Читать книгу Tall, Dark... Collection - Кэрол Мортимер, Carole Mortimer - Страница 27

SHE was no nearer answering those questions the next morning, as she and Nick sat silently at the breakfast bar, neither of them eating, but both having drunk copious cups of coffee since they’d got up just after seven o’clock.

Hebe had been lying in bed pretending she was asleep by the time Nick got off the phone the previous evening, forcing herself not to move or change the even tenor of her breathing as he came into the room and looked down at her, calling her name softly, sounding puzzled rather than annoyed when she didn’t respond.

She hadn’t been asleep, of course. How could she possibly have slept when she had no idea what was going to happen next?

Surely the fact that Sally had telephoned Nick now, when he was on the eve of marrying someone else, had to be significant?

If nothing else, it was a case of dog-in-a-manger: Sally couldn’t live with Nick herself, but she didn’t want anyone else to have him either!

And, if that were true, the other question was how had Sally known Nick was going to remarry? Logically it had to be either Nick himself who had told her—although that was unlikely, in view of his initial surprise at Sally’s call. It must have been a member of Nick’s family who had chosen to impart that information to his first wife.

Anyway, it didn’t matter how the other woman had found out. Her motive for calling Nick had been obvious and the closeness Hebe and Nick had shared had been totally shattered by her call.

In fact, Hebe had ended up crying herself to sleep. She was angry with Nick. But she was angry with herself too! Angry because a part of her had still wanted to get up out of her bed and go to him, to lose herself in his arms once again.

She stood up abruptly. ‘I had better be getting to work—’

‘Don’t be silly, Hebe.’ Nick turned to her impatiently. He looked as if he hadn’t slept too well the previous night, either, and his temper was on a very short fuse. ‘I spoke to Jane and told her you won’t be working at the gallery any more.’

Hebe eyes flashed deeply gold. ‘Then you had better just go and tell her differently, hadn’t you?’

Nick scowled. ‘And why would I do that?’

‘Because until Gina finds someone else to share the flat with her I intend paying my half of the rent, and I need a job to be able to do that. Besides,’ she added irritably, ‘I’ll decide when and if I leave my job!’

Nick eyed her impatiently. ‘Not if I decide to sack you first,’ he bit out tersely.

‘You can try,’ Hebe challenged. ‘That should look quite interesting in the newspapers—Wife Sues Husband for Unfair Dismissal!’

Nick drew in a long, controlling breath in an effort to hold on to his already tightly stretched temper. ‘Hebe, as my wife you will have no need to work. Ever again.’

Angry colour flared in the pallor of her cheeks. ‘I’m not your wife yet—’

‘Semantics—’

‘Sense,’ she came back forcefully. ‘I do have rent to pay.’

‘I’ll pay your damned rent until Gina finds someone else,’ he snarled, impatient with her stubbornness.

Just impatient, really. He hadn’t been able to believe it when he’d got back to his bedroom last night and found Hebe gone.

She hadn’t been in the bathroom or the kitchen when he’d looked, leaving only the spare room. And that was where he’d found her, curled up in the bed there, fast asleep!

She hadn’t responded to the soft prompting of calling her name, either, and other than actually shaking her awake Nick had had no choice but to leave her there and go back to his own bedroom.

To a soaking wet bed!

By the time he had completely changed the bedclothes and got into bed himself he had been wide awake, staring at the portrait he had brought up from his office the previous day.

Hebe…

He could just see himself in the years to come, Nick brooded, staring at a portrait of the woman he loved because the reality still eluded him. Just like Jacob Gardner, damn it!

Another night without sleep certainly hadn’t calmed his annoyance.

As Hebe was learning only too well!

She stiffened resentfully at his dictatorial tone. ‘I don’t need you to pay my rent or anything else! If something should go wrong with this pregnancy—’

‘What do you mean, go wrong?’ Nick pounced harshly, his frown fierce.

‘No, Nick—I wouldn’t do anything to harm this baby,’ she sighed wearily as she saw the accusation in his eyes. ‘According to your theory of my being a gold-digger that wouldn’t serve my purpose at all, now, would it?’ She gave a derisive shake of her head. ‘But if anything should go wrong you won’t want me as your wife any more, will you? Which means I’ll need a job!’ she scorned.

