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‘Please don’t give it another thought.’
Eddie seemed relieved. ‘It was jolly hard getting in to see you. Layers and layers of security. It was that big fellow who fixed it for me.’
‘Emilio?’
‘That’s him. The prince’s henchman. Not that the prince needs him. From what I can gather, he can fire his own gun if the need arises. Is he treating you well?’
Holly thought about the diamonds and the long nights spent in sexual ecstasy. And she thought about the fact he didn’t love her.
‘He’s treating me well.’
‘Just thought I’d check.’ Eddie gave a lopsided smile. ‘In case you’d changed you mind and wanted to escape.’ He waved a hand around their luxurious surroundings. ‘I might not be able to offer you a palace, but—’
‘I never wanted a palace, Eddie,’ Holly said softly, resting a hand protectively over the baby. ‘Family, being loved—those are the things that are important to me.’
‘I was going to say I think I was a bit too ambitious for you, but then I realised how bloody stupid that sounds now that you’re living with a prince in a palace!’ He pulled a face. ‘We weren’t absolutely right together, were we?’
‘No, we weren’t,’ Holly said honestly. ‘And ambition has nothing to do with the reason I’m living here. Cas is my baby’s father, Eddie. That’s why I’m here.’
‘To begin with I was so angry with you. I thought you’d tried to make a fool out of me—’
Holly frowned. ‘I’m not like that.’
‘I know you’re not,’ Eddie said, a bit too hastily. ‘I hope the prince knows how lucky he is. Anyway, I ought to be going.’
‘Already? Don’t you want coffee or something?’
Holly walked across to him and held out a hand in a gesture of conciliation. ‘It was sweet of you to come and see me. I appreciate it. And sweet of you to apologise.’
He hesitated and then took her hand. ‘I just wanted to check you’re OK. If you ever need anything…’
‘She has everything she needs.’ A harsh voice came from behind them, and Holly turned to see Casper standing in the doorway, his eyes glittering like shards of ice.
Visibly nervous, Eddie gave a slight bow. ‘Your Highness. I—Well, I just wanted to see Holly—say hello—you know how it is. I was just leaving.’
Casper’s threatening gaze didn’t shift from his face. ‘I’ll show you out.’
Shocked and more than a little embarrassed by Casper’s rudeness, Holly gave Eddie a hug to make up for it. ‘Thank you for looking me up.’
Eddie hugged her back awkwardly, one eye on the prince. ‘Good to see you looking so well. Bye, Holly.’ He left the living room, and moments later Casper strode back into the room, his eyes simmering black with anger.
‘I allow you a great deal of freedom,’ he said savagely, ‘But I do not expect you to entertain your lover in our living room.’
‘That’s ridiculous.’ Holly watched him unravel with appalled disbelief. ‘He is not my lover. And I don’t understand why you’re being possessive.’
He didn’t care about her, did he?
He didn’t want her love.
‘But he was your lover!’ A thunderous expression on his face, Casper prowled across the living room, tension emanating from every bit of his powerful frame. ‘And yes, I’m possessive! When I find the father of your baby in my living room, holding your hand, I’m possessive!’
Something snapped inside Holly.
‘I never had sex with Eddie! I have never slept with anyone except you!’ Consumed by an anger she didn’t know she could feel, Holly threw the words at him. ‘All you ever say is your baby, but it’s our baby, Casper. This is your baby too. And I’m sick of tiptoeing round the issue.’
His voice strangely thickened, Casper faced her down. ‘Don’t ever, ever touch another man!’
‘Why? I like hugging, and you don’t want me hugging you!’ Flinging the words at him like bricks, Holly took a step backwards, a hand over her stomach. ‘I can’t live like this any more. I can’t live in this—this—emotional desert! I’m afraid to touch you in case you back away, and I’m afraid to speak in case I say the wrong thing. I’ve tried so hard to do everything right. I know this marriage wasn’t what you wanted, but I’ve done my best. I’ve worked and worked, and I’ve been loyal. I haven’t once talked about you to anyone, not even when you pushed me away and I was so lonely I wanted to die! But not once, in all that time, have I ever given you reason not to trust me.’
