by Laura Iding
“Already?” Diana looked disappointed with the news. “But we’ve hardly had time to sightsee.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She did feel bad that Diana had been stuck babysitting Tommy. “Maybe tomorrow I can take Tommy to the hospital to visit Juliet, giving you time to go see the cathedral. I hear it’s spectacular.”
“All right. But what about Miguel? What’s he going to do?”
Good question. “I’m not sure, but I suspect he’ll come visit me and Tommy in Cambridge. After that, I just don’t know.”
Diana was silent for a moment. “Are you going to move to Seville?”
“No!” Kat stared at her friend in shock. “Of course not. What on earth gave you that idea?”
Before Diana could respond, Miguel and Tommy returned to the table. “We blowed things up,” Tommy said excitedly. “Bang, bang, bang!”
Kat grimaced and glanced at Miguel, who didn’t look the least bit repentant. “Tommy has very good hand-eye coordination,” he said proudly. “We scored many points.”
They left the restaurant a little while later so that Miguel could enjoy this time with his son. They went for a long walk, enjoying the warm night air.
When they returned to the hotel, Tommy was definitely looking tired. “I’ll take him upstairs, he’ll need a bath before bed,” Diana said.
Kat enjoyed giving Tommy his bath, but before she could utter a protest, Miguel spoke up. “Thank you, Diana. I have a few things to discuss with Katerina.”
“No problem,” Diana said with false brightness. “Say goodnight to your mom, Tommy.”
“G’night.” Tommy held out his chubby arms for a hug and a kiss. And then he shocked her by reaching over to give Miguel a hug and a kiss too.
“Goodnight, Tomas,” Miguel murmured, as he finally set Tommy down on the sidewalk.
They stood for several moments until Diana and Tommy had gone into the elevator of the hotel. Kat rubbed her hands over her arms, suddenly chilled in her short-sleeved blouse and Capri pants, uncertain what exactly Miguel wanted to talk about.
“Katerina, would you join me for a drink?” Miguel asked, as Fernando pulled up.
A drink? Or something more? The kiss they’d shared simmered between them and suddenly she knew he planned to pick up where they’d left off before Diana had interrupted them.
“Please?” He reached over to take her hand in his.
She hesitated, feeling much like she had four and a half years ago when Miguel had asked her out after losing their young patient. But she was older now, and wiser. She shouldn’t be a victim to her hormones.
When he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the center of her palm, her good intentions flew away.
“Yes, Miguel,” she murmured. “I’d love to.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIGUEL could barely hide the surge of satisfaction when Katerina agreed to have a drink with him. He took her hand and turned to head outside where Fernando was waiting inside the car parked out at the curb.
“Where are we going?” she asked, when they stepped outside into the warm night air.
“My place will provide us with the most privacy,” he murmured, gently steering her towards the car. When she stiffened against him, disappointment stabbed deep. “Unless you’d rather go somewhere else?”
He practically held his breath as she hesitated. Finally she shook her head and prepared to climb into the back seat of the car. “No, that’s okay. Your place is fine,” she agreed.
His relief was nearly overwhelming, and as he rounded the car to climb in beside her, it took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to instruct Fernando to break the speed limit to get to his apartment as soon as possible. Once he was seated beside her, he reached over and took her hand. “I want you to know, Katerina, I think you have done an amazing job with raising our son.”
She glanced at him in surprise. “For some reason, I keep expecting you to be angry with me.”
No, he was only angry with himself. “After tonight it is easier for me to understand your desire to protect Tomas from being hurt.” He’d been surprised at the strong surge of protectiveness he’d felt when he’d spent time with his son this evening. “But I hope you can also trust me enough to know I would never willingly do anything to upset him.”
“I do trust you, Miguel.” Her soft admission caused the tension to seep from his shoulders, allowing him to relax against the buttery-soft leather seats. “Somehow we’ll find a way to work this out.”
