His smile flashed once more, but this time it held an edge to it. She blinked, and it was gone.
“How quaint.”
He took another long drink of his champagne and turned, eyes fixing on her face. She resisted the urge to squirm under his scrutiny.
“You flew all the way to Paris just to tell me?”
“I tried emailing. And calling.”
He frowned. “I never received anything from you.”
“If the secretary who refused to put my calls through also answers your emails, that explains it.”
His lips twitched. “Yes, Laura is frighteningly efficient.” His fingers tapped out a rhythm on his glass. “How much is all this going to cost you, anyway?”
“I have it handled.”
No smile, no glint of teasing. Just a hard stare that made her want to squirm.
“Where do you work?”
“None of your concern.” Her words whipped out, sharp and cold. She barely stopped herself from wincing. Why could she not keep her cool around this man?
He didn’t even flinch.
“So,” she continued, her voice calmer, “now that you know about the...the baby, I can keep you updated.” Just sayingbabymade her feel possessive, protective. Strange, because she’d never imagined having children before. But ever since she’d seen the heartbeat pulsing across the monitor, she’d known she would do anything for the tiny human growing inside her, including keeping it safe.
Even from its own father.
“Updated?” Alejandro repeated.
“Photos, things like that. We can discuss events like birthdays and such later if you want to attend. But I know this is the exact opposite of your preferred lifestyle. And I have everything handled,” she repeated.
There. She’d done it. She’d told him, set her boundaries. She suddenly felt lighter than she had in months. Now she could go home, close the door on this chapter of her life and move on with Johanna and her baby. Despite the gravity of the situation, a tiny seed of happiness sprouted inside her. She been so focused on this confrontation, on telling Alejandro and getting it over with, that she’d barely thought about life with her child. But now that she had done the right thing, she was free. Free to buy books and booties and finally let Johanna drag her to the nearest store and start planning the nursery. A thought she would have turned up her nose at just a few months ago, but now...now she was going to be a mother. A mother who would never, ever let her child experience the pain she had.
She reached into her clutch and pulled out a card. Not having Alejandro involved in her and the baby’s life was the best gift she could possibly give it.
“Here’s my number and email if you have questions. Now that you know and know how to get ahold of me, I’ll—”
He moved suddenly, crossing the floor and stopping within inches of her. She took a step back without thinking and bumped into a bookcase.
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Yes. What else is there to say?”
His eyes narrowed. “You have a very clear idea of how this is going to work.”
“Well, yes.”
That smile reappeared, the one with the bite to it that revealed a glimpse of a darker, more serious Alejandro. She didn’t like it.
“But you haven’t asked me what I want.”
“Given your history, it’s obvious what you want.”
He leaned in, balancing his hands on the bookcase and caging her between his arms. Her breath caught. He was so close she could see flecks of gold in the blue of his eyes, inhale the erotic aroma of pine that always clung to him.
“What do I want, Calandra?”