Bound by the Unborn Baby

by Bella Bucannon

  He pushed back his chair, picked up his bowl.

  ‘I’ll clear. You head off,’ Alina said, buttering a piece of cold toast.

  ‘Okay. I should be home early afternoon. Did you buy bathers?’

  ‘Yes, haven’t worn them yet.’

  He hadn’t used the gym since Sunday. Or the pool since Tuesday evening, after their talk. He was normally a creature of habit and liked his routine, which included daily exercise and swimming early morning or evening. The less disruption, the less stress. If she worked out at the same time he’d know she was okay. It would be a start to getting his life back in control.

  ‘How about when I get home? We’ll work out, then swim.’

  Her face lit up. ‘That sounds good.’

  He went to his room, planning a positive day. A few minutes later he collected his briefcase from his study, and left.

  * * *

  Alina ate her toast and honey, mulling over her every encounter with Ethan. She’d developed a habit of deep thinking over people and situations during her solitary lifestyle. Sometimes she created fictional stories about them in her mind to pass the time.

  This was real. The attraction between them was real—had been since the moment she’d turned from that window. She could understand her reactions. Suddenly thrown into enforced proximity with an attractive, virile man after seven years alone... Pregnant, with rampant hormones playing havoc with her emotions...

  His puzzled her. She appreciated the need for them to give the impression they’d been lovers, so kissing was essential. The first kiss had been experimental, to judge her response, the second for show. The others... She wasn’t sure. Yet she’d sensed tension in him every time—right from the initial touch of his lips on hers. As if he was keeping a tight rein on his actions. Or on emotions he claimed not to have.

  She sipped her camomile tea, pulled a face. Cold toast was okay—cold tea was not drinkable. It was time to get cracking.

  She clicked on the kettle, cleared the table and set herself up for a morning’s exploration of the internet.

  * * *

  The sound of the front door opening had Alina’s head swinging round. A quick check of her watch surprised her. Ten to three. How could it be that late?

  ‘Hi, you’ve set yourself up pretty well, there. Good use of the dining table.’

  How did this man’s smile make a good day seem brighter?

  ‘Better than leaning over the coffee table. Did you get what you wanted done?’

  ‘Finally—it took longer than I’d hoped.’ He leant over her shoulder to check her screen. ‘Agassi Falls? Planning a trip, Alina?’

  ‘Just having fun surfing,’ she replied. ‘I checked out some courses, then spent some time finding out what all the icons stand for.’

  ‘I trust you’ve been taking breaks and eating properly?’ Banana peel lay in a small dish, alongside an empty mug on the table.

  ‘Yes, sir. I’ve stretched every hour...done other stuff in between.’ She arched her back and smiled up at him. ‘This morning I went out for a short walk; this afternoon I went through your kitchen cupboards to see what’s there before looking up some recipes. I found a few meals we might enjoy, but—’

  ‘You can’t print them out. We’ll fix that on Monday, along with a desk and chair.’ He held out a red USB. ‘In the meantime copy and use mine.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She surprised both of them by rising up on her toes to kiss his cheek. ‘This is all I need. You don’t want to be left with excess stuff.’

  Ethan opened his mouth to refute her claim. Changed his mind. Words weren’t going to change hers.

  ‘That’s my concern. Right now I’m psyched up for the session in the gym we agreed on.’ He took her hands, held her at arm’s length. ‘Hmm, nice tracksuit—you look as good in green as in blue. Give me five minutes.’

  ‘I’ll meet you there.’

  He strode to his room, fantasising about the bathers she might be wearing under that outfit as he hastily pulled on T-shirt, bathers, track pants and sneakers. She was waiting for him, sitting on the press-ups bench. The lights were brighter than he usually set, the music a pleasant background sound.

  ‘Bike or treadmill for warm-up?’ she asked, offering him a bottle of water. ‘I don’t mind either.’

  ‘I’ll take the bike.’ It was still set up for him. ‘Twenty minutes okay?’

