Page 38 of Brant
He would want an heir at the very least, and it did not matter what he said. He was going to want children. She desperately wanted to be a mother, and it would break her heart if that was not possible, especially now that she was in love for the first time in her life. She wanted not one, but two or three.
She wanted to give him a son, two sons and a daughter. She wanted that so much that she could barely stand it, and if that was not possible, she would be heartbroken. She would also have to leave him.
The thought of doing so was more excruciating than the pain she had endured for the past two days.
Sliding down, she pulled the sheets over her. It wasn't long before the medication began to take effect and she was fast asleep.
Ten minutes later, after impatiently ending the endless conference call, he walked into the room, stopping at the side of the bed. She was dead to the world, he mused, staring at the woman who occupied his bed. She was on her side, her handsclasped under her cheek as if in prayer. Her knees were drawn up, reminding him sharply of the way he had seen her when he came home two nights ago. Then she had been in pain, the sight of her wrenching his heart into pieces.
But she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He had come to check to see if she was all right. Easing himself on the side of the bed, he marveled that in a short space of time, she had come to mean so much to him.
When she told him of Bianca's visit, he had been furious. It had shocked him how protective he was of her. And she wasn't his usual type. But for the first time in his life, he was feeling something other than lust. She was not just an itch to scratch, a way to slake his physical thirst.
He had started out liking her, appreciating the way she held a conversation. She amused and intrigued him for some reason. He liked her spirit and her determination. God knows she had been through a hell of a lot and was still standing.
He admired her courage and fortitude. She had not buckled and during the worst period of her life, she had started a business.
He admired her strength. And he was learning from her. A smile touched his lips as he continued to stare at her. And her beauty,because to his surprise, he discovered that she was, to him, the most beautiful woman he had ever known.
It wasn't her physical appearance alone, although that was quite something. It was her quiet strength and her dazzling smile. Christ! Her smile could light up a room. Tucking a thick coil behind her ear, he bent to kiss her on the forehead.
Her scent assailed his nostrils. Straightening up, he recalled the scene in the library. The passion she stirred inside him had bowled him over. Shaking his head, he rose, not sure he could trust himself around her. She was decidedly potent. With one last look at her, he left the room to sit on the sofa across from the bed and tackle the contract he had been reading. He would stay close, in case she needed him.
*****
He ordered Chinese as soon as she stirred from her sleep. The powerful medication had knocked her out for two straight hours. It wasn't until sometime after one that she surfaced to see him lying next to her.
"Finally." An amused smile touched his lips when she opened her eyes. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to sleep the day away. How are you feeling?"
"Like a brand new woman." She lifted her head to stare at the clock. "It can't be that late."
"It can and is. I ordered food. We can eat out on the balcony. It started snowing again."
She realized that he had built a fire inside the hearth of the enclosed balcony, the flames making a nice simmer and adding a wonderful backdrop to the snow coming down and hitting the glass that served as an enclosure to keep the elements out.
Wrapping a throw around her legs, she munched hungrily on Kung Pao chicken, realizing to her surprise that she was starving.
"This is really good," she murmured, reaching for her glass of water.
"Mr. Ming is the best in the area," he told her. Stretching out his long legs, he eyed her plate.
"You were starving."
Looking down, she saw that she had almost cleaned her plate. "I emptied my stomach several times, remember?"
"It's going to take a while for me to forget." He sipped his water and eyed her over the rim of the glass. He was grateful to see that she was feeling much better. "You said you suffered from the condition since you were a child."
"Yes. I started late." She felt a little uncomfortable discussing such a personal topic with him, but considering that he had been privy and subject to the most intimate and, to her, the most humiliating side of her, she figured he was due an explanation.
"I was fifteen when I started my periods. Mama wasn't the most maternal of women and she never explained anything to me where that's concerned. I learned about it in physical education, where they taught about body parts and all that." She sipped water again, her mind turning inwards as memories assailed her.
"I thought I was abnormal. My friends were getting their periods and being proud of themselves because they were now on their way to being women. When it finally came, I was so happy I ran to tell Mama the good news." She lowered her head to her glass, her expression pensive.
He sat there waiting for her to continue, aware that the topic was painful for her. But he wanted to know everything about her.
"She told me to accompany her into the bathroom and handed me a box of sanitary napkins and some painkillers. She told me I would have bad cramps because she suffered from them herself. That was an understatement. The first day was not bad; the cramps were bearable, and after I took the pills I was able to get through the day. The next day, it woke me up and I thought I was dying. I screamed..." She shook her head as she recalled how her daddy had come rushing into the room.
"Daddy got a warm washcloth and put it over my tummy. Mama only showed up once to bring me a cup of tea and told me to chin up." Her smile wavered.
