‘The water is wonderful. Not too hot and not too cool.’
‘Oh, good.’
She summoned a smile but it wasn’t easy to control the surge her pulse gave. It was the first time she had seen him wearing swimming trunks and he was an arresting sight. His body was firm and well muscled, the thick dark hair that covered his chest arrowing down and disappearing into the waistband of his black trunks.
She felt incredibly self-conscious as she pulled her T-shirt over her head and dropped it on the grass. She could feel him watching her as she sat on the side of the pool, and wished that she had something more glamorous to wear than the modest blue swimsuit which she had bought from a local charity shop. It was a relief to slide into the water and hide herself from view, although the coolness of it took her breath away.
‘I thought you said it wasn’t cold!’
‘It isn’t. It only feels that way because you are so hot.’ He smiled at her, his eyes playing over her face before they dropped to her body.
Becky felt a shiver run through her that owed itself less to the chilly water than to the intent scrutiny he was subjecting her to. And yet when his eyes came back to her face they were so full of warmth that she was instantly flooded with heat again. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he’d liked what he’d seen, unglamorous swimsuit notwithstanding.
She ducked under the water, afraid that he would guess how that made her feel. It helped to cool her down, probably too much, because she was shivering when she surfaced.
Felipe frowned when he saw her shiver. ‘You really are cold. Come, I shall race you to the other end of the pool. That will help you to warm up.’
‘You’re on,’ she agreed, and swam as fast as she could to the other end. She was halfway there when she realised that Felipe was swimming alongside her, although he made no attempt to overtake her. She caught hold of the handrail, dragging in a lungful of air because she was so out of breath although Felipe wasn’t even breathing hard.
‘You let me win. You could easily have beaten me if you’d tried.’
‘Perhaps. But at least it helped you to warm up, didn’t it, Rebecca?’ He gave her a quick smile then dived under the water and swam to the opposite end of the pool.
Becky sighed as she set off at a more sedate pace. There was no doubt that his attitude towards her had undergone a massive change, but could she be sure that he would understand if she told him the truth about Josh? She was tempted, very tempted, but she needed to be sure that she was doing the right thing.
The thought stayed with her as she swam up and down the pool. She wasn’t a strong swimmer so she turned onto her back after a couple of lengths and let herself drift. Night was drawing in and the sky was turning black. The garden was secluded and there was little noise beyond the faint drone of traffic passing along the main road.
It was soothing to float in the water and she gradually felt herself relax. Maybe she was making things too difficult. Maybe she should stop looking for problems and trust her instincts…
‘Come, Rebecca, we have been in the water quite long enough. I would not like you to catch a chill.’
She jumped when Felipe appeared beside her, beating at the water in sudden panic when she felt herself starting to sink. He put his arms around her and drew her against him, supporting her while she got her breath back.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said contritely. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’
‘I didn’t realise I was in the deep end,’ she murmured, because it was impossible to form the words any more clearly.
She took another breath as the water lapped around them but it did very little to help. Felipe needed to kick his legs to keep them both afloat, and each time she felt his muscular thighs touching hers a little more air escaped from her body instead of entering it.
‘You were daydreaming,’ he said softly, his deep voice sounding oddly strained. He kicked once again and she stiffened when she felt his hips brushing hers this time, felt the way his body responded immediately to the contact. Her eyes rose to his face and she knew that he could see the awareness they held.
‘Felipe…’
‘No. Don’t say anything. There is no need because I understand how you feel. Or I hope I do.’ His smile was tender and oddly hesitant, as though he was no longer sure about anything any more.
It touched her to know that this proud, confident man could have doubts. At that moment all she wanted to do was reassure him, make him understand that she had never set out to hurt him, yet there wasn’t any way to do that unless she told him the truth, and that was the one thing she couldn’t do. Not yet. It was that last thought which prompted her to do what she did next.
She slid her arms around his neck and pulled his head down so that she could kiss him. There was a moment when she felt him tense, when she wondered if he would resist, and then he was bending towards her. Their mouths met softly then drew apart. Becky could feel her heart drumming and knew that he could feel it, too, but there was nothing she could do about it.
The water lapped around them, pushing them together then drawing them apart, and it was the sweetest kind of torment to feel his body, so hard and strong, brushing against hers. When Felipe removed one hand from her waist and placed it gently at the side of her neck so that he could tilt her face up, she shuddered and felt the answering ripple that ran through him.
She gave a sharp little moan when she felt his lips closing over hers and tasted their sweetness, their coolness. And yet beneath the chill caused by the water there was heat, such heat that it seemed to flare along her veins and burn her up until it felt as though her whole body was consumed by it.
He dragged his mouth away from hers and his eyes were filled with such passion that she started shivering uncontrollably despite the heat that was flowing through her limbs. ‘I want you so much, Rebecca, but I will not do anything you don’t want me to do. Tell me to stop if that is what you want.’
‘It…it isn’t.’ Her voice barely carried above the sound of the water slapping against the sides of the pool. She swallowed hard, feeling the knot of tension and desire clogging her throat. ‘I don’t want you to stop, Felipe. Please.’
