She should have known then, the way he hadn’t let her pull away, that he was so muchmore. But she’d been in a first-time-sex-induced haze of euphoria, not paying attention to the warning signs like the tug on her heart.
Shrugging off the memories, she grabbed her mojito glass, took a sip and moaned. Her eyes drifted shut as the tart taste of lime mingled with the soothing scent of mint. She’d never thought to make herself virgin cocktails, but she’d have to make this a part of her evening routine. Utterly relaxing.
Her eyes opened, and she nearly choked. Alejandro’s eyes were fixed on her, blazing with intense desire.
And then it was gone, so quick she wondered if her own traitorous body had conjured up the image.
Apparently, pregnancy did not inhibit her libido.
“Tasty?”
“Yes, thank you.” She’d had her one night with Alejandro, just like dozens of women before her. If she ever entertained the possibility of succumbing to temptation again, all she had to do was conjure up the paparazzi photos of Alejandro getting out of a limo with that slim, dark-haired actress in a clingy red dress in the same week she’d found out she was pregnant.
The reminder dashed a much-needed splash of cold water on her passion.
“Tell me more about this project.” Business was a safe topic. “I understand wantingLa Reinato be a success, but you mentioned something else.”
“Ah, yes.” Alejandro laughed, the sound unexpectedly harsh. “If the board doesn’t accept my proposal, I will be replaced as head of Cabrera Shipping.”
“What? By whom?”
Alejandro’s smile was so sharp it could have cut glass.
“My father.”
CHAPTER NINE
CALANDRA’SEYESWIDENED, just a fraction, but enough to show her surprise.
God, he’d missed this. Four months of no witty banter, no gray eyes snapping at him, no cool retorts that heated his blood. Compared to the uncertainty regarding Cabrera Shipping’s future and his father’s threats, Calandra’s familiar presence, not to mention her incredible revelation, were rays of light warming him during one of the most challenging times of his life.
His eyes drifted down once more to her stomach. In five months, he would meet his child.
His child.He hadn’t really contemplated having children before. His casual romances and liaisons had excluded that type of commitment, one even more binding than a marriage license. Most probably assumed his first thought would have been horror.
Surprisingly, the more he’d thought about it after their conversation yesterday, reflected on Calandra’s dream of taking their child to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the chief emotion had been wonder. Wonder and excitement.
However, he reminded himself, only if the woman across from him would let him be a part of their child’s life. Yes, he could absolutely throw his weight around, hire lawyers and drag her to court. And if he had to, he would.
But that was something his father would do. Wowing, charming or even seducing what he wanted from Calandra was preferable to following in his father’s footsteps in any fashion.
The thought of Javier taking away the one thing he’d dedicated himself to, the company he’d literally poured blood and sweat into, made his chest burn with the same fury he’d felt the day he’d discovered Javier in the library with his cheating bitch.
Now, though, it wasn’t Javier’s threats and attempts to control his life that pushed him. The determination to be the father Javier never had been added a light to the darkness. Even if Cabrera Shipping fell apart, he’d have a son or daughter. He’d fought for Cabrera Shipping, poured his soul into something for the first time in years. But it was something that had been gifted to him, a scrap thrown to the mongrel of the family.La Reinawas the first thing in his life that would be his. Yet Javier had even managed to taint that with his interference.
The baby was the first thing he’d cared about that his father couldn’t take away from him. And he’d be damned if he was going to let Calandra keep him from his child.
Alejandro grinned at Calandra, his casual smile hiding his turmoil. By the end of this week, she’d agree to his terms.
“Your father wants to head Cabrera Shipping?”
Her cold question snapped him out of his erotic musings. Anyone would have thought her completely in control, ivory skin so smooth and pale she could have been carved from marble.
Only he saw the drum of her fingers on her thigh, the pulse beating just below the elegant curve of her jaw.
“Yes.”
A tiny V appeared between her brows. “Why? Doesn’t he already oversee multiple other businesses?”