  She agreed, and he selected a programme for mid-range difficulty. Settling into his normal pace was easy—resisting the temptation to watch Alina not so easy. She moved smoothly, gracefully.

  ‘I promise I won’t fall off.’ She’d caught him checking her out.

  ‘It’s been a while since anyone’s been here with me.’

  Solitude in this special area had always been a plus. It was his private time, for releasing tension. Only occasionally had he invited anyone to join him. To his surprise, he didn’t mind Alina being there at all. In fact he felt downright glad to have her running alongside him. A feeling that unnerved him a little, causing him to switch back to getting-to-know-you mode.

  ‘What sort of keep-fit do you do on the move?’

  ‘Depends on the current job. Crop-picking, dog-walking or waitressing are usually enough. If it’s in an office I run, or do casual sessions at pools or gyms.’

  ‘Whoa—back up. Dog-walking?’

  Her laugh, the first genuine one she’d given, zipped through him. Musical and light, it was a sound he wanted to hear again. Often.

  ‘It’s fun, challenging or downright exhausting, depending on the size or number of pooches. And always available in any city, any country.’

  ‘Ever lose any?’ The more he learned, the more fascinated he became.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘NO. I HAD one Labrador who didn’t want to go back to his owner, but I didn’t blame him. The woman’s perfume was so overpowering it clogged my throat.’

  She blushed and bent her head. So delightfully embarrassed he wanted to jump off and comfort her.

  ‘Hey, yours just didn’t suit you. On another woman it’d be different.’

  ‘Someone more flamboyant? More “out there”? It was a Christmas gift from a temporary boss, probably recycled. The box had been opened.’

  ‘Now you have the perfect fragrance for you—delicate, reminding me of sunshine and flowers. Ethereal...’ He chuckled. ‘Maybe not the last one. Though sometimes you do drift off into another world.’

  Alina was grateful for the distinct ping announcing the end of her programme. She stepped off as the machine slowed down. Moved over to the weights.

  For the next thirty minutes they rarely spoke, each concentrating on their own exercises. She’d have been completely relaxed if she’d been able to block out the male effortlessly lifting weights alongside her, built well enough to play A-league football.

  He smiled whenever their eyes met in the huge wall mirror, disconcerting her. His T-shirt moulded to his sculpted chest and muscular upper arms. Her breath hitched every time his biceps firmed as he curled or lifted weights. She felt hot, sweaty, much more than she ever had while exercising before.

  Deciding she’d done enough, she walked over to the pool. Discarding her tracksuit, she used the ladder, shivering as she descended into the cool water. Made a mental note to ask him to up the temperature. Taking a deep breath, she ducked under, sinking to the bottom, then shooting up. She grabbed the rail, shaking her head, refilling her lungs... Found herself staring at a pair of slender feet attached to tanned legs with a light covering of black hair.

  She tilted her head for a slow scan past firm calves to the muscular thighs that had steered her round the dance floor last night...and a pair of black swimming trunks that left no doubt as to his manhood.

  Her mouth dried; her pulse raced. Her body
heat overrode the chill from the surrounding water. She didn’t dare meet his eyes, chose the coward’s path and swung into a freestyle stroke away from him. Quickened her pace at the sound of a splash behind her.

  Ethan overtook her, touched and turned at the end. He was still below the surface as they passed again. She recovered her composure, slowed to her normal leisurely pace. This wasn’t a contest.

  Six laps were enough for her.

  She sat on the top of the ladder, wrapped in a towel, her feet dangling. She ought to leave. Shower and dress. Think about dinner—no, too early for that. She stayed. Not sure why, except that it was mesmerising, watching Ethan churn through the water, hardly making a ripple. The way he went through life: single-minded, controlled.

  He swam like a machine—clean, even strokes, powering along the pool, flipping like a seal at the end. She timed his push-offs. Always constant. So precise. So coordinated.

  She frowned. He’d dipped in front of her on his last turn, hadn’t resurfaced. Suddenly he burst upward from the water, making her jump. His chest skimmed her legs as he rose, catching hold of the rail for stability.

