Silence descended, save for the soft whish of the globe as it spun.
And then, so softly he almost didn’t hear it: “The same thing.”
He moved to her then, reached out and took her limp hand in his. When she didn’t look, didn’t respond to his touch, he gave in to a desire he’d never experienced before and laid his fingers gently on her cheek, guiding her face up until her eyes met his.
Eyes that had turned steely once more. Except this time he wasn’t going to back away. Not when he knew so much more about her, about why one minute she was passion incarnate and the next disappeared behind her icy exterior. He’d seen in it in her eyes last night, felt it in her lips beneath his, heard it the tiny sigh that had set his body aflame with desire.
She wanted him. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.
“How is wanting lovemaking the same mistake as your mother?”
“She died,” Calandra said flatly. “I loved her. But by the end she was weak. She left two daughters alone with a father who treated us more like dolls to be dressed up in couture as a sign of his prominence instead of his children.” Her free hand drifted to her stomach, fingers splaying across her belly. “I will never let my child experience the pain of being abandoned.”
“And you think I would abandon it?”
Her face twisted into a frown of confusion. “I did... I don’t know...” A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “I don’t know what to think anymore, Alejandro. You tie me up in knots and I can’t think straight.”
Focus.Focus on the fact that she wasn’t running away, that she wasn’t pushing him out, and not on how she had, at least at one point, thought he would abandon their child once he got bored. That someone else thought so little of him.
Although, his mind argued, he had brought it on himself. Until recently, Calandra had seen mainly what he’d allowed the world to see. A carousing billionaire without a care in the world. Few saw the serious side, the dedicated CEO, the hard worker. Easier, and more fun, to live up to the expectation of not doing much except partying his life away.
Safer, too, if he was being completely honest with himself. Safer than trying and risking failure. Hurt. Rejection.
“Let’s take a break from the serious talk.” For her sake, he assured himself. Not because he was trying to avoid confronting unpleasant truths of his own. “But know this, Calandra—I will never abandon our child.”
No scoffing. No roll of the eyes. Just the slightest nod that filled him with relief and a touch of panic. What if he couldn’t fulfill that promise? What if he did fail and hurt not just his child, but Calandra, too?
Calandra yawned, and he jumped onto the reprieve she offered. “I’ll escort you back to your room so you can get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked as he tugged her toward the door.
“It’s a surprise.” One that, despite his inner turmoil, he was very grateful he’d planned out given her revelations tonight. “Trust me.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CALANDRAKEPTHEReyes focused on the passing scenery and tried to keep her thoughts, and her gaze, off Alejandro as he guided the car through the French countryside. She’d awoken that morning feeling surprisingly refreshed after her confession and, after seeing she had a text from him asking how she was feeling, giddy.Giddy.A giddiness she couldn’t shake no matter how sternly she talked to her reflection in the mirror as she’d gotten ready.
He’d been waiting outside the villa, looking like he’d walked straight out of a fashion ad in black jeans and a dark blue polo shirt fitted perfectly to his broad chest and muscular arms. The car ride had been surprisingly relaxing as they talked about everything from their past travels to his favorite movies and her favorite books.
Alejandro gestured to the north. A village perched on a hilltop, the collection of white stone buildings arranged in a charming cluster on the mountainside.
“The village of Gordes.”
“It’s lovely.”
“Glad you like it.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“Most women I’ve known wouldn’t enjoy this. They would want something fancy.”
“Sounds like most women you know are stuck-up.”
“Pretty much.” That thousand-watt plastic smile flashed, not the genuine grin or teasing twist of his lips. “They date me because they want the fantasy, not the reality.”
Sadness crept over her.
“Is that what you think, Alejandro? That if they knew the real you they wouldn’t want you?”