Page 23 of The Nicolaides Baby

He passed one of the guest rooms where a dim light shown out from the slightly ajar door.

Mara.

It wouldn’t hurt to check on her. He pushed the door open a little more so light from the hallway shone over the small mound she made in the bed and the bright red curls covering the back of her head. He grinned when she let out a little snore, but the longer he stood there, the more his grin faded, true regret filling him from his accusation. He quietly walked close to the bed to cover up a bare foot sticking out before leaving the room and easing the door back into place.

He looked down the hall toward his suite of rooms, but the tiredness he’d felt just moments before had vanished, leaving in its place a sense of restlessness he needed to work out.

Without much thought, he quietly went back downstairs and followed the moonlight streaming in through the back of the villa. He went out through the French doors and onto the terrace. The metal railing was cold where he gripped it as he peered into the clear night sky, his eyes drawn to the roofline of thedéfterosvilla visible through the trees.

“Hmm…”Rowan’s probably in bed.

But if she wasn’t, maybe they could talk and clear the air. He let go of the railing and started toward the steps. She might not like him very much anymore—something that had him frowning—but there was no sense in it affecting her stay or keeping her away from the main house on the off chance she might dread running into him.

Besides, he thought as he trudged down the stairs then trekked across the lawn, it was a perfect evening for a walk—mild with only a slight nip in the air. He crossed over the main path bisecting the property and headed down the secondary path through the trees to the smaller villa with no thought in mind of how he would broach the subject with her if she happened to be up.

Maybe the direct approach would work best. He would knock on the door and apologize as soon as she opened it. Or better yet, perhaps grovel at her feet.

That might work.

He’d intended to go to the front of the house, but the closer he got, he noticed a couple of lights on at the back of the property along with the telltale sound of the outdoor jacuzzi running.

He paused. Either Rowan was in the jacuzzi or she hadn’t turned it off before going back inside.

“It wouldn’t hurt to check,” he muttered, a sense of anticipation driving him to pick up his pace until he stood at the archway leading to the garden and cemented pool area.

His eyes zeroed in on the steaming jacuzzi sitting on a raised platform next to the pool. Rowan lay submerged up to her neck in it with her head back and an empty wine glass beside her. He frowned when he noticed her closed eyes. Didn’t she know how dangerous it was to fall asleep in one of those things? He drew closer but stopped short when he noticed a silky nightgown with a pair of panties atop it sitting on a nearby lounger

Heat suffused him as his pulse raced, his cock hardening with the realization she was less than twenty feet from him and naked. He should leave, he thought, moving closer to the backlit pool of moving water. Just a couple more feet and he’d be able to peer over the edge. But as much as he was tempted, he wasn’t going to take that kind of advantage, so he stopped just shy of seeing into heaven and coughed instead.

“What!” Rowan all but shouted and then floundered in the water before lifting her soaked head up and sputtering. “Leo! What are you doing here?”

“Good, you’re awake.” He couldn’t help the humor in his voice as he spoke loudly enough to be heard over the churning water.

Rowan scowled and wiped water from her face. “You,” she said, her jaw working. He raised one brow when it looked like she was about to stand. Then he grinned when she looked down then back up at him, saying suspiciously, “How much can you see?”

He lifted himself up on the toes of his shoes and stretched his neck. “Mmm…” Almost, but… “Nothing,” he said, dropping back down, followed by, “I swear,” when she raised a disbelieving brow.

She sank lower until he could only make out her mouth and the rest of the top of her head. “Okay, but you shouldn’t be here.”

“I need to talk to you.”

She glanced down and then back up at him again, a helpless look crossing her face. “Can’t this wait until morning?”

“You know what they say,” he told her with a slight grin, “never let the sun go down on your anger.”

“It’s almost eleven o’clock, so I think you missed that boat by a few hours.” She narrowed her gaze at him. “Besides, I doubt anything you’ll say will lessen my anger toward you right now.”

He took a step toward her. “What if I said I’m truly sorry.”

She grimaced and held up a hand, stopping his forward progress. “First of all, sorry doesn’t fix everything. And second, don’t come any closer.”

“What if I said I’m a horrible human being who doesn’t deserve forgiveness but who will do whatever it takes to earn it?”

“Well, now you’re just laying it on thick.” If he wasn’t mistaken, he spied a slight softening of her features before she glared at him. “But here’s the thing. I don’t care what you think of me—about my decisions. I might not be happy about your opinion of me, but I can handle it. But what you said about Mara, I—”

“If I could take that back, more than any of the rest, I would.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “And you had every right to slap me.” She winced at his words. “It was uncalled for and hateful.” He held her gaze, hoping she would see his sincerity. “And if you can’t forgive me for that, I understand.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying.”

She sat staring at him for several seconds, then furrowed her brows. “I…” She glanced around the jacuzzi. “This is ridiculous.” She looked back up at him. “Can you turn around please?”

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