Proof Of Their One Hot Night by Emmy Grayson

CHAPTER THREE

THE CALANDRA SMYTHEstanding before him was not the one he’d seen disappearing into the sea of New York traffic. That Calandra had been vulnerable, desire lingering in the uncertain gaze she’d shot him before running away. This Calandra was the one he remembered from her years at Cabrera Wines: dark, impervious, ice-cold as she stared at him with silver eyes so sharp they could cut a man to ribbons with a mere glance.

But he knew better now. He knew that beneath the ice ran a current of hot passion that had kept him awake for weeks after their tryst. Just the memory of making love to her, of her nails raking down his back as he’d slid in and out of her wet heat, sent raw hunger pulsing through him for the first time in four months.

Obsessiveness spread through his veins and rooted him to the spot. Even as he nodded to Adrian and kissed Everleigh on the cheek, he soaked in every detail of Calandra’s appearance. The dark hair wrapped into a bun at the nape of her neck. The dash of deep burgundy on her lips. The swish of black satin that clung to her torso and flared out just below her breasts into a soft, loose skirt that fell in ripples to her ankles. A surprisingly whimsical style on her. He never would have thought her the romantic type.

Just a month ago, he’d typed her name into Google, his finger hovering over the Enter key. He didn’t know how long he’d sat there, contemplating what he would do if he actually found her, called her. Really, what was there to say? They’d had a one-night stand and, less than three weeks later, she’d quit his brother’s company without notice and disappeared.

A sting to his pride. Nothing more. He’d never had a woman flee as if the devil were on her heels. Calandra’s sudden departure and ensuing silence had been a novelty. That was the only reason he’d thought about her since.

At least that’s what he’d told himself.

In the last few weeks, he’d barely thought of her at all. Javier’s interferences had monopolized his thoughts day and night.

With the slightest shake of his head, he slipped into his playboy persona and flashed a smile in her direction.

“I’m surprised to see you here. And dressed in almost not black. What’s the occasion?”

Everleigh sucked in a breath.

“Don’t worry,” Adrian said wryly. “They bicker like brother and sister.”

Oh, no.Bickering like two people who couldn’t stand that they were so attracted to each other, yes.

Most definitely not like brother and sister.

Unlike their previous encounters, though, Calandra did not take the bait. Her eyes darted to the side as she bit down on her lower lip. Her hand drifted to her stomach before she clenched her fingers into a fist.

Initially she’d seemed calm and collected. But now she seemed...nervous.

His eyes narrowed. He’d seen Calandra nervous exactly one time, and one time only—right after she’d kissed him senseless in an elevator in New York City.

Something was wrong.

She shot a stiff smile at Everleigh. “It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to his teasing. It brings back memories of high school, actually. Same levels of maturity, too.”

A grin tugged at his lips. Yes, the sex had been amazing, but even before they’d seen each other naked, he’d thoroughly enjoyed their verbal sparring. Calandra was the one woman who hadn’t been afraid to stand up to him, to call him out or flat-out roll her eyes.

She was the only woman he’d ever felt truly comfortable around.

She turned those gray eyes on him, and his chest tightened. Yes, something was definitely wrong. Calandra kept herself aloof, always in control of any situation. He’d watched her navigate everything from drunk guests to a caterer who’d shown up thirty minutes before dinner was supposed to be served. She never batted an eye at the myriad things that had gone wrong in the years that she’d worked for Cabrera Wines. She’d simply adapted and overcome.

So what problem had caused this unrest in her, this nervous energy that practically sizzled across her alabaster skin? Adrian and Everleigh appeared unfazed. Could no one see the unease in her eyes, in the slight drumming of her fingers on the balcony railing?

“Alejandro, I need to speak with you.”

Adrian’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowing. Before Alejandro could open his mouth and come up with some witty retort, Everleigh, God bless her sweet soul, wound her arm through her fiancé’s and tugged him toward the stairs.

“I think the fireworks are about to start, my love.”

“But—”

“Off we go.”

And just like that, they were alone. The seconds stretched out, each one longer than the last, as Calandra’s gaze darted from the crowd gathered on the lawn to the marble staircase to the darkening Parisian sky.

Everywhere but him. Frustration tightened his jaw. She was the one who had sought him out, who had blazed her way into his brother’s anniversary party to talk with him and now couldn’t even look at him.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

His direct question seemed to startle her out of her uncharacteristic state. Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath and started to speak...