Though she somehow couldn’t see herself continuing to work for Nick—or him letting her do so—if the two of them divorced.

Nick glowered at her for several long seconds. ‘That won’t happen,’ he finally growled. ‘And if it should I’ll just get you pregnant again!’

Her eyes widened. ‘Why on earth would you want to repeat the same mistake with a little gold-digger like me?’

His mouth twisted scornfully. ‘For exactly that reason,’ he told her coldly. ‘There is no way I am ever going to let you divorce me, Hebe!’

Hebe realized that was because Nick believed a divorce would result in a divorce settlement—the handing over to her of lots of Cavendish money—and he had no intention of that ever happening!

‘Fine,’ she snapped. ‘But even as your wife I’ll decide what I’m going to do, not you!’

He closed his lids briefly, his eyes deeply blue when he opened them to look at her once again. ‘You’re just spoiling for a fight this morning, aren’t you?’

She stiffened. ‘Not that I’m aware of, no.’

‘Liar,’ he muttered disgustedly, his gaze probing now. ‘And I’m not exactly in a good mood myself,’ he warned her unnecessarily. ‘Why the hell had you disappeared when I came back to bed last night?’

Hebe avoided that searching gaze, not wanting him to so much as guess that she had overheard some of his conversation with his ex-wife. That would be just too embarrassing. Besides, with the opinion Nick already had of her as a schemer, he would probably think she had listened to his telephone call on purpose.

She shrugged dismissively. ‘I was tired, so I went to bed.’

Nick breathed deeply through his nose as he continued to look at her. ‘You were already in bed—’

‘But not my own bed,’ she insisted.

He shook his head frustratedly. ‘You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you continue to sleep in another room after last night?’

‘That’s exactly what I think,’ she dismissed, turning away, wondering when—or if—he was ever going to tell her that it had been Sally who’d telephoned him yesterday evening.

Probably never, she decided heavily.

After all, he had loved Sally, and their child had been born into a marriage of love. This child would be born into a marriage of convenience. If their marriage still went ahead, that was.

‘As I said, I’m going to work now,’ she told him stiffly.

Going down two floors to work was going to be convenient, at least. It was about the only convenience for her that she could think of in connection with this marriage.

‘Only until lunchtime,’ Nick informed her flatly. ‘You have an appointment with an obstetrician at two o’clock this afternoon,’ he explained at her questioning look.

Hebe’s eyes widened as she turned back to look at him. ‘I thought I told you—’

‘Hebe, in view of your negative comments, I had the other guy’s secretary recommend another obstetrician.’ He scorned her objection.

‘You did?’ She eyed him uncertainly.

His mouth twisted ruefully. ‘I did.’

‘I bet you were popular!’ she mused.

Nick shrugged. ‘I’m not out to win any popularity contests—as I’m sure you know only too well!’ he added hardly.

Hebe’s humour instantly disappeared. What was she smiling about when she was still so angry and upset with him over that telephone call from Sally last night? She was so confused by her own feelings for him, that she could cheerfully have hit him over the head with his own coffee mug!

‘Oh, yes,’she agreed derisively. ‘I’m well aware of that!’

‘Good.’ Nick stood up abruptly. ‘I’m going down to my office this morning, to deal with paperwork. We’ll meet up here for lunch at about twelve-thirty—’

‘You’re expecting me to start cooking for you already?’

His eyes glittered deeply blue. ‘I usually have a sandwich for lunch. Which I’m quite capable of getting for myself. And you too, if necessary. I intend making sure that you eat properly in future,’ he added.

‘Like a brood mare!’ she flung back scathingly.

Nick took a step towards her, his face dark with fury now, hands tightly clenched at his sides.

Totally intimidating, Hebe acknowledged warily.

Nick’s eyes narrowed as he sensed her apprehension, and he forced himself to relax, his expression noncommittal, hands loose at his sides. ‘I think it might be better if you don’t bait me like that again, Hebe,’ he warned softly.

Her chin rose defiantly. ‘And if I do?’

Nick gave a humourless smile. ‘Then you’re going to get just what you’re asking for!’

She swallowed hard, and moistened her kissable lips with the tip of her tongue.

