Page 20 of Billion-Dollar Baby Bargain

“Victoria, I’m sorry.” His arms closed around her.

She fought him off, elbowing him fiercely. “Let go of me, damn you!”

He dropped his arms and stepped back, breathing heavily.

She stormed past him through the glass sliders. Half a dozen strides carried her across the living room and she yanked the front door open, her clammy hands clutching the door handle to keep her trembling knees from giving out. She’d wanted him to hold her, to share the grief…but never like this. “Get out.”

“We need to talk about Dy—”

“I have nothing to say to you. Go.”

“Victoria—”

She kept her gaze averted, horribly conscious of the soundless tears streaming down her face and the nausea rising in the back of her throat. “Please, just go.”

He stumbled past her. At the last moment he turned. “If you need—”

Hot, blinding anger surged, and she said, “I don’t need anything you can give me.”

Without another word Connor left.

The funeral was finally over. Mourners huddled in groups in the church hall sipping coffee from white cups.

Connor glanced to where Victoria stood in silence beside three women who he assumed must’ve been friends of Suzy’s. The scooped neckline of the fitted black dress she wore accentuated her collar bones and the delicate line of her throat, and her tall, slender body moved to-and-fro as she rocked Dylan. But she didn’t spare him a glance. She’d barely spoken to him today.

Guilt gnawed at him. How had he managed to screw up so royally two nights ago? Judging by the dark rings around her eyes, she hadn’t slept since. She was hurting. He could feel it. Hell, she’d made him so mad, but that was no excuse. Nor did the knowledge that he’d never intended to wound her so deeply ease his guilt.

He was worse than the pig she’d called him.

She’d loved Suzy. She would never forgive him for implying that she’d neglected Suzy before her tragic death. And how could he blame her?

The baby’s head was nestled close against her shoulder, and Dylan’s eyes widened with interest as Connor came closer.

“Here, let me take the baby.”

He saw her stiffen, her hold tighten around the baby, as she became aware of him. “No!”

Did she think he was going to rip the baby away from her?

“Please?” Couldn’t she see his remorse? “Dylan must be heavy.”

She edged away from the group she’d been standing with, but not before one of them gave him a strange look. He didn’t care. It was Victoria that concerned him right now.

“We’re fine.”

Her pallor, her reddened eyes, the way her fingers dug into the blanket that swaddled Dylan gave lie to that. She so wasn’t fine. But he wasn’t about to argue with her here for everyone to see.

“Victoria…” Connor searched for the words that would mend everything between them, that would put them back into the state of almost-truce that had existed before his insensitive accusation. And came up dry.

“Go away,” she hissed. “You’re not taking the baby from me.”

“Victoria—” An elegant woman with short hair wearing a black-and-white houndstooth suit came up beside them eyeing Connor with curiosity. “I wanted to say how sorry I am for the loss of your friend.”

“Thank you, Bridget.”

“And who is this fellow?” Bridget studied Dylan with decidedly wary eyes, causing Connor to suppress his first grin in days.

“This is Dylan, Suzy’s baby.”

“Oh.” Bridget exchanged long looks with Victoria. “How dreadful. Is her family looking after him?”

“Suzy doesn’t have any close family—her parents are dead, and she was an only child. Dylan’s been staying with me.”

His smile fading, Connor watched Bridget—whoever the hell she was—process that information silently. Victoria must have seen her doubts, too, because her arms tightened around the baby, causing Dylan to squawk in protest.

Connor reached for the wriggling baby. “I’ll hold him for you.” Dylan lurched toward him with a gurgle before Victoria could argue.

Bridget examined him with interest.

Connor nodded politely.

With visible reluctance Victoria performed the introductions. “Bridget, this is Connor North, a friend of the Masons. Connor, Bridget Edge is managing partner at Archer, Cameron and Edge.”

“Connor North? Of the Phoenix Corporation?” Bridget’s gaze sharpened. Connor could see her mentally tallying up his assets. “I didn’t know you were connected to Phoenix, Victoria.”

Victoria looked trapped.

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