Furious Hearts

chapter forty

Thick, wet locks clung onto her face and back like second skin. Her hands smoothed them before pushing them away from her face. Cool beads of water hit her head as she stood under the running shower. On a different day she would be freezing and shivering due to the cold liquid but not today. With wild thoughts of her unborn baby and the possibility of its father virtually repudiating it, coldness was the last thing she felt. She feared that even freezing herself to death wouldn't put a stop to the rampant trepidation.

Her hand snaked her abdomen instinctively. A natural smile crept to her lips as she rubbed her flat belly. She sighed contentedly when a tear streaked down her wet face, blending with the water droplets. It didn't matter if its father refused to acknowledge it, she would love it with every breath of her body. Gina was a capable woman and she would provide it with everything humanly possible under the sun. It would just be the two of them against the world. Nothing and no one would separate them lest they faced her wrath. It would be just like her and Gwen and their mother all over again. Mona was worth emulating. She had been loving, sacrificial, protective and a disciplinarian. She had spoiled her and Gwen so much that she wondered how they hadn't turned out retarded brats. But then again Mona would not let a child of hers grow into a fool. She challenged them, pushed them beyond their limits and nurtured them to strong, substantial women. Gina would do that with her child. Even if the father wanted no part of it.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and wrapped herself with it before exiting the bathroom. The solitude of her room was anything but wanted. She had once treasured her space. Leaving from work to come to this big house where every bit of décor screamed her crafty handiwork. She had bought it at the age of twenty two after she took the reigns of M&A, then M&M. It had been the first sign of her independence. The first step towards healing the wounds a man had inflicted without an ounce of mercy or second thought. She'd sworn to never subject herself to anything like that again. She'd immersed herself in work; making money, gaining power and expanding the Marshall dynasty. Everything was such a predictable sequence until Eddie Raymond was thrown into the mix.

The stubborn Neanderthal wouldn't quit hunting her until she was eating from his palm. And damn it all, she had loved every passing second of it. He chased her, caught her and to her dismay -he hadn't chucked her wings- instead he taught her to flap harder. Fly higher. And then the sweet tragedy of her life, she'd fallen for him. Hard and bad. But why she'd do it all over again in a different setting. Despite the turn of events: disagreements, fights, Bernard Murray, Mona's death and recently an unplanned for child that might be the end of them, she wouldn't regret a single thing. And if Gina could help it she intended to keep her promise to Sue. She would never leave Eddie. As long as he wanted to keep her.

Her resolute thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the opening door.

***
Polished, Italian, leather shoes shimmered at the doorway. Neatly pressed, fitting, black slacks hugged the delectable, manly thighs accentuating his tall, slightly parted legs. A black, satin tie peeked through the right hip pocket accompanied by a nicely veiny, large hand. Grey shirt was tucked in his belted, lean waist. The two topmost buttons were undone alluding a bit of chest skin. The left elbow curved up, slinging the suit jacket behind the respective broad square shoulder. His chin defiantly high, lips pressed shut with relaxed ease. His eyes stared at her impassively.

She distracted herself with the tousled hair. "H... hi." She stuttered breathlessly.

His unwavering gaze took her in. Drinking in every inch of her. Wet, soft hair; restless eyes.
Nervously clenched, stubborn yet submissive, feminine, delicate jaws. Wobbly lips bitten at the corner. The soft gleam of her naked chest, shoulders and arms. He took in the delicious allure of her cleavage down the tightly tied towel. The curve of the pert, full breasts teasing the smooth, furry fabric. The bulge of her hips, protruding from beneath caused heat to bubble in his blood. Her legs trembled under his gaze as he licked his lips at her bare thighs.