Page 34 of The Billionaire's One-Night Baby

‘I later learned that Lily was as caught off guard as I was but, God bless her, she rallied and she let me stay,’ Dodi explained. ‘Living with her was like entering an alternative reality. I had chores and curfews and had to go to school every day and bring home decent reports. I had to do an extramural activity and some sort of exercise, eat healthily.’

‘And you rebelled?’

She grinned. ‘On the contrary, I loved every rule, every regulation. I’d had none, so I loved the rules, knowing what I could and could not do. And Lily’s rules made me feel secure, loved, cared for. Can you understand that?’

Jago rubbed his jaw. ‘I guess. So, you were happy with your gran?’

‘Happier than I’d ever been in my life. I met Dan, at uni I met Thadie, and my life was truly excellent, you know?’

‘Who is Dan?’

No, she couldn’t talk about him, not yet. Maybe not ever. She waved his question away. ‘I was so happy with Lily and we were close. We often spoke about my parents and the shop. She told me I was too young to be so cynical about love and marriage, I told her she was living in La-La Land. She told me I would change my mind at some point.’

‘But you haven’t.’

She shook her head. No, thanks to Dan, she was even further away than she was before. ‘Sometimes I look at those starry-eyed brides and I want to shake them and tell them that a gorgeous dress and a stunning wedding means nothing, and that it won’t always lead to sunshine and roses.’

Jago’s intense eyes were laser-like on her face. ‘Do you not think they realise that? That they just want the experience of their union being celebrated before they settle down to the hard work of marriage?’

Dodi jerked her shoulders up to her ears. ‘I don’t know. Did Anju feel like that? Was your marriage hard work?’ she asked, curious.

The skin tightened across his face and his lips thinned. ‘I wasn’t in love with Anju, and she didn’t love me. We didn’t have a white, church wedding. Our marriage was a marriage, I suppose, of convenience. Both of us were very clear about what we wanted from each other.’

Wow.

‘And that was?’ Would he answer? She wasn’t sure.

‘A meeting of minds. We were very good friends who shared a lot of the same interests. Good sex...we were very compatible in bed. Neither of us wanted children and we were both focused on our careers. She was unemotional, as am I. Our lives were a drama-free zone and that was important to me.’

‘And it worked for you?’

‘Yeah, it did. Maybe we weren’t happy, but we were content.’

He dropped his head to look into his half-empty wine glass, idly swishing the liquid around inside. He opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head. ‘I think that’s enough for now, Dodi. Maybe we should eat.’

She wasn’t hungry...well, not for food anyway. And yes, maybe they should stop talking because he was fascinating mentallyandemotionally. She couldn’t afford to start having feelings for him, to fall in love with him, to be anything but his friend and the woman who was carrying his child. Too many people had smacked her heart around, and she would not allow Jago Le Roux the same opportunity.

No, she wouldn’t allow herself to think like that, to let thoughts of fascination and fondness settle in her mind. She was attracted to Jago, that was all that was happening here. She was conflating sex with emotions, and that was a very dangerous thing to do.

She had to separate the two, now...immediately.

To remind herself that she was in control, that she knew what she was doing—that she knew the difference between sex and love—Dodi approached him and placed her flat hand above his heart, her other hand sliding up his chest to curl around his neck. She wanted the crackle and the fizz, to be hit by lust and passion. And if feeling like that pulled her out of her bleak mood and from reliving her tiresome day, then she considered that a bonus.

‘Will you kiss me, Jago?’ she murmured, looking at him from under her lashes.

He put his hands behind him and gripped the edge of the island’s granite top, holding on tight, as if he was forcing himself to stop himself from reaching for her. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from doing more,’ Jago admitted.

Dodi rested her forehead on his sternum, inhaling his fresh, clean scent. ‘I’d like you to take me away from today. Take me out of my head and take me to bed, Jago. Please?’

She’d beg if she had to, she needed him that much. Needed his confident and clever hands, his deep voice painting words on her skin, his mouth trailing fire over her body. The perfection of him sliding inside her, the intense explosion he pulled up inside her.

She needed the distraction, but more than that, she needed him.

The thought scared her, but when he bent his legs and carried her over to her sofa, it didn’t scare her enough to resist.

CHAPTER NINE

MAN,HEWASLUCKY.

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