He wanted to do more than to just work things out, but he refrained from saying anything that might cause an argument, unwilling to risk ruining their fragile truce. He wanted this time they had together to be special. So he kept her hand in his, brushing his thumb across the silky smoothness of her skin.
Katerina was always beautiful to him, no matter what she wore. Even dressed casually, in a short-sleeved green blouse that matched her eyes and a pair of black knee-length leggings that displayed her shapely legs, she was breathtaking.
Fernando pulled up in front of his apartment and he reluctantly let her go in order to open the door to climb out. She didn’t say anything as they made their way up to his apartment. Once inside, he crossed over to the small kitchen. “What would you like to drink?” he asked.
“Um, a glass of red wine would be nice,” she said, clutching her hands together as if nervous.
“Excellent choice.” He pulled out a bottle of his favorite Argentinean wine from the rack and quickly removed the cork before pouring them two glasses. She stood awkwardly in the center of the living room as he approached and handed her the glass.
“I feel like I should make a toast,” he murmured as he handed her one glass and tipped his so that the rims touched. “To the most beautiful mother in the world.”
She blushed and rolled her eyes, taking a step backwards. “Exaggerate much?” she asked, her tone carrying an edge.
He wasn’t exaggerating at all, but he could see she was struggling to hold him at arm’s length, as if uncomfortable with drawing attention to herself. Or believing in herself.
That thought brought him up short, and he paused, wondering if his leaving so abruptly after their magical night together had caused her to lose some of her self-confidence.
If so, he’d wronged her in more ways than one.
“Katerina, why do you doubt my feelings?” he asked softly. “Surely my attraction to you is no secret by now. Four and a half years ago I succumbed to the keen awareness between us. And obviously that same attraction hasn’t faded over time.”
“But you still left,” she pointed out.
“Yes, but if my father hadn’t suffered his stroke, I’m sure that we would have continued to see each other.” He knew that he wouldn’t have possessed the strength to stay away. Even for her sake.
She eyed him over the rim of her wineglass. “You don’t know that, Miguel. Rumor amongst the O.R. staff was that you didn’t want any emotional attachments because you weren’t planning to stay in the U.S. I doubt that you would have changed your mind about that, even for me.”
He shouldn’t have been surprised to know his plans had been fodder for gossip, but he was. There had been many women who’d expressed interest in him, and he’d often used that line to avoid entanglements. “I can’t deny that I wasn’t planning to stay. I didn’t keep my dream of joining Doctors Without Borders a secret. And even then I was hesitant to start a relationship with an American.”
She looked shocked by his revelation. “Why?”
He wished he hadn’t gone down this path. “My mother was American and she wasn’t happy living here in Spain. But that part isn’t important now. Suffice it to say that had I stayed three more months to finish my trauma surgery fellowship, I would have been there when you discovered you were pregnant. If not for my father’s stroke, we could have handled things very differently.” He wasn’t sure exactly how, but at least he would have known about his son.
She stared at him for s
everal long moments. “Maybe. But playing the what-if game isn’t going to help. We can’t go back and change the past.”
“I don’t want to change the past, Katerina,” he countered. “I wouldn’t give up Tomas for anything. Yet this evening isn’t about our son. It is about you and me.”
Her lips parted in shock, making a small O, and she carefully set down her wineglass as if afraid she might drop it. “I don’t understand.”
Obviously he wasn’t being very articulate. “Perhaps you would allow me to show you what I mean instead.”
When she didn’t voice an objection, he stepped closer and drew her deliberately into his arms. He didn’t pounce but stared deep into her eyes so that she could read his intent and see the desire he felt for her. When she still didn’t utter a protest, he lowered his mouth to capture hers.
She held herself stiffly in his arms, and just when he thought she would push him away, she softened against him and opened her mouth, welcoming his kiss.
Desire thundered in his chest and he gathered her closer still, pulling her softness firmly against his hard muscles and tipping her head back so that he could explore her mouth more fully.
