Sleeping With The Enemy. Annie West

an intelligent woman, Tina. You won’t call your brother and beg him to rescue you.”

      Her heart thumped. “How can you be so sure?”

      He studied her for a moment, his eyes straying over her hair. Warmth blossomed inside her belly then, spreading through her limbs like hot honey. “So it does straighten out,” he said thoughtfully.

      “I told you so.”

      “Women have such tricks at their disposal. I would have never guessed.”

      She almost laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to be au courant about the things that occur in beauty salons. And I did ask you a question, by the way.”

      He picked up his espresso, his long fingers dwarfing the small cup. “I am aware of it.”

      “And what is your answer?”

      “I already gave you my answer, Tina. You are intelligent and thoughtful. You also love your brother very much. You do not wish to worry him or cause him to cut his vacation short when he is so happy with his new wife and child.”

      Her pulse throbbed with every word. It was as if he could see inside her soul. She shook herself. That was silly. Of course he couldn’t. But he was a very good guesser.

      “Besides,” he continued, “you are not in danger. You are in a situation of your own making and you refuse to cry wolf before you’ve thought it all out.”

      “Not entirely of my own making,” she murmured. “It does seem to take two to make a baby.”

      “Yes, but I’ve already thought about it and I know what must be done.”

      “And what if I disagree? I might think myself justified to call Renzo then. He could at least get his best attorneys onto the situation.”

      His expression remained unconcerned. “By all means, if you think this is the correct course of action. We can fight about who is more suited to get full custody of the child in the courts.”

      A chill dripped like acid into her veins. She didn’t really think he could take her child away from her—but what if he could?

      “I haven’t made up my mind yet,” she said breezily, turning to smile at the woman who brought her a cup of coffee.

      “You will,” he said with that arrogant assurance that made her want to grind her teeth in frustration.

      His phone buzzed on the table and he pressed the button to send it to voice mail without once looking at the screen. She wondered who was on the other end of the line, then realized with an unpleasant jolt that it must be a woman. He wouldn’t treat a business associate that way, she was pretty certain, so it had to be a romantic entanglement.

      Something twisted in her gut then, some feeling she didn’t want to examine too closely. She’d not thought of what his romantic life must be like right now. They’d spent a single night together nearly two months ago. Though he’d not been linked with any particular woman in the papers lately did not mean there wasn’t one—or had not been one that night.

      A wave of queasiness swept through her, but it had nothing to do with pregnancy hormones. She pushed the coffee away.

      “You can drink it,” Nico said. “It’s decaf.”

      For some reason, she was ridiculously touched that he’d known she couldn’t have caffeine. But she shouldn’t be. It wasn’t a romantic gesture; it was a practical one. “Thank you for remembering.”

      The smile he gave her threatened to melt all her good intentions to remain detached and controlled. How could she even begin to feel that way? He was threatening her—threatening her family. But what he said next cracked the ice she tried to keep around her heart.

      “I spent a couple of hours this morning looking up pregnancy. I admit I know nothing.”

      Tina swallowed. Hard. “I’m afraid I don’t, either. I had thought to beg Faith for information.”

      Nico looked suddenly thoughtful, and the ice cracked a little more. “There is a website with pregnant women on it. They talk about everything. You can even track the stages of your pregnancy. It is quite amazing.”

      Tina picked up her cup with shaky fingers—mostly because she needed something to do—and took a sip.

      She didn’t want to see this side of him, not when he’d threatened her with a custody battle and harm to her family if she didn’t bow to his will. But when he looked at her like this, when he spoke so earnestly and honestly it made her heart hurt, she remembered the old Nico, the one who used to work in the garage with Renzo and laugh freely.

      And remembering made her ache with longing to see them reconciled, though he’d told her yesterday that would never happen. How could it be that bad between them? That unforgivable?

      “I’ll look into it,” she said softly, keeping her eyes downcast while she worked to find her center.

      The food arrived then, and once more they were alone and eating together on this gorgeous balcony overlooking the beautiful azure lake. Everything was delicious and plentiful, and she found herself eating more than she’d thought she would be able to.

      “I’m glad to see you eat,” he said. “You were very pale yesterday when I first saw you.”

      “The medication helps tremendously. I’m just happy I didn’t miss breakfast. I thought I’d slept too late.”

      His eyes gleamed like purest silver in the shaft of sunlight slanting through the laurels. “You will never miss breakfast so long as you are here, cara. The meal will wait until you are ready for it.”

      A dart of pain pierced her right in the center of her chest and she found herself blinking rapidly to dispel the tears that threatened to fall. Why? Why?

      It was nothing to cry over. It was ridiculous to think of crying. Niccolo Gavretti was not holding meals for her. He was taking care of her because she carried his child, nothing more.

      She absolutely would not read more into the gesture than it contained. He was not being thoughtful.

      But when had anyone ever put her needs and feelings first? When had anyone ever treated her as if she were the center of their universe?

      Mama and Renzo loved her, she had no doubt, but Renzo had always been the one around whom the family orbited. Because he was male. Because he was older. Because he was wildly, insanely driven and successful. She’d grown up in his shadow. It hadn’t been a bad place to be, but it had also not been a place where she could flourish on her own merits.

      “Thank you,” she managed to say finally. “That’s very kind of you, but there’s no need to hold meals for me. Tell me what time you wish to have breakfast, and I will be here for it.”

      His phone buzzed again, startling her. Again, he sent it to voice mail without looking at the screen. He did it so casually that she almost felt sorry for the person on the other end of the line.

      “We will eat when you are ready. A pregnant woman needs plenty of sleep.”

      Heat suffused her then, made her skin glow. There was something about the way he said pregnant woman that made her blush. Absurd.

      “I will still endeavor to awaken at a reasonable hour,” she said stubbornly. “You shouldn’t have to wait for me.”

      He grinned, and her heart squeezed tight. So, so handsome when he wasn’t scowling—and even when he was, damn him. “Truthfully, cara mia, I am a night owl. I prefer to sleep in myself. But if you begin to awaken at dawn, then dawn is when breakfast will be.”

      Tina shuddered. “Never fear, dawn is definitely not my style.”

      He reached for a roll. “Perhaps this night owl lifestyle will do us well when we have a newborn to take care of. I understand they do not sleep much.”

      Tina