down again.
‘Lorcan’s such a boy,’ Nuala pronounced, rolling her eyes with pained superiority.
Erin’s mother held out her hands to the children and they latched onto her immediately, begging her to take them down to the beach.
‘I wonder what the third one will be like,’ Cristo commented, his dark golden gaze dipping briefly to the barely perceptible bump visible below Erin’s dress.
‘A mix of our genes, some good, some bad.’
‘I can’t wait to see our baby,’ Cristo confessed.
A warm sense of tenderness filled Erin, and only their public location stopped her leaning in to hug him. She hadn’t initially been sure about how another child would fit into their busy lives, but one of the main reasons she’d come round to the idea had been the awareness that Cristo had missed out on the experience of the twins as babies. While she had conceived faster than she had expected, she had thoroughly enjoyed having a supportive, interested male by her side to share every development in her pregnancy and the sight of Cristo with tears in his eyes when he saw the first scan of their child was one she would never forget.
The evening wore on in chats with influential people and business associates. The twins were whisked home to bed and Cristo, his attention consistently returning to his wife’s lovely face and smile, was unashamedly relieved when they could finally take their leave of their guests.
‘I hate being away from you now,’ he confided, lifting her out of the four-wheel drive he had taken her home in.
‘You’re not away half as much as you used to be.’
‘I can do a lot of my work at home.’ At the foot of the stairs he swung her up in his arms and insisted on carrying her the rest of the way in spite of her protests. ‘I know your feet are killing you, latria mou.’
She kicked her shoes off when he put her down, holding up the skirt of her gown so that she didn’t trip on the trailing hem. ‘But the shoes did look gorgeous,’ she pointed out.
Cristo framed her laughing face with tender hands. ‘You don’t need to suffer to look beautiful.’
‘Only a man could say that. I still can’t believe that you were born with eyebrows that stay in shape,’ Erin lamented. ‘It’s so unfair.’
‘I would love you even without all the waxing,’ Cristo intoned huskily.
Erin tried to imagine getting into bed with a pair of hairy legs and barely repressed a shudder. ‘The things you say.’
‘I’m trying to impress you with how crazy I am about you.’ Cristo sighed with a long-suffering look belied by the amusement dancing in his dark golden eyes. ‘It’s an uphill challenge.’
‘No, it’s not. I love you too, naturally perfect brows included,’ his wife informed him, gazing up at him with an appreciation she couldn’t hide. Mine, every natural instinct said and she adored the fact.
He bent his handsome dark head and kissed her softly with all the skill at his disposal, and her head swam and her knees wobbled and the glory of loving Cristo swept over her like a consuming tide, filled with happiness and acceptance and pure joy.
What the hell am I going to do about this?
The question hung in Athan’s head like a dead weight. He had to do something. That was inescapable. He had a responsibility to do so.
His thoughts circled back, homing in with his customary focus on identifying solutions to problems he’d ruthlessly analysed. Removing the woman who had so distracted his brother-in-law seemed the obvious move to make right now.
But what if—and now Athan could feel an idea start to germinate in his mind—a rival emerged for her attentions? Lured her away from his brother-in-law?
Dispassionately he made himself study the photo in front of him. As before, he felt his senses stirred by her heart-stopping loveliness.
Resolution filled him. Oh, yes, he could do it.
For one long moment Athan went on staring down at the image on his desk. Then, decisively, he flicked the folder shut. His mind had just made itself up.
It was a very simple, very obvious solution. And as the mental image of her lovely features flickered in his mind’s eye he knew it would be very enjoyable.
JULIA JAMES lives in England with her family. Harlequin Mills & Boon® were the first ‘grown-up’ books she read as a teenager, alongside Georgette Heyer and Daphne du Maurier, and she’s been reading them ever since. Julia adores the English and Celtic countryside, in all its seasons, and is fascinated by all things historical, from castles to cottages. She also has a special love for the Mediterranean—’The most perfect landscape after England!’—and considers both ideal settings for romance stories. In between writing she enjoys walking, gardening, needlework, baking extremely gooey cakes and trying to stay fit!
MARISA gave a soft gasp as the man opposite her opened the slim case he’d just taken out of his jacket pocket.
‘For you,’ the man said. There was a fond look in his eyes as he slid the case towards her. ‘I want you to have it.’
Marisa gazed at him, open pleasure in her expression.
She ran a finger lightly over the stones, which sparkled in the light from the candle on the table. ‘It’s beautiful!’ she breathed. Then a more troubled expression showed in her eyes. ‘But are you sure …?’
The man gave a decisive nod of his head. ‘Yes, quite sure.’
Marisa picked up the case, reluctantly shutting the lid, gazing across at the man who had given her such a wonderful token of what she meant to him. She dropped the jewellery case into her handbag—the beautiful, soft leather handbag with a designer logo that was yet another such token. Then she lifted her eyes to the man again. She had eyes only for him! Certainly not for the middle-aged man dining alone, a few tables away, engrossed in texting on his mobile phone, his face in shadow.
Now Ian was in her life Marisa had neither eyes nor thoughts for anyone else. From their first meeting to this precious moment he had transformed her life beyond all recognition, and the wonder of it still amazed her. She had had no idea—none at all—when she’d come to London those short months ago how totally her life would change. Oh, she’d had hopes, it was true, and ambitions and purpose—but that they had actually come about was still wonderful to her. And it was all embodied in the startlingly handsome man sitting opposite her, gazing at her with such devotion.
She
