His face was buried in her hair, her cheek against his chest feeling every breath he took as his heart hammered against her. His elusive scent she had chased for months filled her nostrils, and he was all she needed, everything she needed.
“Mrs Blackwood,” The doctor was back, an unwelcome intrusion, and Anna stiffened, but still Cedric held her… still she clung on.
“Perhaps given the circumstances…” the doctor droned on, utterly oblivious to the moment he’d just interrupted, impervious to the mounting tension in the room “… home might be the best place for you. I’d prefer if we let the drip finish, though, so we can ensure that you’re adequately hydrated, and I want you back here tomorrow to have that blood pressure checked.”
“Thank you,” Anna croaked, finally getting herself together and letting go of Cedric.
“Naturally, as I said before, you won’t be driving home”
“I’ll take her home,” Cedric’s voice was supremely calm, while Anna was barely able to find hers. “How long till the drip finishes?”
“An hour or so,” the doctor answered.
“Give me your keys.” He told her. Then without waiting for her reply, he rummaged under the trolley, pulled out her handbag and tossed it beside her.
“I’ll go and drive your car home,” He shot her a black look.
“Home?” Anna repeated, flustered, but Cedric didn’t deign a response, just took the keys without another word to her, then he turned to the doctor.
“I’ll be back within the hour, Doctor. And for the record, Mrs Blackwood is clearly in no fit state to discharge herself, so I strongly suggest that if she isn’t here when I return you’ve made damn sure your medical indemnity insurance is fully paid up.”
The doctor was no match for Cedric’s stern glare and scuttled gratefully out.
Pleating the sheet between her fingers, Anna stared down, unable to bring herself to look at Cedric as she said, “If by ‘home’, you meant Haerton Castle, then you should know now that I don’t intend to go back there with you,”
Cedric was silent for a while. She could feel the anger, the incredulity gradually emanating from him, could feel it blazing from his eyes as he said finally, his voice like the crack of a whip. “You’re kidding right?”
“I’m not joking Cedric,” Finally she dared look at him. “I already told you before. I would prefer to continue to stay at the cottage.”
“The case is different now and you know it. You heard the doctor -”
“No it’s not. I’m perfectly capable of getting all the rest I need at the cottage. In fact I never intended for you to be here. It was you who came here, remember; you who chose to ride rough shod and stand over me while the doctor was here.”
“That’s bullshit,” His voice was menacingly quiet, his head slowly shaking in sheer disbelief. “Do you seriously expect me to let you continue to live in that cottage alone after everything the doctor just told us? When she didn’t answer he pressed on relentlessly. “If this is because you’re still mad at me and don’t want to be around me, it’s fine. There are plenty of rooms at Haerton and I’ll stay out of your way,”
“It doesn’t matter, Cedric, and you’re in no position to ‘let’ me do anything. I’m not going back with you.”
Incredulous eyes snapped to hers. “I’m done with this fuckery, Anna,” he said, “I’ve apologized to you…. Repeatedly. God knows I’m truly sorry and all I’ve wanted is to fix things between us. I’ve given you space…. Stayed out of your way for weeks even though it was killing me the entire time, and it’s okay if you want to be stubborn. It’s okay if you hate me, but I’m not going to let you put my child in danger, so I’m done being a nice guy Anna.”
She opened her mouth to argue but he overrode her in an instant. “So, bring it on, Anna,” The hands that beckoned her were anything but welcoming, his face savage in the fluorescent hospital light. “Bring it the fuck on, because I’m ready for you-more ready than you’ll ever know.’
“What’s that supposed to mean?” In an instinctive gesture her hands cradled her stomach, pulling her knees up, protecting the one thing on God’s earth that was hers and hers alone. “You don’t scare me, Cedric, and as hard as it may be for you to believe your wealth doesn’t intimidate me either. I don’t want anything from you. Not anymore, and I don’t want to be around you,”
Something in her voice seemed to reach him, something in the proud jut of her chin, the glittering anger in her eyes halted his angry retort. His eyes drifted down to her stomach, staring at the firm mound under the sheet, one hand moving to his face, covering his mouth for a second. Then he closed his eyes and for an appalling moment she thought he was going to break down, that the impervious mask that was Cedric Blackwood was about to slip, but he recovered quickly, dragging his eyes back to her.
“You’re coming back home with me today, Anna,” His voice was raw and he cleared his throat, fixing her with his black stare, “Where you’ll be able to get the rest and help you need, and our child will be safe until it’s born. Then you can go wherever you want since it’s clear that all you have left for me is hate. I won’t hold you back anymore, but as long as you are pregnant, you will listen to me,”
“Oh so now the terms of the contract is back,” Anna retorted nastily, but she was beyond caring now, “I knew that selfish part of you was never really gone. It was going to show up sooner or later because God forbid Cedric Blackwood doesn’t get his way!”
Seeing the pain in his eyes, she realized she’d gone too far. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”
After the longest pause he found his voice. “It’s the truth.” Cedric shrugged, then shook his head as he stepped closer to her, his eyes glittering with rage, his face taut, his breath hot on her cheeks, his hand moving to her stomach and holding the swollen flesh for a moment, shuttering his eyes for a second as if it physically hurt to touch her, to feel the life within her.