“You are welcome to stay for the next two weeks. Rest in the sun. Be a tourist. Hell, I can take you around to see the sights. But I do not want a PA.”
To his great dismay, her lower lip trembled.
“Seriously. When you return to New York, you can stay in Constanzo’s penthouse. And Constanzo is writing a check for a huge severance.”
The lower lip stopped trembling as fire came into her green eyes. “What?”
“This is Constanzo’s mistake. He will pay for it.”
“I don’t want your severance! I want a job. I’m insulted by your charity when it’s pretty clear I could earn my keep, and even more clear that you need me.”
To his surprise, she propelled herself toward him and stood directly in front of him. The tinge of flush in her cheeks matched the glitter of anger in her green eyes. Heat poured from her, triggering his attraction. He’d always loved the way she could stand up for herself.
“I don’t want to go home! I want this job. I need this job!”
She stepped closer. The raw power in her glittering eyes hit him like a punch in the gut. He hadn’t seen this kind of passion in years. Hadn’t felt it himself in forever. It was everything he could do not to pull her to him and kiss her senseless to capture it.
He stepped back. “You think you want this job. You think living in Italy will be a grand adventure. But trust me. You will miss your city and your family.”
She eliminated the distance between them again. The fire in his belly spiked. He caught her gaze. Was she daring him to kiss her?
She didn’t back down. She stood toe to toe with him. Fire matching fire. “And you can trust me when I tell you that I will not regret being thousands of miles away from my family. I need to be here. I want this job!”
He snorted in derision. He was feeling passion. She was talking about a job. He must really be tired to be so far off base, thinking a woman was daring him to kiss her when she was simply fighting to keep her job.
He turned away, started walking to the door.
Quiet, but close, as if she’d followed him, her voice drifted to him. “Antonio, I need to be away from my family and friends. For a while. I have more than job troubles to figure out.” She said nothing until he faced her again, then she caught his gaze. “I’m pregnant.”
“PREGNANT?”
Laura Beth watched Antonio, her heart chugging, her nerve endings glittering. Her announcement might have settled him down, but while they’d argued, she’d seen something in his eyes. She’d expected anger and had been prepared to deal with it, but the smoldering gazes? Sweet, considerate Antonio had been replaced by sexy Antonio, a man who looked as though he wanted to kiss her.
The only way she could think to deal with it was to tell him the truth, and now here they were, talking about something she wasn’t even ready to announce.
She stepped back. “I’m only two months along, but pregnant all the same.”
He rubbed his hands across his eyes, as if confused. Whatever had been happening with him in that argument had disappeared, and he was back to being sweet Antonio, her friend.
“I’m a man. Right now I have no idea if it’s appropriate to say congratulations or offer sympathy. I mean, I know this is trouble for you, but babies are wonderful.” He shook his head. “And my dad? He goes bananas over babies. Boy or girl. It doesn’t matter. He’s a cuddler.”
A laugh bubbled up. Not just from relief. He’d made her think about the baby as a baby. A little girl. Or a little boy. She wasn’t just going to be a mother; she was getting a baby.
“Congratulations are what I want.”
“So the father’s on board?”
She swallowed hard, not sure what to say. But she’d be answering this question for the remaining seven months of her pregnancy, so she might as well get used to it.
“No.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s just say his response was less than enthusiastic.”
“And there’s no wedding in your future?”
“He doesn’t want to see me again or see the baby at all.”
Antonio pointed a finger at her. “With my dad’s lawyers, we can force him to be part of the baby’s life.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want him to. He said he would send child support, but only if no one knows it’s coming from him.”
“I think you just blew that by telling me.”
She paced away. “If he doesn’t want to be part of our baby’s life, then I don’t want him to be. I think an angry dad would do more harm than good. And I don’t want his money.”
Thankfully, Antonio refrained from pointing out the obvious: that she needed money too much to turn any down. Instead, he asked, “What do you want?”
She shrugged and spread her hands. “Time. I have to tell my conservative parents that their little girl is about to become a mom with no father for her child. Ultimately, I’ll need a job that supports not just me, but me and a baby. So working for you kind of solved all my problems.”
He winced. “You can stay.”
Hope blossomed in her chest. Being here was the perfect opportunity for her. But she couldn’t take charity. “And be your assistant?”
“You’re my friend. You don’t have to work for your keep.”
She stormed over to him. “Yes! I do! I can’t be a charity case. Don’t you see?”
He sighed and shook his head. “All I see is a woman with a lot of pride.”
“Oh, yeah?” She crossed her arms on her chest. “What I see is a man with a lot of pride. You’re fighting with your dad about hiring one measly assistant—whom you need—and you won’t budge an inch! Why won’t you let me work for you?”
“We’re friends. I should be able to let you stay in my home as a guest, not an employee.”
“That’s not why you’re fighting Constanzo.”
He gaped at her. “Now you’re telling me how I feel?”
“Before you knew I was pregnant, you didn’t want me working for you. You said you don’t want a PA. But it’s clear you need one. So obviously there’s a reason you’re fighting having someone work for you.”
He sighed.
“Fine. Don’t tell me. Because I don’t care. What I do care about is earning my keep. And just from the glance I got at your mail, it was clear that I could at least answer your fan letters. I minored in accounting, so I could also keep track of your money. Anything else in your office, in your life, in your world, I wouldn’t care about.”
He sighed again. “You are a pregnant woman who needs a rest. Just take the time here with me to have some fun.”
She raised her chin. “No. If you won’t let me work, I won’t take your charity. Not even your offer of Constanzo’s penthouse. I’m going home.”
“You don’t have a home to go back to.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“If I tell Constanzo you’re pregnant and refusing a few weeks of rest, he won’t let you use his plane.”
“Then I’ll fly commercial.”
He raised his hands in defeat and slapped them down