Spanish Passions (Friends Forever Book 2)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Damn it, why hadn’t he gone after her? Why hadn’t he followed his instincts and found her? Demanded an explanation?

  The same answer came back to him: his father.

  Thinking back to those days before he’d come home and discovered Natalie had left him, he realized now that he’d been wrong. Wrong to not go after her, wrong to have dumped her into the middle of his life and assumed she would know how to thrive, and wrong to have listened to his father.

  They’d had a contentious relationship for years. His father had clung to the reins of control so tightly in his younger days that Javier had finally gone off and started his own business enterprises, to the fury of his father who demanded that his son follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and take over the family businesses. Back then, Javier had been too focused on starting his own empire to wait around for his father to hand over control of the immense Vasquez holdings. Javier’s father had argued long and hard about Javier’s rightful place, the correct path, etcetera. Javier had simply done what he wanted.

  Just as he’d done with Natalie, but whereas his business had thrived, growing larger than even his father’s inherited holdings, Natalie had not. As he walked into his hotel, he berated himself for listening to a man who had kept things the way he wanted them for too long.

  Realizing that he was, again, making assumptions before confronting the person in question, he pulled back on some of the plans wandering through his brain. One thing was clear though, he had to ensure that Natalie and Alejandro were well taken care of.

  Towards that goal, he called up his lawyer, unconcerned about waking the man up at this hour. After thirty minutes of discussing his requirements, he hung up the phone, satisfied that Natalie and his son would be well cared for no matter what happened to him.

  The next several phone calls were other plans he knew needed to be put in place. By the time his father was awake, everything was ready. Solidified, just in case.

  Chapter 4

  Natalie had just fallen asleep when the door to her bedroom slammed open and a small bundle of cheerful excitement threw himself on top of her. Alejandro’s tiny body, now plastered against her, wiggled with hope, excitement, and fear as he looked up at Natalie. “Do you think he’ll come back? Do you think he liked me yesterday? If I’m very good today, do you think he’ll come back again tomorrow?”

  His words and fears abruptly banished Natalie’s exhaustion. Nothing mattered but reassuring her little guy that he was worthy, even if his father was an ass.

  Natalie wrapped her arms around her tiny man, hugging him closely. “Honey, you are the very best boy in the whole world! I don’t want you to do anything differently other than be yourself.” She pushed his unruly curls off his forehead so she could look into his dark eyes. “Your father loves you, but I don’t know if he’ll have time to be here again today. He’s a very busy man,” she told her son, trying to ease him into the possibility that Javier might not be back today. She had no idea what his plans were, what he might do. “He lives in Spain, you know, which is far away.”

  Alejandro pushed himself up so that he was straddling her. “Yeah, but…”

  The doorbell rang, interrupting whatever he might have said. With a whoop of delight, he bolted off the bed. In his usual fashion, he sprinted out of her bedroom at top speed.

  Panicking, Natalie pushed the sheets and blankets off, trying to stop him from answering the door. “Alejandro, don’t open the…”

  She came around the corner and skidded to a stop, watching her tiny son grin excitedly up at Javier as the bigger man stepped into the house, his arms loaded down with bags.

  Javier’s eyes moved down her figure, noting the thin tee shirt and bare legs, then skimmed back up, lingering where her breasts stretched the soft material, her nipples hardening and pressing against the fabric.

  “Good morning,” he greeted, his voice dropping into a purr as he finally lifted his eyes up to meet her own. “Didn’t get much sleep, eh?” he asked.

  Natalie huffed a bit as she pressed one knee against the other, trying to hide the fact that she was wearing only plain, cotton underwear underneath the thin tee-shirt.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to hide her breasts and her body’s obvious response to his presence.

  “You and my son are here. Where else would I be?”

  Her only response was a slight quirk of an eyebrow.

  His deep laughter caused all of those old, familiar tingles to pour through her body. She pretended like she wasn’t affected by that sound, but they both knew that she was and those dark, dangerous eyes again took in her luscious figure.

  Natalie rolled her eyes even as she reached into the coat closet, pulling a long coat out and slipping it on. When she looked back at him, she shrugged. “I don’t have a robe,” she admitted.

  Alejandro, not wanting to be left out, bounced up and down. “Are you here to stay? You wanna play on my swing set? I could show you how to kick a ball! I’m really good at soccer, but Momma says I’m too young for any of the teams even though I’m big enough.”

  Javier glanced down at his son, and squatted down to his level. “I don’t know how long I can stay, but I promise to let you know before I leave. And maybe,” he glanced up at Natalie, “you could come with me and I could show you my home.”

  Alejandro was in heaven, his cheeks straining to grin wide enough. Turning to Natalie, he bounced up and down. “Can I Momma?”

  Natalie put a hand on his curly hair. “I think your father and I have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll make your breakfast?”

  Alejandro turned to look at his dad. “You wanna have breakfast with us? Momma makes oatmeal.” His nose squinched up. “She only lets me put raisins in to make it better. Mickey’s mom lets him have brown sugar.”

