Bridal Bargains

Oh, shut up, she told that cynical side of her nature. Do you want to spoil it? They were man and wife in every which way you wanted to look at it now that they’d conceived a baby between them, which in turn meant that they were now so deeply committed to this marriage that the Vanessas of this world could take a hike, because no other woman would ever have what Nell now had of Xander.

His first child growing inside her. A child that Xander had spent the rest of the night protecting with the gentle spread of his hand. Did it matter if this had all started out three weeks ago with him determined to achieve that goal?

At least she did not disappoint, she mocked with a grimace. And turned her attention to sifting through the clothes one of the maids on the island had packed for her. One day, she thought ruefully, she might get to pack her own suitcase; then she might find something she wanted to wear.

They’d awoken to a cold, grey day this morning. Even with the temperature in here maintained by an air-conditioning system with climate control, her skin was wearing a distinct chill. The suitcase contained a choice of lightweight short white cotton skirts and a couple of white strapless tops or the turquoise dress.

On a sigh she selected some underwear, dropped the towel and slipped into bra and panties followed by the turquoise dress, then looked around her for something to cover her chilly shoulders and goose-pimpled arms. The suit she had travelled here in lay across the back of a bedside chair but the thought of putting on the travel-limp jacket did not appeal.

> On impulse she walked over to the wide walnut-faced wardrobe and opened the doors. Xander’s clothes hung in clear plastic from their hangers. Business suits, dinner suits, shirts, ties. Nothing there she could borrow that would keep her warm, she thought ruefully and flipped her search towards the column of deep drawers built into the wardrobe. She found socks, men’s undershorts, even a neatly stacked drawer of plain white T-shirts. A foray into the final drawer offered up a better prospect of neatly folded sweaters made out of the finest cashmere. It was probably going to drown her but as she dipped down to near the bottom of the pile to remove a black one she’d spied there, she decided that beggars couldn’t be choosers and at least she would be adequately covered.

Then her fingertips came up against the sharp corners of something. On a softly yelped, ‘Ouch!’ she withdrew her fingers, checked she hadn’t managed to draw blood, then frowningly began carefully lifting out the sweaters layer by layer until she’d uncovered the guilty object.

After that she seemed to lose touch with reality. The stack of soft sweaters she held in the crook of her arm fell unnoticed to the floor. She didn’t even attempt to pick up the silver-framed photograph she’d uncovered but just stared into Vanessa’s beautiful smiling face then at the miniature-sized version of Xander standing laughing in front of her then finally—most painfully—she read the hand-scrawled inscription. ‘To Papa Xander,’ it said. ‘Love from your Alex.’

His son even had his name …

CHAPTER TEN

GLANCING up as Luke Morell stepped into the office carrying a manila file, Xander took one look at his PA’s sober expression and sat back in his seat with a smile.

‘Did you have to mop blood up off the floor last night after I left?’ he quizzed drily.

‘You know as well as I do that your shock tactic sent all ten into freefall.’

‘Good. Let us hope they learned what it feels like to lose their only parachute.’

Managing a small grimace at the quickness of his employer’s wit, ‘They want another meeting today,’ Luke informed him. ‘Perhaps you could try to be a little more—tolerant?’

‘For what purpose?’ Xander asked. ‘I am not into salving other people’s egos.’ Losing all hint of his own smile, he sat forward again. ‘They would not want to meet with me at all if they had done their own jobs better so don’t ask me to feel sorry for them. What’s with the folder?’ he prompted. ‘Yet another set of impossible proposals from them?’

‘This has nothing to do with the takeover.’ Luke walked towards him, his grim expression more keenly in place. ‘I suppose I should add that you are not going to like this, so I suggest you take a deep breath before you take a look inside.’

Curiosity piqued, Xander was about to accept the file when a quiet knock sounded at the door through to his private apartment. As he was about to flick his attention from the file to the door he saw Luke stiffen jerkily and his eyes narrowed and remained riveted where they were. He didn’t like that telling bit of body language. He didn’t like the way his assistant’s face had closed up tight. A sudden warning prickle shot across the back of his neck, the kind his instincts had taught him never to ignore.

Then the door-handle began to turn and he was forced to shift his attention to Nell as she stepped into the room. He frowned when he saw that she was wearing the blue suit she had travelled in yesterday, and her hair had been contained in that braid he didn’t like. But it was her face that held him. She wasn’t smiling, her vulnerably kissable upper lip stuck in a downward curve to its fuller lush partner, and even the light layer of make-up she was wearing could not disguise her odd pallor beneath.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked instantly, springing to his feet. ‘Do you feel ill again?’

He was already striding out from behind his desk as Nell fluttered an unhappy glance at Luke then quickly away again.

‘Y-yes—n-no,’ she replied in confusion, clearly disconcerted to find Luke Morrell standing there.

‘Well, which is it?’ Xander demanded, coming to a halt directly in front of her then frowning down at her when she hooked in an unsteady breath of air before focusing her eyes on a point between his tie knot and his chin. ‘Nell …?’ he prompted huskily when she still didn’t speak.

‘I’m—fine,’ she told him. Then her gaze made another sliding glide towards the very still Luke.

Xander took the hint. With a twist of his long body sent an impatient glance at the other man. ‘Later, Luke,’ he dismissed him.

Luke hovered, seeming undecided as to whether to walk out with the file or place it on the desk before he left.

‘Leave it.’ Xander made the decision for him. And after another moment’s hesitation, the file was relinquished and Luke was letting himself back out of the room.

‘OK.’ Xander swung back to Nell the moment they were alone again. ‘Now tell me.’

He’d barely got the command out when one of those wretched telephones on his desk started to ring. On an impatient apology he spun away and strode back to the desk, leaving Nell standing there feeling dazed and dizzy, hating him so much yet hurting badly at the same time.

‘Xander—’