night.
In Dominique’s arms he had not just found the physical satisfaction his body craved, he had also found a woman who—although she had been badly betrayed—had not closed the door on being with a man again, and had given him a tantalising glimpse of what it could be like if Cristiano were to commit to her on a permanent basis. His nights would be filled with the most intensely passionate loving, he didn’t doubt. And his days—his days would be filled with thoughts of going home to her loving arms whenever he was away from her, and when he was with her he would not want for anything but her and sweet Matilde.
The idea was temptation personified … Yet even as he considered it Cristiano knew a most terrible dark fear as well—the fear of losing Dominique and Matilde as he had lost Martina and their baby, and also Ramón, another family member he had vowed to watch out for and protect. What if he failed Dominique and her child as he had failed them? It did not bear contemplating. Cristiano knew he would be drained of everything if that happened. Every positive, hopeful aspect to his life would be gone. He had already been down one of the darkest roads of life, and he did not want to go down one as soul-destroying again. For the sake of his sanity he could not risk it. He simply could not …
‘Your mother told me I could come and take a peek.’
The woman Cristiano had been contemplating with such passionate fervour arrived in the room with her baby in her arms, and the vivid blue eyes that could rarely conceal her feelings were already alight with wonder at the sight of the magnificent Christmas tree.
‘Oh, Cristiano! It’s so beautiful—and the smell of pine is just divine! But it’s so high! How on earth are we going to put the fairy or the star on the top?’
His arm automatically sliding round her slender waist, Cristiano grinned, planted a loud kiss on the baby’s downy cheek and then did the same to her wide-eyed mother. ‘Some poor idiot will no doubt have to risk a broken neck to climb up a ladder and place it there—that is how!’
‘Oh!’
‘You may well say oh, señorita!’
Unable to resist her adorable expression, Cristiano kissed Dominique again—only this time his mouth moved over her lips instead of her cheek and lingered there. They had the completely ravishing taste of vanilla and honey combined, and he passionately wished that he could take her back to bed and stay there for the rest of the day.
‘Cristiano?’
‘Hmm?’
‘I have a favour to ask …’
‘Of course.’
At that moment Cristiano would gladly have given this woman the world if he could. Glimpsing both hope and excitement in her otherwise serious expression, he felt a flare of warmth fill his belly.
‘I need to buy some gifts … for your family. Would you be able to take me somewhere so that I could do some Christmas shopping?’
He was about to easily agree when he remembered something.
‘Elena is going into town this morning … she mentioned it to me earlier. And we are having a late lunch today, as opposed to an early one, so there is plenty of time. You should go with her. She would be glad to take you, and it would be nice for you to spend some time together on your own. Matilde can stay here with me. Here … let me take her.’
Having no qualms whatsoever about taking care of the infant he was becoming more and more attached to as the days went by, Cristiano put out his arms for the smiling baby. When Dominique released her, Matilde babbled away at him as though certain he understood her perfectly. After positioning her small body safely against his chest, he reached down into his back pocket for his wallet.
‘You will need some money,’ he said, taking out several notes and holding them out to Dominique.
‘No, I won’t!’ She looked aghast. ‘At least, not yours! I do have some money of my own, you know! Do you think I would seriously contemplate buying your family presents with money you gave me?’
Knowing she had her principles about things—one of them apparently being to take as little as possible from Cristiano—he slowly and reluctantly returned the notes to his wallet and placed it back in his pocket. But, again, he needed to let her know that it was her right to be supported and helped by him.
‘I did not mean to offend you, querida … I merely wanted you to have what you needed without worry. Tomorrow, when I return to my office, I want you to come and meet me for lunch. Elena will bring you. When you are there I will take you over to the bank and set up an account for you to use straight away. I will also get you to sign some legal documents which will give you access to Ramón’s money and assets, which—as I explained before—you and Matilde are now entitled to.’
She flushed at that, and Cristiano sensed the mental tussle going on behind those clear blue eyes about accepting something she perhaps believed she did not deserve. He personally knew plenty of people—especially in his line of work—who were definitely not possessed of such admirable humility when it came to taking what they believed was due to them. They could learn a lot from Dominique, he was certain … Frankly, it still astonished him that she expected so little from her baby’s father’s family.
‘Are you sure you’ll be all right with Matilde?’ Capturing the end of her plait and staring down at it for a moment, she obviously thought the whole situation was too awkward to comment on further. ‘I’ve left her bottle in the kitchen with Consuela, and there’s also a bag with all her baby stuff in. Everything you’ll need is there.’
‘We will be absolutely fine … won’t we, pequeña?’ Gently he drew the pad of his thumb across the deep little cleft in the infant’s chin and grinned with delight when she grabbed his thumb and tried to chew it. ‘Just go and enjoy your Christmas shopping, and I will look forward to seeing you at lunch.’
‘All right … and thank you.’
‘You are most welcome.’ His gaze met and held Dominique’s with sudden unguarded longing and, seeing by her rapt expression that she felt the same exquisite demand in her body too, he willed her to go find his sister before he dispensed with common sense entirely and persuaded, even begged her to come back to bed with him instead …
‘It is very sweet of you to want to buy my family gifts for Christmas, but they really do not expect it, you know!’ Stirring her coffee, Elena studied Dominique with a concerned frown as she sat across the table from her in the small busy café.
Glancing down at the two shiny carrier bags at her feet, Dominique sighed contentedly. She had taken enormous pleasure in spending the small amount of cash she had kept by for just this purpose, and would not be denied the satisfaction it gave her. The Spanish town was littered with the most individual and interesting little shops, selling everything from ceramics and lace to wood carvings and swords. The art of sword-making had not died out with their Moorish ancestors, Elena had told her. It still thrived today.
Browsing alone for a while, when Elena had left her to do some shopping of her own, Dominique had loved the sense of freedom and excitement it gave her. For once she was anticipating Christmas with something close to joy. Apart from being with Cristiano, she would also be spending it with people who genuinely desired her and her baby’s company and cared about their welfare. The small, inexpensive items she’d bought would not bowl anyone over, but it was the thought that counted,
