Fatherhood Fever!
She’d hurt him.
Hurt him because of what Giorgio had done to her, because she’d believed in Giorgio’s roses...and she was a fool. Matt was innocent of any falseness. He’d given her the substance of marriage, committed himself fully to making it work and she’d slapped him down for wanting to give a token of his pleasure in her.
It was mean...it was wrong...though however mean and wrong it was, she could not have borne Matt using the rose as a sensual aid in their intimacy. Impossible to forget that Giorgio had done precisely the same thing. She didn’t want the memory of him in bed with her and Matt. She didn’t want the memory of him anywhere in her marriage.
Yet she’d just put it there with her revulsion to the caress of the rose. And the explanation she’d felt compelled to give.
The whole incident had happened so fast, it had caught her unprepared, reacting instead of realising the effect of such a reaction on Matt. Now the damage was done and couldn’t be undone. She could see it in his eyes, despite the cheerful facade he’d done his best to adopt.
She’d hurt him.
She’d hurt their relationship which she’d come to value very highly these past two weeks. What they had together was good, much better than... cheesecake!
Giorgio had thrown sweets at her for two years.
The cheesecake sickened her.
The guilt and shame churning through her stomach would not accept any more sweets. She wanted what Matt gave her... the solid bread and butter of friendship, caring, consideration of her needs and wants, and she wanted to give the same back to him.
She put down the spoon.
“Not to your liking?” Matt asked.
She met his inquiring gaze squarely. “I’d rather have you.”
His carefully constructed composure cracked and desire leapt out at her.
Peta’s heart lifted. “Let’s get out of here, Matt, and go back to the hotel.”
“I won’t argue with that,” he said with a fervour that told her he shared the need to wipe out any third person from their marriage.
Peta vowed she would make him forget everything but the two of them...together. It was the last night of their honeymoon. It belonged to them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“IT’S your wife, Matt,” his secretary informed, aware he’d been hanging on this call for the past hour, his concentration on work shot to pieces this morning.
He snat
ched up the telephone. “Peta?” His voice had climbed with anticipation and he cursed himself for it. If she was disappointed...
“I’m pregnant!”
“The blood test was positive?”
“Absolutely. No doubt about it.”
Relief spurted into joy. “That’s great, Peta! Great!”
“We’re going to have a baby, Matt.”
The happiness in her voice bubbled through him like a champagne cocktail. “It’s wonderful news! The best!” Elation topped it off. They’d done it! First hit! Only five weeks since their wedding day and Peta was positively pregnant. “How do you feel?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.
“So excited I could burst. I can’t wait to tell everyone.”
“Where are you now?”
“Still at the doctor’s office.”