Jannie started to rise. Blake stepped close, slipping his hands under her forearms.
“Steady,” he murmured as he helped her up. His gaze moved over her face, assessing. “Looks to me as if you’re dehydrated.”
“I’m fine.”
“You know better than that. You’re a doctor.”
She caught a whiff of his cologne. Her nostrils flared: Paco Rabanne, the familiar lemon and pine scent that always made her want to lean in for a deep inhale.
He let go of her arms, and Jannie leaned against the door. For a moment, he said nothing, taking her in, from messy hair to swollen ankles.
And then, bewilderment flashed in his eyes.
He blinked once, twice … She watched him process, swallowing hard as he stared at her pregnant belly.
At last, his gaze snapped to her face. “You most definitely are.” His voice was gruff. “Still very fine, indeed.”
And then, he grinned so wide that she had to blink a couple of times. The man had one of those disarming grins that would make you hand over anything he demanded. Purse, wallet, pants … and it was one of those times when he’d charmed the pants off her that landed her in this predicament.
On closer look, however, she saw that the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Her stomach tightened.
“I’ll tell you what.” He motioned with his chin toward the door besidehers. “You can use my room to freshen up, and then we’ll head downstairs to sort out the problem with your key.”
We? There was nowe. There hadn’t been for over a year now. And … his room? Right next to hers?
“Your room? Are you serious?” Her bladder chose that moment to spasm again, and Jannie clenched her teeth against the cramping blowtorch in her groin.
“I’m serious.” His jaw was working, but his tone was mild. “Let me help you. It’s what friends do.”
“Friends?”
He caught her gaze and held it. “I’m not your enemy, Jannie.”
You’re not my husband, either.But … did he want to be?
Jannie looked up at him in stupefaction. “You haven’t told me why you’re here. How on earth did you get the room next to mine?”
A sly smile curved his lips. “You told me about the ACOG convention months ago when you booked it with the miles account. I called and had them upgrade your room to a suite.”
“And booked one right next to mine?”
“I was going to surprise you.”
And to screw you.He didn’t say it, but then, he didn’t need to. It was written all over his face.
She swallowed. “Well, I’m surprised.”
He eyed her belly again. “Looks like you out-surprised me, though.” He motioned toward her Rimowa. “May I?”
Without waiting for a reply, he telescoped the handle and rolled the carry-on to his door, pulling a key card from his pocket. The lock flashed green, and he shoved open the door, pointing to the bathroom.
Gratefully, she ducked inside. Before pregnancy, she had never welcomed the sight of a toilet, except, perhaps, on the few nights she’d partied too hard in college. As quickly as she could, she sat, closing her eyes in relief as her poor bladder finally emptied.
The image of Blake, as he looked when he’d first seen her in the hallway, persisted as she washed her hands. The fact that he’d booked a room beside hers, assuming she’d fall into his bed again, annoyed her. But why wouldn’t he think that? It’s what she always did.
Jannie tried to swallow back the knot that clogged her throat the second he’d spotted the obvious. She’d been afraid. Afraid he’d be angry with her, even though he, too, had enthusiastically participated when it happened.
