Page 21 of 2 Books in One Bundle

In response to his accusation, she bristled and lifted her chin. ‘And?’

‘You said you’d stay away from your business.’

That was rich, coming from him. ‘Yes, well,yousaid you’d work from home,’ she countered, padding to the bar because, for her at least, this conversation had been brewing for days and she wanted to be able to see every single reaction.

‘Is that what this was, then? A tit-for-tat?’

‘Of course not. I’m not that petty. This was me having had enough of being treated so shabbily, of being the only one around here making any sacrifices at all and doing something to stop myself going completely out of my mind with boredom.’

A flicker of what she hoped was guilt flared in the dark depths of his eyes, but all too soon his expression reverted to uncompromising.

‘Was it worth taking a risk on the safety of our baby?’

What?That was a bit much. ‘I wasn’t risking anything.’

‘Only a few days ago you thought you were miscarrying,’ he said, the simmering anger she could now feel emanating from him tightening his voice. ‘On the advice of the doctor, you are supposed to be resting.’

‘And I have been resting,’ she said, her own temper stirring in response to his wholly outrageous ire. ‘Fordays. But I’m not used to lounging around and doing nothing. I’m not an invalid. I feel absolutely fine. And I’m not going to sit here gathering dust while you waltz off to do whatever it is you’ve been doing. I have no clue why you’d vanish at the first available opportunity when you were so adamant about not letting me out of your sight, and you can work from dawn until dusk and then party the night away with whoever you like, for all I care. What I will say, however, is that your recent behaviour certainly won’t make me more amenable to marriage. And if this is the way things are going to be from now on, then what’s the point of me being here at all?’

A tiny muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘The point,’ he said stonily, ‘is that with you here at leastsomeonewill be looking out for your welfare and that of our child.’

‘Who?’ she challenged. ‘Because it obviously won’t be you.’

‘I’ve had someone keeping an eye on you.’

At that Mia reeled. What? The only person she’d interacted with at all had been the concierge.

‘Tony?’ she said, thinking of the many conversations they’d had and feeling absurdly betrayed. ‘He’s your informant?’

Zander, whose presence here this evening, she now realised, was clearly no coincidence, didn’t like the implication that he’d been spying on her. She could tell by the way his jaw set and his eyes narrowed, but she didn’t much like his underhand tactics so that was just too bad.

‘It was important to me to know that you and the baby were all right,’ he said tightly.

‘But not important enough to take care of it yourself.’

‘My absence was unavoidable.’

‘Forthree days?’

‘Why? Did you miss me?’

Yes. Bizarrely, shehadmissed him. Shehatedthe thought of him partying the night away with who knew who. The days—and the nights—had been so long, so frustrating. But that wasn’t the point.

‘Your implication that I’m irresponsible is disgraceful,’ she said hotly. ‘The best person to decide how I am is me. It’s certainly not you, either in person or by proxy. And know this, Zander Stanhope. I’m not going to languish in this bachelor pad of yours just because you demand it. And how would you keep me here anyway? By handcuffing me to the bed?’

His eyes glinted. A flash of colour flared across his cheekbones. ‘It’s an idea.’

Time seemed to slam to a halt. The image that flew into her head dried her mouth and sent shivers racing up and down her spine. Her temperature rocketed and her lungs collapsed and the fiery antagonism that was swirling between them morphed into something more sensuous, something darker, something entirely more thrilling.

‘And what would you do with me then?’ she asked, heart pounding, chin up, shoulders back, a lot more breathless than she’d have wished.

‘What would you want me to do with you?’ he said, his voice appearing to have dropped an octave.

‘I’d want you to hand me the key so I could unlock myself and then get out of the room.’

‘Would you?’

No. She’d want him to spread her out and have his wicked way with her until she was boneless and trembling. She’d want him to do to her everything she dreamed of at night, despite his recent shoddy behaviour. But she would not succumb. Seduction came as naturally to him as breathing, and she’d already fallen for it once. Besides, she was still furious with him. ‘Absolutely.’

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