  ‘Waiting for me?’ He grinned, spraying her with tiny drops as he shook his head.

  ‘Hey!’

  He levered himself higher so they were on eye level. ‘It’s only water. Anything special you’d like to do tomorrow? We’ll have all day.’

  ‘Oh. No work or commitments?’

  ‘None. I’m all yours. Stay home, and relax. Go for a drive. Walk on the beach. Your choice.’

  How was she supposed to make an instant decision with him so close that there was a hint of his cologne in the chlorine-scented air? With his glistening muscled torso inches from her twitching fingers? With his appealing blue eyes offering her something she refused to name?

  ‘A ferry ride.’ Out of the blue. From somewhere in her past.

  His eyebrows almost met his dripping hairline. ‘You want to go on a ferry?’

  She nodded. ‘The Manly Ferry across the heads. I used to love it during the winter in rough weather.’

  His smile shot into a scowl. ‘No way are you going out in a storm.’ Grated out. Possessive.

  She laughed, recognising the over-protective tone. ‘They don’t cross in really rough weather. I don’t get seasick. And it’s spring.’

  He relented, didn’t look convinced. ‘We’ll decide at Circular Quay.’

  He twisted, hoisted himself out onto the pool side and picked up the towel he’d left nearby. Alina stood, heading for the door as he patted excess water from his body. He caught her arm and took her towel from her.

  ‘Stand still.’

  He moved behind her, began to dry her hair, firmly yet gently. It was soporific, soothing. She arched her neck in pleasure, sighed when he dropped the towel and began to massage her neck and shoulders. Trembled when his hot breath teased the pulse under her ear.

  ‘Your muscles are taut as a drum. A proper massage might help.’

  From him? Considering he was the main reason for their tension, she doubted it, but his offer was tempting.

  ‘There’s a beauty parlour in the next block. Make an appointment.’

  Why had it suddenly become less appealing?

  * * *

  After Alina had retired for the night Ethan turned off the television and dimmed the lights. Then, sipping brandy, his feet up on the coffee table, he tried to make sense of the mayhem his normally ordered life had become.

  He was committed to becoming a short-term husband and a lifelong father. He was becoming attached to a woman whose heart and love belonged to a dead guy. Her response to him was merely physical. His carefully planned future was now a day-by-day unknown.

  * * *

  Ethan suggested they put light coats, plus anything else she wanted to take, into her backpack—which he’d carry. He deliberately lingered over breakfast, determined to use their outing to ease any tension between them, make this a day for light conversation with no conflict.

  It was mid-morning as they strolled towards Circular Quay. After guiding her across the first road he linked their fingers, claiming it would prevent them from being separated by the crowds already building up. She didn’t argue, seemed content to let him be protective. He was rapidly becoming more comfortable with the feeling.

  Had to curb it when, while drinking water and watching the boats, she declared she’d love to do the Harbour Bridge climb.

  Alina hadn’t forgotten the sheer joy of crossing the heads to Manly on a windy day in choppy seas. She’d purposely blocked it from her mind. Now she realised how much she’d missed the city she’d lived in for so many years.

  Today it was fairly mild, until they reached the gap leading to the ocean. She felt alive, leaning on the rail, facing into the breeze, letting it prickle her skin and tease her hair. Nautical toots and engine noise, calls from yachts as they sailed past, all combined with the sounds of circling seagulls to fill her world.

  ‘There’s nothing like this anywhere—nothing so exhilarating.’ She twisted her head to smile up at Ethan, braced behind her, his hands on the rail either side of her.

  His expression said he didn’t quite agree. She turned back, leant well forward, as if searching, unsure how to express the way she felt. He repeatedly said that he owed her, but she hadn’t expected him to show it so personally, to spend so much time with her. Covering her living costs would have been ample.

  ‘Hey.’ One arm wrapped round her. ‘It’s a long way down.’

  ‘I’m looking for dolphins.’

  ‘Wrong area for them. Wrong season for whales.’

  Husky tone, hot breath fanning her ear.

