by Maya Blake
He caught her look and returned it with a steady one of his own. ‘My last health check was satisfactory. But it doesn’t hurt to be doubly sure, does it?’
Numbly, she shook her head. When he turned away to answer the doctor’s questions in low-toned Spanish, she retreated to the far side of the living room. Staring down at the bustling street below, Suki refused to entertain the strange sensation zipping through her stomach.
Not only was Ramon deadly serious about having this child, he was going the extra mile to ensure he was in optimum health. Why that should make her insides sing, she didn’t want to examine too closely. Or at all. So she wouldn’t.
Unfortunately, her senses weren’t in a listening mood. She was veering down the path of wondering what sort of father Ramon would make when she sensed him coming up behind her.
She turned to find him lowering his sleeve over a thick, tanned, hair-sprinkled arm. And for the life of her she couldn’t stop staring at it. At him. Like that night in the limo, her senses were swerving into dangerous territory, her nostrils flaring wider to breathe more of his intoxicating scent as he stopped in front of her.
‘We’re done here. Are you ready to go?’
‘Yes,’ she said, cringing at the huskiness of her voice.
Get yourself together!
She stepped to one side and smiled her thanks at the doctors before they took their leave. Then she headed for the door herself. Lingering in this suite with Ramon wasn’t safe. Not when every move he made drew its own brand of fascination from her. Not when there was a more than adequately functioning king-sized bed so close by.
If he sensed her fresh agitation, he didn’t give an indication of it. By the time he joined her at the lift, his impeccable clothes were in place.
‘The tests will be expedited. We should have the preliminary ones by this evening although I’m not expecting any surprises.’
Or anything to stand in his way.
She chose not to touch the unvoiced words.
They emerged into sunlight and the awaiting limo. Half an hour later, they were at the airport. This time she didn’t need prompting to get out of the car. The tension of yesterday underlined newer, even riskier tension. The kind that made her stomach flutter wildly each time Ramon so much as glanced her way.
Something he seemed to do often, despite the long phone call he was engaged in for most of the journey.
As for that beautifully lilted Spanish that fell so smoothly from his lips?
Dear heaven, she was losing it.
It didn’t help that she was robbed of further breath the moment she stepped into his private jet. Every corner of the plane was decked out with unapologetic comfort and luxury in mind. Silky leather suede in soft accents covered all three separate groupings of sofas and armchairs. Light-coloured marble lined the table tops and flat-screen TVs broadcasted the latest financial and world news from two different screens. The two attendants and pilots who greeted them wore the same Acosta Hotels logo on their uniforms that she’d seen previously, and the English they greeted her with was impeccable.
Feeling more than a little out of place in her simple dress and sandals, Suki slowed as she reached the middle of the plane. The touch of a firm, warm hand at her waist made her jump, her senses screeching as Ramon turned her to face him.
‘You need to take a seat so we can take off.’
Nodding stiffly, she started to move towards an armchair. The hand at her waist checked her progress and steered her towards a two-seater sofa. Pressing her into it, he buckled her in and sat down next to her, bringing one lean, powerful thigh much too close to her own. Under the pretext of crossing her legs, she shifted away.
A quick glance at him showed he’d caught the movement. And wasn’t terribly impressed with it.
‘Ramon...’ She wasn’t exactly sure what she’d hoped to say but one attendant approached them with drinks. She accepted a fruit punch, took a sip of the refreshing drink while Ramon chose a mineral water.
He waited until they were alone again to slice her with a dark look. ‘It would be good if you didn’t jump like a startled rabbit when I touch you in public.’
‘I wasn’t aware that we would be doing public outings together,’ she replied.
His mouth twisted. ‘Did you think I was going to hide you away for the next nine months?’
She hadn’t thought of that. To be honest, the swiftly ticking clock, racing towards what would happen tonight, hadn’t given her much thinking room since she woke up this morning. ‘But aren’t you worried that it’ll send out a certain impression?’ she asked, a little bubble of bemusement taking root inside.
‘What sort of impression?’
She licked nervous lips. ‘Well...people are going to think we’re together.’
He shrugged, eyeing her with a steady look. ‘I don’t have a problem with that. Do you?’
No. Yes. She shook her head in confusion. ‘But we’re not. I don’t like people assuming something that isn’t true.’
‘What would you suggest? That we take out an ad in the paper stating that we’re having sex simply to have a child together?’
She glared at him. ‘No, of course not.’
‘You and I know the truth. That’s all that matters.’ The words held a ring of intractable finality.
Suki was reeling long after their plane had launched itself into the sky. For better or worse, her life was tied to Ramon’s for the foreseeable future.
CHAPTER EIGHT
HE WASN’T GOING to demand to know what was going on in her head. Nor was he going to demand conversation. And the need to reach out and free her thick caramel-blonde hair from the ponytail was certainly one he wouldn’t be indulging.
He had achieved his purpose where Suki was concerned. Or as near enough to it without having performed the act itself.
