He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘Right now I’d prefer you to rest up. We have to get you to Paris in tip-top shape.’
‘And after Paris?’
‘We have Raoul and Lily’s wedding.’
A little frown pulled at her brow. ‘Are you sure I should go to that?’
‘I want you there.’ He meant it, which was a little surprising. Worrying, actually. He had to let her go at some point; no point dragging this on too long.
‘But I thought once your business deal with Robert Mappleton was done we were going to go our separate ways.’
Remy searched her gaze but he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. ‘It would look a bit suspicious if we parted within a day or two of the contract being signed. And your manager is going to be pretty pissed with you if you suddenly announce you’re getting a divorce. I think we should leave things as they are until after Raoul and Lily’s wedding. It’s only a matter of weeks. We can reassess things in the New Year.’
‘What have you told your brothers about us? Surely they know the truth?’
‘Yes, but that’s not the point. I don’t want a big press fest on our break-up occurring right in the middle of Raoul and Lily’s wedding.’
Remy had spoken to Raoul not long after Rafe had called. But, rather than berate him for marrying Angelique, he had said what his grandfather had said—that he’d always sensed Remy had a thing for her and that his little spin about her being hell on heels didn’t ring true with him. It had annoyed Remy to think he hadn’t disguised his feelings as well as he’d thought. What would Raoul make of his feelings now?
Angelique’s gaze narrowed. ‘You’re not falling in love with me, are you?’
He coughed out a laugh. ‘Are you joking? I’ve never fallen in love in my life.’
‘Good.’ She closed her eyes again. ‘I don’t want any hearts broken when this is over.’
Remy got up from the bed. ‘I’ll come and check on you in an hour.’
‘I’ll be back in the ring and punching by then.’
‘I’ll look forward to it.’
He walked to the door but when he turned back to look at her she had turned her back and was huddled into a tight ball.
Something shifted in his chest: a slippage; a gear not quite meshing with its cogs.
He shook off the feeling and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
Angelique rolled over to her back, pressing a hand to her churning stomach. She was due for a period. She had taken herself off the pill months ago because she felt the brand she’d been on was making her put on weight. She hadn’t bothered renewing her prescription because she hadn’t been dating anyone. But she didn’t feel period pain, just this wretched, churning nausea. That near-faint had happened a few times before when she hadn’t eaten enough. But she could hardly use the lack of food as an excuse because she had been eating normally over the last couple of weeks. The thought of not having to bare her body all the time in a bikini was like being let out of prison. She was almost getting excited about the Paris shoot. Almost.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed again and tested her balance. So far so good. Her stomach was uneasy but her head was more or less clear. She padded back to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes as the water cascaded down and mentally calculated when her last period had been—was it four weeks or five?
She was occasionally overdue; disruptions came with the stress of dieting and travelling.
Anyway, they’d used c
ondoms. The failure rate was miniscule...but enough to be slightly worrying. Terrifyingly worrying.
Angelique put a hand to her concave belly. It wasn’t possible. She wasn’t the type of girl to get herself pregnant. It just couldn’t happen.
She thought of the first time when Remy had taken for ever to withdraw. Had some of his Olympic-strong swimmers sneaked out past the barrier of the condom and gone in search of one of her desperate little eggs?
Oh, traitorous body and even more traitorous hormones!
Panic set in. She felt it clutch at her insides. She felt it move over her skin like a clammy shiver. She felt it hammering in her chest.
She couldn’t be pregnant. She couldn’t be.
Buying a pregnancy test in a village this small was out of the question. She would have to wait until she got to Paris. And then after Paris, baby or no baby, she would have to attend Raoul and Lily’s wedding and pretend everything was normal in front of their family and friends. It seemed so tacky to be attending a romantic wedding when theirs had been so extravagant yet so meaningless.