CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

I please have your phone number? Tell me where you’re going so I can meet you there.”

He eyed me for a bit.

I watched, completely entranced as the anger that burned in his eyes seemed to lessen.

“Trukadero,” he said. “It’s down the street.”

With that he turned around, and got into his car.

His driver shut the door behind him, and I took my leave.

Carter

Twenty minutes later, she was seated across from me in the continental Korean restaurant, in complete silence. I had just made my order of chicken fried rice, while she had gotten a cold noodle.

I kept my eyes on my phone as I scrolled through my emails, more than content to wait as long as she wanted in silence, if she refused to say anything.

Eventually she spoke, “I apologize, Carter.”

I lifted my gaze to hers, and met the blank look in her eyes, her apology seemingly devoid of any sincerity. For a moment, it made me want to smile. I couldn’t exactly say that I completely hated this little spat between us. It did make my blood boil with anger, but my libido was most definitely not spared from the effect. It didn’t help also that she looked as stunning as I remembered. The mauve jacket she wore complemented the rosy color on her eyelids, lips and cheeks. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, and again tufts of curly hair softened the nape and sides of her face.

God, she was beautiful, and how I wanted once again to be inside her.

Anger surged through me at the reminder of all the ways she was making things difficult for us, so I looked away, unmoved. “What exactly are you sorry about?” I peeked a bit to gauge her expression.

I saw her eyes widen at the realization that I wasn’t going to let her off so easily. She sighed deeply. “For not answering the door, and ignoring you the day you came to my house.”

I remembered the day quite vividly, and the hurt I felt after I’d spent the entire afternoon in abject worry about her. But she had ignored me through it all. It was such a low point for me, so much so that I hadn’t even been able to recall the last time I’d felt that badly. Especially when I’d heard her footsteps as she’d walked away.

“I didn’t do anything to hurt you when we were in Turkey,” I said. “At least not intentionally. If you don’t want to have anything to do with me then all you need to do is to say the word.”

I waited for her response, but then our food was delivered. She instantly began to eat and I did the same.

Whatever the outcome of today would be, was completely in her hands. I had vowed to myself to only respond or react this time around.

“Why did you come here to Indiana?” she asked. “You bought the company… I thought you just worked for one in Minnesota.”

I raised my glass of water to my lips, and after taking a sip, asked, “Which question do you want me to answer first?”

“Whichever one is fine,” she replied.

“I came to Indiana because of you,” I admitted outright, and could see her entire body go still. “After Alanya, I thought that I’d be able to put you out of my mind and continue with my life, but it wasn’t the case at all. So I came over here for a chance to get to know you better… to spend time with you.”

She looked flabbergasted. “B-but you bought the company.”

“I need to work too and don’t worry I didn’t buy your company solely because of you. It’s had a great record over the years and an ad department included in its services would really make it top tier in the state. It’s a good enough investment to me.”

“You want to create an advertising department?”

I nodded in response, and said no more.

She returned to her food, as though my purchase of the company was the only thing that had been mentioned.

I allowed her to evade the main subject and continued on with my meal. When we were done, I called for the waiter to bring the check over. I reached for the tab but she immediately picked it up.

“I’ll take care of it… as an apology.”

I didn’t have a complaint, so I leaned back into the chair to watch her.

Then she rose to her feet.

“I’ll be back soon. I want to use the restroom.”

I nodded in response, while she turned around and walked away.

Chapter 24

Leah

I felt frustrated.

I didn’t need to use the restroom, but I did however, need to stare at my confused visage in the mirror. What was I going to do? To move us beyond this stage, especially as it now seemed that I had annoyed him to the point of a voluntary stalemate.

In order for us to proceed, I had to be the one to make the move, and the very thought made my limbs tingle with fear. This seemed to be a pattern between us. I would run, and he would try to hold on to me but then I'd push him away, and would have to go back begging.

My head fell into my hands.

What was wrong with me? Especially now, when there was so, so much more at stake between us, even though he didn’t know it yet.

I gazed at myself in the mirror again. What exactly did I want?

Him in my life, or not at all?

I lowered my gaze as my hand rested on my stomach.

I did …

I wanted him so badly in my life, but not just because I was pregnant. But because, like he had said, we had gotten to know each other and fallen even more madly in love with whom the other person was.

But to do that, we needed time and I was running out of it.

You can start now… a voice whispered to me.

But would he accept me now?

He had come all the