Only for the boom of fireworks to cut off whatever she’d been about to say. Alejandro turned just as sparks burst above them, a shower of green and silver streaks that lit up the sky.

Below him, Adrian drew Everleigh into the circle of his arms, resting his chin on her golden head as she snuggled into his embrace.

A vise tightened around Alejandro’s heart. The possibility of a long-term relationship, let alone marriage, was off the table. He’d sworn off long-term anything the day he’d walked into the library and discovered that his father wasn’t an emotionally distant taskmaster with a fondness for rule following. No, he was much worse—a sanctimonious bastard who deserved to rot in hell for his selfishness.

It had nearly killed him to keep that secret all these years. But Madre was happy. He couldn’t bear to shatter the illusion that Javier had somehow managed to maintain all these years. So he’d taken to punishing his father the one way he could—by engaging in the activities Javier loathed. The vices he indulged in had the added benefit of suspending the pain of rejection. Temporarily. Which was why he sought them out again and again.

He glanced at Calandra out of the corner of his eye. Her flight had added insult to injury, ripping off the bandages he’d been slapping over his wounds with reserved tables at the most exclusive clubs across Europe, casual sex and luxury cars.

But he’d also invested, scheduled the construction of two new ships to bring Cabrera’s cargo freighters into the twenty-first century. Now, the first project that was truly his and his alone, La Reina, bordered on the brink of disaster, brought there by Javier’s machinations. He wouldn’t back down, though.

“Alejandro?” Calandra appeared next to him, a small V between her brows. He’d never pictured her as the emotional type. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. Got lost in my own thoughts. It’s been an interesting couple of months.”

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. “You have no idea.”

He turned to see her face lit up by the constant stream of fireworks bursting overhead. Shades of blue, red and gold caressed her skin. His depressing thoughts faded away as he remembered just how good they’d been together, how tightly her body had wrapped around him as he’d moved inside her, the flare of emotion in her eyes when she’d looked up at him as if seeing him for the first time.

He’d always shied away from bringing emotions into sex. Hard to remain a bachelor when feelings got involved. But with her, the unexpected tenderness he’d experienced had added a heightened pleasure that had burned inside him long after she’d fled.

His groin tightened.

“Let’s go inside where it’s quieter. This sounds like a serious conversation.”

She hesitated, then nodded. Triumph emboldened him as he reached out, grabbed her elbow and steered her toward the balcony doors that led into the library. He gestured for her to enter and closed the doors behind him. A quick tug and green velvet drapes fell over the glass, throwing the room into darkness, save for the dim light filtering in from the windows up above.

Something clicked. A lamp blinked on as Calandra looked around the room. Alejandro quelled his irritation. Light wasn’t suitable for seduction. Although, he amended as the light shone through the fabric of her skirt and illuminated the curves of her legs, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing.

Calandra circled the room, arms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes took in the books crowding the floor-to-ceiling shelves.

“Reminds me of the library from Beauty and the Beast.”

“Singing teapots and a magical rose? Doesn’t seem like your kind of movie.”

A bitter smile twisted her lips. “Ice and snow and a beast with a cold heart. Seems just like me.”

Normally he would have responded with a witty joke or some pithy comment about her remarkable resemblance to the ice sculptures that had often stood guard over the food at his brother’s events. But the pain in her voice stopped him, as did the hurt that tightened her jaw as she pulled a book off the shelf.

“I beg to differ,” he replied as he walked toward her. “You remind me of the candelabra that’s always ordering everyone about.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, her prim expression somehow sexy. “I can’t recall ever being on fire.”

Oh, but I can.If she realized what she’d said, she gave no indication as she looked back down at the book in her hands. He walked toward her, each step upping his desire. His fingertips burned at the memory of how hot her bare skin had been beneath his touch. Excitement and lust heightened his senses as he stopped just a foot away.

“What did you want to talk about?” he whispered into her ear.

Her head snapped up and she turned, her mouth so close to his all he had to do was lean forward and claim her.

Her lips parted. He leaned in, ready to kiss her.

“Your child.”

The words hung in the air. He drew back and stared down at her. He’d heard the words, knew they’d been spoken, but couldn’t fully comprehend.

“My what?”

Her fingers came up and clenched the pendant around her neck so tight her knuckles turned white. “Your child, Alejandro. I’m pregnant.”