Baby Benefits by Emily McKay Page B

watched her move about his home, he tried to muster some enthusiasm for her. She was, as he told himself over and over again, the very embodiment of everything he’d ever wanted in a spouse. She had a poised elegance that surpassed mere beauty—though she certainly was beautiful. However, her looks hadn’t been what drew him to her. It was more than that—the way her presence commanded attention. And yet, the very thing that he’d always admired about her was oddly unappealing today.
    Now, she strolled from room to room as if she owned the place—and indeed, someday she would—her gaze appraising and cold.
    “I suppose it isn’t bad. After all, you can’t be expected to have the kind of elegance you’d find on the Upper West Side, now can you? I’m sure your decorator was very competent. For Dallas.”
    Derek gritted his teeth against a response. He’d hired the best decorator in the state. She’d worked on the house, personally, for nearly a year. When she’d finished it had been featured in not one, but three respected magazines. The house had a cool elegance he’d never been comfortable in, but it wasn’t about comfort. It—and its address—were physical evidence that he’d made it. No one would dream of dismissing a man who owned a seven-million-dollar home in Highland Park.
    But if he had to spend another million dollars to have it decorated to his fiancée’s taste, then so be it.
    When she glanced his way, he forced himself to concede. After all, it was just furniture. He didn’t give a damn what she did with it. “Of course you’ll feel free to hire the decorator of your choice.”
    She smiled with benign indulgence. Then she crossed back to his side and patted him on the cheek dismissively. “We’ll see.”
    An unpleasant implication hung in the air between them, but before he could figure out what she meant, the front door swung open and Raina swept into the entry hall. She held in her hand a carry-on tote, which she dropped unceremoniously by the front door.
    “I had the driver leave the bags by the walkway to save him the trip. Someone should go get them.” Raina’s smile was overly bright.
    Kitty didn’t even turn around to acknowledge Raina’s presence.
    With a sigh, he left Kitty’s side and headed out for the bags. When he passed close to Raina and might have spoken to her, she beat him to the punch.
    “You owe me the twenty I tipped the driver.”
    Her tone was cold and unapproachable. He couldn’t blame her. By kissing her today, he’d royally screwed up in a way he hadn’t in years.
    Not only had he jeopardized his relationship with Kitty, but he’d also ruined any chance he had of convincing Raina to stay on as his assistant. Even if he could lure her into staying, doing so would be a disaster. Now that he’d held her in his arms, he’d never forget the feel of her lips under his. He’d never stop wanting her. Which meant he had to let her go completely.
    He’d picked Kitty. If he was having second thoughts now, that was his own damn fault. He certainly didn’t need to drag Raina into things.
    Yet somehow the only thing worse than the idea of marrying Kitty was the idea of never kissing Raina again.

    Raina stood awkwardly in the doorway leading from the entryway to the living room, watching Kitty. She’d never in her life felt more out of place. More outclassed.
    As a rule, she wasn’t given to fits of insecurity. The way she saw it, she was what she was. A girl from a lower-middle-class family who worked hard for a living. When she’d first taken the job at Messina Diamonds, she’d thrust herself professionally—if not socially—into a stratosphere of wealth and privilege she’d never before imagined. She’d had to work to blend in to that world, not because it was what she desired, but because it was her job. Though very few people she associated with through work would guess her humble beginnings, she’d never been ashamed of who she was or where she