take a gamble on the man she loved. Instead of pushing Conall away, she could fight for the future. He’d stood by her since the miscarriage despite her doubts. Surely there was something worth fighting for there? The idea terrified her because it meant risking her emotions all over again.
Not giving herself time to think further, she grabbed her purse and opened the door into the suite’s opulent sitting room.
Conall stood, hands in his trouser pockets, looking at the glittering view of Singapore laid out before him.
He looked predictably mouthwatering in a tailor-made tuxedo and bow tie. His arrogant jaw was freshly shaved and she imagined how it would feel under her hands if she reached up and kissed him.
How it would feel tomorrow morning with a prickle of overnight growth that would abrade her sensitive skin if they—
Conall swung around and her fingers tightened on her silk purse, her breath sighing from her lungs.
‘You look stunning.’ His husky-edged voice made her think of whisky by an open fire. The timbre peppered her skin with goosebumps and warmed her to the core.
‘Thank you. I believe red’s seen as an auspicious colour so it seemed appropriate.’
She met his arrested stare and adrenaline spiked, making her pulse thrum. He didn’t try to conceal the avid glaze of hunger in his eyes. Conall looked anything but immune and a great tide of relief filled her.
The way he watched her made her nipples tighten against the lace of her low-cut bra and the place between her legs soften. Because she was anything but immune to him.
‘You’re sure you’re up to this?’ He sauntered across the sitting room of their luxury suite, his brow furrowed. ‘I want you at the meetings but this is going to be a big event. If you feel it’s too much I’ll understand.’
He stopped before her and she longed to reach for him. Not just because of the physical attraction humming between them. But because she loved him. That had scared her into hiding away with her grief which, she knew now, had done no good at all.
‘I’m actually looking forward to tonight. I’m stronger than I look.’
It was only partly a lie. She was daunted by the prospect of attending one of Mr Lee’s parties, famed the world over for their extravagance and the net worth of his rich, sometimes titled guests. But Greer didn’t care about them, only Conall.
