Chapter 7 Hidden Heartbeats

Vera spent her first week at RKM International buried in spreadsheets, phone calls, and deliberately avoiding her boss's eyes.

Which was a challenge.

Because Michael Robb had a habit of standing far too close when he gave her assignments, of watching her just a little too long when she thought he wasn't looking. His cologne clung to the office like an expensive shadow, and every time he said her name in that low voice of his, her spine tingled with memories she shouldn't be reliving.

She was doing her best to stay professional. She wore high-waisted slacks and loose blouses to hide the slight bloat she feared might give her away. She made it through meetings and late-night project revisions. But each time she saw him, she felt it.

That night.

That connection.

That baby growing quietly inside her.

At lunch on Friday, she slipped away to the restroom, her fingers shaking as she opened her purse and pulled out a prenatal vitamin. She popped it into her mouth, washed it down with water from the tap, and stared at her reflection.

"Pull it together," she whispered to herself. "You've got three months before anyone notices anything. Maybe less."

She placed a hand against her belly still flat, but holding everything that mattered now. You're going to be okay, she thought silently. We both are.

"Talking to yourself now, Miss Stanford?"

The voice startled her.

She spun around Michael was leaning against the bathroom doorframe, arms crossed, a glint of amusement and something unreadable in his eyes.

Her stomach dropped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize this was the ladies' room," she said, flustered.

He smirked, unbothered. "Relax. The floor's empty for lunch. I was looking for you."

"Me?"

He took a slow step forward. "You've been avoiding me."

"I've been working."

He stepped closer, stopping just a foot from her now. "That's not all you've been doing."

She stiffened, heart pounding.

His eyes dropped to her bag the vitamins were still visible in the open zipper.

Shit.

"Are you sick?" he asked, voice low, a touch of concern hiding behind the question.

Vera quickly zipped the bag. "Just... low iron. Doctor's orders."

He didn't press. But his eyes searched her face with the kind of intensity that made it hard to breathe.

"You're hiding something," he said softly.

She looked away. "You barely know me."

"I know enough to feel it when someone's pulling away."

Her heart ached.

Because she wasn't just pulling away she was building walls. Not out of spite, but out of fear. What would he do if he found out? Would he take the baby from her? Would he demand something she wasn't ready to give?

"I need this job," she whispered.

Michael's jaw flexed. "I'm not going to fire you, Vera. I don't want you gone."

She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Why?"

"Because the night you walked away, I lost sleep wondering where the hell you went." His voice deepened, a flicker of emotion breaking through. "You haunted me."

Her lips parted, words failing.

"I don't care how many spreadsheets you bury yourself in," he said, stepping even closer. "You can't pretend this thing between us didn't happen."

"I'm trying," she admitted, voice barely audible.

His hand rose, fingers brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The touch sent a shiver down her spine.

"Try harder," he whispered, then walked out leaving her in the silence of her storm.

Vera turned back to the mirror.

She didn't know how much longer she could hide.

Because her baby wasn't the only secret she was carrying.

She was falling again.

And this time... it wasn't just desire.