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She was up and showered and in the dining room by eight the next morning, one of the maids having gently woken her a little after seven with the instruction that the señor wished to leave by nine. She chose to see it as a blessing that Ramon hadn’t hammered on her door himself with that command.
She had almost finished her breakfast when he walked in. Today, his attire was a little less severe, the dark grey suit and lighter grey shirt bringing out the vibrancy of his skin and eyes. Those eyes, however, were no less sombre when they raked over her simple off-white, off-the-shoulder sundress and the neat ponytail she’d tied her hair in.
‘Buenos días, cara. You look as well rested as I feel,’ he observed dryly.
Since she’d spent most of the night tossing and turning, she knew his statement was less than flattering. Her chest tightened. ‘I see you’re brimming with compliments this morning.’
‘Perhaps I’m feeling less than generous because our night could’ve been put to better use than counting sheep.’
She shrugged, experiencing a tiny burst of pride when it came off smoothly. ‘I didn’t count sheep. The spectacular wall carvings in my room were a much better visual distraction.’
He paused in the act of pouring steaming black coffee, a flash of something dark and carnal passing through his eyes. ‘I hope you enjoyed them because you won’t be inspecting them tonight,’ he promised, the raw intent in his eyes making her belly quiver.
Suki refrained from voicing another objection to the blatant reminder. Hadn’t she woken up this morning thinking exactly the same thing? And hadn’t that knowledge sent darts of secret anticipation straight between her thighs?
Carefully, she set down her half-finished cup of tea and stood. ‘I’m done. I’ll go and grab my bag and I’ll be ready to go.’
Without looking at her, he picked up the folded newspaper next to his plate and snapped it open. ‘Changing the subject won’t make the event disappear, cara.’
‘No, but discussing it ad nauseam will definitely make it tedious.’
He perused the inside of the first page. ‘Are you calling me boring, Suki?’ he murmured.
‘I’m calling you out on the fact that, for someone who is lauded for his intelligence, you seem to have developed a one-track mind.’
That got his attention. He looked up from the paper, ferocious green eyes lancing her. ‘I get that way when there’s something I’m passionate about,’ he replied in a low, ardently dangerous voice. ‘And on this subject, rest assured that I am extremely passionate.’
He returned to his paper, the silently dismissive gesture freeing her to leave the room. She did so swiftly, perhaps even admitting she was fleeing from contemplating what it would feel like to have Ramon be passionate about something other than sex. Be passionate about her.
No. Her stupid crush had died long before she’d been beset with the heartbreaking news of her unborn child’s illness. It had taken a giant knock when she’d woken up alone the morning after their night together. It’d died the day she’d discovered he’d lied to her about Svetlana.
That welcome reminder threw cold water on her rioting emotions, thankfully, as she freshened up and collected her bag.
He was on the phone when she returned. He got off long enough to attend the lawyers who’d once again been summoned, this time to witness her agreement with Ramon. For a startling second she wondered which other agreements Ramon had got them to draw up that they didn’t seem in any way surprised by hers, but then she pushed the useless thought away. Her situation was hers alone to deal with.
Ramon stopped long enough to lock the agreement in the safe in his study. Then, with the next few years of her life committed to the man who looked at her with a fair amount of dislike, she followed him out onto the helipad.
For most of the helicopter flight back to Havana, he made one call after another. For the sake of discretion, Ramon informed her, the trio of doctors were summoned to the Acosta suite at Ramon’s hotel. For a solid hour, she answered questions about her health, had her blood drawn and her pressure recorded.
She believed they were done when the doctor powered down his tablet, only to see Ramon taking his place in the chair she’d just vacated. Surprised, she watched him roll his sleeves up in preparation for his own vitals to be taken.
He caught her look and returned it with a steady one of his own. ‘My last health check was satisfactory. But it doesn’t hurt to be doubly sure, does it?’
Numbly, she shook her head. When he turned away to answer the doctor’s questions in low-toned Spanish, she retreated to the far side of the living room. Staring down at the bustling street below, Suki refused to entertain the strange sensation zipping through her stomach.
Not only was Ramon deadly serious about having this child, he was going the extra mile to ensure he was in optimum health. Why that should make her insides sing, she didn’t want to examine too closely. Or at all. So she wouldn’t.
Unfortunately, her senses weren’t in a listening mood. She was veering down the path of wondering what sort of father Ramon would make when she sensed him coming up behind her.
She turned to find him lowering his sleeve over a thick, tanned, hair-sprinkled arm. And for the life of her she couldn’t stop staring at it. At him. Like that night in the limo, her senses were swerving into dangerous territory, her nostrils flaring wider to breathe more of his intoxicating scent as he stopped in front of her.
‘We’re done here. Are you ready to go?’
‘Yes,’ she said, cringing at the huskiness of her voice.
Get yourself together!
She stepped to one side and smiled her thanks at the doctors before they took their leave. Then she headed for the door herself. Lingering in this suite with Ramon wasn’t safe. Not when every move he made drew its own brand of fascination from her. Not when there was a more than adequately functioning king-sized bed so close by.
