Читать книгу Last Chance For Baby - Julianna Morris, Julianna Morris - Страница 13

“No more foolishness,” Julia mumbled around the toothbrush in her mouth. She spat a foamy mouthful into the sink and rinsed.

She’d escaped her usual bout of morning sickness, even managing to eat a bowl of cereal and drink a glass of milk. After the previous day that was a miracle, since tense emotions usually made the nausea worse.

And nothing about Raoul Oman was calm and soothing.

She’d had a moment of weakness the previous night, but that moment was over. The baby was the most important thing in her life, and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.

Julia put a hand over her abdomen. Over the past few months she’d worn looser clothing at work, choosing soft, thick sweaters to conceal the rounding of her stomach, rather than her usual silk blouses and suits. Sooner or later it wouldn’t be enough to conceal her secret any longer, and the news would be out. She only prayed it would be good news.

Sometime during the night Julia had realized she would have to tell Raoul, preferably before gossip spread through the company with its usual wildfire speed. He was extremely intelligent. He’d know the baby was his, so the best way of handling the matter was to tell him first and hope for the best. She’d make it clear she didn’t want anything from him, so maybe he wouldn’t care.

“Yeah, right,” she muttered.

The funny thing was, she didn’t have any idea how Raoul would react. Naturally there would be shock in the beginning, but after that?

She shivered, though the house was quite warm. The doorbell interrupted her troubling thoughts, and she stepped into the living room. Peering through a window, she gulped at the sight of Raoul standing on her doorstep.

“Oh, Lord,” she breathed.

It was the perfect opportunity to talk with him privately, but having that particular conversation in her home probably wasn’t smart. Later would be best, at the office, or maybe in a restaurant. In a public location, after she’d had time to think about her announcement—and his possible reactions—for a little longer.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she opened the door.

Raoul smiled, pleased to see the color in Julia’s cheeks. She was lovely, her dark-blond hair falling around her face in the stylish cut she favored. “Good morning, chère.”

“I asked you to stop calling me that.”

“So you did. There are many beautiful Arabic words of affection. Would it please you more if I chose an endearment from my native language?”

“Not especially,” she growled.

Chuckling, he motioned with the key he had taken from her key ring before leaving the previous evening. “I brought your car back from the office. I did not want you inconvenienced because we took a cab home from the restaurant.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that.”

She seemed so surprised that Raoul’s mouth tightened. What kind of men had Julia known that she would be surprised by something so small? He’d gotten a clear idea of her father and brother, an idea that wasn’t flattering. Were there others who had acted just as badly?

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, deciding not to upset her with questions she’d already demonstrated she didn’t want to answer.

“Fine.” Her chin lifted. “If you’ll wait while I get my coat and purse, we can go in together.”

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“No, I’m all right.” Julia disappeared, then returned, pulling on her coat. She locked the door and turned around. “Ready?”

The falsely cheerful tone of her voice didn’t fool Raoul. Though she was plainly in better health today, there was a distinct tension in her body and face.

The snow that had fallen during the night made the footing treacherous, and Raoul put a hand on Julia’s elbow. Fortunately, the winding, snow-lined streets of the neighborhood had already been tended by city employees, making them safe to drive now that the storm had blown over.

When they reached the car he held up the key once more. “Do you wish to drive, or shall I?”

Again, surprise registered in her hazel-gold eyes. “Er…no, go ahead.”

There were so many mysteries about Julia. Raoul shook his head as he closed the passenger door and crossed to the driver’s side of the vehicle. In Washington they had shared a great passion—an uncomplicated passion in many ways. Though he’d sensed deeper currents within his mischievously sensual lover, they’d been well protected.

“Tell me something about the people at Kane Haley, Inc.,” he asked, deciding it was a safe topic, and might help Julia relax. “I’ve met a few, and reviewed the employee records, but that’s all.”

“Well, Margaret Steward is Kane’s administrative assistant. She’s extremely competent and knows the company from top to bottom. She’s great to go to when you have questions or problems. Matthew Holder and Jennifer Martin just got married and they have a baby, but she’s out on maternity leave. Sharon Davies recently married Jack Waterton, who’s one of our big clients. Sharon and I’ve been….” At the swift intake of Julia’s breath, Raoul glanced at her and saw she was more tense than ever.

“Yes?”

“N-nothing. You know Kane, of course.”

“We met when I was attending the Sorbonne.”

“You didn’t go to Oxford?” Julia turned in her seat, nervously adjusting the seat belt over her waist. “I thought it was the school of choice for wealthy Middle-Eastern families.”

“I did attend university in England. But as a compromise to Grand-mère, my post-graduate studies were completed in France at the Sorbonne.”