The Marriage Secret (4 page)

“I suppose you're happy now!” Emily accused belligerently before burying her hot face against his shirt. Unfortunately for her sanity, it wasn't fastened properly and she found her face pressed against golden, satiny hard skin.

Unforgivably, Finn laughed—a rich, possessive sound.

“I suppose this is your idea of changing the subject?” she accused wildly. “Well, it won't work!”
Who are you kidding?

“I didn't do anything,” he protested.

He didn't need to.

“It isn't
me,
” she said defensively. “Pregnancy messes with a woman's hormones. I've heard it makes some women go off sex altogether.” He wouldn't like that, but then if the tables were turned, neither would she.
“What?”
she cried distractedly as she felt him lift the heavy weight of her hair off her neck.

“
Now
I'm doing something,” Finn explained gravely as he slid the zip of her dress all the way down in one smooth motion.

Emily gasped and pulled away in alarm as the slippery material parted, making a sexy, whispery noise. She stood frozen as the dress peeled away from her body. It wasn't until she felt the touch of fresh air on the aching peaks of her tender, full breasts that she looked down.

Her heaving breasts were completely exposed; only the fact that the shoulder straps were snagged halfway down her slim upper arms had stopped further revelations.

Her darkened glance shifted to Finn, but her eyes only got as far as the gap in his shirt and wouldn't move any higher. She watched his chest lift and fall as a deep sigh shuddered through his powerful frame. A thrill of sexual excitement so intense it made her head spin shot through Emily. She knew that if she had an ounce of spirit, she would be putting up some sort of token struggle.

The problem was, where Finn was concerned, she'd always been
easy
!

“Look at me, Emily.”

She felt her already tumultuous heartbeat quicken. With lower lip caught between her teeth, she did as he asked—
when had she not?

Emily saw her own desperation mirrored in the fierce burning blue depths of his eyes. She whimpered as her insides dissolved with longing so sweet, so
intense,
she couldn't breathe.

“I wanted you the very first moment I saw you, Emily, and I've not stopped wanting you since.” He reached across and touched the fabric that was slipping sexily over her shoulders. One judicious tug sent it slithering silently to the ground, leaving Emily standing there in a minute pair of pants, lacy stay-up stockings and high-heeled sling-backs.

“Kiss me properly, Finn!” she pleaded throatily.

“I'll do more than that,” he promised huskily, scooping her up into his arms.

He did—several times.

It wasn't until very much later that Emily began to think once more about Finn's comments on his previous life:
What he wanted, when he wanted.
The more she analyzed, the more it seemed likely that he and
Maeve
had virtually lived their separate lives—had a sort of open marriage.

Just
how
open—that was the question!

“Finn, are you awake?” she whispered into his ear.

“Uh-huh,” came the sleepy reply.

“Did you have other lovers when you were married to…Maeve?
Finn!
“she repeated, digging him in the ribs.

His dark eyelashes lifted from his cheek. “What…? Oh—yes, some,” he mumbled, rolling over.

It was obvious to Emily the next day that Finn had no recollection of either her question or his own reply.

After giving the matter some serious consideration she had decided to leave it that way. Even though what he'd revealed had shocked her deeply, she acknowledged that what Finn had done before he married her was really none of her business.

Of course, if he ever even
hinted
that he wanted a similar arrangement with her, that would be different, Emily thought grimly, her stomach tightening in distaste at the idea of sexual liaisons outside marriage.

Emily would have enjoyed the next few days of fragile peace between them even more if it hadn't been for the fact that the unpleasant side effects of pregnancy had kicked in with a vengeance.

She looked at the cup of tea the school nurse had left her and forced herself to take a sip even though it made her feel queasy. The door opened and Emily shot to her feet.

“I didn't want them to call you!” she cried defensively as the tall, familiar figure of her husband appeared.

Finn looked at her pale face expressionlessly and closed the door quietly behind him. “So I understand.”