She’d subsided into near silence after their conversation on the plane, only acknowledging him when he deposited her in his private suite at Acosta Hotel Miami and left for his meeting. By then he’d concluded that talking was no longer necessary, or even a pleasurable experience with her. Half the time she argued with him. The other half she offered sympathy or touched on subjects that he found difficult. All the time his attention was absorbed by her animation, the little gestures with her hand she probably wasn’t aware she was making.
All distracting and frankly irritating.
So for now, he would enjoy the peace of mind afforded to him as he sat in the VIP dressing area of the top Miami stylist his assistant had scheduled Suki to visit.
A visit he’d accompanied her on simply because his mid-afternoon meeting had wrapped up early. Grabbing a copy of the financial paper he hadn’t been able to finish at breakfast this morning, he tuned out the three attendants’ hushed debate about which signature style to create for Suki.
The woman in question was seated on a chaise longue at the opposite end of the room, her shapely legs neatly crossed at the ankles. She was choosing not to participate in the conversation. Even looked borderline bored, a shrug very much in her expression each time she was asked a question.
Ramon’s irritation grew. Every woman he’d dated previously, without exception, had been an utter slave to shopping, the more exclusive, the more fervent the rhapsody. And the more adoring gratitude had come his way.
Suki looked as if she would have more fun watching paint dry.
Her gaze met his. Her lips pursed and her eyes stayed wide and unblinking. The distinct notion that she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes startled, then amused him.
Fighting the sudden twitch of his own lips, he returned his attention to his paper.
Eventually, the whole ensemble headed for an inner sanctum.
For five minutes he read and re-read the same article on the price of soya. T
he door opened. He tossed the paper aside.
The dress was a bold blood-red, the material a floor-length affair that clung to her body from chest to knees, leaving her shoulders bare and outlining her hourglass figure to perfection. Absently he heard one stylist refer to it as a Bardot-style evening dress.
With her hair caught back, her elegant neck and delicate shoulders gave off a fragile look he knew was false. Suki Langston had a backbone of steel. And as much as the reason for her presence in his life disturbed him, he couldn’t deny the fact that her beauty was enthralling. That the hot tug in his groin that had perturbed and then shamelessly dogged him with each subsequent time they’d met wasn’t going to go away.
He caught her full reflection in the mirror as one attendant stepped out of the way. She was smoothing her hand down her midriff. When it paused at her stomach, the place where his child had briefly been cradled, something hard and agonising pierced his chest.
The need to see his seed grow there, watch her belly expand with his child, filled every cell in his body.
The hell he’d lived in since finding out about his child, and the further agony of losing the family he’d never thought would be taken from him so suddenly, reared up and knocked him sideways.
He didn’t realise he’d made a sound until all four women froze and glanced his way. Suki’s gaze met his in the mirror and he caught the faintest tremble in her lips and sympathy in her vivid blue eyes.
He wanted to reject it, wanted to snarl that he didn’t need it. But his eyes stayed on hers, silently and secretly absorbing the sentiment.
‘She’ll take that one,’ he rasped into the silence.
The innocuous words altered the mood. A flurry of activity ensued. Having achieved success with the first dress, the stylist decided his opinion was needed for every subsequent ensemble.
He approved another half a dozen evening dresses, growled his dislike of a metallic gold cocktail dress that clung a little too tightly and showed off a little too much skin. At some point it was decided she would take her hair down to better judge the true style of one dress. The sight of her free-flowing hair sent another burst of heat through his bloodstream.
He was nodding at her selection of swimsuits and daywear when his phone rang. The doctors’ news sent a bolt of satisfaction through him. Followed closely by ramped-up anticipation.
The next call was to his American pilot to ready his plane.
Suki caught the tail end of the conversation. Enquiring blue eyes met his. He infused purpose in his gaze and watched her swallow.
Rising, he quickly brought the spree to a conclusion and led her out of the boutique with more than a little haste.
‘Any reason why we’re hotfooting it out of here like we’re fleeing the scene of a crime?’ she asked, but the hitch in her voice and the furtive glance his way suggested she already guessed the answer.
‘Our preliminary tests have returned with a green light,’ he answered as they settled into the car.
‘So...?’
‘So we’re returning home, Suki. I’ve waited long enough.’ Once he’d dragged himself from the depths of grief and accepted that only the promise of an heir would assuage him, he’d been planning for this event. He felt zero qualms about the swiftness with which he was moving now success was in his sights. The yearning stamped in his blood needed to be answered. Right now.
He couldn’t bring his brother or parents back, but he could ensure their memories lived on through his child.
The journey back was swift and uneventful. Not so much the palpable tension that rose between them the moment they stepped off the plane and onto his helicopter.
Ramon told himself that the anticipation firing through his veins was born of the primal need to ensure his family and legacy survived the tragic circumstances that had befallen him.
