Nic cracked open one eye and smirked at her. “Yeah, a cat. They’re definitely my favorite kind of nuisance.”
It took Brooke a couple seconds to realize he had connected her behavior to what she’d just said about cats. In retaliation, she poked him hard in the ribs and he located the ticklish spot behind her knees that had her squirming. It didn’t take long for their good-natured tussling to spark another round of lovemaking.
Much later, while Nic’s breathing deepened into sleep, Brooke lay awake in the predawn stillness and tried to keep her thoughts from rushing into the future. The hours she had with him grew shorter every second. So instead of sleeping, as the sky grew lighter, Brooke lost herself in Nic’s snug embrace, savored the way his warmth seeped through her skin and awaited the day.
The nausea that had plagued her the day before began as the sun peeked over the horizon and gilded the window ledge. She breathed through the first wave and sagged with relief when her stomach settled down. Remembering how the previous morning had gone, Brooke knew she had to get back to her room. Nic might not be the most observant of men, but even he’d be hard-pressed not to notice if she was throwing up in his bathroom.
Last night while in the grip of insomnia, she’d decided not to tell him she was pregnant. If he hadn’t made love to her with such all-consuming emotion, she might have accepted that they could go back to being friends, affectionate but disconnected by distance and circumstances. But now she realized that they had to make a clean break of it. It would be best for both of them if he didn’t know the truth.
Before her stomach began to pitch and roll again, Brooke untangled herself from Nic’s embrace and eased from his bed. Her head spun sickeningly as she got to her feet and snatched up her pajamas. Naked, the soft cotton pressed to her mouth, she raced from the room and down the stairs.
If Elena was shocked to see her streak by, Brooke never knew because her focus was fixed on crossing the twenty feet of terrace to the guesthouse and reaching the bathroom in the nick of time. Panting in the aftermath, she splashed cold water on her face and waited to see if the nausea had passed. When it appeared the worst was over, Brooke climbed into the shower.
She was dressed and repacking her suitcase when a soft knock sounded. Heart jumping, she eased the door open, expecting to see Nic standing there, and was surprised to see Elena bearing a tray with a teapot and a plate of bread and assorted preserves.
“Ginger tea is good for nausea,” she announced, slipping the tray onto the dresser. “I understand you are leaving for Sherdana today.”
“Nic is going. I’m heading for Italy.” But her plan to visit friends in Rome had lost its appeal. More than anything she wanted to head home to family and friends and start the process of healing in their comforting embrace.
Elena’s eyes narrowed. “You let me know if you need anything before you leave.”
Seven
Awaking to an empty bed hadn’t been the best start to Nic’s day, but he reasoned he might as well get used to disappointment because he wouldn’t ever wake to Brooke’s smile again. The sun was high by the time Nic finished his shower and headed to the first floor. Elena was dusting the already immaculate furniture. She shot him an intensely unhappy look as he poured himself a cup of coffee and he wondered at her barely veiled hostility.
“Have you seen Brooke this morning?” he asked, carrying his cup to the terrace doorway and peering in the direction of the guesthouse. The trip to Kefalonia’s airport would take forty-five minutes by boat and another hour over land. They would need to leave soon.
“She has eaten breakfast and had some last minute packing to do.”
“Is Thasos ready with the boat?”
Elena nodded. “She is a nice girl. You shouldn’t let her go to Italy by herself.”
“She is going to visit friends,” he explained to the housekeeper, while guilt nibbled at the edges of his conscience. “She knows her way around. She lived in Rome and Florence for a year.”
“You should take her home.”
Nic was startled by Elena’s remark. He’d been thinking the same thing all morning. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible. Reality dictated he should distance himself from Brooke as soon as possible, but the thought of letting her go off by herself disturbed him.
If she didn’t get on a plane bound for California, he would spend the next two weeks worrying about her traveling alone in Europe instead of focusing on the issues at home and the necessity of finding a wife. Nor did he have time to escort her to the gate and satisfy himself that she was heading to San Francisco. He was expected back in Sherdana this afternoon.