LITMIR.BIZ

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it from there.’

      ‘You suddenly sound like you are organising a business campaign,’ she muttered angrily.

      ‘We have to be practical, Katie.’

      Their eyes met, and Katie wanted to tell him that she would have given anything to put practicality to one side right now. And that she longed just to be held in his arms. But she forced herself to just agree, because he was right, and because anything else would be foolish in the extreme. ‘Yes, of course.’

      ‘You may as well take the rest of the afternoon off,’ he continued as he glanced at his watch.

      ‘I’d rather keep busy, and we have a meeting at three.’

      ‘We’ve dealt with the important stuff this morning. You can miss the next meeting.’

      Alexi’s mobile started to ring and he snapped it up impatiently. ‘I’ll be there in a minute,’ he told whoever was at the end of the line before closing the connection again. ‘I have to go, Katie. I’ll ask the doctor to ring you so you can make that appointment and we’ll discuss things later.’

      Katie shrugged. There was no point arguing with Alexi when he used that tone.

      Richard Hall was a pleasant man in his late forties. He’d given Katie a thorough examination and then declared that she was in perfect health and just over two months pregnant.

      ‘Congratulations,’ he’d told her jovially. ‘You are going to have an early and very special Christmas present. I’d say the baby is due about the twentieth of December.’

      She was lying back on the bed in the cabin now, trying to get her head around everything. Trying to visualise her small flat at Christmas—the usual decorations, the cards, the Christmas tree, the baby’s cot! It seemed unreal.

      But it was real, she told herself powerfully. And she wanted this baby with all her heart. That certainty was growing stronger and stronger inside her. No matter what Alexi said to her, he wasn’t going to make her change her mind about that.

      All right, it would be difficult to manage alone, and realistically she knew she would struggle financially. It would probably help her to keep her job here with Alexi—it was only a four-month contract, but it would enable her to save enough for a decent nest-egg. After that she could look around for part-time work.

      The trouble was that she didn’t think she was emotionally strong enough to stay around Alexi, and her first instinct of just quitting and walking away was still spinning around temptingly. After all, what kind of an atmosphere would there be if she stayed? If Alexi wanted her to get rid of the baby and she refused it could be grim. On the other hand she couldn’t bear his reluctant conformity either … or his charity.

      She closed her eyes as she remembered his reaction to her news. His anger had been even more intense than she had expected, and then it was as if he had undergone an almost steely resignation.

      The memory made her curl up into a tight ball.

      Snippets of his conversation kept playing painfully through her mind.

       Just for the record, Katie, I loved my wife—and I would have done anything for her … I decided not to invest again in any real relationships. Casual affairs were all I wanted, and I certainly had no plans to start a family.

      She put her hand protectively on her stomach. ‘We’ll manage without him,’ she whispered fiercely. ‘We don’t need him.’

      The sound of the main cabin-door opening made her sit up. Hurriedly she got to her feet and checked her appearance in the mirror over the dressing table.

      She looked pale, and her hair was loose and tousled around her shoulders. But there wasn’t much she could do about her appearance, as she’d left her bag out in the lounge area of the cabin. She combed her fingers through her hair and rubbed her lips together to get some colour back into them.

      ‘Katie?’ There was a knock on the bedroom door. Before she could gather herself to answer, Alexi opened the door.

      His eyes moved over her, assessing her with almost ruthless intensity. ‘How are you feeling?’

      ‘Fine.’ She wanted to say something flippant like, and still pregnant, but she held her tongue. There was a ton of emotion churning inside her. He looked so casually handsome, jacket slung over his shoulder, his white shirt unbuttoned at the neck.

      ‘How did the meeting go?’ She asked the question more for something to say than any real interest.

      ‘The accountants were impressed with your plans.’ He came into the room and tossed the jacket down onto the chair in the corner. ‘You’ll be pleased to know they backed your ideas one-hundred percent.’

      ‘Good.’

      He transferred his attention over to her completely now.

      This was all a little too intimate for Katie’s peace of mind. To the outsider it would have looked as if they were a couple, perfectly at ease together in the bedroom. But they were not. She was anything but at ease.

      ‘I saw the doctor,’ she told him awkwardly.

      ‘Yes, he told me, you’re just over two months pregnant.’

      Her eyes widened slightly. ‘He told you?’

      Alexi frowned. ‘Is there a problem with that?’

      ‘Yes, there’s a problem!’ She hadn’t planned on saying that, it just came out. ‘This is my baby, and I would like my confidentiality respected!’

      ‘It is respected. And, as I told Richard when I made you the appointment today, it’s my baby, too.’

      ‘Don’t do this, Alexi!’ Her voice trembled.

      ‘Do what?’ For a moment his eyes flicked over her, taking in the tumble of curls around her shoulders. She looked pale and fragile but utterly beautiful.

      ‘Try to take me over.’ She glared at him.

      ‘Take you over …’ He repeated the words and for a moment looked amused.

      ‘I know you, Alexi,’ she reminded him. ‘I know what a shrewd operator you are. You’re treating this situation as if it is some business plan that you are in charge of. Well, it’s not! I’m in charge of this.’

      The amusement suddenly died in his eyes. ‘I told you earlier, Katie, I won’t be sidelined—this is my child. I’m involved whether you like it or not … and I want this baby.’

      ‘You want the baby?’ She stared at him in surprise.

      ‘Yes.’

      She continued just to look up at him with startled suspicion. ‘You really want the baby?’

      ‘Yes. I just said so.’

      ‘Mr Commitment-Phobic? Mr “I only want casual relationships” wants to take on the biggest responsibility there is in life … a baby?’

      ‘Don’t be facetious, Katie, it doesn’t suit you.’

      ‘Well, come on, Alexi, you’ve got to admit it is a bit of a leap for you, isn’t it?’

      He shrugged. ‘But every journey in life has to start with a single step, doesn’t it?’ He looked into her eyes. ‘We’ve taken that step—there’s no going back.’

      She felt a warm feeling of relief start to wind its way through her body. She’d hardly dared hope that he would say something like that to her, and that this was going to be OK.

      ‘I want this baby, too.’ She whispered the words, her voice unsteady as emotion shivered through her. ‘So much it hurts.’

      ‘So we are in agreement.’ He said the words gently, and for a moment his eyes held with hers. ‘I’m glad, Katie. It simplifies everything. A baby

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