“I got a little light-headed and had to lie down, end of story.”

“You fainted,” he corrected her, “and not for the first time apparently.”

Emily grimaced. “Oh, she told you about that, did she?”

“Mentioned it in passing. For some reason the headmistress seemed to think that I might know all about it.”

Emily winced at the biting sarcasm in his tone. “What are you doing?” she asked as he removed her coat from the coatrack behind the door.

“Taking you home.”

“I can't go home—I've got a class to teach.”

“No, you haven't. They're making other arrangements.”

“Don't I have any say in the matter?” Deep down Emily was secretly relieved, but she couldn't encourage such high-handed behavior.

Finn placed the coat over her slender shoulders and spun her around to face him. It was at that moment that Emily realized just how ferociously angry he was.

“No!”
he growled. “You don't. I just can't believe how stupid you're being,” he breathed incredulously. “If your dizzy spells are just that, fair enough, but hasn't it occurred to you they may be a symptom of an underlying problem? Didn't it cross your mind that you might be putting yourself and the baby at risk by ignoring them?”

“Oh!”
Emily gulped suddenly. Her stoic behavior seemed criminally reckless. “I didn't want you to think I was one of those feeble women who expect to be waited on hand and foot just because they're pregnant.”

Finn looked totally bewildered. “What are you talking about?”

Her lower lip quivered. “Maeve doesn't get morning sickness.” She knew this because Finn had told her so while he was mopping her fevered brow after a particularly horrid bout of throwing up.

“What the hell has that got to do with anything? Alan Martin is waiting at home to check you over.”

“You can't expect a consultant gynecologist to make a house call, Finn!” Emily protested. “You can't carry me,” she added urgently, as he swept her up into his arms.

“Why not?” he responded, on both counts.

“Oh God, the dinner party!” she wailed, suddenly recalling the important clients they were meant to be entertaining that evening.

“Don't panic, Maeve has already offered to stand in for you.”

“Isn't that
nice
of Maeve.”

“Yes, isn't it,” Finn responded absently, totally failing to detect the irony in his wife's bitter tone.

Dinner parties weren't a high priority with him at that particular moment. Sorting out his wife's health problems were.

He'd been in a state of frustrated anxiety ever since he'd received the urgent call from the head of the kindergarten. It hadn't improved matters to discover that this wasn't the first time Emily had been ill at work. Realizing she'd not seen it fit to confide in him had made Finn angrier than he'd have thought possible.

Until he'd walked into the room and seen her standing there looking heartbreakingly fragile, Finn had had every intention of reading her the riot act. One look into those big brown eyes and his righteous indignation had melted, to be replaced by an equally strong desire to shield her from any and all ills.

Well, this child was going to be a one-off.
No way
was Emily getting pregnant again, he decided, brooding grimly on the unacceptably high risk, major discomfort factors of pregnancy that frivolous people skimmed over.

“I don't suppose Maeve is feeling sick or fainting.” Emily remarked as he placed her in the front passenger seat of the Jag.

“I don't suppose she is.” Finn slid in beside her.

“I expect she's
glowing.
”

“Probably. Try and have a nap or something, we'll be home in no time,” he promised.

Emily closed her eyes but all she could see was
that
woman presiding over her dinner table, charming the pants off everyone, including Finn—
especially
Finn!

Finn stayed while the doctor examined her, and Emily suspected the distinguished medic's noncommittal grunts frustrated him as much as they did her.

“So, what's the verdict, Alan?”

“Well, there's no need to worry.”

In unison Finn and Emily sighed gustily with relief. They looked at one another and grinned.

“However, she's obviously exhausted, and her blood pressure is a little low….”

“And that is bad?” Finn cut in impatiently.

“Not necessarily, but I think you might be a trifle anemic, Emily. I'll send off the blood sample to check, but in the meantime we might start you on some iron therapy. Iron deficiency anemia is perfectly normal in pregnancy, especially when…You are sure of your dates?”