Instantly shooting Nick’s temperature sky-high and creating an ache in his body.

He could visualise only too easily where those lips and tongue had been last night, and he burned to make love to her again.

She raised dark blonde brows. ‘And what’s that?’

He forced a mocking smile, inwardly fighting his need to take her in his arms and forget everything but the two of them. Which, from their uncontrollable response to each other, he knew he could do. It was only that Hebe was likely to hate him for it. Hate him more, that was…

‘Exactly the same as you got last night,’ he drawled in answer to her challenge. ‘Probably with a few variations—I wouldn’t want you to get bored with sharing my bed!’

Her eyes widened. ‘You’re blaming me for last night?’

He shook his head, his smile humourless. ‘I don’t think you can attach blame to something so mutually satisfying—do you?’

Hebe’s cheeks felt fiery red, and she was unable to deny her response to him. Her only consolation was that Nick seemed to want her as much as she wanted him.

‘I’m going to work,’ she repeated abruptly.

‘We’ll make a move from here at about one-thirty—’

‘We’ll make a move?’ she echoed, turning slowly.

Nick eyed her scornfully. After losing Luke, there was no way he was going to miss out on any part of his new baby’s life. ‘You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you go to the doctor’s alone, do you?’

She simply hadn’t given it any thought at all. She wasn’t used to being a couple, to having someone else around all the time.

And after Nick’s obvious warmth to Sally on the telephone last night, and the fact that the two of them were obviously going to see each other the next time Nick was in New York, it might be as well if she didn’t get used to it, either!

‘I’m not a child, Nick,’ she snapped. ‘I am capable of getting myself wherever I want to go!’

‘But why take the tube or a cab when I’m offering to drive you? Besides,’ he added grimly, ‘I want to hear what the doctor has to say.’

Hebe tensed. ‘Why?’

‘Because it’s my baby too!’ he came back with controlled force. ‘And the sooner you get used to that idea, the easier things are going to be!’

Yes, it was Nick’s baby too, she accepted heavily. No matter what the reason for Sally Cavendish’s call the previous evening, or whether she and Nick became reconciled emotionally Hebe knew that Nick took the responsibility of his child seriously. It was the only reason she was here in his life at all…

And she mustn’t ever lose sight of that fact.

As she almost had last night.

She just had no defences, no way of resisting, when Nick touched her. And it was no good pretending that she did.

Nick watched their motions flickering across her expressive face—the uncertainty, the apprehension.

Damn it, he didn’t want this woman to be frightened of him! He wanted the impossible—this marriage somehow to work, for the two of them to reach some sort of understanding.

Quite how he went about achieving that, when all they did when they weren’t in bed together was argue, he had no idea.

Maybe if they tried to stop arguing it might be a start…

‘Look, Hebe, let’s call a truce, shall we?’ he prompted gently. ‘This constant bickering isn’t doing a damn thing for me, and I doubt it is for you either.’

She eyed him mockingly. ‘Don’t try and pretend it’s me you’re concerned about, Nick—’

‘Will you just stop?’ he ground out frustratedly, grasping her shoulders to shake her slightly, her hair a silken tumble about her shoulders. ‘I don’t want to argue with you any more—okay?’

She grimaced, golden eyes troubled. ‘Your moods are so unpredictable…’

He gave a hard laugh. ‘Is there anywhere that says an expectant father has to be predictable?’

‘I suppose not,’ Hebe allowed with a sigh. ‘But I might be able to understand you better if you were.’

Nick raised dark brows, his gaze searching on the pale beauty of her face. ‘Do you want to understand me?’

A shutter seemed to come down over those expressive eyes, her expression once more defensive. ‘Not particularly,’ she dismissed scathingly.

Well, he wanted to understand her!

Last night, with Hebe, had been the closest thing to perfection he had ever known in his life. No, it hadn’t been just close—it had been perfection.

He refused to believe Hebe could have been with him like that, given of herself like that, without feeling something more for him than appreciation for his millions!

Unless he was just deluding himself…?

He released her abruptly, turning away. ‘You’re right. It’s past time we were both getting to work.’

‘Yes, sir!’ Hebe came back tauntingly.

Nick closed his eyes briefly before walking away. He had to walk away, otherwise he really might do something he would regret.

