place.”
She didn’t add that she wouldn’t have to look at her growing child and see the face of someone she’d loved and who didn’t love her back, see someone whose very existence made her ache because she spoke, moved, laughed like him and made her cry because everything about her reminded her of someone she wanted to forget. That’s how it had been for her mother. That’s why she’d run away.
“Listen, about New York. I didn’t mean to pressurize you. If you’re not up for it, it’s fine.”
“I’ve thought it over.” Maggie jumped in before he could get another word out. “I’ll have to pass on the fancy cocktails.” She made a sad face. “But, if the offer’s still there, I’d love to come. I haven’t taken time off to do something fun for months. And now that I know – for sure – I feel like celebrating. It’ll be lovely. I haven’t got the foggiest idea what to wear, but I can figure that one out – there’s time. And fashion’s what I do, right?”
“It certainly is.” His lips curved into a super-sexy smile. “I can make a couple of calls. Between us we should be able to guarantee that you’re red-carpet-ready.”
“You know what this means?” Alex looked straight at her, his eyes unguarded, the black pupils reminded her of two dots under puzzled question marks. “You’re still up for watching whales, aren’t you? We had a deal.”
“Sure,” he croaked.
“I need to go to bed. I don’t like to throw you out, but I really need to sleep.” She stood on tiptoes in front of Alex, leant up and brushed her cheek against his hard jaw line. Mmm. “Goodnight,” she breathed against his ear. “And thanks, Alex. I really appreciate that you were here tonight, for this.” She pressed the palm of her hand against her flat stomach. A new life was forming inside her.
He walked to the door and looked back over his shoulder before turning the handle. He was the same gorgeous guy he’d been when he’d walked away without a backward glance. And she’d let him go, heavy-hearted that he hadn’t phoned. Her emotions were all over the place. She had to say something.
“I’d no idea how badly I needed a friend.”
Alex stopped, walked back to Maggie, pulled her into his arms and gave her the biggest, warmest, loveliest hug. “See you tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait.” Suddenly he was gone. There was an empty space where he’d been. And a whole heap of happy in her heart. She was in the best mood ever. Excited, and a teeny bit scared. Experiencing both feelings together was bewildering – and wonderful. She’d done it. She’d created her designer baby.
She sat down heavily on the end of her bed. Alone. Until about a minute ago she’d been elated, so sure that this was what she wanted. And it was. She was going to be a mum. A single mum. Unlike tonight she’d have no one to share this with. She’d thought she was prepared but now that Alex had gone and reality was kicking in, a seed of trepidation at what she’d planned for her future sowed itself in her soul. She might turn out to be just like her mother, unable to hack being a single parent. She steeled herself. She’d made this choice and she was determined to make it work. She had something to prove.
The high speed catamaran flew along, heading out to sea. The waves were still choppy from the stormy weather. White-crested, every so often the boat would hit a big one, showering the deck. The perky guide, a marine biologist, filled the passengers in on pertinent cetacean facts until they reached the place where the whales usually hung out, and the skipper cut the engine.
Amused at having Jago from Mercy of the Vampires as her new best friend, Maggie was getting used to the interest Alex generated – and the curious looks people gave her. Normally, she didn’t get noticed. It was her job to make other people stand out from the crowd. Clients appreciated her neutrality. Unobtrusive, all her creativity went into her projects.
The epitome of male beauty, Alex was amazing. And so were the whales. At first she didn’t think they’d see one. They scoured the grey sea, watching, waiting, and suddenly, before the marine guide had even spotted it, Alex saw one off the port bow.
He pushed his dark glasses up onto his head. “Look!” He stood behind her and pointed, guiding her eyes with the direction of his arm. The other hand rested on her shoulder. A zing of pleasure zipped through her body. “Over there.”
The whale’s slick back was clearly visible.
“Wow!” she gasped.
“Amazing,” Alex admitted.
“Now you know how it feels.”
“Are you suggesting that when people recognize me it’s like they’re seeing a whale for the first time?”
She tilted her head to look him in the eyes teasingly. “Something along those lines.”
He smiled in that breath-stealing way of his. Her heart did a somersault. The roll of the ocean, seeing whales in their natural environment, and sharing the whole experience with Alex was too cool.
The boat rolled on a big wave and she lolloped sideways. She automatically grabbed onto him to steady herself. “Easy does it.” His arms closed around her from behind, holding her firmly. He drew her securely against his body. A column of masculine muscle, his gentle strength felt fantastic. She shivered, despite being wrapped in fleece and waterproofs. “Cold?” He lightly rubbed her arms and massaged her shoulders.
“Brrr. Yes, kind of.” It wasn’t exactly true, more a frisson of sweet, spine-tingling desire. It was hard not to be attracted to him. For flip’s sake, Alex Wells had to be the hottest friend any girl ever had.
He’d been her ordinary friend before he’d been her famous friend. She struggled to hang onto that fact. It was great that they’d got past the embarrassing blip of their disastrous night in bed together. It had been struck from the record – any glimmers of attraction were hiccups, a bi-product of the celebrity thing. Except, who was she kidding? Even allowing for the Jago factor, that kiss on the beach had been hot heaven.
The whale surfaced and gave a blast from its blow-hole. The whiff turned Maggie’s stomach. It was like sharing an elevator with an appallingly flatulent being who’d been overindulging in a bout of extreme dietary indiscretion involving seafood.
Alex took a picture on his phone. He caught Maggie, looking greenish, at the very moment when the whale went into a dive. Its body an arc, the dorsal fin stood out clearly in the background.
“Glad you came?” she asked, when they’d stopped laughing about the dodgy smell and how awful she looked in the picture.
“Very.” His deep voice ignited little flames of heat. His strong arms closed around her again, keeping her steady on the shifting ocean. Leaning against all that muscle felt delicious. The friends thing was becoming more of a conundrum every minute. She was a smidge out of control – all those overactive pregnancy hormones whizzing around her system. “How are you feeling?” he asked. “Has it sunk in yet?” Close against him, her limbs brushing his, he felt like a very sexy bodyguard.
“It’s starting to.” The mention of her pregnancy brought her back down to earth. “It’ll take a bit of getting used to.”
They’d been having a chilled-out day – apart from the hot fire that crackled through her when his body connected with hers, that is. All of a sudden his mood darkened. His jaw clenched and the blue glimmer in his eyes clouded, greyed like the sea and the sky all around them.
“You’ve made a brave decision.” A muscle flickered in his cheek. He’d turned into an iceberg. “Choosing to become a single parent can’t have been easy.”
Over the tannoy the guide enlightened passengers with some stuff about whale tail markings. Maggie’s head swam. Was she missing something? What was she not getting? He’d gone all serious.
“It’s complicated,” she admitted. “I know my grandma could be a bit of a dragon at times, but it was only because