LITMIR.BIZ

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his stance fixed and unmoving as he gazed into the flickering flames. His long legs were stretched out before him and the rugged perfection of his profile looked coppery in the firelight. Never had he seemed more devastating or more remote and never had she felt so humble and disconnected. How crazy was it that this man had briefly been her lover and would soon be the father of her child?

      Molly cleared her throat. ‘Excuse me.’

      He looked up then, his eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t quite remember who she was, or why she was here.

      ‘Sì, what is it?’ he questioned abruptly.

      ‘I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I wondered if there was anything else you’d like?’

      Salvio felt his heart slam hard against his chest. If it had been any other former lover asking that question, it would have been coated in innuendo. But Molly’s words weren’t delivered suggestively, or provocatively. Her big grey eyes weren’t slanting out an unspoken invitation. She simply looked anxious to please, which only reinforced the differences between them. Once again he cursed his hot-headedness in taking the curvy housekeeper to his bed.

       Even though he could understand exactly why he’d done it.

      He’d spent this evening watching her, despite his best intentions. He’d told himself she was strictly off-limits and he should concentrate on his guests, but it had been Molly’s wide-hipped sway which had captured his gaze and Molly’s determined face as she had scurried around with trays of drinks and food which had captivated his imagination. He had seen the natural sparkle of her grey eyes and had remembered the healthy glow of her cheeks when she had romped enthusiastically in his arms. But her face was pale now, he noted. Deathly pale—as if all the colour had been leeched from it.

      ‘No, I don’t think there is,’ he said slowly, forcing himself to treat her as he would any other member of staff. ‘Thank you for all your hard work tonight, Molly. The party went very well. Even the Sheikh of Razrastan stayed far longer than he intended.’

      ‘You’re very welcome,’ she said.

      ‘I’m sure we can think about a generous bonus for you.’

      ‘There’s no need for that,’ she said stiffly.

      ‘I think I’ll be the judge of that.’ He gave her a benign smile. ‘And I haven’t forgotten my promise to try to find you some work. Or, rather, to ask Gina to help.’ His words were tantamount to dismissal but she didn’t move. Salvio saw the faint criss-crossing of a frown over the smooth expanse of her brow and something—he never knew what it was—compelled him to ask a question he usually avoided like the plague. ‘Is everything okay?’

      Her hands began twisting at the plain fabric of her work dress and he could see the indecision which made her frown deepen.

      ‘Y-yes.’

      ‘You don’t sound very sure.’

      ‘I wasn’t going to tell you until tomorrow,’ she said, her knuckles whitening.

      Instinct made Salvio sit upright, his body tensing. ‘Tell me what?’ he questioned dangerously.

      Molly licked her lips. She’d thought that a good night’s sleep and the addition of daylight might take some of the emotional sting out of her disclosure. But now she could see that any idea of sleep was a non-starter, especially with the thought of Salvio in bed nearby and the heavy realisation that he’d only ever wanted her that one time. But more than that, the news was bubbling inside her, wanting to get out. She needed to tell someone—and who else was she going to confide in?

      ‘I’m pregnant,’ she said bluntly.

      There was a moment of silence—a weird and intense kind of silence. It was as if every sound in the room had been amplified to an almost deafening level. The crackle and spit of the fire. The loud thunder of her heart. The sudden intake of her own shuddered breath. And now there was shadow too, as Salvio rose from his chair—tall and intimidating—his powerful frame blocking out the firelight and seeming to fill the room with darkness.

      ‘You can’t be,’ he said flatly. ‘That is, if you’re trying to tell me it’s mine?’

      She met the unyielding expression which had hardened his face and Molly’s heart contracted with pain. Did he really think she’d lost her virginity to him and then rushed out to find herself another lover—as if trying to make up for lost time? Or was he just trying to run from his own responsibility? She stared at him reproachfully. ‘You know it is.’

      ‘I used contraception,’ he bit out. ‘You know I did.’

      She felt blood rush into her cheeks. ‘Maybe you weren’t—’

      ‘Careful?’ He cut across her words with a bitter laugh. ‘I think that’s a given, don’t you? Reckless might be closer to the mark. On all counts.’

      ‘Don’t,’ she said quickly.

      His eyebrows shot up imperiously, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was telling him what to do. ‘What?’

      ‘Please don’t,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t make it any worse than it already is by saying things which will be difficult to forget afterwards.’

      His eyes narrowed but he nodded, as if acknowledging the sense of her words. ‘Are you sure?’ he demanded. ‘Or is it just a fear?’

      She shook her head. ‘I’m certain. I did a test.’

      Another silence. ‘I see.’

      Molly’s lips were dry and her heart was racing. ‘I just want to make it clear that I’m only telling you because I feel duty-bound to tell you.’

      ‘And not because you’re after a slice of my fortune?’

      Hurt now, she stared at him. ‘You think that’s what this is all about?’

      His lips curved. ‘Is it such a bizarre conclusion? Think about it, mia bedda. I’m rich and you’re poor. What is it they say in the States?’ He flicked the fingers of both hands, miming the sudden spill of money from a cash register. ‘Ker-ching!’

      Molly made to move away but his reflexes were lightning-fast and quicker than hers. He reached out to curl his fingers around her arm before pulling her towards him, like an expert angler reeling in their catch of the day. The movement made her breathless but it also made her hungry for him in a way she didn’t want to be. Just one touch and her senses had started jangling, as she felt that now familiar desire washing over her. Meeting the gleam of his black eyes, she prayed she would find the strength to pull away from him and resist him. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she demanded.

      ‘I’m doing about the only thing which could possibly make me feel good right now,’ he grated and brought his mouth down hard on hers.

      Molly willed herself not to respond. She didn’t have to do this—especially not after those insults he’d just hurled her way, making out she was some kind of gold-digger. But the trouble was that she wanted to kiss him. She wanted that more than anything else in the world right then. It was as if the beauty of his touch was making her realise how she’d got herself into this predicament in the first place. His kiss had been the first step to seduction and even now she found it irresistible. Closing her eyes, she let him plunder her lips until there was no oxygen left in her lungs and she had to draw back to suck in a breath of air. She shook her head distractedly. ‘Salvio,’ she whispered, but he shook his head.

      ‘Don’t say anything,’ he warned, before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out of the room.

      Molly blinked in confusion because his hands were underneath her bottom and they were caressing it in a way which was making her want to squirm. As if in some kind of unbelievable dream he was carrying her up that sweeping staircase as if she were Scarlett O’Hara and he were Rhett Butler. And she was letting him.

      

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