Page 122 of Merciless Desires

I can’t confuse these misplaced feelings I have for Ana with my loneliness.

Anastasia fucking Koslov. I’ve lost my mind.

Ignoring my wife’s scent, I look for the dresses I remember she wore when she was late in her pregnancy. There’s a bin in the back filled with all the clothes I remember her wearing right before giving birth.

I bring the bin to the guestroom, and because the door is still open, I walk right in but nearly drop everything. Ana stands there in a towel. Only, the towel doesn’t cover her figure very well. She’s holding it closed on top, but it parts, and I see her stomach and her…

I’m a doctor. I’m a doctor.

“Oh!” She sounds surprised to see me. “I figured this was a guestroom. I’m sorry. I had to take a shower.”

“No problem.” I put the bin on the bed. “Here, these were Ginny’s.”

“You want me to wear your wife’s maternity clothes?”

“Just to get you through a couple of days.” I wipe my brow, trying not to stare at her swollen stomach. “I’ll take you shopping for whatever else you need.”

“When?”

“Fuck, I don’t know.” This is getting complicated.

She turns around and drops the towel, giving me an encore view of her ass. “Don’t worry, Darragh, I saw you looking at me.”

“I heard the water running. I get you needed to shower, but you came upstairs before I gave you permission.” I reach into the closet and hand her a spare robe.

Dropping it on her shoulders, I inhale the smell of fresh soap and lemon shampoo. It nearly brings me to my knees.

“Thank you.” Tying the robe over her stomach, she adds, “I don’t want to impose and wear your wife’s clothes.”

“You need something to wear.” Letting go of any territorial feelings over things Ginny didn’t care about, clothes she didn’t bother to bring with her, clothes she hasn’t asked me to ship her, clothes she left, like she left her daughter and me, I step aside and say, “Pick out whatever you want. Honestly, she left when Sophie was four.”

“What about you?” Ana fists through the pile. “Will seeing me in her maternity clothes trigger you?”

Yes… “Doesn’t matter.” I exhale. “I’ll get over it. Let’s get you some food.” I need to get the hell out of this bedroom.

“I’m not hungry anymore. I haven’t been eating much to begin with. I have to get my appetite back.”

“What did you eat back in Vegas?”

“There was a cheesy mall nearby with a food court. I ate salads and chicken.”

I nod, hating the way Cormac made her live.

Ana lifts out a cotton PJ set. “I’ll sleep in these.”

“Fine.”

She drops the clothes on the bed and fingers her wet hair. “Can I ask now what we’re doing? What’s your plan for me? You told me on the plane to stay away from your daughter. But I’m sleeping across the hall from her.”

I hand her a hairbrush. “It’s simple, Anastasia. You’re staying here until you have the baby. Then I’ll give you money, and you can disappear for good.” Those words prick my skin with tension.

“I just want to do what’s best for my baby.” She slowly brushes her hair, the measured strokes, and the way she grips the wooden handle sends heat right to my cock. My feelings are irrational, but I can’t look away.

“Then you’ll agree that I should assume full custody of the baby once he’s born.”

Her spine stiffens. “Full custody?”

“If you’re going to live a life on the run, a baby will slow you down. He’s better off living here. With me.” I hold my hands out. “Clearly, I can take a care of a child by myself.”

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