She stepped into the bathroom redolent with the lovely scent of lavender. He knew it was her favorite since she wore lavender scented lotion as well. He knew her so well, even though they’d had so little time together before…before.
For a moment, Pepper considered draining the bath and just taking a shower. It was a spiteful thought and that was the only reason she didn’t follow through. That and because the bath looked so inviting and every part of her body ached. So, instead of being a brat and ignoring the bath, she slipped off her robe and pajamas, tossing both into the laundry basket, then slipped into the warm water.
As soon as she was submerged, Pepper closed her eyes, feeling the soothing warmth and gentle smell of lavender ease the pain. It wouldn’t last, she thought as a tear slipped down her cheek. The pain would return as soon as she got out of the bath, but for this moment, she’d allow herself to be pain free. Just for a moment.
Dimitri stepped into the bathroom, worried that Pepper had done something to harm herself. He knew she was in pain. And after their conversation this morning, he finally understood that she thought that the miscarriage was her fault, that she hadn’t protected their child. But Dimitri didn’t believe that she was to blame. How could she be?
It had just been a horrible, tragic accident. And because of that accident, they’d both struggled. He suspected that she’d buried herself in her work, just as he’d done. Although he’d tried to reach out to her, tried to get her to stay with him so that they could heal each other, Pepper had been too far gone down the path of self-flagellation to allow herself to heal.
No more, he thought. She was his wife and he wasn’t going to let her keep punishing herself. Nor was he going to wallow in the pain of what they’d lost.
They still had each other. The doctor had assured them that she could conceive again. Damn it, even if they never had more children, he still needed Pepper. He still needed her in his life. He needed her to remind him to live and laugh and…to love her. Because he did. He loved her so damn much!
He couldn’t let them go on like this. And he couldn’t lose her either! They needed each other and he knew what they felt for each other was strong enough to get through this, as well as the next fifty or sixty years together.
She’d fallen asleep.
Looking around at her home and knowing her routine, he suspected that she was working too many hours. If the designs on top of the piles were any indication, it had been a long sprint.
Rolling up his sleeves, he lifted her out of the tub, drenching himself in the process. He carried her into the bedroom and smiled at the fact that she was still asleep, though, he was also upset with her for pushing herself to the point that she was this exhausted. It was dangerous and he wanted to shake her for putting herself in danger! But he didn’t. Instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed with her in his lap, and wrapped a fluffy towel around her, drying her carefully.
He resisted the urge to look at her breasts or that secret space between her legs, knowing that he was a man on the edge right now. Later, he promised himself. Later, he would make love to her and ease their sadness, if only for a little while. Dimitri knew all of the places on her that would drive her wild. They might have had only a short period of time together before the pregnancy, but they’d spent a great deal of time during those weeks in bed. He’d use that knowledge to help her. And himself.
Standing up, he turned, intending to put her into her bed but…her bed was a mess. That was odd in itself because Pepper hated chaos. One of the first things she did every morning was make her bed. He’d laughed the first time she’d done so at his house and he’d had to explain that his housekeeper would make the bed. But she’d gone ahead and done it anyway. Which had caused him to walk over and show her who the boss was. Which meant that the bed hadn’t gotten remade for another hour. Still holding her in one arm, he one handedly straightened the bedding enough to tuck her in properly.
He tugged the sheets up to her chin. She’d lost so much weight, he thought. Her ribs pressed against her skin and the softness he’d loved so much was gone. She’d always thought she’d needed to lose weight, but God help him, this was too much! Besides, he’d liked her with curves. She’d been gorgeous before.
Now she just looked…gaunt.
With grim determination, he looked around, determined to rescue his marriage. Pepper thought they’d married because of the pregnancy. He knew that he’d married her because she was the only woman who could heal him and bring light into his life.
Now, he just needed to prove that to her.
Chapter 14
Pepper woke up feeling oddly…good. “Strange,” she whispered to herself as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was four o’clock in the afternoon. “Good grief!” she grimaced, jerking upright.
“Feeling better?”
Pepper jumped at the sound, spinning around to find Dimitri walking towards her, tall and handsome and so painfully wonderful that she had to restrain herself from leaping into his arms and kissing him.
“Yes. Thank you. The hot bath really helped. Thank
