Читать книгу In Bed With...Collection - Emma Darcy - Страница 38

BRYCE lay awake in the darkness long after Sunny had fallen asleep in his arms. She had responded to him as she always did, caught up in the storm of desire that raged through them, demanding every possible satisfaction. His mind kept hotly buzzing she was his. But a more chilling section of his brain acknowledged he had made her his.

He had blocked Marsden out and seized the advantage of the rebound effect, refusing to believe that such a stupid loser could possibly be the better man for Sunny. He still didn’t believe it. Yet why relationships worked for the people involved was often perplexing to an outside viewpoint. Needs could go right back to a person’s roots and seem totally illogical to anyone who hadn’t lived that life.

Yes, he’d won the play. Sunny was his wife. Yet if her emotions were still tied up with that guy…what did he have? The use of her body. Not long ago he might have thought that was enough. Certainly he’d expected no more from Kristen. But Sunny…

Somehow everything was different with Sunny. He wanted the whole package—heart, body and soul. Why she inspired this craving for all of her he didn’t know, but he knew he wouldn’t be content until he had it.

The black irony was he’d felt their honeymoon had moved her much closer to him. It had been a risk coming to Sydney so soon, but it was the appropriate course to take—meeting Sunny’s family and collecting what she wanted of her clothes and other possessions—and he’d thought he had the risk covered.

Sherman had straightened Marsden out about the legal consequences of malicious slander and damage during his stopover in Los Angeles. There’d been no loose talk at the Sydney office when he’d resigned—of his own free will, no pressure involved on that front. Bryce hadn’t been anticipating any comebacks.

Careful questioning of the managing director had assured him the resignation was interpreted as a matter of pride. And given Marsden’s lack of career interest at the conference, he wasn’t considered a loss to the company. On the business side, the field had been cleared. It was the personal side that had slipped past him.

Marsden had mouthed off to one of the family.

So who had been tactless enough to face Sunny with her ex-fiancé’s rantings? Her mother? No. Too kind-hearted. Alyssa? No. She’d been happily positive about the marriage. He doubted Alyssa would have done anything to take the shine off it. Which left Nadine. Little flashes of envy there. She was the most likely candidate, though she probably hadn’t meant to undermine Sunny’s confidence in her decision to marry him.

The critical question was how much harm had been done. Certainly Marsden had been brought right back to the forefront of Sunny’s mind, and what had been clear-cut on the morning of their wedding day, was now muddied. Somehow he had to get Sunny positive about their marriage again. Wipe Marsden right out of the picture.

She was quiet the next morning. Bryce sensed she was both mentally and emotionally withdrawn from him as she moved about the suite, getting ready for their departure. He controlled his frustration as best he could, but when they sat down to the breakfast delivered by room service, and Sunny persistently evaded his gaze, the urge to confront came thundering into prominence.

‘Would you prefer to be married to Marsden?’ he growled.

That lifted her eyelashes. It probably wasn’t the smartest question to ask but at least it got her attention.

‘I’m married to you, Bryce,’ she stated flatly, making it an incontravertible fact that was not up for question.

It goaded him into saying, ‘Maybe I don’t care for the idea of being married to a woman who’s hankering after someone else.’

Her eyes flared to an intense gold. ‘I’m not hankering after Derek. That would be really stupid, wouldn’t it? Given the circumstances.’

‘I would have thought so, yes,’ he answered tersely.

‘Do you consider me stupid?’

‘No.’

‘Then why do you imagine I’m hankering after him?’

‘You’re angry with me because I didn’t allow him a second chance with you. Which suggests you would have liked that.’

She reached for a piece of toast and buttered it with slow deliberation, her face completely closed to him. ‘I might have given Derek a hearing at the time, but that time has gone,’ she said, adding strawberry conserve to the toast. ‘I chose to marry you and that’s where I am…married to you.’

‘You were happy about it until yesterday,’ he reminded her.

‘I didn’t understand that it was about winning.’ Her gaze flicked up to meet his. ‘I’m sorry to report a setback in your winning play this morning.’

He frowned, completely missing what she meant. ‘What do you find wrong in my wanting you as my wife?’

Her mouth curled into a wry little smile. ‘Possibly the fact that I’m slow off the mark delivering the rest of what you want, Bryce.’

‘Which is?’ he prompted, still puzzled by her words and needing more insight on where she was coming from.