  Javier chuckled as he ruffled Alejandro’s hair. “Your mother is very smart. Brown sugar isn’t as healthy as raisins and they are actually sweeter than sugar.”

  Alejandro considered that for a moment before nodding his head. “Will you have raisins in your oatmeal with me?”

  Javier laughed. “Only if it is okay with your mom.”

  Both of them looked up at her and Natalie could have sworn that Javier was teasing her. “Fine!” she grumbled. “Now please go get dressed, honey.”

  Alejandro frowned at Javier. “You won’t go away, will you?”

  Javier shook his head, serious now and understanding the gravity of his son’s question. “I will be here. Maybe you can show me how to make oatmeal?”

  Alejandro’s happiness was back with that reassurance and he nodded enthusiastically. With another whoop, he sprinted down the hallway to his bedroom.

  Amid drawer slams and a few childish grunts, Natalie watched warily as Javier stood up. How had he moved closer? She started to step away, but his hand reached out to stop her. “Why didn’t you sleep?” he asked, a long finger gently touching the dark circles under her eyes.

  She shrugged, pulling the coat closer even though she was becoming a bit too warm. “That seems like a stupid question, Javier. You suddenly burst into my life and I have no idea about your intentions. I don’t know if you’re going to break my son’s heart or…”

  “I won’t hurt him,” he vowed. “He’s my son as well.”

  She glared up at him, shaking her head. “Only biologically,” she argued. “You have a long way to go before you can earn the title of ‘father’.” She dared him to challenge that assertion.

  “You’re right,” he replied, surprising her. “But I’m up to the challenge.” He moved even closer. “By the way, I spoke with my lawyers last night after leaving here. You and Alejandro will never want for anything again. I’ve set up a trust fund for Alejandro and you will be receiving a monthly amount to cover expenses. You can use that money for anything you need. If it isn’t enough, for any reason, I will provide more.” He named a sum that was four times her annual
salary.

  “Per month?” she gasped.

  He nodded his head. “Yes. That’s just the monthly amount. I’ve included a lump sum for you as well.”

  She stood stiffly beside him, shaking her head. “Take it back, Javier! I don’t want your money.”

  He chuckled. “You might not want it, but my son deserves it. I’m not one of those fathers who will deny my son. I’m a wealthy man, Natalie. You know this.”

  She was trembling with anger. “You can’t buy his affection, Javier! He’s not for sale. Nor am I!”

  He moved even closer. “I’m not trying to buy you, Natalie. I didn’t in the past and I won’t in the future. The money is for you and Alejandro and is not contingent on anything you decide to do or not do about my relationship with my son. It is for his benefit and for you. Period.”

  She’d known he was a generous man, but even so, that much money was…she didn’t know how to handle so much wealth. “Take it back!” she maintained, horrified and stunned.

  He leaned even closer, his eyes filled with amusement and daring. “No,” he said simply.

  Alejandro broke the spell as he raced back to them, his eyes glowing at his father with youthful zeal. “I’m ready,” he announced, lifting his arms out wide and showing both parents that he’d gotten dressed all by himself.

  Natalie looked down at Alejandro, then at Javier, both of whom looked back at her. With a huff of resentment, she spun around. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  She resisted the urge to slam her bedroom door but she hurried around the room, grabbing a clean pair of jeans, underwear and sweatshirt. She was relieved that it was Saturday and she didn’t have to worry about finding a substitute for her classes today. Two days out was bad enough.

  She hurried into the bathroom to shower, haphazardly washing her hair and body before rushing to dress. She didn’t understand her worry, but it spurred her to faster action. She denied that she was trying to hurry so that she could spend time with Javier and her son. That was ridiculous.

  Even so, she pulled on her jeans, tripping slightly when her wet feet caught against the soft denim. She pulled a brush through her hair and gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked like death!

  Quickly, she hurried back into her bedroom and added a touch of makeup, concealing the dark circles under her eyes, adding lipstick so she didn’t look so sickly and pale. Then, since she was already doing so much, she picked up her blow dryer and dried her hair, something she rarely did because she never had time for it. Alejandro was such a bundle of energy, he didn’t have the patience to wait for her to dry her hair. Normally, she simply twisted it up into a bun and she was ready.

  When her hair was dried, she looked at her reflection critically. She’d lost a lot of weight since she’d last seen Javier. The jeans were a pair she’d owned since before meeting him. Now, they were threadbare in certain areas and hung from her body. She hadn’t had a haircut in…well, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had her hair trimmed. Natalie had eliminated a lot of expenses from her life, needing to feed and clothe a growing baby then toddler.

  She thought of Javier’s money offer, but shook her head. No, she wasn’t going there. She wouldn’t spend that money. Not for anything. If there was something Alejandro needed, she’d go to Javier. She wasn’t touching his money. Not for herself.

  But the idea of not having to sell Charlie to finance Alejandro’s school tuition would be wonderful. Her heart ached at the idea of not having that big guy in her life. She and Alejandro loved riding that big beast over the weekend, and Charlie was always careful around Alejandro. He never raced as fast or as hard when she had her son on her lap.

