at him. The memories were less forceful. ‘Fine,’ she said with a nod. ‘Why are you telling me?’
Silence.
‘I mean, it’s not like before, is it?’ she asked, the words soft. ‘I have no expectation you’ll change your schedule for me. In fact, I’d really prefer you wouldn’t.’
‘It’s not like before,’ he agreed, coming to stand beside her. ‘You are pregnant. The idea of leaving you alone doesn’t sit well with me.’
Skye rolled her eyes. ‘I’m growing a baby. It’s not a particularly high-risk activity.’
‘You fell into the canal yesterday,’ he reminded her. Unnecessarily. It had taken four showers to wash the smell of Venice out of her hair.
‘And I’m still here today,’ she said with a shrug. She sipped the coffee, closing her eyes in appreciation as it made its way into her body.
‘Does it happen often?’
She shook her head. ‘Fainting? That was the fourth time.’
‘Why?’
‘It’s a blood pressure thing,’ Skye said, trying to remember the specifics. ‘Some women are more prone to it than others. One minute I’m fine, and then I’m all faint, and there are stars in my eyes and the ground rushes up towards me.’
He didn’t say anything, which Skye took to mean the conversation was closed. Good. She smiled in his general direction. ‘I might drink my coffee in my room,’ she said, needing space from him. Distance. Time.
‘Aspetti,’ he said. ‘Wait a moment.’ His accent was thicker once more, husky and dark.
She paused, not looking at him. ‘Yes?’
‘I don’t like this.’ She heard the frown in his voice. ‘I will change my plans. You clearly shouldn’t be left alone.’
Panic raced through Skye. ‘I’m fine!’ She spun around to face him, and one look at his expression made her stomach drop. His expression was as determined as she’d ever seen it.
Great.
‘Melania is here,’ Skye pointed out desperately.
‘She has enough to do without playing nursemaid to you.’
‘And you don’t?’ Skye retorted quickly. ‘When we were together you were gone twelve hours a day.’
‘And you missed me,’ he said smoothly.
She rolled her eyes. ‘That’s not the point I’m making. I only mean that I’m used to you not being here.’
He moved closer. ‘It is my baby. And you are my wife. That makes this my responsibility.’
Responsibility. Pain washed over Skye. How long had she felt like a burden? Like she was someone’s responsibility and never their joy? How long had she known herself to be cared for out of duty rather than love? The idea that he might be doing so now was galling. And many other things!
She swallowed, but the razor blades in her throat didn’t abate.
‘You have too much to do. Melania can easily call you if there’s a problem.’
‘This is not a negotiation,’ he said with the ruthless determination she’d come to expect from him. ‘I’ve made up my mind.’
Skye clamped her teeth together, grinding them out of frustration. He obviously wasn’t going to listen to reason, but maybe she could use his concern for the baby to get her own way.
‘You want to do the right thing? Then go to work. Being around you is definitely no good for my blood pressure.’
He arched a brow and his lips lifted in the hint of a smile. ‘I imagine I elevate your blood pressure,’ he said silkily. ‘And fainting is usually associated with low blood pressure, is it not? So perhaps having me here is going to be just the medicine you need.’