AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And then he kissed her, as she knew he would, his lips brushing hers once, twice, in a silent question. Without waiting for an answer—an answer she’d have given with every part of her body—he went deep, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he pulled her more closely to him, fitting their bodies together as much as her bump would allow.
The feel of his lips on hers...his hands on her body...his touch made every sense she had flare painfully alive as need scorched through her. She slid her hands up to clutch at his lapels and opened her mouth to his kiss, his tongue, felt the raw passion inside her kindle to roaring flame.
And then the baby kicked again—that determined little pulse—and Margo froze. Her thoughts caught up with the sensations rushing through her and that little kick reminded her just why they were here in the first place. The only reason they were here.
Leo, as attuned as ever to her emotions, broke off the kiss and stepped back. Margo couldn’t tell a single thing from his expression. His gaze dropped to her bump and she wondered if he too were reminding himself of the real and only reason they’d got married.
The silence stretched on, and Margo could not think how to break it. Her emotions felt like a maelstrom, whirling inside her; she couldn’t separate one from the other, couldn’t articulate how she felt about anything.
In the end Leo broke it with a single word. ‘Goodnight,’ he said quietly, and then walked to the door that joined their bedrooms.
Margo was still standing in the centre of the room, one hand pressed to her bump, another to her kiss-swollen lips, as she heard the door click softly shut.
CHAPTER TEN
LEO PACED THE length of his bedroom and willed the blood in his veins to stop surging with the furious demand to taste Margo again. To bury himself inside her.
He let out a shuddering breath and sank onto the bed, dropping his head into his hands. He’d come so close...
But then she’d frozen, and he’d felt her emotional if not her physical withdrawal. No matter how sizzling their chemistry had once been, Margo had still chosen to reject him. And the way she’d stilled beneath his touch had felt like another rejection.
His hands clenched in his hair and he considered opening the door between their bedrooms and demanding his marital rights. They were husband and wife, and he knew Margo desired him—whether she wanted to or not. She was feeling better and the pregnancy was healthy—why shouldn’t they enjoy each other?
But, no. He would not share Margo’s bed until she wanted him to be there. Utterly.
And yet the evening had started so promisingly. He’d loved seeing Margo at the party, looking bright and beautiful, as much her old self as ever, reminding him of how interesting and articulate and sophisticated she really was. And when she’d drawn his hand to her bump and he’d felt their child kick... It had been the most intimate thing Leo had ever experienced.
The kiss had felt like a natural extension of that intimacy. He couldn’t have kept himself from it if he’d tried—which he hadn’t.
So what had gone wrong? What had spooked Margo?
Then, with a wince, Leo remembered the toast he’d given at the party. ‘May you welcome her and come to love her as I do.’ He hadn’t thought of the words before he’d said them; they’d simply flowed out of him, sounding so very sincere. But he’d assured Margo he didn’t love her—just as she didn’t love him. Had his toast frightened her off?
Had he meant those words?
It was a question he strove to dismiss. Things had become muddied with Margo. Their business arrangement was morphing into something more amicable and pleasant. And yet...love?
No. No, he wouldn’t go there. He’d suffered enough rejection in his life—starting with his father’s determination to exclude his second son. He didn’t need more of it from a woman who had already made it clear what she wanted from this marriage.
The same thing he wanted. The only thing he’d let himself want. A safe, stable life for the child they had created.
* * *
The next morning Margo came into the breakfast room and hesitated in the doorway. Leo saw uncertainty flash across her features and forced himself to stay amicable, yet a little cool. They’d had breakfast together every morning since they’d been here and today would be no different.
‘Good morning.’ He rose from the table to pour the ginger tea he’d requested Maria to brew every breakfast time. ‘Did you sleep well?’
‘Yes, thank you.’
Margo sat across from him and spread out her napkin on her lap. Leo thought she looked paler than usual, with dark smudges under her eyes.
She must have caught him looking for she smiled ruefully and said, ‘Actually, not really.’
