Without waiting for him, she stepped back and headed for the shallow steps, which were, thankfully, on the far side of the terrace, away from his probing eyes. Away from the deceptive bubble that teased her with impossible dreams.
She swam two lengths on her own before he joined her. His powerful strokes easily kept up with her as they lapped the pool, his gaze sliding to her at increasingly frequent intervals.
The moment her arms began to tire, he caught her around the waist and tugged her to the side of the pool. ‘You’ll not exert yourself,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘Not even to get away from me.’
Since it was exactly what she’d been doing, Suki thought it wise to remain silent. Or perhaps it was because her vocal cords had stopped working because she was plastered to him from chest to thigh.
Searching for something to take her mind off that thrilling little fact, she asked a question that had been teasing her mind. ‘My itinerary shows Dr Domingo and his team are coming in the morning. So they’re already here?’
‘Yes,’ he replied.
‘How did you organise that?’
‘You didn’t want them around, so they’ll fly separately.’
Her eyes widened. ‘That must be costing you a fortune.’
‘A small price to pay for your happiness,’ he replied simply, as if they were talking about the price of a latte. But then she realised this was compromise in Ramon’s world. She just had to accept it.
Still her breath caught at the ease with which he said that. Then continued catching when his hand slid down her back beneath the water.
‘Speaking of which, it’s the first ultrasound tomorrow. It’s a little early, but I think we both need the peace of mind?’
A different type of zing went through her heart. As if sensing her distress, he tilted her chin with one firm finger. She met piercing green eyes burning with sure fire.
‘Everything will be okay.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘Sí, I do,’ he said with breathtaking arrogance, as if he had the ultimate power to make it so.
For some reason that worked. Her worry abated and when the butler came out to announce that their dinner had arrived, she let Ramon lead her out of the water. She even let him dry her, let his hand once again linger on the barely there bump.
And when the diamond merchant, who had apparently been quietly working away in one of the suites, appeared halfway through dinner and presented Ramon with a velvet box set on a sterling silver tray, she let the father of her child crouch down next to her at the dining table, slip the stunning diamond engagement ring on her finger and place a firm, lingering kiss on her knuckle.
But, of course, she knew nothing had changed when he escorted her to the guest suite, and walked away in the direction of the master suite.
* * *
The following night was the night of the second exhibit. After sleeping in late, she video conferenced with her mother, who was about to start the next barrage of tests, and listened to the expected prognosis with a lighter heart. Carefully avoiding her mother’s probing questions about her own situation, Suki finished the call with the promise to visit
the next week on their way back to Cuba.
Her own team of doctors arrived just before lunch. Her vitals were taken and her progress pronounced satisfactory before the ultrasound machine was wheeled in.
Ramon, exhibiting not a single ounce of embarrassment, climbed into bed with her and took her hand. The tension in his face echoed hers as Dr Domingo spread warm gel on her belly.
The next five minutes passed excruciatingly slowly, the doctor’s perfect poker face giving nothing away. Finally, Ramon snapped, firing bullet-sharp questions in Cuban Spanish at him.
Nods and sí were batted back and forth, until Suki too snapped.
‘Tell me what’s going on!’
Green eyes alight with a fiercely pleased fire locked on hers. ‘He says the baby is perfectly healthy and thriving.’
A ferocious shudder trembled through her. ‘Oh. Oh, my God.’
‘I said so, did I not?’ he muttered gruffly against her ear.