  ‘Some friends and I did a whale-watching trip along the coast a few years ago. Mid-June, I think. If you’re feeling up to it, we’ll go.’

  ‘I’d love it.’ She let him draw her back against his chest. Breathed in the salty air. And him. Let herself live in the moment.

  Ethan wondered if she knew how captivating she looked. Genuinely happy, with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, she was irresistible. He made a mental note to arrange a day’s sailing with friends.

  He cupped her cheek, bringing her face round to his. ‘Nothing like it. Definitely no sight more beautiful,’ he murmured, dipping his head to capture her mouth. He saw her eyes darken. Felt her tremble. Silently agreed: it was exhilarating.

  The ferry lurched, breaking them apart. He grabbed the rail again, trapping her safely between his arms. They rocked in unison as the boat ploughed through the rough swell. General conversation might be safer.

  ‘I have to confess the only ferries I’ve been on for years have been for corporate evening events with catered food and drinks. My friends and I used to think day-old pies and cold cans of drink were the ultimate meal.’

  He realised how many other simple pleasures he’d left behind as he built his Starburst chain. Pleasures Alina understood and still enjoyed. His adrenaline surged at the thought of her helping him rediscover them. Then she’d go, leaving him to share them with their child. He trembled at the challenge.

  Alina felt it and looked round.

  ‘That wind’s cold. Do you want to go inside?’ he said.

  He wasn’t lying. It went right through the jacket he’d put on before boarding. Hers wasn’t much heavier.

  ‘You’re kidding? Inside is for sensitive people, small children or the wuss breed. There’s hot drinks and delicious fish and chips waiting near the docks.’

  She turned back to watch their approach into Manly.

  Ethan nestled his head against hers. ‘Okay, but if I catch a chill you have to nurse me.’

  The sound she gave was suspiciously like a giggle. ‘No chance. No virus would dare attack you without an appointment.’

  He stiffened. Was
that the impression he gave? Good humour won him over. A week ago she’d been wary of him, anxious about his reaction to her pregnancy. Ready with a plan to have the baby alone if he denied her. He felt a warm glow deep in his gut. If she liked him enough to bait him he must be doing something right.

  So he had a reputation for being hardnosed in business? He also was known for being fair and trustworthy.

  * * *

  Late on Monday morning Alina walked through the foyer, trying to pep-talk away her apprehension. Exercising hadn’t helped. The line between truth and tacit lies seemed so tenuous. She was not the biological mother—had to persuade everyone she was. She and Ethan had never been lovers, had shared only a few kisses—one long one for an observer’s benefit. Were required to act as if they’d had a passionate affair.

  Her trepidation had increased when she’d realised he’d been rescheduling appointments to accommodate her and the problems she’d brought him. This morning he’d left early for a meeting postponed from Wednesday. Thirty minutes ago he’d phoned to ask her to come down and meet the car as he’d be running late.

  For the baby. For Louise and Leon.

  Repeating her mantra silently, she went outside to wait in the shade, praying he wasn’t stuck in a traffic jam. The vehicle pulled in to the kerb as if summoned by her plea. She hurried forward, not giving the driver a chance to alight. Scrambling in, she dragged the door shut, leaving Ethan leaning forward awkwardly with his arm extended.

  ‘Oh, sorry.’ She gulped in a quick breath, inhaled his distinctive cologne. Flicked him an apologetic grin. ‘I’m not used to having someone take care of me.’

  ‘That lesson I’m learning.’ Cobalt eyes appraised her as the car moved off. ‘You look anxious, Alina.’ He caressed her jaw line, tilted her chin.

  ‘What do you expe—?’

  He cut off her rebuke by firmly pressing his lips to hers. Her heartbeat hiccupped, doubled in speed. Sent her blood racing along her veins.

  The kiss lasted less than a moment. Or for ever. Too long. Too short. She slumped against the seat and stared at him, too befuddled to think coherently. The piercing eyes holding hers hostage showed no sign of the turmoil he’d inflicted.