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‘Too bad you didn’t show such refined protective instincts last night.” She was doing quick mental calculations and just as the light came on she realized something terrifying.
‘lt’s the middle of my cycle.” She stared up at him, immobilized by the utter certainty they had made another baby the night before.
‘l-ast time I got pregnant when it wasn’t even the right time. What chance have I now that it won’t happen?” His face clenched.
‘Do not take on as if the world has ended. It has not.”
Not his world maybe, but then his world hadn’t altered last time either. Only hers had. She’d had her heart ripped right out of her chest by his rejection and then all over again by the loss of their baby.
She didn’t say anything, just looked up at him, feeling the tragedy of her life pressing in around her in stifling waves.
He said something harsh under his breath and bent down on his haunches beside her.
‘lt will be all right, rara. Trust me on this.”
She stared at him not seeing him but rather an image of herself once again pregnant. Once again alone. She shook her head.
‘I can’t trust you.”
‘you can.”
He tugged her to her feet and then kissed her hard on her mouth. Letting her go, he said ‘Go wash yourself and dress. I will clean up out here.”
Get dressed. Yes, she had to dress before the timed lock on the vault released and let the rest of the world in again to see what an idiot she’d been.
Salvatore swore as he watched Elisa walk toward the bathroom, her body bowed like that of an old woman. She was terrified of once more becoming pregnant with his child. He had seen it in her eyes, but he had not expected it. He had told her he now knew he had made a mistake in his reaction to the news a year ago. Did she not realize he would never abandon her again? She belonged to him and he would take care of her.
Starting now. It took him only seconds to dress. His shirt smelled of her and his body reacted in a predictable fashion to the feminine fragrance teasing his nostrils. Ignoring his desire he folded up his suit coat, hiding the evidence of their lovemaking. He deflated the mattress as well, putting it and the blanket back in the storage cupboard.
A snicking sound indicated the vault was unlocking as Elisa emerged from the bathroom. Her skin was too pale and her pupils too dilated for his liking, but he could not reassure her the way she needed to be reassured in front of di Adamo.
She avoided making eye contact as she slipped her shoes on and then stood waiting for the door to finish unlocking. He let her get away with it. For now.
Just as he had promised the evening before di Adamo was waiting on the other side once the door was open, his expression filled with deep concern.
He pulled Elisa into an exuberant hug.
‘piccola. You are all right. Praise the good God above.” He held her away from him, no doubt noting what Salvatore had earlier, but giving it an entirely different interpretation. He shook his gray head. ‘This has been too much.”
He looked at Salvatore. ‘Arrangements must be made.”
Salvatore nodded. ‘Si. We will talk, but first I must make some calls.”
The old man agreed and led Elisa back into his apartment.
While di Adamo fussed over her Salvatore called his office and ordered two more operatives and then made arrangements for himself and Elisa to travel to Sicily later that afternoon.
When he informed Elisa she was to return to the hotel with his operatives while he and her boss discussed what was to be done about security for the store she did not even put up a token protest.
Which more than anything else could have revealed her continued state of shock from realizing they had made love without using protection. He grimaced as he watched her go from the store. She had only more shocks to come.
Elisa stepped out of the shower and started toweling off.
She was in her own tiny bathroom in her small but cheerful apartment.
Once they had left the jewelry store, she had informed the operatives for Vitale Security that she wanted to go home. They had balked, but she’d remained adamant, simply refusing to get out of the car until the driver took her to her apartment. Salvatore would have picked her up and carried her she had no doubt but she was equally sure he would fire another man for doing so.
His operatives had apparently understood this as well and eventually took her where she wanted to go . Home .
