'That's completely untrue.' Strikingly taken aback by his contention, Bella turned away in an uncoordinated half-circle. She was picturing Matt, his behaviour and his caring ways while wondering if it was possible that she could have been so blind that she had not noticed the depth of his feelings for her. 'What would you know about it anyway?'
'I only know what I saw in his face once he realised who I was,' Edward said grimly. 'You're really not doing him any favours staying on here...unless, of course, you're planning on returning his feelings?'
'Er...that would be a no,' Bella muttered guiltily while recognising the terrible unwelcome truth in Edward's arguments. If it was true that Matt wanted more than friendship from her, it was equally true that there was no prospect of her offering it. The intensity of her attraction to Edward had concluded forever any prospect of her trying to make more of her relationship with Matt. From the instant, Edward had taught her of her own capacity to feel so much more mentally and physically than she had ever dreamt she could feel, her former conviction that she and Matt would make a great couple had died.
'Then move into my apartment where you will not be under pressure,' Edward advised softly.
Bella wanted to slap Edward for cutting through all her possible protests by employing the one credible argument calculated to make her think again. Matt spent a lot of time with her. Matt was always there for her, eternally helping her and discussing her worries, but she was doing Matt a disservice by living with him if he was hoping for more than friendship from her. In that scenario the sooner she got out of Matt's home and put some distance between them, the better, she reasoned guiltily.
'When?'
'I see no point in wasting time. Why not now? You can't have that much stuff to pack. You've only been here a couple of days,' he pointed out smoothly, reining back any hint of satisfaction in his demeanour.
Matt was threatening to get involved in a situation that was none of his business and Edward wanted him eliminated before he interfered and caused trouble.
Waiting in the small reception room, he listened to Matt raise his voice and Bella mute hers as she explained that she was moving out. The mother of his child, historically had not had a happy role in his family experience, but if adoption was in the offing he needed to come up with a viable alternative. Bella hadn't even paused to consider the idea when he'd suggested marrying her. Cynical amusement filled Edward because he was too clever to cherish illusions about what made him so appealing to the female in general: first and foremost his great wealth followed by his looks and his sexual prowess. Yet Bella had thumbed her nose at that winning combination, doing what no other woman had done before in rejecting him. Although she had not rejected him the night when it all began, Edward savoured with an appreciation that was yet to pall in spite of the news he had received earlier.
A battered suitcase, two boxes of files and a pile of books now littered the hall. Matt insisted on helping them transport Bella's possessions out to the waiting limousine and Edward's driver climbed out in consternation to whisk the case out of his employer's grip while two of his bodyguards grabbed up the boxes.
'Look after her...don't hurt her,' Matt breathed in a charged and warning undertone before Edward could climb into his limousine.
'I won't,' Edward countered, his accented drawl curt and cool, his ego challenged by the tone of that advice.
'I can't believe I'm doing this,' Bella lamented because she was already suffering second thoughts. Edward had extracted her from Matt's flat at the speed of light.
'Right now, you need a time out to decide what you want to do next,' Edward told her levelly. 'A few days...a few weeks, whatever it takes. You shouldn't be trying to make life-changing decisions virtually overnight.'
'You don't want me to go for adoption?' Bella said, her slim frame tensing, her fingers folding together tightly on her lap.
'Adoption entails you cutting me out of the situation entirely. Why would you want to do that?' Edward queried softly. 'I am willing to help in every way possible. There are other options and I think you should consider them.'
YOU ARE READING
GREEK HUSBAND
Romance'This was more than a little push,' Bella censured. 'I don't know why you're doing it either. You can't want me as a wife that much.' 'Why not?' 'I'm just ordinary.' 'I don't see you that way, meli mou,' Edward countered. 'I see you as different, as...
