Page 27 of Christmas Baby with Her Ultra-Rich Boss

‘But...’ Konstantinos’s offer was so unexpected that for a moment she couldn’t even think of a but. ‘Youhatethe cold.’

‘It is a sacrifice I am willing to make for our baby’s sake,’ Konstantinos said, knowing even as he said it that this wasn’t quite the truth. It was the thought of Lena lying uncomfortably, trying to sleep on a hard floor after another long day that made his stomach twist and his chest clench, reactions only slightly less acute than when he’d thought he’d have to tie her to a chair to stop her going out into the treacherous blizzard. If she had gone, it would have been to spite him, he was certain of it.

Why had he goaded her like he’d done? Sure, he’d been angry with her for endangering herself and the baby by setting out in a blizzard...okay, he accepted Lena had set out when the conditions were better than they were now, and she was right that these conditions were perfectly normal to her and yes, there was the possibility he might have overreacted slightly to the situation...

A great sigh ripped its way through him.

It was his behaviour that had been faulty. Not Lena’s. He’d commandeered a snowmobile he’d never driven before and set off in a blizzard in terrain that was alien to him. The fury that had driven him...it had not been normal anger. Not normal as he knew it. Fear had laced it. Fear for Lena.

He’d goaded her deliberately as punishment for frightening him. And to get a reaction.

Just as she’d understood the warning he’d given by relating Theo and Cassia’s betrayal, now he understood where the bad temper he’d been carrying the entire day had come from. Lena had reacted to his warning in the exact way he’d hoped, by smothering any emotions so well they might well have been extinguished in their entirety, not even a glow in her eyes to hint at anything happening beneath her skin, nothing to indicate that the awareness that lay so heavily inside him for her was reciprocated; but instead of basking in relief that they could plan a cordial life as co-parents, he’d hated it. Hated the mask of calm serenity and professional politeness she wore around him.

What was it about this woman that provoked so many contradictory feelings in him? Why, seeing the stark abundance of emotions now shining in eyes that had been shuttered from him, did he feel like he wanted to fight through the blizzard to reach the moon and hand it to her as a gift?

A cough cut through the thickening silence.

They both blinked and turned their heads in unison.

Rachel was looking at them awkwardly. ‘Shall I tell the staff we have extra guests for the night?’

Konstantinos turned back to Lena at the same moment she turned her stare back to him. Her shoulders rose slowly, colour heightening her cheeks before she gave a quick nod.

A surge of adrenaline he had no control over shot through him, making his heart pound and his pulse soar.

CHAPTER NINE

LENAHADTOforce the steak she’d ordered from the Ice Restaurant down her throat. Being a heated permanent structure with soft lighting and cosy booths, the twenty-four-hour restaurant wasn’t strictly part of The Igloo; instead, it connected to it in the same way its reception and lounge did, via the ice tunnel network. This was handy in bad weather such as they were currently experiencing, allowing guests and staff to use the permanent facilities without having to step outside. Most found the experience of staying in The Igloo exhilarating. They’d paid a fortune to sleep in an arthouse freezer and were determined to get their money’s worth. Lena had found it terrifying.

This time, though, she wasn’t frightened because of the fear of claustrophobia crawling its way back through her but because she would be sharing a bed with Konstantinos. Her only saving grace was that it could not be construed in any way as romantic. The cold meant they would both be fully clothed and in separate sleeping bags. In reality, it would be more like a childhood sleepover. Those reasonings did nothing to stop the food she’d managed to eat from churning in her stomach.

It didn’t help that they were practically cut off from the other diners in the cosy, private booth or that she was so painfully aware of Konstantinos’s foot resting so close to hers beneath the table or that she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. There were so many emotions zooming through her that her brain couldn’t cope with speech, too. Their entire meal had been conducted in excruciatingly tense silence, the excited blizzard chatter of those dining around them only making the silence between them more profound.

It was while they were eating their desserts that an alert came through on Lena’s phone: the local airport would remain closed until at least 6 a.m.

Without speaking, she passed her phone to Konstantinos so he could see the alert for himself. He read it expressionlessly before meeting her stare. Jaw clenching, his shoulders rose and his nostrils flared before he gave a tight smile that clearly said, ‘so be it.’

What didn’t need to be said, verbally or otherwise, was that any vestige of hope that the blizzard would die out sooner rather than later had been dispelled. There would be no returning to their individual cabins tonight.

All too quickly, the point was reached where they could drag it out no longer. They were the last people in the restaurant. Their dessert plates were empty, Konstantinos’s second coffee and Lena’s second hot chocolate had been drunk.

Even as she was thinking this, she still jumped when Konstantinos got abruptly to his feet. ‘Come on. Let’s do it.’

Taking a deep breath, she rose, too.

In silence they walked to the permanent heated changing rooms. Each ice room had its own designated changing room with a private bathroom and a locker to store possessions. Nothing could be taken into the ice room apart from the clothes on their backs. One of the American party from yesterday had ignored this instruction and been surprised to find his phone frozen solid to the ice bedside table he’d left it on overnight.

They stepped into their designated changing room. Their sleeping bags, pillows and a bag of toiletries had been placed on the bench that ran its short length. She felt Konstantinos’s eyes dart to her and knew he’d picked up on the fact the sleeping bags they’d been given could be turned into a double, and it suddenly hit her fully that she would be spending the night sleeping beside the man she’d spent the past days desperately trying to turn her emotions away from and mentally dousing the awareness that vibrated through her just to look at him.

Those vibrations of awareness had ramped up during their excruciating meal and now, stuck within the tiny dimensions of the changing room, reached supersonic proportions.

Snatching up the bag of hotel-supplied toiletries, she backed quickly to the bathroom. She didn’t care if he wanted to use it first. She had to get away from him and get her head together, even if only for a few minutes. ‘You need to take your layers off,’ she said, the first words she’d spoken since they’d ordered their desserts. ‘It’s best just to sleep in your thermals and socks. Oh, and a hat. Bring your gloves and scarf, too, just in case.’

‘We are sleeping in a freezer,’ Konstantinos pointed out, wondering if she’d just spent the past couple of hours dreaming up the best way to get revenge on him being an arse to her.

‘The sleeping bags are designed to withstand temperatures of up to minus forty.’ Her speech was rapid, her hand gripped tightly to the handle of the bathroom door. ‘Honestly, it’s easier for your body to regulate itself this way. You’ll need to wear your snowsuit and boots to the room but put everything else in the locker...except your jumper. Lots of people swear by putting that in the foot of your sleeping bag so you’ve something warm to put on in the morning before you have to get out of your cocoon or if you do get too cold during the night.’

She disappeared into the bathroom.

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