“I know. You told me that the first time we made love.”
“I remember.” His eyes darkened. “And you believed me.”
“Of course,” she said without hesitation.
His gaze searched her eyes. Then slid down to where the tips of her br**sts pressed against his chest. “I want you again.”
Her eyes widened as she felt him grow hard inside her. “So soon?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. He was looking at her as if he wanted her more than anything else in the world. The feeling was so new it made her blush.
“Don’t you need to gather your strength?” she babbled, suddenly self-conscious that a man wanted her so much.
And not just any man.
Matt.
“I’m stronger than I look,” he muttered.
She acknowledged something when she heard those words.
He was strong.
In every way.
And it wasn’t just physical either. She’d known men who were muscular but hollow. Others had been too strong for their own good and would never let a woman see their softer side as Matt had this evening over Megan.
But Matt, oh yes, he just seemed to fit her like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Everything he did, everything he was, seemed tailor-made for her.
It gave her a sense of rightness as Matt began to make love to her all over again. And afterward, when she rested her cheek drowsily on his chest, two thoughts crossed her mind before she fell into an exhausted slumber.
Yes, she loved this man.
But sometimes love wasn’t enough.
Eight
M att ignored the budget reports waiting on his desk and sat back in his chair for a moment. He was still reeling from seeing Megan sick yesterday. Thank God she was better now.
Lord, when she’d held out her little arms to him he thought his heart would explode with love and concern. He was learning that loving a child was a bittersweet pain. Lana was right. Once you saw your child and the love entered your heart, there was no going back.
Lana was an old hand at this now. She’d done this by herself for the last eleven months. Not to mention coping with being pregnant.
Something turned over in his chest at the thought of her carrying his baby. To have been pregnant and alone with only an uncle a world away in France must have been terrifying.
He felt humble.
And could he really blame her now if she’d stolen that money to support her and her child?
If?
Yes, he had his doubts now and with each day they were growing stronger. But hell, he was still angry deep inside that she hadn’t come to him about her pregnancy. He really didn’t understand why she hadn’t.
Yet she’d supported him yesterday over Megan and then again late in the night when she’d offered herself to him. If she didn’t have some sort of feelings for him, would she have done either of those things?
Of course having some feelings was like having some money. A person could get by on a small amount, but it wasn’t enough to build a house.
Or a marriage.
That’s if a person wanted to build a house in the first place, which neither he nor Lana wanted. They were both only looking to put a roof over their daughter’s head.
Dammit, Lana had come into his life with the greatest gift in her arms.
And he was now going to share her bed full-time until their divorce.
And still he couldn’t figure her out.
Perhaps he shouldn’t even try, he decided, accepting that some things were a mystery.
Just then the intercom buzzed.
“Matt, there’s a gentleman on the line from France looking for Lana,” Irene said. “He said he’s her uncle.”
Matt frowned. “Put him through, Irene.” He waited a moment for the connection to go through. “Matt Valente here.”
“Matt? I’m pleased to meet you. It’s Dan Moore here. Lana’s uncle. I’ve just got back from a trip to South Africa and I read the letter from Lana about her marriage. Congratulations. Lana’s a wonderful girl.”
“Thank you, Dan. Yes, she is.”
“I’m sorry I missed the wedding. I would have been there if I’d known, but I understand the rush for little Megan’s sake.”
So he knew the reason for the marriage.
“Yes.”
“I don’t have your home number but if you could get Lana to give me a call that would be terrific. I need to tell her that now she’s married to you, I want to deed the apartment over to Megan.”
Matt’s heart thudded. “The apartment?”
“Yes. Lana would have told you I bought it for her and Megan.”
“Of course,” he lied without missing a beat.
So that’s where the money had come from.
“I want it to be my gift to my great-niece. I don’t ever want her to be alone like Lana was when her parents died.” He took a breath. “Not that they were much use to her when they were living, God rest their souls. She would have told you about that, too, no doubt.” He paused. “Unfortunately I was living in France and couldn’t be there for her, but she always knew I was just a phone call away.”
Matt felt a band of tightness in his chest. He should have read that report his father had ordered on Lana and her family. It would have explained a lot about the pieces that made up his wife.
“I won’t let that happen to Megan, Dan. She will always have me and my family to look after her.”
For all that, he suddenly realized he didn’t like the thought of sharing his daughter with some unknown person. Not even one of Lana’s relatives.
“That’s good to know, Matt. Please give Lana my love and tell her Aimee and Julien send their love, too. I’ll talk to her soon.”
Matt was curious. “Is Julien your son?”
There was a moment’s hesitation. “So Lana hasn’t told you yet? I guess it’s not an easy thing for her to say, but I’d appreciate if you could keep this in the family.”
“Tell me what?”
“Julien is my lover.”
Lana spent the day trying to come to terms with loving Matt, knowing she could never tell him.
If it had been only her and Matt, then she might have given it a shot. She was strong enough to walk away if things turned bad.
She couldn’t take such a chance when she had a responsibility to her daughter. Matt was great with Megan, but she couldn’t stand back and let Matt’s disdain for her become a part of their lives.