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  Sven feared the worst. Cécile’s vendetta was now directed against Annalise.

  “Isn’t he something?” Cécile waved at Sven. “Say, Annalise, as a waitress I bet you make mean cup of Joe. I haven’t had some since morning. Would you be a doll and make me some?”

  “Sure. I saw the coffee machine in the kitchenette. How do you take it?” Annalise got up from her chair.

  “With cream and two sugars, darling.”

  “Annalise, stay where you are.” Sven turned to Cécile sharply. “If you want coffee, go ask your own secretary to make it. Anna is not your gofer.”

  “But I don’t mind at all,” said Annalise cheerily.

  “I mind.” Sven’s voice was louder than he intended. It made Annalise startle.

  Cécile exhaled her breath theatrically. “Sven is always taking things seriously. Can’t you see I was joking? Anyway, Anna dear, I’ve got to run. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’d like to take you out for lunch one of these days. This company is run by chauvinistic males. We girls should stick together.”

  “That would be lovely,” said Annalise. “I look forward to it.”

  “Charming.” Cécile threw a flirty smile at Sven. “Later.”

  Sven followed her to the door and locked it. Out of nowhere, a headache throbbed in his skull. “Anna,” he said hoarsely, “we must establish a rule in here: Do not let Cécile order you around. Never. You are the chairman of the company. Cécile is an acting CEO. You are her boss.”

  “Okay.”

  “Secondly, avoid her at all costs. Don’t trust anything she says. Consult me first if you have to make a decision.”

  “Understood. May I ask why?”

  “She’s trouble. She’s wanted your job for the longest time.”

  “Why not just let her?”

  Sven went speechless for a moment.

  “Look at her.” Annalise pointed at a sheet of paper. “Cécile Mason, Md. PhD. Half the board of directors has medical degrees, doctorates or PhD titles. Even you have a medical degree and a PhD title. I barely graduated high school. I’m not qualified for this job. If Cécile is more than qualified, why don’t we let her?”

  “Because that would be against your uncle’s wishes.”

  Annalise went somber. “Uncle Seymour was surely being unreasonable. I feel like he’s using me.”

  “Look, your uncle only wanted what’s best for you. In return, he wanted you to preserve his legacy.”

  “What if I fail? This is the second time someone asked me to do so much. My mom asked me to take care of Robby, and if it weren’t for you, I would have lost him.”

  “Anna.” Sven walked toward her and pulled her into his arms. “I won’t let you. You have me, remember?”

  “I have you now. What about a year later? Will you be still making decisions for me then?”

  A year from now Sven wanted her busy with motherhood. “We’ll burn that bridge when the time comes, all right?”

  Four

  Annalise tried to memorize Sven’s latest notes, but for some reason she couldn’t. She sat alone in Sven’s study with a stack of books to read and a tray of refreshments courtesy of Sebastian. For the past few days, Sven had been busy with his own work, and their tutoring had been put on hold. She went to Dune Industry by herself in the morning and spent the whole day perusing documents Sven wanted her to read. After work she drove to visit Robby and returned home by early evening. She ate dinner alone before shuttering herself in Sven’s mancave to study. Most of the stuff she tried to comprehend still didn’t make sense to her, though at least now she understood some medical jargon.

  The sky was pregnant with rain when she had pulled into the building’s garage. By nine o’clock, a full-blown thunderstorm raged outside. Annalise flinched each time a strike of lightning lit the horizon followed by an ear-splitting boom. She hated thunder to the bone. She had suffered from astraphobia ever since she was a child, and it only got worse as she grew older. The abnormal fear of lightning and thunder was amplified when she was alone. She usually surrounded herself with people during thunderstorms. And now being alone in Sven’s study made her nerves frayed.

  It didn’t help that Sven’s place was located on the twentieth floor and there were windows in every room. Even through thick glass, the sound of thunder was too much for her to handle.

  An hour later, she couldn’t take it anymore and sought refuge in her bedroom. It wasn’t much better. She closed the draperies but she could see each time lightning struck. She decided to hide in the closet. Alas. The rich people spacious walk-in closet featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The bathroom wasn’t much better. Out of desperation she decided to hide under the bed. Here in the darkness and muffled sound, she had a bit of distance against the raging weather.

  She tried to sleep but couldn’t. The sound of thunder scattered any attempt to regain her composure. She silently prayed for the storm to be over. Judging from the ferocity of the howling wind, the thunderstorm would last all night long.

  She had lost track of time when the door of her bedroom opened and Sven’s voice called out for her.

  “Anna? Anna, where are you?”

  She clamped down, willing herself not to answer. Sven would think her nuts for hiding under the bed just because of some stupid thunder. A heartbeat later, a particularly loud clap of thunder boomed too loud and she couldn’t help but squeal.

  “Anna?”

  Footsteps. The bedskirt was lifted. Sven’s concerned face was visible.

  “Hello.” Anna tried to sound nonchalant but failed miserably.

  Sven kneeled. “What are you doing there?”

  “Hiding. Thunder. Hate.”

  “Oh dear.”

  He took off his shoes and joined her under the bed.

  “Sven! What are you doing?”

