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‘How was it?’
‘Wonderful. I feel more relaxed than I have...well, ever.’ She let out a little laugh, her grey eyes sparkling like silver. ‘I’ve never even had a massage before. And look at my nails!’ She held out her hands to him, her nails painted pale pink, and as a matter of course Rafael caught them up in his, drew her to him.
Allegra came easily, caught up in the moment, and he wasn’t even thinking as he bent his head to kiss her, already anticipating the sweet, soft taste of her. Her lips parted soundlessly, her eyes fluttering closed, her golden-red lashes fanning onto her porcelain cheeks.
His lips brushed hers and Allegra let out a little sigh. Rafael pulled her closer and then he felt her stiffen in his arms. Her eyes flew open, filled with confusion. She shook her head and then drew away.
‘No, I’m sorry...we can’t...’
Of course they couldn’t. The last thing they needed was this kind of complication...except he wanted it so badly. Rafael raked a hand through his hair, desire surging through his body. He was shocked by his instantaneous and overwhelming response, his heart thudding.
Allegra was still looking at him in dazed confusion, her pupils dilated with desire even as her mouth twisted with uncertainty.
The time would come, Rafael decided. Maybe not yet, not when everything was so uncertain, when their child’s future hung in the balance. But the time would come. It had to.
CHAPTER SIX
‘I HAVE A surprise for you.’
Allegra looked up from the book she was reading with a cautious smile. Rafael stood in the living-room doorway, the slight curve of his mouth softening his harsh features.
It had been a strange and unsettling ten days, living in the hotel with Rafael, finding a new and tentative normalcy. It had taken a little while, but eventually she’d been able to relax into a routine. Rafael had spent most of his time working in the hotel’s business centre so Allegra hadn’t seen him nearly as much as she’d expected to, which was, to her irritation, both a disappointment and a relief. He was often out in the evenings, although they’d shared a few rather tense meals together, neither of them completely comfortable co-existing in this weird limbo.
Rafael seemed as closed off as ever, his inscrutable manner giving nothing away, although towards her he was all solicitous concern, arranging for private museum tours, taxis and, recalling her shelf of cookbooks in her apartment, baking.
Rafael had insisted she order whatever ingredient or implement she wanted, and with a fully stocked, gourmet kitchen at her disposal Allegra was soon enjoying experimenting with new recipes. Her morning sickness was easing and she was actually starting to enjoy food again.
And then, of course, there was the almost-kiss they’d shared. She’d come back from the spa both buzzing and relaxed, and for a moment, with Rafael’s warm gaze on her, it had felt so natural, so easy to fall into his arms. To tilt her head and wait for his kiss, that connection.
The shock she’d felt when his lips had barely brushed hers, the deep desire that had blazed a streak of lightning need straight through her, had thankfully made her take a step back. Getting involved with Rafael that way was far too dangerous. She was already well out of her comfort zone, simply being here with him, seeing him in passing in the hotel suite. She couldn’t stand an even deeper intimacy, as much as her body craved it.
‘A surprise,’ she repeated now, her eyebrows raised. ‘What kind of surprise?’
Rafael drew two tickets from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. ‘Box seats to the New York Philharmonic playing Bach’s cello suites at the Lincoln Center.’
‘Oh!’ She stared at him in unabashed delight—those were the kind of tickets that were usually well out of her price range, and she was touched that Rafael had thought to buy them. ‘That’s wonderful. When?’
‘Tomorrow night.’
Allegra’s smile faded as she admitted, ‘But I don’t have anything to wear...’ Her maternity clothes consisted of a couple of pairs of loose cotton tops and shorts, and soon her burgeoning belly was going to require more.
‘Problem solved. I’ve arranged for one of the top maternity designers to come here with a selection of evening gowns. You can take your pick.’