He forced himself to take his time, savoring the exotic taste, when all he really wanted to do was to rip their clothing out of the way so that he could explore every inch of her skin.
“Miguel,” she gasped, when he finally freed her mouth in order to explore the sexy curve of her jaw, the hollow behind her ear.
“Say yes, Katerina,” he murmured between kisses. He wanted to make love to her, right here, right now. “Say yes.”
He continued his leisurely exploration, kissing his way down her neck, dipping further to the enticing valley between her breasts, as if waiting for her answer wasn’t killing him.
“Yes, Miguel,” she whispered in a ragged voice, arching her back to give him better access to her breasts. “Yes!”
He didn’t trust his voice so he swept Katerina up into his arms and strode down the hall to his bedroom, hoping and praying that she wouldn’t change her mind.
* * *
Kat didn’t allow herself to second-guess her decision, every nerve-ending was on fire for Miguel. She hadn’t felt this way since their one and only night together. No other man made her feel as beautiful and desirable as Miguel did.
When he swept her into his arms, she pressed her mouth against the hollow in his neck, nipping and licking, savoring his scent and enjoying the way his arms tightened around her in response.
In his bedroom he flipped on a single lamp and then paused near the bed. He gently slid her body down the front of his so that she could feel the full extent of his desire. She shivered, but not with cold, when he unbuttoned her blouse and shoved the cotton fabric aside, revealing her sheer green bra and then ultimately the matching sheer green panties.
She was grateful she’d worn decent underwear, even though it didn’t stay on long. She should have felt self-conscious to be naked before him, but she wasn’t. His gaze devoured her as he quickly stripped off his own clothes.
“Katerina, mi amore,” he muttered as he gently placed her on his bed, before covering her body with his. “I don’t deserve you.”
She was pretty sure he had that backwards, but then she wasn’t thinking at all because he’d lowered his mouth to the tip of her breast. She writhed impatiently beneath him but he took his time, giving equal attention to both breasts before trailing kisses down her abdomen to her belly button. And then lower still.
There was a brief moment when she worried about the faint stretch marks along her lower abdomen, but when he swept long kisses over every single one, the last vestiges of doubt vanished. She was practically sobbing with need when he finally spread her legs and probed deep, making sure she was ready.
“Now, Miguel,” she rasped.
His dark eyes glittered with desire but he simply shook his head and dipped his head again, this time replacing his fingers with his tongue. Something he’d done that first time they’d made love.
Her orgasm hit fast and hard, deep shudders racking her body. He quickly rose up, rolled a condom on with one hand before he thrust deep, causing yet another orgasm to roll over her.
She was sure she couldn’t take much more, but he whispered to her in Spanish, lifting her hips so they fit more snugly together, gently encouraging her to match his rhythm. Slow and deep at first, and then faster and faster, until they simultaneously soared up and over the peak of pleasure.
* * *
Kat couldn’t move and not just because of Miguel’s body sprawled across hers. Every muscle in her body had the consistency of jelly, making it impossible to move even if she wanted to.
Which she didn’t.
After several long moments Miguel lifted himself up and rolled over, bringing her along with him, so that she was now lying fully against him. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart.
The chirping sound of a cellphone broke the silence and she froze, trying to remember if that was how her small disposable cellphone sounded. Was Diana calling because Tommy needed her? Maybe the dog bite on his arm was getting infected?
When Miguel muttered something in Spanish beneath his breath, she realized the call wasn’t for her. It was for him. There was a strong sense of déjà vu as she remembered the phone call he’d received the morning after the night they’d spent together. She forced herself to lift her head, to look at him. “Do you need to get that? Is that the hospital?”
“I’m not on call tonight,” he said with a dark scowl. “Whoever it is can wait.”
