LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

by room service, and Sunny persistently evaded his gaze, the urge to confront came thundering into prominence.

      ‘Would you prefer to be married to Marsden?’ he growled.

      That lifted her eyelashes. It probably wasn’t the smartest question to ask but at least it got her attention.

      ‘I’m married to you, Bryce,’ she stated flatly, making it an incontravertible fact that was not up for question.

      It goaded him into saying, ‘Maybe I don’t care for the idea of being married to a woman who’s hankering after someone else.’

      Her eyes flared to an intense gold. ‘I’m not hankering after Derek. That would be really stupid, wouldn’t it? Given the circumstances.’

      ‘I would have thought so, yes,’ he answered tersely.

      ‘Do you consider me stupid?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Then why do you imagine I’m hankering after him?’

      ‘You’re angry with me because I didn’t allow him a second chance with you. Which suggests you would have liked that.’

      She reached for a piece of toast and buttered it with slow deliberation, her face completely closed to him. ‘I might have given Derek a hearing at the time, but that time has gone,’ she said, adding strawberry conserve to the toast. ‘I chose to marry you and that’s where I am…married to you.’

      ‘You were happy about it until yesterday,’ he reminded her.

      ‘I didn’t understand that it was about winning.’ Her gaze flicked up to meet his. ‘I’m sorry to report a setback in your winning play this morning.’

      He frowned, completely missing what she meant. ‘What do you find wrong in my wanting you as my wife?’

      Her mouth curled into a wry little smile. ‘Possibly the fact that I’m slow off the mark delivering the rest of what you want, Bryce.’

      ‘Which is?’ he prompted, still puzzled by her words and needing more insight on where she was coming from.

      ‘I didn’t get pregnant on our honeymoon.’

      The blunt statement caught him by surprise. His entire thought process had been focused on her feelings for Marsden. He shook his head, his brain whirling to accommodate this new parameter, to fit it into her behaviour and make a different sense of it.

      ‘Believe it, Bryce,’ she said dryly, misinterpreting his confusion. ‘My period came this morning.’

      He watched her bite into the strawberry-laden toast as though she needed a sweetener for the sour taste that piece of news had left in her mouth.

      ‘You’re upset because you’re not pregnant?’ he blurted out, relieved that this was the problem.

      ‘It is why we got married…to have a child,’ she reminded him, her eyes flashing bleak irony.

      ‘That’s what you’ve been holding in from me this morning? You didn’t want to tell me?’

      ‘It is…’ she grimaced, her eyes dulling further as she added, ‘…disappointing.’

      Bryce instantly reached across the table and took her free hand in his, gently fondling it. ‘I’m sorry you’re disappointed, Sunny. But it is only early days in our marriage,’ he pressed, wanting to console her. ‘I’m sure it will happen. It’s probably better that you’re not pregnant straight off, what with having to settle into a new home and a new job.’

      She stared at him in stunned disbelief. ‘Aren’t you disappointed?’

      Bryce hadn’t stopped to think about it. He paused for a moment, remembering the motivations he’d spelled out to her. Somehow they didn’t seem quite so important now. But having a child was important to Sunny, he reminded himself before answering.

      ‘We’ll make a baby soon enough,’ he warmly assured her.

      ‘But…you wanted this for your father,’ she said in obvious bewilderment.

      ‘I don’t see that you can force nature for anyone,’ he answered reasonably.

      ‘You wanted to give him a grandchild before…before…’

      ‘My father is happy that I’ve married, Sunny. He’s seen for himself we’re a good match. He knows we intend to have children. It would be good to give him the news that we’re expecting a baby, but it doesn’t have to be immediate. Another month or two…’ He shrugged, wanting to remove her anxiety.

      She shook her head, still disturbed. ‘I don’t understand why I didn’t fall pregnant. We…’ She flushed, obviously recalling their intense sexual activity.

      ‘Maybe the pills had some lingering influence. Don’t worry about it, Sunny.’

      ‘You’re not worried by it?’ she queried uncertainly.

      ‘No.’ He smiled. ‘I’m very happy just having you as my wife.’

      Sunny searched his eyes, disbelief warring with the sincerity he was projecting. Was this the truth? He wanted her as his wife first, and his father’s needs came second?

      ‘Forget about it. Enjoy your breakfast,’ he urged, withdrawing his hand to continue his own meal, his whole demeanour beaming good humour. His eyes twinkled wickedly as he added, ‘We have a month of high-level energy business ahead of us.’

      He was happy. There could be no doubting it. The tense silence, which Sunny had to acknowledge causing herself as she’d battled with the emotional conflict of failing to conceive, was completely banished by a stream of plans from Bryce—plans that were clearly coated with pleasurable anticipation.

      She was almost giddy with relief. When they finally left for the airport, she didn’t mind at all when Bryce took her hand in the now familiar, possessive grip. It felt more like a symbol of togetherness, a warm, secure promise of his commitment to her.

      His wife…

      Her heart went all mushy at the memory of how wildly he’d wanted her last night. He’d driven any thought of Derek right out of her mind. Besides, there had been fair reasoning in his argument for having denied Derek a reconciliation bid. Why should he let a potential rival break into the intimacy she had willingly shared with him?

      That would have been stupid.

      As stupid as her hankering after Derek now.

      No way!

      She smiled to herself over the realisation that Bryce had been nursing jealous feelings over her supposed lingering attachment to Derek. It wasn’t just her body he wanted. Desire was certainly a driving force but there was also a passion for more than sex in their relationship.

      A sigh of contentment whispered from her lips, bringing a swift look of concern from Bryce.

      ‘Are you okay, Sunny? If you’re in some discomfort from…’

      ‘No.’ She smiled to erase any doubt. ‘Just glad you’re not disappointed.’

      He slanted his eyebrows ruefully. ‘Well, it does curtail some rather basic pleasures but we’ll probably need the rest after this trip anyhow.’

      She laughed, happy that he was thinking of just the two of them and not the baby she wasn’t having yet.

      Next month, she thought.

      Next month they would surely have good news to give to his father.

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      FORTUNATELY there was a dispenser carrying sanitary napkins in the ladies’ room. Sunny hadn’t come to work prepared for such an unwelcome

Скачать книгу