To Make a Marriage by Carole Mortimer

for her—until he’d arrived, Adam acknowledged heavily. He had been to the villa with Rome and Barbara in the past, its remote spot appealing to the other couple. A woman came in from the village every day with the necessary shopping, staying on to cook and clean, meaning that they didn’t have to stir from the villa at all if they didn’t want to. As Andie didn’t seem to have done…
    â€˜I’m sorry, Andie,’ Adam said.
    Her profile suddenly became rigid as she stared out tosea, her hands tightly gripping the metal rail. ‘I was too, to begin with,’ she admitted jerkily. ‘But now—somehow I don’t seem to mind any more,’ she acknowledged softly, her face still averted. But one hand moved protectively to the soft swell of her tummy…
    His heart leapt at the admission. Although he knew only too well, from her lack of pleasure in his arrival a few minutes ago, that her feelings towards the baby had nothing to do with him, that maternal instinct was probably the reason for her change of heart.
    â€˜I actually meant I was sorry to have interrupted your peace and quiet,’ he told her dryly.
    Andie glanced at him now, lips twitching as she held back her smile at his humorously raised brows. ‘How silly of me.’ She shook her head self-derisively.
    Adam became serious again. ‘I— It seems a little early for maternity leave.’ He frowned. ‘Is there anything wrong? With you? Or the pregnancy?’ His knuckles showed white on the rail as he waited for her answer.
    â€˜No,’ she assured him lightly. ‘I did have a little scare early on—it’s okay,’ she quickly soothed. ‘But Jonas has advised it might be best if I don’t continue to work through the pregnancy.’
    â€˜So that’s how Danie met the man!’ he realised. ‘She didn’t waste any time, did she?’ he added ruefully; Andie was only three months pregnant.
    Andie laughed. ‘Jonas didn’t realise what had hit him!’
    Adam knew how he felt! The Summer women were absolutely lethal. ‘What are we going to do, Andie?’ he prompted.
    She stiffened defensively, her mouth once again unsmiling. ‘I have no idea what you are going to do, Adam,’ she said. ‘But I am going to soak up the sun for several more weeks, before I have to return for Daddy and Audrey’swedding, and then I will probably stay at the estate until after the baby is born.’
    â€˜Not “the” baby— ours !’ he corrected more harshly than he had meant to.
    He couldn’t help it; the thought of Andie having their baby still made him shake with reaction. Possessive reaction. He wanted to just gather Andie up, her and the baby, and keep them safe for the rest of their lives.
    But one look at Andie’s determinedly set features told him it wasn’t going to be as easy as that!
    â€˜Andie.’ He turned to her, gently grasping her shoulders and turning her to face him. Although those damned sunglasses still hid her eyes from him!
    â€˜Don’t!’ she cried, shying away as he would have reached up and removed the sunglasses. ‘Why have you come here, Adam? What do you want?’
    What did he want? If he told her that , she would start running and never look back!
    Stay cool, Munroe, he instructed himself severely. Hadn’t he already done enough to this woman, without scaring the life out of her with the intensity of his feelings concerning her and their expected baby?
    â€˜It’s not a question of what I want, Andie,’ he ground out. ‘It’s a question of what is necessary.’
    Her chin tilted challengingly. ‘And that is…?’
    â€˜Marriage!’ The word burst out of him forcefully. ‘The two of us have to get married, Andie,’ he added with grim determination.
    She stiffened even more in the grip of his hands, her face first flushing and then