Chapter 19

• On another level, she was conscious of Lucas leaving the bed, doubtless to dispose of the contraception he had employed. She waited for him to return and then heard the shower running, slowly and unhappily realizing that there would be no cosy togetherness in the aftermath of intimacy. That surprised her, for Lucas was very prone to affectionate touching and not standoffish in any way. Was he afraid of giving her the wrong message? apprehensive that a little cuddle might make her assume that he felt more for her than he actually did.
• Layla shifted uneasily in bed, her brain now clear of the overwhelming pleasure that had left her mindless. She was painfully aware that she was developing feelings for Lucas Jack, far beyond the boundaries of those she had first envisaged. Considering how insanely attractive Lucas was, she thought her reaction to him was fairly normal and, naturally, there was something even more attractive about his insatiable desire for her ordinary self, never mind the fact that he was the father of her baby. Obviously, she didn’t want to get hurt by falling for someone who didn’t feel the same way. But then, nobody wanted to get their heart broken, and this was not only a time for her to consider her future as a mother, but also a time in which they could get to know each other better and explore their feelings.
• By the time Lucas came back to bed, Layla was sound asleep. Around dawn, she shifted up against Lucas, and the sheer novelty value of being in bed with another person was probably what awakened him. In the darkness, he lay still, listening to Layla’s even breathing. He frowned and very gently removed the arm he had inexplicably draped around Layla before quietly easing out of the bed to pull on jeans and a shirt. He padded through to the vast expanse of the main reception room and checked his phone for messages.