‘I didn’t get pregnant on our honeymoon.’

The blunt statement caught him by surprise. His entire thought process had been focused on her feelings for Marsden. He shook his head, his brain whirling to accommodate this new parameter, to fit it into her behaviour and make a different sense of it.

‘Believe it, Bryce,’ she said dryly, misinterpreting his confusion. ‘My period came this morning.’

He watched her bite into the strawberry-laden toast as though she needed a sweetener for the sour taste that piece of news had left in her mouth.

‘You’re upset because you’re not pregnant?’ he blurted out, relieved that this was the problem.

‘It is why we got married…to have a child,’ she reminded him, her eyes flashing bleak irony.

‘That’s what you’ve been holding in from me this morning? You didn’t want to tell me?’

‘It is…’ she grimaced, her eyes dulling further as she added, ‘…disappointing.’

Bryce instantly reached across the table and took her free hand in his, gently fondling it. ‘I’m sorry you’re disappointed, Sunny. But it is only early days in our marriage,’ he pressed, wanting to console her. ‘I’m sure it will happen. It’s probably better that you’re not pregnant straight off, what with having to settle into a new home and a new job.’

She stared at him in stunned disbelief. ‘Aren’t you disappointed?’

Bryce hadn’t stopped to think about it. He paused for a moment, remembering the motivations he’d spelled out to her. Somehow they didn’t seem quite so important now. But having a child was important to Sunny, he reminded himself before answering.

‘We’ll make a baby soon enough,’ he warmly assured her.

‘But…you wanted this for your father,’ she said in obvious bewilderment.

‘I don’t see that you can force nature for anyone,’ he answered reasonably.

‘You wanted to give him a grandchild before…before…’

‘My father is happy that I’ve married, Sunny. He’s seen for himself we’re a good match. He knows we intend to have children. It would be good to give him the news that we’re expecting a baby, but it doesn’t have to be immediate. Another month or two…’ He shrugged, wanting to remove her anxiety.

She shook her head, still disturbed. ‘I don’t understand why I didn’t fall pregnant. We…’ She flushed, obviously recalling their intense sexual activity.

‘Maybe the pills had some lingering influence. Don’t worry about it, Sunny.’

‘You’re not worried by it?’ she queried uncertainly.

‘No.’ He smiled. ‘I’m very happy just having you as my wife.’

Sunny searched his eyes, disbelief warring with the sincerity he was projecting. Was this the truth? He wanted her as his wife first, and his father’s needs came second?

‘Forget about it. Enjoy your breakfast,’ he urged, withdrawing his hand to continue his own meal, his whole demeanour beaming good humour. His eyes twinkled wickedly as he added, ‘We have a month of high-level energy business ahead of us.’

He was happy. There could be no doubting it. The tense silence, which Sunny had to acknowledge causing herself as she’d battled with the emotional conflict of failing to conceive, was completely banished by a stream of plans from Bryce—plans that were clearly coated with pleasurable anticipation.

She was almost giddy with relief. When they finally left for the airport, she didn’t mind at all when Bryce took her hand in the now familiar, possessive grip. It felt more like a symbol of togetherness, a warm, secure promise of his commitment to her.

His wife…

Her heart went all mushy at the memory of how wildly he’d wanted her last night. He’d driven any thought of Derek right out of her mind. Besides, there had been fair reasoning in his argument for having denied Derek a reconciliation bid. Why should he let a potential rival break into the intimacy she had willingly shared with him?

That would have been stupid.

As stupid as her hankering after Derek now.

No way!

She smiled to herself over the realisation that Bryce had been nursing jealous feelings over her supposed lingering attachment to Derek. It wasn’t just her body he wanted. Desire was certainly a driving force but there was also a passion for more than sex in their relationship.

A sigh of contentment whispered from her lips, bringing a swift look of concern from Bryce.

‘Are you okay, Sunny? If you’re in some discomfort from…’

‘No.’ She smiled to erase any doubt. ‘Just glad you’re not disappointed.’

He slanted his eyebrows ruefully. ‘Well, it does curtail some rather basic pleasures but we’ll probably need the rest after this trip anyhow.’

She laughed, happy that he was thinking of just the two of them and not the baby she wasn’t having yet.

Next month, she thought.

Next month they would surely have good news to give to his father.