“There was every need for me to marry Cassandra,” he said, his tone brooking no argument.
Michael opened his mouth, then closed it briefly, as if deciding to take a different tack. “Look, we know you did it for Nicole’s sake, but—”
“Cassandra and I were both happy to do it,” Dominic cut across his father. “Don’t doubt that.”
“But darling, you could get an annulment,” Laura said quickly, making it clear she didn’t think they would have already slept together. “We’d be very happy to pay her a lump sum. It would make up for any money she loses from Liam’s will.”
The words stabbed at Cassandra’s heart. It was like she wasn’t even in the room, not to mention how much of an insult this was to her. She couldn’t take much more from this family.
“So I’m to be a bought woman now?” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
“Aren’t you that already?”
Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath. “I can’t believe you said that, Laura.”
Laura at least had the grace to wince. “I—”
“Enough,” Dominic snapped in a low, harsh voice. “Mum, Dad, listen to me. Cassandra is my wife now whether you like it or not. I suggest you learn to accept it or—”
“Or what, son?” Michael faced him off.
Two strong men.
Dominic’s eyes darkened dangerously. “Don’t force me to make a choice, Dad. Nicole is our main concern. If you want to be a part of her life, then you’ll have to learn to live with her mother.”
There was a moment’s shocked silence.
Laura’s face twisted with anguish. “But she turned Liam against us, Dominic. And now she’s turning you against us, as well.”
Cassandra gasped. “I didn’t. I’m not,” she mumbled, stunned, seeing Dominic give her a slight shake of his head, telling her to stay out of this. Oh, God. Wasn’t she even allowed to defend herself against these people?
“It might be a good idea for you to go make the coffee,” Dominic suggested. “But—”
“Make the coffee, Cassandra,” he said firmly. “Please.”
It was the please that did it. She glanced briefly at Nicole playing happily in the playpen, then left the room, unable to look at the others. She couldn’t.
In the kitchen she refilled the coffeepot and turned it on, her movements automatic. Then she went to the sliding patio door and stood looking out over the swimming pool. She could hear the murmur of voices coming from the living room, but she didn’t want to know. It was clear what they all thought of her.
It hadn’t always been this way between them. That was the hardest part to take. If they’d been against her from the beginning, instead of making her feel like a part of the family… If she hadn’t fallen in love with them on sight…then this wouldn’t be so hard to take now. She loved Laura and Michael, and now she felt betrayed by them.
Worse, it was apparent they reciprocated the feeling. They blamed her for many things, and she could only blame Liam for that. Liam, who’d been jealous of her relationship with them from the start. Liam, who’d later taken every opportunity to twist things around to make her look bad. Liam, who’d wanted her to have his baby, then shunned her and Nicole when he insisted on going home to die. And finally, Liam who’d forced her to marry his brother.
To give Nicole a Roth upbringing?
Or to make her life a misery?
“Is the coffee ready yet?”
She spun around. “What! Oh, yes.”
Dominic stared at her across the width of the kitchen, some sort of indefinable emotion in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.” She stood there, trying to compose herself. It wasn’t easy pushing her thoughts aside when she’d just been knocked down so hard by his parents.
“I’m sorry about what they said back there.”
She blinked. She was grateful he’d stood up to his parents, she really was, but it hadn’t been for her benefit at all. Not even a little bit. Dominic had made love to her last night, but he really hadn’t changed his opinion of her. She doubted he ever would.
She angled her chin, aware that staying angry helped her to cope. “Why? It’s only what you were thinking yourself.”
His mouth tightened. Those blue eyes of his turned cold. “Whatever I think isn’t important right now. I married you, Cassandra, and we’re going to stay married. So let that be the end of it.”
Her insides ached at the circumstances that had brought them to this. She had to accept that her situation wasn’t going to change.
She gave a sharp nod. “I’ll be there shortly.”
He held her gaze a moment more, then turned and left the room. Somehow she made herself move. She had to make the coffee and she had to walk back in that living room and face far more hostility than she’d ever imagined. Ye Gods! What had she ever done to deserve this?
Then she remembered Nicole. Forced to marry Dominic or not, she had done the right thing for her daughter. Nicole would have her birthright. Nicole would be raised a Roth. And if Liam’s intention had been to make her own life a misery because of it, then she would cope.
She always had.
She always would.
When she came back in the living room, Laura gave a stiff smile. “I’d like to apologize for what I said before, Cassandra. I was out of line.”
She almost dropped the tray of coffee. Cassandra exchanged a quick glance with Dominic, aware he would have put his mother up to this. All the same, just this small thing made her feel better. “Thank you, Laura.”
“I was out of line, too,” Michael added, a tight look about his features that reminded her of Dominic. “I’d like to apologize, as well.”