But as the rotors beat relentlessly towards his villa, he realised the woman too counted. For whatever reason nature saw fit, the chemistry between Suki and him transcended all logical explanation. Svetlana might have committed the physical act of cheating on him with other men, but in the handful of times he’d interacted with Suki when Luis had attended a function with her, the evidence of the unmistakable chemistry between them had caused Ramon more than a hint of discomfort.
Perhaps that had been the reason he’d acted so deplorably on the night of her birthday. Entering the pub and seeing Luis holding her hand had unexpectedly jarred. Recognising the emotion as dark rancid jealousy hadn’t improved a mood that had already been in a black pit after discovering the true extent of Svetlana’s infidelity. Perhaps taking Suki to bed that night had been his own way of salving the indignity to his manhood and pride.
For sure, he’d woken up in the early hours more than a little unimpressed with his behaviour. Not enough that he’d regretted the hours he’d spent in Suki’s bed. But enough to know that retreat was best for everyone in that moment.
He glanced at her now, completely certain there would be no retreat now.
She was his.
At least until she bore him a child. What came after that would be decided when the time was right.
He took her hand the moment the helicopter landed in Cienfuegos. He noted the slight lag in her steps and suppressed the apprehension that rose within him. She’d barely touched her food on the plane and her eyes had grown steadily darker and her face pinched.
Dios. Anyone would think she was a virgin headed for the slaughter. Wasn’t she though, to all intents and purposes? She’d only had one previous lover bar him. One sexual encounter. The primitive part of the alpha male in him had been more than thrilled at that admission, but he hadn’t failed to notice her lack of experience on their first night together.
His racing libido throttled down a notch. Entering the main salon, he pulled her to a stop before him. Despite her heeled sandals, she needed to tilt her head to meet his gaze.
So small.
Yet so strong.
His gaze drifted over her, fresh hunger clawing through him, but he couldn’t ignore the obvious.
‘You’re nervous,’ he observed.
She laughed self-deprecatingly. ‘Give the man a prize.’
‘Have you forgotten that we’ve done this before?’
If anything, her tension increased. ‘After which you left my bedroom without so much as an adios, if I recall.’ Her voice was hushed, but there was a strained note in it that was more than the hurt he sensed.
Ramon got the distinct impression he’d been judged and found wanting, which shouldn’t have surprised him considering his own admission of his less than stellar conduct. But still, a thousand tiny pinpricks dragged over his skin. ‘A lot of what happened that night was...unfortunate.’
Her face tightened. Her eyelashes dropped to fan her cheeks. ‘I see.’
He caught and lifted her chin with his finger. ‘But not what happened in the car, or in your bed,’ he clarified firmly.
Her face remained closed. ‘I don’t really see the point in dissecting it any more. What happened...happened.’
Ramon should’ve been pleased. He wasn’t.
Letting go of her, he walked to the drinks cabinet. About to pour them both a drink, he hesitated. Alcohol was a hard no for her considering what they were trying to achieve. And he would do well to keep his wits about him.
About to suggest an alternative, he stopped when she glanced at the door. ‘I’m going upstairs to...um...take a shower.’
Great idea, he wanted to say, but one look at her face told him she intended it to be a solo mission.
Suppressing the torrid images, for now, he nodded. ‘I’ll be up shortly.’
She opened her mouth, as if to contradict him, but, face still set in unhappy lines, she walked out of the room.
He shoved a hand through his hair.
Dios. Maybe he would have that drink after all.
The shot of cognac did nothing to bring clarity or calm his raging need.
He’d spent the months after Svetlana’s betrayal burying himself in work and avoiding any and all liaisons. Not because he’d been heartbroken, but because he’d realised how jaded the idea of relationships had grown for him.
He and Luis had been lucky enough to grow up in a stable and happy home. Although not wealthy, their parents had ensured they got the best education, his half-American mother smoothing the way for them to attend top universities in the States.
It was this solid foundation he’d foolishly thought to emulate with Svetlana, despite the clear evidence that successful marriages, especially among wealthy men like him, were rare. How many of his silver-spoon college buddies had come from broken homes and were themselves intent on living duplicitous lives even before they’d entered the real world?
After Svetlana, he’d even been a little disconcerted to realise sex had grown boring for him and the idea of pursuing a woman had dropped to an all-time low on his list.
All that apathy was nowhere in sight right now. He paced the salon, nursing a second drink while keeping an eye on the clock.
Ten minutes later, he set the crystal tumbler down and strode from the room. The knock on her door produced no response. That unsettling irritation that was never far off dogged him again. Turning the handle, he tried the door, exhaling when it yielded to his push.
He was getting somewhere if she hadn’t locked him out. Except she wasn’t in the bedroom and there was no sound from the bathroom.
The absurd idea that she’d made a run for it had him charging for the French doors that led to her private terrace. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard a faint sound behind him.
‘Ramon?’
He turned.
She was framed in the doorway of her dressing room, clad in only a towel. Her face glowed a light pink from her shower and her damp hair tumbled around her naked shoulders. With no make-up, no sexy lingerie or perfumed skin to entice, Ramon wondered how she could still be the most captivating woman he’d ever encountered.