  “I’ll keep you company.” Sven squeezed himself in next to her.

  “There’s not much room. It’s cramped.” Annalise squealed again when another clap of thunder erupted.

  Sven quickly hugged her.

  Annalise shut her eyes, waiting for the moment to pass.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you have astraphobia?” he asked. His voice was gentle and soothing to her ears.

  “Irrelevant. Besides, it’s silly.”

  “There’s nothing silly about any phobia. When did this start to happen?”

  “Since I was a kid.”

  “Your parents never took you to a psychiatrist? Astraphobia is highly treatable.”

  “I’m not crazy. I don’t need to go to a shrink. Besides, we lived on the base. If my mom started taking me to see a crazy doctor, people would talk and that would hurt my dad’s career.”

  Sven sighed audibly. “I have a friend who’s an excellent psych—“

  “I don’t need a shrink!”

  “You’re irritated. Do you want me to leave?”

  She answered in a small voice and clutched his shirt. “No, please stay. Sorry.”

  Sven mushed up her hair. “I won’t go anywhere.”

  “So.” Annalise cleared her throat. “How’s work?”

  “Shouldn’t you say ‘How’s your day, honey?’”

  Annalise growled.

  “Scary. I guess this is not the right time to tease you.” Sven fidgeted, trying to adjust his tall frame under the bed. “It was busy as usual. I had some emergency meetings with people from the Department of Defense, a luncheon with a group of surgeons, and worked on a pile of documents. Pretty typical day.”

  Her curiosity was piqued. “You do business with the government?”

  “They’re our biggest client. We won the DOD contract seven years ago. It’s what helped put Synergy on the map.”

  “Pharmaceutical contract?”

  “Sorry, sweet. That’s classified.”

  “Oops. I should have known better.”

  “How was your day?”

  “Boring. I still don’t understand anything.”

  “It’ll
get better once you understand the structure of the company.”

  “You keep telling me that. Oh yeah, I had lunch with Cécile.”

  Sven made a displeased sound. “I told you to stay away from her.”

  “I couldn’t. She came into Uncle Seymour’s office with sandwiches. I couldn’t refuse her.”

  “That shrew. Did she say anything?”

  “Not much. Just some mundane chit-chat.” Annalise paused. “Sven…”

  “Hmm?”

  “Were you two lovers?”

  “Did she tell you that?”

  “No. Just a feeling I had. Each time she talked about you, she had these googly eyes on her. Women know this stuff you know.”

  Sven tightened his hug. “We were. Long time ago. When we were teenagers. Your uncle and Cécile’s father worked on a project in Kiev. We spent three summers there.”

  “What happened?”

  “I broke it off. She was a royal pain in the ass, and she still is.”

  “I don’t think she’s over you.”

  “I beg to differ. Cécile has an inability to love. If you ask me, she’s a borderline psychopath. She has low empathy toward people, or animals for that matter. Everything she does must serve her own need. She’s the type of person who would sell her own mother if it granted her fortune and power.”

  “Dude, that’s harsh.”

  “That’s the truth. And don’t call me ‘dude.’ I’m your husband.”

  “Do you ever think she’s after the chairman position just to get back at you? After all, you dumped her.”

  Sven snorted. “I doubt it. She’d still want to be the chairman even if I stayed with her. She wants to be the emperor of the earth.”

  “I thought she was kind of nice.”

  “Don’t let her appearance deceive you. Many have fallen as her victims.”

  “You must be exaggerating.”

  “Sadly, I’m not. I’m only looking after your best interests.”

  “Hmm.”

  Sven leaned on his side. His eyes looked unnaturally luminous in the dark—like cat’s eyes. “You said you had a boyfriend. What’s his name?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “It’s only fair, since you asked about my past romance.”

  Annalise grudgingly agreed. “Cole. His name is Cole. We were dating in our sophomore year.”

  “And then?”

  “Nothing to it. We broke it off. Or rather he dumped me.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? He’s jackass, that’s why.”

  “Why was he a jackass?”

  She made a grumbling noise in her throat. “All he thought about was sex, sex, and sex.”

  “You hate sex?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “What don’t you like it about it?”

  “What is this? An interview?”

  “I answered your questions, you answer mine. Quid pro quo.”

  “Yeah, sure, Hannibal.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Well…”

  “Well what?”

  “It hurt.”

  “Sorry?”

  “It hurt! Why are you smiling?”

  “Nothing. Seems to me he didn’t know what he was doing.”

  “It was our first time. And why are we discussing this stuff? It’s embarrassing.”

  “I’d like to know the reason you won’t have sex with me.”

  “Why do I have to have sex with you?”

  “You’re my wife. Should there be any other reason?” Sven fidgeted again. “Okay, this position is killing me. My legs have fallen asleep. We should get out.”

  “No way. I don’t like thunder.”

  “My room is soundproofed. You should be able to rest in there.”

  “Is this a trick to get me into your bed?”

  “Not a trick, but I do want to get you into my bed. For a totally different reason.”

  Annalise didn’t budge when Sven tugged her arm.

  “Come on. I won’t do anything to you. Just rest. I’ve been up since four and I’m tired. I have a busy day tomorrow, and so do you. Besides, a husband and wife should share a bed. It’s only natural.”

