Page 34 of Robert

But the week had been too intense. She had told him the truth. She had not planned on having sex, even though what they had done up to this morning could never be termed in that generic manner.

And that was the problem. She had never expected to feel that way. And she needed time to think. Time away from him to process what was happening. But oh God! She missed him. He had just left, and she want to swallow her misgivings and call him back. He had not kissed her goodbye, but if he had, she would have asked him to stay.

“Oh Lord, girl, you are a mess.” Gathering her composure, she started towards the stairs and stopped. The realization hit her that he had not used anything. Sitting down on the steps, she dropped her case as a new worry set in. All the time they had spent together, she had never once thought about the consequences.

They were not really married, and they had compounded the situation by sleeping with each other. She could not very well blame him, because she was the one who had initiated it.

Robert Faulkner was not some ordinary guy. He was a multi-billionaire she had dared to ask for a favor. She could not bear the idea of thinking she was trapping him with a pregnancy. She didn’t even know if he wanted children in the first place.

And as much as her mother harped on the subject about marriage and children, Sonya had never thought about it – yes, of course one day when the time was right, she wanted a family. But it had to be on her terms. When she was ready to start a family.

She had seen too many children suffer as a result of unplanned pregnancies. She worked with children’s homes as well asgroup homes and had seen firsthand the tragedy of abandoned children. Not that she would ever abandon her child.

But she had things to do and the last thing she wanted was to be pregnant. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. If they were going to continue seeing each other, she was going to have to insist on protection.

But right now, she had no idea where they stood. He had left with an indifference that pained her heart. He could have insisted on staying or her going back to his apartment, but he had just turned and left.

She knew he wasn’t seeing anyone, but he could have any woman he wanted. Sadly, her sex was readily available if the man was attractive and wealthy. Robert Faulkner possessed all the right attributes.

But the thought of him being with another woman sent jealousy tumbling through her. After what they shared, she could not bear him sharing it with another woman. It would kill her.

*****

He drove around for half hour, trying to squelch the anger and pain he was feeling. Several times during the drive, he was tempted to go back and demand that she let him in.

But commonsense reared its head, reminding him that they were not really married, and he did not have a right to demand anything from her. She was a free agent and so was he.

He could invite any of the women he had been seeing in the past to come over and they would jump at the chance. But he wanted only one woman. He just wanted her. After the time they had spent at the cottage, that was cemented for him. He could never be with anyone else. He did not have the stomach for it.

Damn her! He thought angrily. Why the hell couldn’t she see that he was vulnerable where she was concerned? How could she not tell that he was into her big time? He had all but spelled it out.

He had just turned off the highway and was heading towards the private road leading to his house when his phone rang. The disappointment on not seeing her name on the dashboard was so profound that for a few seconds, he contemplated not answering. But he had never ignored a call from his sister.

Touching the green icon on the steering wheel, he forced a pleasant tone in his voice.

“Hey.”

“Hey you. Are you back from your honeymoon?”

“Just heading home now.”

“Oh. Is she with you?”

He smiled grimly, realizing that his sister had not yet warmed up to Sonya.

“No. I dropped her off at her place. She had to prepare for some meetings and so do I.”

“You’re not together?”

“No. We are both busy people and that’s the way we want it. We will be splitting time between my place and hers.”

“Whose idea was that?”

Sliding into his parking spot, he killed the engine. “Both of us. It is more convenient this way.”

There was silence for a minute, and he knew she was trying to grapple with that information.

“Are you happy?”

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