Page 72 of Richard

She felt as if he had slapped her. Ever since it was confirmed that she was pregnant, he had been behaving differently.

He was still her loving husband and would check on her every day, but he was aloof, and when they were in bed, he would hold her in his arms until she fell asleep, but they had not made love for a week now, and that was not like him.

Richard McBride was a virile male who made love to her no less than twice a night, sometimes three times. It made her wonder if he was getting it elsewhere.

Seeing the wounded expression on her lovely face, he relented. “I am just looking out for you.”

“Is that what you are doing? Please let me go.”

“Collette–”

“Ever since that night when you behaved as if having a baby was the best news you ever received, you are not yourself. Were you just pretending to be happy? Trying to placate me? Do you even want this baby?”

It was his turn to look incensed. “What the hell kind of question is that? Of course, I want the baby. I am concerned about you because–”

“I am a woman in my forties. Are you regretting you are not married to someone younger? Is that what this is all about?”

She felt when he withdrew, not only physically but emotionally as well. Sliding off the bed, he went to finish dressing. “I suspect that’s hormones talking, so I will not grace that with a response.”

His deep voice was cool and sent shivers of fear inside her. She was not used to him speaking to her like that and was wondering if he was regretting being married to her.

“I am going to work.”

The look he turned on her could have turned her into stone and had her shrinking back against the pillows.

“If I find that you have disobeyed me on this, I am not against marching into that agency and carrying you out of there, kicking and screaming. And if you continue to put work before your condition, well– I have a mind to purchase an ad agency, and I might just start with yours.” His eyes drilled into hers. “Am I clear?”

“Go to hell,” she whispered hoarsely. Turning her back to him, she pulled the sheets over her head and blinked back tears.

Standing in front of the huge closet, Richard sighed harshly and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Why had he spoken to her like that? He had never done so before, but he had been reading up on pregnancy in a woman her age, and the risks were frightening.

She was so damned excited about this baby that she was not thinking of all that could go wrong. She could die, the baby could die, or worse, be born with certain conditions, such as down’s syndrome.

He had told her that he was okay with it just being the two of them, and he had spoken the truth. He missed their closeness, and not making love to her was driving him crazy. He could notbe in the same bed with her and not want her. Hell, he could not be in the same house with her and not want to drive himself deep into her.

But he had discovered when his passion was unleashed, it couldn’t be contained, and he was terrified of hurting her. Sleeping next to her was a torture of the worst kind and was making him grouchy and hard to deal with.

He owed her an apology, at the very least. Plucking out his phone, he called Rodney.

“Cancel my session for this morning.”

“Right away, sir.”

Hanging up the phone, he took off his clothes and put them away before approaching the bed.

She felt when he slid in next to her but remained stiff and unyielding. What he had said to her had hurt to the core.

Pulling the sheets off her, he determinedly turned her to face him. “I suppose saying I am sorry is not going to do it?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

His hands cupped her cheek. “There will never be another woman, and I would like to think you know that. I love you completely, but I am afraid, and because of my fear, I am behaving like an ass.”

His thumbs wiped at the moisture that her tears had made on her cheeks, and he felt his heart constricting because of the hurt he had caused her. “I made a promise never to hurt you, and here I am, doing just that. Please forgive me.”

Her dark brown gaze held his own steadily. “Do you want our baby?”

His body jerked at that. “Of course I do. It’s just that so much could go wrong and I am scared of losing you. I can face anything except that.”

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