“What are you implying?”
“Just that you can’t have fallen in love in just a few weeks. That’s not like you. How long have you and your secretary been screwing?” The damning question was followed by another wheezing laugh. “Guess you’re more like me than you thought.”
He hung up. Clara turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. He wanted to go to her, to take comfort in the touch of her hand on his shoulder or perhaps even lead her to the master suite, lose himself and his fears in the pleasure of her body.
A want that, if he gave in to, would only prove his father right.
“I have business to attend to.” He walked past her. “I’ll be in my office until late. The staff will attend to you.”
It was better this way, he told himself as he strode through the snow. He had eight months until his son or daughter was born. Perhaps by then, he would have himself under control.
CHAPTER NINE
CLARAWOKETOweak sunlight filtering in through the curtains. She blinked, confused by the white crown molding and robin’s-egg-blue walls, before her mind registered her surroundings. It still took a moment to remember that she was in her husband’s vacation home on Lake Geneva.
The husband she hadn’t seen since the helicopter had taken off and left her alone with him and a small staff. He’d taken a phone call as they’d exited the aircraft. Daxon, judging by the dark glower on his face by the time he’d hung up. He’d seen her as far as the entryway before curtly telling her he had business to attend to and would see her at dinner.
That had been two days ago. Aside from the occasional glimpse in the hall, she hadn’t seen him at all.
She closed her eyes and sank back into the welcoming embrace of the feather mattress. Alaric had made it clear that there would be no emotional entanglements where she was concerned. She just hadn’t expected for him to withdraw from the relationship they’d had as boss and assistant. She’d agreed to marry the man who engaged in conversation with her, who shared his thoughts on improving Linnaea’s job market and treated her like she had something intelligent to say.
Was it too much to ask that he extend her the same respect as his wife?
With a frustrated sigh she threw back the cozy blankets and moved to the window. Snowflakes danced against a light gray sky, adding another layer to the white powder already covering the grounds.
She’d spent the first day exploring the house. She’d fallen in love with its unexpectedly cozy charm, from the mahogany wood floors and matching planked ceilings to the massive bay windows in the living room set behind a burgundy couch heaped with pillows and rugs. The living room, kitchen and dining room all had their own fireplaces, as did each of the bedrooms and the library.
The second day she’d returned to the library, browsing through the books before settling on a murder mystery and curling up in an overstuffed chair by the fireplace. Before she’d taken complete leave of her senses and had sex with her boss on top of his desk, she’d spent many nights in her own apartment reading. But in the past month she’d thrown herself even deeper into her work, spreadsheets and schedules keeping her mind off what had transpired between them.
It had been hard to get into the story at first. But gradually she’d relaxed, enjoying the flow of the words and the escalating intensity as the heroine matched wits with a killer hiding in a cast of suspicious characters. Halfway through, as the heroine questioned several suspects, her eyelids had grown unexpectedly heavy. She’d woken nearly two hours later with a blanket draped over her and a fire roaring in the fireplace. Instead of making her feel cared for and cozy, it had enhanced her loneliness.
Which is why, she decided as she turned away from the window, today she would venture out. Getting outside, going into the nearby town she’d spied on their helicopter ride, would raise her spirits. Then tomorrow she would hunt Alaric down and they would have a conversation about her role as princess and queen-to-be. That he thought she would be satisfied with a life of leisure showed how little he really knew her.
Just a good reminder to not romanticize their relationship in any way.
With that empowering thought and a plan in place, she made quick work of getting dressed and went downstairs. A breakfast had been laid out in the kitchen, including an assortment of Swiss cheese tarts and quiches topped with everything from sautéed onion to chopped apples. Enough to feed an army. She wrinkled her nose at the waste. She’d never seen Alaric engage in excess demonstration like this. He wasn’t stingy, but he eschewed any useless posturing or grand gestures if they didn’t serve a purpose.
She grabbed a good old-fashioned bagel, spread some cream cheese on it and headed for the front door. A walk around the property would do her good. Then she’d visit the servants’ quarters and, if the roads were navigable, would have the driver take her into the picturesque town of Rolle.
She was almost to the front door when a board creaked behind her. She turned as Alaric walked down the stairs.
Her heart leaped into her throat. In dark jeans, a navy sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and a trace of stubble along his jaw, he looked even more masculine than he usually did in his tailored suits. This Alaric looked rugged, dangerous and all too enticing.
Great job not romanticizing.
“Where are you going?”
“Outside.”
He frowned.
“It’s cold outside.”
She widened her eyes. “What?” She turned and peered out the window. “It snows when it’s cold?”
As she turned back, she smacked into a solid wall of muscle. She looked up into narrowed green eyes.
“You’re pregnant.”