  Stepping out of her bedroom, she smelled something burning. Racing into the kitchen, she stopped as she caught sight of Alejandro in Javier’s arm, both males looking down into what was now a black pot. It hadn’t been black yesterday, but the crud at the bottom looked…adhered.

  “What happened?” she asked, trying to smother her amusement at the matching looks of horrified confusion on their faces.

  Javier turned, keeping Alejandro secure with one arm, which only showed how strong he was. Alejandro might be only three years old, but he was solid! It took both of her arms to hold him now and even then, she was starting to struggle.

  “We tried to make breakfast,” Alejandro announced, his arm tightening around his father’s neck. “It doesn’t look the same, Momma.”

  Natalie glanced from her son’s dejected features to the blackened, ruined pot, trying hard not to laugh. He looked so adorably upset by the minor catastrophe. “Well, maybe it just needed a little less time on the stove. Want me to try?”

  He nodded, leaning his forehead against Javier’s shoulder to hide his face. Obviously, the two had bonded over their mess.

  Ignoring the tearing pain ripping through her at her son’s transference of affection, she pulled out another pot, busying herself with making more oatmeal. Once the water was boiling on the stove, she poured in the oatmeal, then grabbed several bananas and sliced them up, arranging them on a plate before setting it on the table. Natalie tried to focus all of her attention on making breakfast, brewing the coffee, and trying to clean up the previous mess, but she was painfully conscious of Javier watching her every move. When she reached up to grab a thermos from over the fridge, she couldn’t quite reach it. A split second later, she felt his hot, sizzling hand on the bare skin of her back as he stepped up to reach the thermos for her. “Trying to get this?” he asked, way too close for her peace of mind.

  She looked up at him, green eyes clashing with dark brown. She could barely breathe, wondering if he was feeling the tingling as well. Surely not, she thought. He’d probably been with numerous women over the past four years, forgetting about her as soon as she’d left the castle. But Natalie hadn’t been on a date since…well, before she’d met Javier. Before she’d met him, she’d been in her last semester of school and had focused almost all her energy on getting through her classes. After meeting him, no other man had measured up. Besides, she’d been suffering from a broken heart and low self-esteem brought on by his father’s harsh words and judgment. According to Juan Pablo, Natalie had never measured up, never dressed properly or acted appropriately to his way of thinking.

  Finding herself pregnant, unmarried, in her last few months of school and trying to get over Javier had left little time for social engagements. Not to mention, there weren’t a whole lot of men out there willing to take on the role of father to an active baby or toddler.

  Shaking off her thoughts, she reminded herself that she’d done a good job of raising Alejandro. She was an excellent Spanish teacher and a good mother. Alejandro might not have all the luxuries that Javier could provide, but her little guy knew that he was loved. She’d compensated for a lack of toys by giving him extra hugs, lots of reading time where they snuggled up together, and shared stories. She knew that her attention was much more important than the toys or material things anyway.

  Alejandro was smart, brilliant even, and well adjusted. And he was cute, adorable, healthy, and full of energy.

  When she turned around to put bowls of oatmeal in front of the two of them, she froze, realizing that they were both staring at her with the same strange look in their eyes.

  “What?”

  “Is she always like this?” Javier asked Alejandro in a stage whisper.

  Alejandro, the darling traitor, smacked his hand over his mouth, trying and failing to stifle his giggles. “No. Only when she’s mad or worried about something,” he explained.

  Natalie stared at her son, wondering how a three year old could be so intuitive. “I’m not mad,” she asserted, only lying a little bit.

  “Then she’s worried. She gets short like this when one of her students starts acting up or she’s about to give a big test.”

  Javier’s dark eyebrow lifted, but Natalie wasn’t sure if the gesture was because his son was so insightful or becaus
e he was silently asking what she was worried about. Either way, she didn’t have an answer for him. Natalie wasn’t very good at reading human emotions, so she didn’t understand how her son could know exactly what was going on. He should be trying to figure out how to build with blocks, not deciphering human emotions better than his mother.

  In response, Natalie thunked the bowls down in front of both of them. The raisins were already on the table, along with cups of coffee for the grownups and the bananas. “Eat before your oatmeal gets cold,” she said sternly to Alejandro. She grabbed her own oatmeal and sat down in the only other chair, which just happened to be too close to Javier. It didn’t matter that she wanted to move away. There wasn’t any place to move to, since her kitchen was so small. It was just…well, her whole house was small. She wasn’t going to apologize for that. She knew that Javier lived in a castle, literally - an ancient castle, when he was home. During the week, he lived in his penthouse apartment in Barcelona, a penthouse that took up the top two stories of a building…a building that he also owned.

  So yeah, she knew that the space might be cramped, but it wasn’t when it was just herself and Alejandro. Maybe when he got older and…her eyes glanced up at Javier, then quickly away when she realized that he was watching her carefully, even while listening attentively to whatever Alejandro was telling him, which wasn’t really all that much. After shocking both of them with his insightfulness, her son had reverted back to his normal three year old self and was rambling on about something that went from a truck to a robot…she had no idea what that was, but apparently, the preschool teachers had brought them into his classroom to help him. They acted like a puzzle, according to Alejandro.