  What Sven said made sense. She was tired as well but too wound up to relax. Annalise let him coax her out from under the bed and steer her into his room. Like he said, it was soundproofed. The king-size bed stood in the middle flanked by identical nightstands. Sven pulled back the cover on the bed, revealing the cozy white-sheeted mattress to curl on.

  “Ladies first,” he said. “I need a quick shower and to brush my teeth.”

  She got in and pulled the cover up to her nose. Luckily Sebastian was very thorough with his cleaning. It was spotless under her bed. Otherwise she’d need to take another shower too.

  Annalise was drowsy by the time Sven joined her. Like he’d promised, he didn’t try anything funny. The man only contentedly sighed and spooned himself next to her. The warmth of the bed and his fresh scent soothed her frazzled mind. Three seconds later, she was in dreamland.

  From that night on, Annalise found herself sharing a bed with her pro forma husband. It had something to do with Sven saying he hated sleeping alone, and as much as she wanted to lie to herself, the truth was Sven’s company in bed brought unexpected comfort. For the first time in her life, she discovered that she didn’t have to shoulder everything in the world alone. There was Sven to share the burden. To share laughter and everything that mattered.

  As the days went by, Annalise got more accustomed to having Sven as part of her life. Morning breakfast together. Helping him choose a tie to wear. Going out for lunch, or even a simple mundane thing like small talk. She became more and more dependent on him, and she deemed that problematic.

  “You’ll be disappointed if you start harboring expectations,” said Cécile during one of their lunches. Whenever Sven was too busy with the job at his own firm, Cécile always insisted on having a lunch with her. For some reason, Cécile was always able to coerce her into discussing her relationship with Sven. “Sven is Sven, and no woman on earth has ever figured out what’s going on in his head.”

  As much as she didn’t want to listen to Cécile and despite Sven’s warning, Cécile sometimes spoke the unadulterated truth.

  Annalise discovered the trail of his past lovers. All beautiful, educated, smart with dazzling personalities, and yet they all failed to capture the heart of the enigmatic man named Sven Torvik. Annalise feared if she let Sven into her life too much, she’d be devastated when he left. The one-year marriage contract ticked by faster and faster. She realized now that she dreaded it coming to an end..

  Lately, she also noted the change in herself. Out of nowhere, she’d get flustered if she stood too close to him. She got upset easily if Sven hadn’t replied to her texts, and she’d smile like an idiot each time Sven’s special ring tone chimed quietly. Bedtime that used to be a time of comfort became an emotional battle zone. She would like to have Sven do more than cuddling her, but then again, he was a man of his word. Annalise was furious with herself for not being able to untangle what she really wanted from the current situation. Even Sven noticed her changes.

  “Why do you always sneak away each time I want to show you how to process these figures?” Sven looked annoyed. They were in Sven’s study as he taught her Accounting 101. “What’s got into you?”

  Annalise shifted from foot to foot, nervous. “It’s not you, it’s me. I just remembered I forgot to take a shower this morning.”

  “Lying is not your strong suit, Annalise. I strongly discourage it. And don’t use the ‘it’s not you it’s me’ routine either. I’ve used that countless time in the past. It’s always about the other person’s fault and never about me. Now, spit it out, what’s wrong?”

  “I…uhm.” She stepped backward when Sven closed the distance between them. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Lately, I feel awkward being around you. I can’t concentrate and I get jealous when other women talk ab
out you. Like yesterday, one of your assistants commented on how handsome you look in that new Westmancott suit, and suddenly I was itching to slap her. Sorry. This is new for me and I’m trying to deal with it.”

  Unexpectedly, Sven laughed. His rich voice hit the wood-dominated ceilings of his private study.

  Annalise grumbled. “I know I’m being stupid. Move along; there’s nothing to see.”

  “Anna.” Sven seemed to struggle to keep his mirth under control. “Have you ever been in love before?”

  “Of course I have. Don’t be silly.”

  “No, you don’t understand. I mean, truly in love, not just as if you’d like someone.”

  “Sven, you’re scaring me. I hope you’re not suggesting we exchange diaries and discuss our feelings. You’re acting like my best friend in middle school.”

  “Am I?” He tugged her closer to him. “Did your best friend do this?” He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

  It wasn’t a friendly kiss like he did every morning—a peck on the forehead or cheek. It was a kiss a man gave to a woman when he wanted so much more, a carnal relationship, a deeper and intimate call that broke the invisible barrier between them. It melted her awkwardness for him into a simple feeling she understood: she wanted him. As a man. As her lover.

  The kiss was exquisite, one that spurred her heart to beat faster and caused shimmering heat to rush through every vein.

  He started slow—a lick of greeting, followed by an exploratory brush across her lips. What he did caused a high octane lust to burst out inside her. Her body responded wantonly. She opened up her mouth and Sven kissed her hungrily. Deep, all tongue and almost feral—one that took her breath away, and her mind was lost in the clouds. She could no longer think at that moment, and merely responded with instinct.

  When Sven broke the kiss, the magic that lulled her stopped short, leaving her half-awake and dazed.