Emily nodded worriedly, sensing a big
but
coming.

Oh God, there's something wrong with the baby, she thought suddenly. Panic blanketed her; it was like drowning, but in the middle of it all she felt Finn's big strong hand close comfortingly over hers. Looking up, her eyes met his. His gaze was calm and soothingly confident, helping her to get a grip on her feelings.

“Well, I'd say from palpation that—you understand that I can't say definitely without a scan?” He looked from Emily to Finn.

“For goodness' sake, man, spit it out!” Finn exploded, raking an unsteady hand through his thick hair.

“Well, you're either having a
very
large baby, or more likely…twins.”

“Oh my God!” Finn sank down onto the bed, his face white.
“Twins!”
he echoed in a hollow voice. “You're sure?”

“No, I'm not sure, but I'd say the odds are heavily stacked.”

Emily didn't need the scan: Call it maternal instinct, call it a gut feeling, but she
knew.

“Twins,”
Finn repeated, as if saying it again would make the prospect any more real. It didn't.

This time it was Emily's small hand that closed comfortingly around his.

“Well, I'll arrange a scan for the morning to confirm, and don't forget, Emily, eat little amounts often until the nausea stops. Bad sickness is more common with twins, too,” Alan added cheerfully as he clicked shut his case.

Finn got to his feet. “I'll see you out.” As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, he turned to the doctor. “Twins means increased risks—right?”

“Well, with proper medical care and…”

“Cut the soothing pep talk. Just give me the facts and figures,” Finn cut in impatiently.

Five minutes later Finn returned to the bedroom.

“How do you feel about it?” he asked Emily without preamble.

She pulled herself up onto her knees. “I don't really know,” she admitted. “Scared…excited…”

“It'll mean you'll have to take a lot better care of yourself,” Finn warned sternly. “No bouncing,” he added as she began to excitedly rock back and forth, hugging her knees.

“Lots of people have twins,” she teased.

“I don't care about lots of people, just you,” he announced with a fierce possessive look that made her heart pound.

“I won't be wrapped in cotton wool,” she warned him. “And before you say anything, I
need
to work for a while yet. If I have too much time on my hands,” she explained earnestly, “I'll only worry. I won't do anything silly—cross my heart,” she promised. “Work with me on this, Finn, please?”

“When the doctor tells you to quit, you quit—
right
?”

Emily beamed. “Definitely. Oh, you're so lovely.”

“I'm a pushover,” he contradicted with a wry smile.

The doorbell rang, and with a frown Finn glanced at his wristwatch. “Hell, that'll be Maeve. I wish I'd canceled the damned dinner.”

“Never mind, we can talk when they're all gone,” Emily replied, her earlier jealousies almost forgotten in the delight of discovery. “Tell her the starters are in the fridge and—perhaps I should just come down and show her?” She flung the duvet aside.

“No way!” Finn pressed a firm finger to cover her. “We'll cope. You get some rest.”

To please him, Emily did lie back down, though she had no expectation of falling asleep. She was too awake, her mind racing. Even so, it wasn't long before a heavy-limbed stupor crept over her.

Emily slept heavily, not even aware of the occasions when Finn left his guests to quietly look in on her. The room was dark when she woke to the sounds of raised, angry voices. Alarmed, she switched on the bedside lamp and saw it was after midnight. She got out of bed and reached for her robe.

Drawn by the sound of voices she went barefoot into the hallway. At the top of the stairs she stopped, realizing that the argument she had heard was taking place just below her.

“James and I have talked this over, Finn, and we think this is too good an opportunity to miss.” Emily was startled to identify Maeve's low tones raised in shrill defense. “Please be reasonable about this.”

“You can't go to the other side of the world.
I won't let you!
”

It only took two seconds for Emily's world to came crashing down around her ears as she identified Maeve's antagonist. Finn, her
Finn,
his voice throbbing with emotion, was begging Maeve to stay because he couldn't bear to be without her.