He gave a rough little laugh as he pulled her to him, his hands firm on her hips as he held her against him and let her feel his desire for her. ‘Then your wish shall be granted, querida.’
Becky clung to him as passion rose and swelled inside her again just as the water swelled around them. When she felt his hands sliding up her body she bit her lip then gasped when she felt his fingers move inside the cups of her swimsuit and brush her nipples. When he suddenly lifted her up in the water and placed his mouth to the taut little buds she closed her eyes.
Every bit of her seemed to be consumed by what was happening as wave after wave of sensation flowed through her, weakening her limbs, making her tremble. When he let her slide back down into the water and into his arms, she couldn’t have kept herself afloat if he hadn’t been holding her. It took her a moment before she realised that he was speaking.
‘I’m sorry….?’
‘Josh is crying. Listen.’
Becky took a deep breath as she heard the thin little wail coming from the speaker she had set up on the patio. ‘I…I’d better go and see if he’s all right.’
‘Sí.’ Felipe kept his arms around her waist and his eyes were very dark as he looked at her, full of tenderness. ‘Do you need help to swim to the steps, Rebecca?’
‘I…No. Thank you. I can manage.’
She summoned a smile but the speed with which everything had happened had shocked her. How could she have let it happen again after last night? How could Felipe, because he had been just as willing a participant in what had gone on. His passion had been equally great as hers had been.
The thought sent a tremor coursing through her. It took every scrap of strength she possessed to swim to the steps and climb out of the pool. Dragging on her T-shirt, she hurried into the villa and went to check on Josh.
He was hot and thirsty so she sponged him down and changed him, then gave him a drink of water. He was still a little fretful so she took him into her room and laid him on her bed while she changed out of the wet swimsuit into her nightdress.
Picking him up again, she carried him to the window and looked out across the darkened gardens. The pool lights were still on and as she watched she saw Felipe getting out of the water. For a moment he was caught in the glow from the lights and she felt her heart catch as she looked at him standing there, so tall and strong, so handsome and desirable.
She wanted him so much that it was like a fever in her blood. She wanted to run outside and pour out the whole story, trust that he would understand so that they could find the happiness she knew could be theirs. She’d seen how he’d looked at her, felt how he’d wanted her, knew that they could have something so wonderful, so magical that it would last the whole of their lives and beyond.
She wanted to tell him the truth, but she didn’t dare.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘AND there was a phone call from the Clinica Rosada, Dr Valdez. The director was expecting you to call him yesterday to finalise the arrangements for the conference next month.’
‘I’m afraid I forgot.’ Felipe saw the surprise in his secretary’s eyes and bit back a sigh. It simply wasn’t like him to forget anything that concerned his work so it was no wonder she was shocked.
He picked up his diary, not wanting to dwell on the reason he had overlooked the call. It wouldn’t help to admit that his mind was so full of thoughts of Rebecca that he found it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
‘Contact his secretary and ask her to schedule a call for this afternoon around three. I should be finished in Theatre by then. And, please, make sure that letters of confirmation are sent to everyone who has expressed an interest in attending the conference.’
‘I have done that already, Dr Valdez. I left them on your desk yesterday for you to sign,’ his secretary reminded him primly.
‘So you did. Thank you. That will be all for now.’
Felipe managed to hide his dismay until the woman had left, but it worried him that he had forgotten about signing the letters. It just proved how abstracted he had been of late.
He got up and went to the window, thinking about what had happened last night in the pool. He knew that if Josh hadn’t woken, he and Rebecca would have ended up in bed together. But would that have been the right thing to do?
He smiled thinly. Right or wrong hadn’t entered into it. The moment he’d taken her in his arms he hadn’t been able to think of anything apart from making love to her. He ached to hold her even now, and that was why he’d left the villa early that morning before she’d got up. He hadn’t trusted himself not to try to carry on where they’d left off, but he had to be sensible until he had spoken to the solicitor in London. Once everything was cleared up, he could do what he wanted most and make her a permanent part of his life.
He could no longer deny that was what he desired more than anything so he didn’t try. He had fallen head over heels in love with Rebecca and he wanted her in his life from now till eternity. He hadn’t planned on it happening, certainly hadn’t expected it to, but it was a fact. He loved her and he sensed that she felt the same about him.
Felipe went back to his desk when the phone rang, feeling his heart lift when his secretary informed him that there was a call for him from London. He found himself smiling as he told her to put it through because it seemed propitious that it should have happened then.
Maybe he would be able to solve the last bit of the puzzle sooner than he’d expected, although it couldn’t be soon enough as far as he was concerned. He had a future to plan, a future with Rebecca and Josh.
How very right it felt to know that he would be able to take care of his brother’s child.
‘You will need to pop up to the administration department and fill in the insurance claim forms. Once that’s done you can take Christopher back to the hotel.’
Becky smiled at the little boy. ‘You feel a lot better today, don’t you, sweetheart?’
