Tall, Dark... Collection. Кэрол Мортимер

him yesterday evening.

      Probably never, she decided heavily.

      After all, he had loved Sally, and their child had been born into a marriage of love. This child would be born into a marriage of convenience. If their marriage still went ahead, that was.

      ‘As I said, I’m going to work now,’ she told him stiffly.

      Going down two floors to work was going to be convenient, at least. It was about the only convenience for her that she could think of in connection with this marriage.

      ‘Only until lunchtime,’ Nick informed her flatly. ‘You have an appointment with an obstetrician at two o’clock this afternoon,’ he explained at her questioning look.

      Hebe’s eyes widened as she turned back to look at him. ‘I thought I told you—’

      ‘Hebe, in view of your negative comments, I had the other guy’s secretary recommend another obstetrician.’ He scorned her objection.

      ‘You did?’ She eyed him uncertainly.

      His mouth twisted ruefully. ‘I did.’

      ‘I bet you were popular!’ she mused.

      Nick shrugged. ‘I’m not out to win any popularity contests—as I’m sure you know only too well!’ he added hardly.

      Hebe’s humour instantly disappeared. What was she smiling about when she was still so angry and upset with him over that telephone call from Sally last night? She was so confused by her own feelings for him, that she could cheerfully have hit him over the head with his own coffee mug!

      ‘Oh, yes,’she agreed derisively. ‘I’m well aware of that!’

      ‘Good.’ Nick stood up abruptly. ‘I’m going down to my office this morning, to deal with paperwork. We’ll meet up here for lunch at about twelve-thirty—’

      ‘You’re expecting me to start cooking for you already?’

      His eyes glittered deeply blue. ‘I usually have a sandwich for lunch. Which I’m quite capable of getting for myself. And you too, if necessary. I intend making sure that you eat properly in future,’ he added.

      ‘Like a brood mare!’ she flung back scathingly.

      Nick took a step towards her, his face dark with fury now, hands tightly clenched at his sides.

      Totally intimidating, Hebe acknowledged warily.

      Nick’s eyes narrowed as he sensed her apprehension, and he forced himself to relax, his expression noncommittal, hands loose at his sides. ‘I think it might be better if you don’t bait me like that again, Hebe,’ he warned softly.

      Her chin rose defiantly. ‘And if I do?’

      Nick gave a humourless smile. ‘Then you’re going to get just what you’re asking for!’

      She swallowed hard, and moistened her kissable lips with the tip of her tongue.

      Instantly shooting Nick’s temperature sky-high and creating an ache in his body.

      He could visualise only too easily where those lips and tongue had been last night, and he burned to make love to her again.

      She raised dark blonde brows. ‘And what’s that?’

      He forced a mocking smile, inwardly fighting his need to take her in his arms and forget everything but the two of them. Which, from their uncontrollable response to each other, he knew he could do. It was only that Hebe was likely to hate him for it. Hate him more, that was…

      ‘Exactly the same as you got last night,’ he drawled in answer to her challenge. ‘Probably with a few variations—I wouldn’t want you to get bored with sharing my bed!’

      Her eyes widened. ‘You’re blaming me for last night?’

      He shook his head, his smile humourless. ‘I don’t think you can attach blame to something so mutually satisfying—do you?’

      Hebe’s cheeks felt fiery red, and she was unable to deny her response to him. Her only consolation was that Nick seemed to want her as much as she wanted him.

      ‘I’m going to work,’ she repeated abruptly.

      ‘We’ll make a move from here at about one-thirty—’

      ‘We’ll make a move?’ she echoed, turning slowly.

      Nick eyed her scornfully. After losing Luke, there was no way he was going to miss out on any part of his new baby’s life. ‘You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you go to the doctor’s alone, do you?’

      She simply hadn’t given it any thought at all. She wasn’t used to being a couple, to having someone else around all the time.

      And after Nick’s obvious warmth to Sally on the telephone last night, and the fact that the two of them were obviously going to see each other the next time Nick was in New York, it might be as well if she didn’t get used to it, either!

      ‘I’m not a child, Nick,’ she snapped. ‘I am capable of getting myself wherever I want to go!’

      ‘But why take the tube or a cab when I’m offering to drive you? Besides,’ he added grimly, ‘I want to hear what the doctor has to say.’

      Hebe tensed. ‘Why?’

      ‘Because it’s my baby too!’ he came back with controlled force. ‘And the sooner you get used to that idea, the easier things are going to be!’

      Yes, it was Nick’s baby too, she accepted heavily. No matter what the reason for Sally Cavendish’s call the previous evening, or whether she and Nick became reconciled emotionally Hebe knew that Nick took the responsibility of his child seriously. It was the only reason she was here in his life at all…

      And she mustn’t ever lose sight of that fact.

      As she almost had last night.

      She just had no defences, no way of resisting, when Nick touched her. And it was no good pretending that she did.

      Nick watched their motions flickering across her expressive face—the uncertainty, the apprehension.

      Damn it, he didn’t want this woman to be frightened of him! He wanted the impossible—this marriage somehow to work, for the two of them to reach some sort of understanding.

      Quite how he went about achieving that, when all they did when they weren’t in bed together was argue, he had no idea.

      Maybe if they tried to stop arguing it might be a start…

      ‘Look, Hebe, let’s call a truce, shall we?’ he prompted gently. ‘This constant bickering isn’t doing a damn thing for me, and I doubt it is for you either.’

      She eyed him mockingly. ‘Don’t try and pretend it’s me you’re concerned about, Nick—’

      ‘Will you just stop?’ he ground out frustratedly, grasping her shoulders to shake her slightly, her hair a silken tumble about her shoulders. ‘I don’t want to argue with you any more—okay?’

      She grimaced, golden eyes troubled. ‘Your moods are so unpredictable…’

      He gave a hard laugh. ‘Is there anywhere that says an expectant father has to be predictable?’

      ‘I suppose not,’ Hebe allowed with a sigh. ‘But I might be able to understand you better if you were.’

      Nick raised dark brows, his gaze searching on the pale beauty of her face. ‘Do you want to understand me?’

      A shutter seemed to come down over those expressive eyes, her expression once more defensive. ‘Not particularly,’ she dismissed scathingly.

      Well, he wanted to understand her!

      Last night,