She relaxed against him, refusing to spoil their first moments home with senseless, petty arguments.
Home. The word struck her in the chest, and even as she thought it, she shook her head in mute denial. She had no home.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked as they stopped at the door.
Embarrassed over her emotional display, she uttered a low denial.
He opened the door, and they stepped into the expansive foyer. Beyond was an elegant double staircase curving toward the top where a hallway connected the two sides of the house.
“Come into the living room, and I’ll see to your things.”
She allowed him to lead her to a comfortable leather couch that afforded a view of the patio through triple French doors. It would be a perfect breakfast spot, she thought with longing. The morning sun would shine perfectly on the garden table.
What would it be like to have a home like this? Filled with laughter and children. And then it occurred to her that it was entirely possible that part of that dream would come true.
She looked down at the gentle mound covered by her thin shirt and slowly smoothed her hand over it. The baby kicked, and Jewel smiled.
She wanted to give her daughter all the things she’d never had, the things she longed for. Love, acceptance. A stable home.
Would Piers provide those things? Everything but love. Could Jewel love her baby enough to compensate for a father who didn’t want her or her mother?
Damn if she hadn’t done what she’d sworn never to do.
Piers traipsed inside the living room, hauling her two suitcases with him.
“I’ll take these upstairs, and then I’ll be down to make us some lunch. Is there anything you need in the meantime?”
Unnerved by his consideration, she shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Good, then I’ll be right back.”
She heard him rattle up the stairs, and she returned her perusal moodily to the outside. No longer content to look from afar, she got up and walked to the glass doors. She pressed her hand to the panes as she gazed over the magnificently rendered gardens.
It was extremely beautiful, but it almost looked sterile, as if no one ever touched it, or even breathed on it for that matter. It seemed…artificial. Not a living, breathing entity. Not like the ocean. It was always alive, rolling, sometimes peaceful and serene and at other times angry and forbidding.
A hand slipped over her shoulder, and she jumped. As she turned, she saw that Piers stood behind her, his expression mild and unthreatening.
“Sorry if I startled you. I called from across the room, but you didn’t hear me obviously.”
She offered a half smile, suddenly nervous in his presence.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed. “I prefer the ocean, though. It’s more…untamed.”
“You find these gardens tame?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I suppose I can see your point. Would you like to eat now? I had something dropped by before we arrived. It will only take a few minutes to warm everything up.”
She turned sideways to face him. “Could we eat outside? It’s a beautiful day.”
“If you wish. Why don’t you go on outside. I’ll bring out the food in a moment.”
His footsteps retreated across the wooden floors. When he was gone, she slipped out of the French doors and onto the stone patio.
The coolness caused her to shiver, but it was a beautiful day, one of the few where nothing marred the blue sky, and she didn’t want to waste it by returning indoors.
She settled into one of the chairs to wait for Piers. It seemed odd to have this arrogant man waiting on her. He was clearly used to having the tables turned and being served.
The doors opened, and Piers elbowed his way out carrying two trays. He was a man of continuing surprises. He’d shown up at the hospital in time for her release, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a casual polo shirt, a far cry from the expensive designer clothing she knew he usually wore. He looked almost approachable. No less desirable, but definitely less threatening. In a more cynical moment, she wondered if he’d done it on purpose to lull her into a false sense of security.
He set a tray in front of her then placed his own across the table before taking a seat. She picked up her fork but made the mistake of looking over at him before she began to eat. He was staring intently at her, his food untouched.
“We have a lot to talk about, Jewel. After you eat, I plan to have the conversation we should have had a long time ago.”
He sounded ominous, and a prickle of unease swept over her. What was left for them to discuss? He’d demanded she marry him, and she’d agreed. He’d demanded she move in with him, and she’d agreed. Quite frankly her acquiescence was starting to irritate the hell out of her.
They ate in silence, though she knew he watched her. The heat of his stare blazed over her skin, but she refused to acknowledge his perusal. He already had enough power over her.
When she’d finished, she put her fork down, and still refusing to look at him, she turned her gaze back to the gardens.
“Ignoring me won’t help.”
Finally she turned, sure she must look guilty. Now she felt childish for being so obvious, but the man made her nervous.
“We need to clear the air on a few matters. Mainly your firing.”
She stiffened and clenched her fingers into small fists. “I’d just as soon not discuss it. No good can come of it, and I am supposed to keep my stress level down.”
