His Pregnant Mistress. Carol Marinelli

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СКАЧАТЬ be expected to breathe.

      ‘That’s fine.’ Pulling away too sharply, she shook her head slightly, his bland, utterly unmoved expression only serving to exacerbate her palpable tension. ‘Can I go home now?’

      ‘Of course.’

      ‘You collected my car?’ Mia checked and Ethan nodded. ‘How did you know which one it was?’ Her eyes narrowed, watching every flicker of his reaction, waiting for a blush, a look of discomfort to flash over his face, but Ethan remained unmoved, giving a small shrug before he answered.

      ‘I’ve been watching you.’

      ‘Watching me?’ Appalled by his answer, gibbering with rage, she stepped closer, but instead of stepping back Ethan stood his ground, the closeness she had instigated excruciatingly uncomfortable for Mia, but having zero effect on Ethan as her enraged voice rose. ‘What do you mean you’ve been watching me? For how long?’

      ‘A few weeks now.’ Ethan shrugged. ‘Despite your little speech about being the only one close to Richard, Mia, the simple fact is that I’ve visited my brother regularly. Towards the end I visited him every day, in fact.’

      ‘But you live in Sydney, your whole family’s in Sydney now…’

      ‘Correct. And as much as you’d like to write us all off and give more weight to your theory that all Carvelles are callous, the simple fact of the matter is that since Richard was diagnosed as terminal I flew to Cairns every week to visit him, which is no small journey, and towards the end, when I knew time was running out, I moved into one of my properties here so I could spend more time with him.’

      It was too much to take in. Her mind whirred, reeling at the information, that Ethan had been here, that he had been watching her these past few weeks, had been in the hospice holding Richard’s hand. Mia’s mouth opened and closed over and over, hundreds of questions bobbing on her tongue as she tried to fathom what exactly it was she wanted to ask.

      Ethan answered her unvoiced question.

      ‘I avoided you, Mia.’ His words were short and clipped, his eyes more menacing than she could ever have imagined, unrecognizable from the giving young man who had made love to her all those years ago, a world away from the tenderness he had once so easily imparted. ‘Truth be known, I could think of nothing worse than being in the same room as you: a confrontation at a dying man’s bedside really isn’t my style. Despite the crap you might have read about me, I do have some standards.’

      ‘No, Ethan, you don’t.’ It was Mia’s voice that was short now, Mia’s voice unwavering and in control, her eyes defiant as she stared back at him. ‘I’ve read all about your multimillion-dollar deals, circling like a vulture over failing hotel businesses then swooping in and buying them for a song.’

      ‘That’s business.’ Ethan shrugged.

      ‘Perhaps,’ Mia conceded, but her stance stayed strong. ‘But what about the women, Ethan? What about the women you woo into your bed, only to discard the following morning?’

      ‘I’m not into one-night stands,’ Ethan clipped. ‘If you actually read the papers a bit more closely you’d have realized most of my relationships survive a bit longer than that.’

      ‘Not much,’ Mia sneered. ‘A week, a month at the most.’

      ‘So?’ Ethan shrugged. ‘I don’t lie, Mia. I never promise it’s going to be for ever, and if you actually asked any of the women I’ve dated in the past I can guarantee not one of them regret it, however short and sweet it may have been.’

      ‘You can guarantee it, can you?’ Her lips were set in a taut line, her breasts rising and falling as if they had a life of their own as the unleashed fury that had held her together for seven years ripped out of control. ‘Well, here’s one woman that regrets it, Ethan. You’re now looking at a woman who wishes more than ever that she hadn’t been one of your ships that passed in the night, who would love to turn back the clock and wipe out every last piece of memory of the time we shared.’

      ‘Liar.’ One finger slowly razored her cheek, working its way past her ear, down the hollows of her neck till it met the flickering pulse in her neck. Transfixed, filled with loathing and lust, she stared back at him, stared back at the man who seemed to read her innermost thoughts, the man whom she had physically pushed aside in every waking moment but who had, for seven long years, slipped into her dreams every long, lonely night. She wished she could lie better, wished she could stare back and tell him that she meant every word she had said, but her mouth wouldn’t move, she couldn’t force her lips around the words as relentlessly he continued. ‘You live to remember it, Mia. I was there, remember; I felt you writhing in my arms, heard you calling out my name, so don’t stand there and tell me you wish it had never happened. Don’t try and pretend I’m not the best damn lover you ever had…’

      ‘Is everything okay?’ The doctor was back, staring nervously at the two of them, and Mia wrestled to stay calm, certain that if they took her blood pressure now there was no way on earth they’d let her out.

      ‘Everything’s fine,’ Ethan said coolly, picking up her frozen hand and wrapping it possessively in his. ‘In fact, I’m just about to take Ms Stewart home.’

      The cool night air on her flaming cheeks was bliss, a gentle breeze around her bare legs as she clipped along beside him, feeling the sizzling hatred emanating from her. Even though she was confused, and though the day had spun irretrievably out of control, there was some solace to be had from being with Ethan now.

      That finally after all these years she had faced him.

      Stood up to him even.

      And maybe, maybe an end to her agony was in sight, when whatever had to be said was finally over, when questions that had hung in the air had actually been answered, she could finally walk away.

      Emotionally bruised perhaps.

      Still loving him, probably.

      But seven years of being left in the dark, of never fully understanding why, with no explanation, he had walked away from all they’d had, had drained every last vestige of inner reserve. Surely the truth, however unpalatable, however much it cheapened their time together, was better than the darkness through which she had stumbled these past years.

      She would let him drive her home, Mia had already decided on that. The two-hour drive was surely enough time to glean the answers she craved, and then she’d call him a taxi.

      Ethan Carvelle could afford it!

      ‘Where’s my car?’ Staring at the luxury sports model bleeping as the doors unlocked, Mia shook her head. ‘You said you’d collect my car.’

      ‘Which I did.’ Ethan shrugged.

      ‘So where is it?’

      ‘Scaring the neighbours in my driveway,’ he responded easily. ‘You didn’t think I was going to let you drive home, after what the doctor said?’

      ‘Of course not. I thought that you were taking me home.’

      ‘Which I am,’ Ethan clipped.

      ‘I mean my home…’ her voice trailed off as Ethan let out a mirthless laugh.

      ‘What? СКАЧАТЬ