After several rings the phone went silent and she relaxed against him. When she shivered, he pulled up the sheet and blanket to cover her. She would have been happy to stay like this with him for the rest of the night, but she knew she should go back to the hotel in case Tommy needed her.
She couldn’t help thinking about what he’d revealed earlier about his mother being American and not liking it here in Spain. She’d known his mother had spoken fluent English, which had been how he’d picked up the language so quickly.
But what did this all mean about the future?
A loud buzzer sounded, echoing loudly across the apartment, startling her. Miguel muttered something rude before pulling away from her.
He fumbled for his clothing, pulling on his pants before heading out to answer the door. She was grateful he closed the bedroom door, giving her privacy.
She didn’t hesitate but quickly found her clothes and got dressed, hardly able to contain her curiosity about who’d come to Miguel’s home at ten o’clock at night. She crossed the room, trying to listen, unsure if she should go out there or not. When she heard a female voice speaking in rapid Spanish she froze, the blood draining from her face.
Was it possible that Miguel was actually involved with a woman after all?
* * *
Miguel wasn’t the least bit happy to see the woman his brother used to date standing on the other side of the door. He tried to rein in his temper. “What do you want, Corrina?”
“Luis is missing, Miguel. I need you to help me find him.”
Corrina was a pretty girl with dark wavy hair, who for some unknown, self-destructive reason was still hung up on his brother, despite the fact that Luis had broken her heart more than once.
“Come in,” he said rather ungraciously, stepping back to give her room to enter. “How do you know he’s missing?”
“He spent last night at my place but this morning he was gone. I’ve looked everywhere for him, Miguel. He’s not at home or working on the olive farm or at any of his usual hang-outs.” Corrina’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m afraid something has happened to him.”
He suppressed a sigh. His brother wasn’t exactly known for his tact and could very easily have been looking for an excuse to avoid Corrina. “Did you notify the police?”
“Yes, but they said there’s nothing they can do.” Corrina stared up at him defiantly.
“I know everyone thinks he’s avoiding me, but I don’t think so. Something is wrong, Miguel. I feel it here,” she said, dramatically putting her hand over her heart.
The concern in her eyes was real enough, but he didn’t share her fears. Besides, he didn’t want to end things so abruptly with Katerina. Not again. Not when their time here in Seville was so limited.
But then his bedroom door opened and Katerina emerged, fully dressed, and with a sinking heart he knew their evening had already come to an end. “Excuse me, I was just leaving,” she said, avoiding his gaze as she swung her purse over her shoulder and headed for the door.
“Katerina, wait. This is Corrina Flores, my brother’s girlfriend. It seems she believes Luis is missing.”
There was a flash of surprise on Katerina’s face and she paused, glancing back with concern. He realized she’d assumed the worst, believing Corrina was one of his former lovers. He was frustrated by her lack of trust yet at the same time grimly pleased that she cared enough to be jealous.
“Missing since when?” Katerina asked.
“Just since this morning. I’m sure he’s fine, there’s no need to rush off.” Selfishly, he wanted her to stay, needed her support as he looked for his brother.
She grimaced and toyed with the strap of her purse. “Actually, I really should go, Miguel. I want to be there in case Tommy wakes up. The dog bite may cause him some pain.”
He understood, even though he didn’t want to let her go. There was so much yet that they needed to discuss before he released Juliet to return home. He’d used the short time they’d had together to make love, rather than planning their future.
Something he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret.
“All right, let me call Fernando, he’ll drive you back to the hotel. Why don’t we plan to get together first thing in the morning? I’ll take you and Tommy out for breakfast and then we’ll visit your sister.”
“Ah, sure. But don’t bother Fernando this late,” she protested. “I’ll take the metro.”
“It’s no bother. He’s probably just finishing dinner and I’ll need his assistance myself, anyway.” He certainly wouldn’t allow her to go back to the hotel alone. And as much as he wanted to spend more time with Katerina, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore Corrina’s concerns about Luis.
