behind her lids threatened to fall. Suddenly it felt like too much; her resistance had been feeble but it was all she had. She couldn’t fight any more, couldn’t stay strong and remote as she always tried to.
‘Fine.’ She sagged against the seat as the limo pulled up in front of one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. ‘You win.’ Relief and triumph flashed in Rafael’s amber eyes, and in that moment she wondered just how much she was conceding.
ALLEGRA BLINKED SLEEPILY in the early evening gloom of the hotel suite’s master bedroom. She’d fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep almost as soon as her head had touched the soft, feather down pillow, and judging by the twilight settling softly over the city sky she’d been asleep for several hours.
She stretched and then snuggled under the soft duvet, tempted to stay there for ever. When they’d arrived at the hotel suite, Rafael had been graciousness itself, insisting she take the master bedroom, ringing for some juice when she said she was thirsty, and telling her to sleep for as long as she’d liked.
When she’d crawled into the king-sized bed Allegra had realised just how exhausted she really was, and her last thought before she drifted off was that she was, in the end, glad Rafael had insisted she come here. Not that she intended on admitting as much to him.
Now, as she struggled to a sitting position with a wide yawn, she wondered what exactly she was supposed to do here. What they were supposed to do. An afternoon was one thing, but did Rafael really expect her to stay here for two weeks, kicking her heels, until the amnio results came back? And what was he going to do while she waited? How were they supposed to get along? Battling deeper unease, Allegra rose from the bed.
She treated herself to a long, lovely soak in the sunken marble tub and then dressed in her summery trousers and top before heading into the main living area of the suite in search of Rafael.
He was sitting at a desk in a study alcove off the sumptuous living room, frowning down at his laptop, but he looked up quickly as she stepped from the doorway of the bedroom.
His gaze scanned her searchingly from her damp hair curling about her face to her bare feet. ‘You slept well?’
‘Yes, very well. It’s been ages.’ It was, she’d seen as she’d dressed, nearly seven o’clock at night.
‘Are you hungry?’ Rafael rose from the desk. ‘I ordered a variety of dishes from room service. I hoped something might appeal to you.’
‘That’s very kind of you.’ After months of barely managing a mouthful, she knew she needed to eat more.
‘Come into the dining room.’
Allegra followed him into the dining room that adjoined the kitchen, which was just as elegant as every other room in the suite. The place was twenty times the size of her studio, decorated with silks and satins, antiques and exquisite paintings. She felt almost as if she were in a museum—a very comfortable, luxurious museum.
‘Wow,’ Allegra managed, surprised and touched by the spread of food left in warming dishes on the table. She saw clear broths and simple pasta dishes, fresh fruit and half a dozen different salads. Amazingly, despite the constant nausea she’d been battling for the last few months, she felt a little hungry. ‘This looks amazing.’
‘Take whatever you like. We can eat out on the terrace.’
‘Thank you.’ He was being so kind, and yet she was afraid to trust it. Reluctant to start depending on his charity and consideration, when it all could change so suddenly...just as it had before.
Rafael handed her a plate and Allegra took it and began to serve herself from some of the dishes. ‘How were you able to book the penthouse suite of this place?’ she asked. ‘I’ve heard it’s booked months in advance.’
Rafael shrugged one powerful shoulder. ‘Considering I own this hotel, it was not a problem.’
He owned this hotel? It was one of the city’s best. Allegra had known Rafael was wealthy and powerful, but it was brought home to her yet again in that moment—along with the realisation of how he could wield that power, if he so chose. How he already had, taking over her father’s business. This was man who was ruthless, brutal in his determination to get what he wanted...whatever that was. She needed to remember that.
Allegra finished filling her plate and then took it outside to the terrace overlooking Central Park. The air was a balmy caress, and the terrace was decorated with potted plants and fairy-lights, making it feel like a little bit of the park had been brought thirty floors up.
‘This is lovely,’ she said as she sat on a chaise and picked at a few mouthfuls of pasta salad. ‘Thank you.’
Rafael sat across from her, his plate balanced on his lap. He was wearing the dark trousers and crisp white shirt he’d worn earlier, the shirt now opened at the collar, revealing the strong column of his throat. Stubble glinted on his jaw and the whiteness of the shirt was a perfect foil for his burnished, olive skin. He looked, Allegra acknowledged with a pang, as devastatingly attractive as he had that night in Rome. As irresistibly desirable...except, of course, she would resist him. She had to, because the situation was fraught enough, dangerous enough. She couldn’t let herself depend on him any more than she already was. She certainly couldn’t start to care for him.
‘I’ve arranged for you to take the next two weeks off work,’ Rafael stated as he forked a mouthful of pasta.
‘What? How?’
‘I spoke to your employer and landlord, Anton. He understands.’
Allegra’s head was spinning. ‘But you... Two weeks?’ She blinked at him. ‘But—’
‘You have exhausted yourself, whether you realise it or not. You need a proper rest, both for your own health and our child’s.’
Allegra couldn’t deny that, but she still chafed against his commands. She was used to being independent. She needed to feel strong. ‘That was not your call to make. This is my life, Rafael.’
‘And as I said before, I know you want what is best for the baby.’
It was a trump card he could play every time, and there was nothing she could do about it, because he was right. She enjoyed her job, but it had been exhausting and she knew she couldn’t keep it up for ever. A rest, even one that was enforced, had some merit, as reluctant as she was to admit it to him.
But a rest here with Rafael? Allegra still couldn’t imagine spending the next two weeks with him. There was so much they hadn’t discussed...his heartless dismissal of her after their night together, her hiding her pregnancy, even the business his father had had with hers. Her father’s death. There was so much tension and latent anger and uncertainty—and now they were meant to get along?
And beyond that, she didn’t even know Rafael. She’d intentionally tried not to think of him since they’d parted, wanting to forget about him completely. She’s resisted doing Internet searches, even though she’d been tempted to know more about him.
And now here they were, sitting across from each other, their baby nestled inside her. Allegra didn’t know what to think of any of it, how to respond, how to feel. Part of her was clamouring for retreat, while another part recognised that that was no longer an option, not with a child to think of. A child to love.
In any case, now certainly wasn’t the time to tackle any of those difficult issues. They just needed to get through the next two weeks and see what the results of the amniocentesis were.
They spent the evening, incongruously, sitting next to each other on the sumptuous silk-covered sofa, watching TV on a huge flat screen that had been hidden behind an oil painting. After the first few tense minutes Allegra started to relax, enjoying being able to turn off her brain and watch reality TV fluff. And she enjoyed the feel of Rafael’s strong body next