Hebe watched Nick leave, her heart heavy, knowing that the closeness they had reached last night before Sally’s call really had been a myth—that they had no common ground but the baby she carried.

The next seven and a half months, until her body became her own once more, loomed over her like a dark shadow.

Work—that was the answer. She had always loved her job at the gallery, and even knowing of Nick’s brooding presence up in his office on the second floor wouldn’t rob her of that pleasure today. She quickly lost herself in her work once she had explained to Jane, the manager, that Nick had been mistaken, and she intended working for several more months yet.

Her colleagues were agog with curiosity, of course, and eyed her ring enviously, which made things a little awkward. But once they realised Hebe was just her normal self, even if she was shortly going to marry the owner of the gallery, they all settled down to the easy friendship they had always enjoyed.

Well, more or less, Hebe acknowledged ruefully.

There were no more comments in her hearing about their gorgeous boss, or any wondering about what Nick looked like naked, but if that was the only change in their behaviour, Hebe could certainly cope with that. In fact, talking about Nick like that wasn’t something she wanted to do right now, anyway!

It was her hormones that caused this weakness in her legs and the ache in her body whenever she thought of him, she tried to convince herself. They were all haywire because she was expecting a baby, that was all.

She repeated that to herself when Nick walked into the gallery later that morning, and she felt the heat course through her body just looking at him.

He really was as gorgeous as her work colleagues said he was—and she had very good reason to know exactly how Nick looked naked!

She tensed as he strode forcefully down the gallery towards her with his usual vitality, remembering how she had run her fingers through that overlong dark hair last night, how muscled that body was beneath the tailored grey suit he wore.

‘Yes?’ She faced him defensively.

‘We have an audience, Hebe,’Nick murmured softly with a pointed look at Kate, working further down the cavernous gallery. ‘Is that all the greeting you have for your fiancé?’

She shot him an irritated glance. ‘So you want us to maintain a certain—discretion in front of the rest of your employees, don’t you?’

No, not really, he thought. Discretion was the last thing that came to mind in connection with his thoughts about Hebe! And she wasn’t just an employee, for God’s sake, she was his fiancée.

‘I thought that would be what you’d want,’ he drawled dryly. ‘I also thought you might like to know that my lawyers have telephoned, and the wedding has been arranged—two weeks on Friday, two-thirty in the afternoon,’ he informed her with satisfaction—and watched as her face paled in response to the news that she was marrying him in eighteen days’ time.

Damn it, why did she always act as if marrying him was almost as bad as being marched to the gallows, instead of a wedding to a man who had more money than she could spend in a lifetime?

‘I thought you might like to call your parents and let them know now that we have a definite date and time,’ he rasped.

‘I tried calling them earlier, but there was no answer,’ she revealed with a slight frown.

Nick tensed, wondering why, when she had only seen them on Saturday, she should have tried to call them this morning. ‘Oh?’

Hebe grimaced. ‘They’re usually at home on a Monday morning.’

He shrugged. ‘Perhaps this Monday morning they decided to do something different.’

‘Maybe.’ She nodded, obviously not satisfied.

Nick frowned. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Hebe.’

She had tried not to, but the more she had thought about it the more convinced she had become that her parents had behaved very strangely on Saturday after Jacob Gardner’s name had been mentioned. Her call to them this morning had been an effort to reassure herself that they hadn’t—only to have the phone ringing and ringing their end, remaining unanswered.

‘I’ll call them back later,’ she dismissed now, not wanting Nick to realise how troubled she was.

‘Maybe—’

‘Nick—Hebe. I’m sorry to interrupt.’A slightly breathless Jane approached them. ‘But you have visitors.’

‘Just put them in a room somewhere and I’ll be out shortly,’ Nick said, with obvious impatience.

‘Actually, it’s Hebe who has visitors,’ Jane corrected awkwardly.

‘I do…?’ Hebe’s eyes widened in surprise.

Jane nodded. ‘They say they’re your parents—’

Hebe didn’t wait for the other woman to finish, and turned sharply on her heel to hurry from the room, not knowing whether Nick followed her or not—although she thought he probably would.

She had no idea what her parents were doing here, of all places, but at least she now had an answer as to where they had been this morning…!