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His gaze remained on the tendril caught between his fingers. Then he tucked it behind her ear and met her gaze. The fiery hunger in his eyes nearly undid her. She grasped the handle of the delicate teapot a little desperately, and concentrated on pouring a cup.
When he hitched one thigh up and sat down on the side of the bed, Saffie struggled not to be affected by his potent proximity.
She took a sip of tea and scrambled to think beyond her all-consuming arousal. ‘Did everything go smoothly with the Macau team? You hadn’t returned by the time I went to bed.’ They’d returned to the office after their stop at the tea house but she’d left him to return to the hotel after setting up his last meeting.
One eyebrow spiked. ‘Were you waiting up for me, Saffie?’
She felt a blush creep up her neck. She’d waited up for him until sudden weariness had descended on her at an unconscionable nine p.m. ‘Only because we needed to talk.’
His face hardened slightly. ‘Sim, we do. But perhaps not yet.’
Her pulse tripped. ‘What do you mean?’
His response was to pick up the small platter of crackers and hold it out to her. ‘Eat,’ he urged firmly.
She took one tiny bite into the dry but exquisite wheat cracker and washed it down with another sip of tea. Realising he wasn’t going to engage in their discussion until she’d eaten, Saffie ate a few more, relieved when her stomach showed no signs of rebelling against the meal.
With a decisive click, she set the cup down and cleared her throat. ‘I’ve eaten. Let’s talk.’
His gaze moved slowly over her face, lingering on her tingling mouth for several seconds before he abruptly rose and padded over to the window. She couldn’t help but follow the pure animal grace of his movement.
‘Now that one of your primary reasons for wanting to leave me is...taken care of, is it fair to say that you’ll be staying?’ he asked without turning around.
She frowned. She wanted to say yes, but the vivid warning that she was wandering further into dangerous territory emotionally stayed her tongue. But wasn’t it already too late? By falling pregnant with his children, hadn’t she ensured a permanent link with him? ‘I...I don’t know.’
He swivelled on his heel, his gaze hooded. ‘When will you know?’
‘Why?’
‘Because my next decision depends on it.’
‘What decision?’
His lips pressed flat in a formidable line. ‘Nothing that cannot wait until we’ve dealt with Lavinia. But going forward, you should know I’ve instructed HR to hire two more assistants for you. And from now on, there’ll be a personal doctor with us when we travel.’
Her frown intensified. ‘Are you trying to make me feel like some...exotic animal on exhibit in a zoo?’
‘Que? What are you talking about?’
‘Hiring more assistants? What is that if not sending a message that I’m either overworked or something else is up with me? And a doctor? Why don’t you shine a spotlight on me while you’re at it? Announce to the world that your executive assistant is pregnant and you happen to be the father!’
His jaw clenched. ‘Saffie—’
‘No. I want this to be a normal pregnancy—’
‘Well, it is not!’
The quiet thunder of his response froze her into stillness, her vocal cords ceasing to work as she watched him prowl back to her bedside.
‘Once the customary twelve weeks have passed, we will revisit the subject of whether you’re staying or leaving. I trust you’ll have arrived at a decision by then?’
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. She knew the statistics, knew that the first trimester was the most precarious, with the risks higher with multiple babies. Her hand smoothed over her belly, her heart squeezing at the thought of the worst happening. It wouldn’t.
It just...couldn’t.
As for the Archer deal, they’d worked hard for it and she wanted to see him win it. She ignored the why that pulsed hard and insistent at the back of her mind. Smothered the voice suggesting that, after his revelations about his father, her emotions were entangled with the deal that should’ve been purely professional. ‘Yes,’ she answered him.
Satisfaction lit his eyes. ‘Good. Join me when you’re ready. I’ve put together a counter-proposal for the takeover of that Qatar company Pueblo was dealing with.’