Christopher gave her a shy little smile although he didn’t say anything. Becky guessed that he’d been a bit scared about having to stay in the hospital on his own, despite the fact that the nurses on duty had lavished attention on him. To be honest, she didn’t have much time to spare for his parents after the callous way they’d treated the child, but she tried not to let her feelings show when Michael Thomas drew her aside.
‘I thought all this treatment was free because we’re in the EU,’ he demanded.
‘There is a reciprocal arrangement between EU countries for basic health care, but it doesn’t cover everything,’ she explained politely. ‘The administration department will sort it all out if you have a word with them. You’ll need to take a copy of your insurance certificate with you. The tour company should have issued you with one before you left England.’
‘We didn’t buy insurance off the holiday company. It was too expensive.’
Michael was starting to look very uneasy. Becky frowned because she couldn’t understand why he had a problem with what should have been a routine matter. ‘So you took out a separate policy? That isn’t a problem…’
‘We didn’t buy any insurance,’ he snapped, glaring at her. ‘I couldn’t see any point in wasting money when there was no need.’
She bit back a sigh. ‘Then I’m afraid that you’ll have to pay the bill for any treatment outside of the basics yourself, Mr Thomas. Do you have a credit card with you?’ She carried on when he nodded, not giving him the chance to say anything else. ‘You will be able to pay the bill with that, then.’
She left him standing there, glaring after her. If it had been anyone else she might have felt a certain sympathy, but not after the way he’d treated his son. She made her way to the nurses’ room and poured herself a cup of coffee. It was time for the morning break and there were several other nurses already in there.
She exchanged a few words with them then decided to take her drink onto the terrace. Frankly, she felt as though she needed a bit of breathing space to think about what had happened the night before. Not that it would help her decide what to do, of course. She wanted to tell Felipe the truth but she was afraid. End of story.
She found a sheltered spot on the terrace and sat on a bench to drink her coffee. She’d been surprised when she’d discovered that Felipe had already left the villa by the time she and Josh had got up. Maybe he’d had an urgent call, although she hadn’t heard the telephone ringing. She was just wondering what had happened to him when he appeared, and she laughed.
‘I was just thinking about you!’
‘Indeed? I wonder what you were plotting this time, Rebecca.’
‘Plotting?’ she echoed. She looked at him in confusion and felt her heart sink when she saw the expression on his face. He was looking at her as though she were a stranger, someone he barely knew.
She rose unsteadily to her feet, feeling her legs trembling. ‘What’s happened, Felipe? Why are you looking at me like that after…?’ She bit her lip. Did she really want to remind him of last night and the way he’d held her, kissed her, loved her?
Her mind stalled on that word because nobody could look at another person this way and feel love for them.
‘After what we did last night? Come, Rebecca, why are you shy to talk about it? You certainly weren’t shy at the time as I recall. You were only too willing to let me enjoy your beautiful body, and it didn’t happen just the once either. Was the first time to whet my appetite and the second to get me completely under your spell? I really am interested to hear the answer, querida.’
‘I have no idea what this is all about, but I don’t intend to stand here and let you insult me.’ She spun on her heel but he was too fast for her. She stopped dead when he stepped in front of her.
‘I apologise. I did not come to insult you, Rebecca. I came because I need you to answer a
question for me.’
His voice sounded so cold, so distant that it was impossible not to compare it to the way he had spoken to her the night before. Then his voice had been full of warmth and desire, echoing with unspoken promises that made her heart race even now to recall it. It made it doubly difficult to understand what was happening.
‘What question? I don’t understand…’
‘Why did you tell me that you are Josh’s mother when it was a lie?’
Felipe saw the colour drain from her face and he felt nothing, neither pleasure nor pain. He felt too numb to feel anything. He heard her drag in a little air and still he felt nothing. All his emotions seemed to have died slowly, agonisingly, when the solicitor had told him the truth at last, that Rebecca wasn’t the mother of his brother’s child.
‘How did you find—?’
He gave a sharp downward thrust of his hand which silenced her. ‘It does not matter how I found out, it is what I found out. Josh is indeed Antonio’s son, but he isn’t yours. His real mother is Tara Lewis. It is her name on Josh’s birth certificate, and before you try to deny it I must warn you that Antonio’s solicitor has faxed me a copy of the document.’
He gave a small shrug, knowing that he couldn’t bear it if she tried to lie to him again. ‘Evidently, he needed to see Josh’s birth certificate when he drew up the papers appointing you as the child’s guardian. He kept a copy of it for his records.’
‘Then there would be no point in me trying to deny it, would there?’
The bleakness in her voice seemed to penetrate the numbing layer that had enveloped him and his hands clenched because he didn’t want to feel anything at the moment. All he wanted was to get the facts straight and then decide what he should do.
‘Tara Lewis gave birth to Josh and subsequently she and Antonio signed papers appointing you as his guardian,’ he said flatly. ‘Why? That’s the only thing I am interested in at the moment.’
‘Because Antonio knew that I would always look after Josh.’ Once again she had to struggle to drag in a little air, and another pain pierced the wall around his heart.
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