“I never intended to have you fired, Jewel. It was a despicable thing to have happened to you, and I accept full blame.”
“Well who the hell else’s fault would it be?” she demanded.
“It wasn’t what I intended,” he said again.
“Whether you intended it or not, it’s what happened. Mighty coincidental that I got the sack as soon as you found out who I was, wouldn’t you say?”
Piers blew out his breath, and his gaze narrowed. “You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?”
She leaned back, this time giving him the full intensity of her stare. “Why should it be easy for you? It wasn’t easy for me. I had no money left, no job. I came here because it was the only place I had to stay, and waitressing was the only quick job I could land. Then I started getting sick.” She stopped and shook her head. She wasn’t going to get into it with him.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He looked and sounded sincere. Enough so that her next question slipped out before she could think better of it.
“If I wasn’t supposed to be fired, how exactly did I end up sacked and escorted out of the hotel?”
Piers winced and dragged a hand through his hair. “As I said, it’s completely my fault. I told my human resources manager to reassign you, or promote you or even to pay you for the term of your contract but I’m afraid the first words out of my mouth were to get rid of you. The rest, unfortunately, he didn’t hear because the connection was severed. By the time I returned to the hotel and discovered the misunderstanding, you were gone. I had no luck tracing your whereabouts. In fact, I’d given up ever hearing from you again until you called.”
She stared at him in disbelief. First, she couldn’t believe he’d actually admitted his wrongdoing. Second, she couldn’t fathom him looking for her afterward. It sounded suspiciously like he genuinely regretted what had happened.
“I don’t get it,” she said with genuine confusion. “Why couldn’t we have just been adults about it? Why was it so important to you to get rid of me? I realize it wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was an honest mistake. Neither of us knew who the other was or God knows I wouldn’t have gone to bed with you that night.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t know who I was,” he said softly.
She looked down at her belly. “Yes, I don’t regret it now at all.”
“Did you then?”
He didn?
?t look offended, only genuinely curious. He’d been honest with her so far, so she couldn’t be anything other than completely honest with him.
“No. I didn’t regret our night together.”
He seemed satisfied with her answer. “To answer your question, it wasn’t personal. What I mean is that it’s not as if it was something you did. I have a strict policy about allowing anyone to work closely with me who has had any sort of a personal relationship with me. It’s a necessary rule, unfortunately.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You say that as if you were once burned.”
“In a manner of speaking. My brother’s personal assistant was enamored with him, but she was also selling company secrets and framed my sister-in-law.”
“Sounds like a soap opera,” Jewel muttered.
He chuckled. “It seemed like one at the time.”
“You could have simply told me. You owed me that much given the fact we had spent the night together,” she said, pinning him with the force of her gaze. “If you’d been up front with me, none of this would have happened. There would have been no misunderstanding.”
“You’re right. I’m afraid the shock of finding out who you were made my judgment particularly bad. I’m sorry.”
His quietly spoken apology softened some of her anger. If she was honest, she still held resentment for the easy way he’d summarily dismissed her from his life. Not that she’d expected undying love and commitment, but hadn’t the night meant something? Even enough to rate a personal dismissal instead of the job being handed off to a stooge?
Still, if this marriage was to be anything short of difficult and laced with animosity, she knew he had to let go of some of that resentment. Be the bigger person and all that jazz. Funny how taking the high road was never particularly fun.
“I accept your apology.”
Surprise flickered in his dark eyes. “Do you really, I wonder?”
“I didn’t say you were my best friend,” she said dryly. “Merely that I’d accepted your apology. It seems the thing to do in light of our impending nuptials.”
Amusement replaced the surprise. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along just fine together, yineka mou.” His gaze dropped to her stomach. “That is if you’re telling me the truth.”
For a moment, pain shadowed his eyes, and she wondered what sort of hell occurred in his past that would make him so distrustful. It went beyond mistrust. He didn’t want to be the father of her child. He wanted her to be a liar and a deceiver. It was as if he knew how to handle those. But a woman telling him the truth? That was the aberration.
She must be insane to walk into this type of situation. There was every way for her to lose and no way to win.
“It does me little good to tell you that you’re the father when you’re determined not to believe me,” she said evenly. “We’ll have the paternity tests done and then you’ll know.”
“Yes. Indeed we’ll know,” he said softly.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go dig out my laptop,” she said as she rose from her seat. “I need to send an e-mail.”
“And I have arrangements to make for our wedding.”