Chapter Nine

Was Chuck involved with another woman?

Blair's throat tightened. Could she stand knowing that while he held her, made love to her and impregnated her, he was thinking of someone else?

The women backed away from Chuck and bent to scoop a file folder from the visitor chair. "Thank you again, Chuck. I'll keep you abreast of the project."

"Do that. You'll need to run the proposal by Eric before pitching it." Chuck glanced up and caught sight of Blair. Her expression must have given away her chaotic thoughts. His gaze sharpened on her face.

Smiling tightly, Chuck came around his desk, took Blair in his arms and kissed her without warning. She stiffened automatically as his hot body pressed against hers, and his warm, firm lips moved over her mouth. Conscious of their audience, she had to fight to relax and look as if this was a regular occurrence.

Getting used to being touched by him again was going to take some work. Not that she didn't enjoy his kisses and caresses. She did. Too much. Even now, despite the other women in the office, desire curled in Blair's belly and her pulse fluttered wildly. But she had to hold herself in check. She couldn't let herself crave him or surrender to him the way she once had.

Chuck eased back and turned her toward the women. "Celia, I'd like you to meet my wife, Blair. Blair, this is Celia Taylor, one of our ad execs."

The beautiful redhead grimaced. "Sorry about the hug, but he just let me take on a very big client. I got a little excited."

Celia's words and contrite expression seemed genuine. And what Blair had seen after the hug had looked innocent enough. There had been no lingering body or eye contact. Tension leeched from her knotted muscles.

"Nice to meet you, Celia."

"Nice meeting you, too, Blair. Now, thanks to your husband, I have a lot of work to do, and trust me, that is not a complaint. Excuse me." She left, the quick tap of her heels receding down the hall.

Blair looked everywhere but at Chuck while she grappled with the strength of the emotions that had hit her when she'd spotted him in another women's arms. No matter how much she might want to deny it, she had been jealous. That was not good.

The office looked exactly as it had seven years ago - right down to the photograph of the two of them on the shelf and the remains of a half-eaten lunch on his desk.

Back then she'd brought him meals time and time again because he often forgot to eat, and in a matter of a few months he'd dropped a lot of weight despite her TLC.

Chuck looked her up and down, making her heart skip. "You're right on time, and you look great."

"Thanks." she brushed a hand over her light, garnet-red, cowl-neck sweater and simple black trousers. "You have several new staff members. I met Gavin in the elevator and Lisa in the lobby and Lauren on the way in. I forgot who she said she was married to, but it was someone I don't know. She suggested we have lunch together soon."

"She's married to Jason Reagert, another ad exec. You'll meet him later. But Lauren is a good contact. She can probably recommended a good obstetrician since she's pregnant."

Panic skipped down Blair's spine. She wanted a baby. She even wanted Chuck's baby. But tying herself to a man who made her weak still scared her more than a little - especially given her emotional reaction moments ago. Was she strong enough to endure a temporary marriage and a permanent link through a child without breaking and turning to alcohol again? "I'll keep that in mind."

"You'll have to join us next time the office staff goes out after work to meet everyone else."

"What did you tell them about me…about us?"

"That we worked out our differences and our trial separation was over."

Her gaze flicked to the photo. "Have you had that sitting there the whole time.?"

He frowned. "No. I dug it out of storage when you agreed to move back in."

For some reason that seemed like the perfect answer to sooth her rattled nerves. He hadn't been pining for her, but he hadn't thrown away the picture. She still had the box of mementos from her marriage that she hadn't been able to part with, either. As much as she'd wanted to put Chuck out of her mind, she hadn't been successful.

If you haven't succeeded in forgetting him in seven years, will you ever?

The nagging voice in the back of her head didn't ease her worry that this entire plot could blow up in her face.