Cassandra tried to give an impersonal nod. “Thank you, Michael,” she said, but she was glad she could occupy herself with handing out the coffee. She didn’t want them to see the tears pricking the back of her eyes. She yearned to be friends with them again, but that was something she couldn’t let them see.
Once they were all settled with their coffee, it was Dominic who spoke first. “So, Dad, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
His father gave a half smile. “Are you trying to get rid of us, son?”
Dominic gave an equally short smile. “Not at all. I was merely going to ask if you wanted to stay for lunch.”
Michael shook his head. “Thank you, but your mother and I need to head back to Melbourne shortly.”
Just then, Nicole babbled something and everyone’s head swiveled toward the playpen, where her daughter played happily with her toys. She looked so cute that Cassandra’s heart surged with love.
“Oh, look at that little poppet,” Laura said, putting her cup down on the coffee table. “I have to give her a cuddle. I—” The older woman went to get to her feet, turned pale, then sat back down.
“Mum?” Dominic got to his feet.
Michael leaned closer to his wife. “Honey, you’ve lost all color.”
Laura put out a hand, taking a moment to speak. “I’m fine. I just felt faint all of a sudden.”
“Are you sure?” Michael asked, frowning.
She swallowed. “Don’t fuss, darling. I’m okay.”
“You’ve got some color back now,” Dominic said, studying her with concern. “Things have been too much for you, Mum. I insist that you both stay here overnight before heading back to Melbourne.”
“Oh, but—”
“No buts. You’ve just driven over two hours to get here. You don’t need to turn right around and go straight back.”
“Dominic’s right,” Michael said. “I think it may be too much for you. And for me, too, seeing we didn’t bring our chauffeur,” he added for good measure. “Besides, we did bring an overnight bag in case we decided to stay somewhere.”
Laura bit her lip. “But we don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t be intruding,” Cassandra heard herself say, knowing she honestly couldn’t send her mother-in-law away when the w
oman wasn’t feeling well. “There’s more than enough bedrooms.”
Tears welled in Laura’s eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Michael looked relieved, his eyes softening a little as he looked at Cassandra. “Yes, thank you.”
Cassandra’s heart wobbled as she inclined her head. Then she pushed aside sentimentality as she realized her in-laws hadn’t expected her and Dominic to have shared a bed last night. She’d be embarrassed if they found out otherwise right now.
“I’ll just go upstairs and find a suitable room for you both,” she said, not looking at Dominic as she left them to it and hurried up the stairs.
First, she needed to make sure she hadn’t left any of her clothes lying around his room. Of course, Laura and Michael must accept eventually that she and Dominic would share a bed. Just not now. Heck, maybe Dominic wouldn’t want her to share his bed again, anyway. She’d been assuming he would. Both thoughts caught at her breath.
The larger bedroom farthest away would be perfect for the older couple. And the only thing in Dominic’s room to show she’d been there was the imprint of two heads on the pillows. She hurriedly tidied the bedclothes, trying not to think about being in Dominic’s arms.
She was quietly closing his door, when she turned around and he was there behind her in the hallway. She jumped.
“Looking for something?” he said silkily.
Her heart started to race. “Er…no. I was just making sure—”
“That there was no incriminating evidence?”
She could feel a blush rising up her neck. “If you like.”
The tension in the air shot up like a thermometer. “Oh, yeah, I like,” he murmured, moving an inch closer. “Dominic, I—”
A noise downstairs broke the moment, and that was just as well. Dominic was such a powerful lover that she wanted to be in his arms again. She was melting so fast where he was concerned. She needed to step back and put some sort of distance between them. He was getting too close and she was in real danger of letting him become more than she should want.
Thankfully he had a remote look about him now. “I just came to say thank you for encouraging my parents to stay.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
“You could have sent them to a motel.”
“No.” It hadn’t occurred to her, and she wouldn’t have done that even if it had.
“You were nicer to them than they deserved.”
The comment surprised her. “They’re Nicole’s grandparents. I have to be.”
“No. You don’t.”
Her brows drew together. “Whose side are you on, Dominic?”
There was a longish pause.
“No one’s,” he said curtly, then turned and walked away.
The housekeeper came later that morning to give the place a tidy up, bringing a selection of fresh food and supplies. By this time, Laura felt better and she suggested they go into town to buy a couple of things she hadn’t brought with her for an overnight stay.
So they drove the short distance into Lorne and took a stroll around the town. Then they had lunch in one of the finer restaurants, but not before Cassandra took the opportunity to buy a one-piece swimsuit, aware she’d be too embarrassed to wear her skimpy bikini in front of his parents.
Once they were back home, Laura insisted on carrying her granddaughter up the stairs when Cassandra went to put Nicole down for her afternoon nap. She couldn’t help but notice the satisfied look in her mother-in-law’s eyes when it was obvious she was sharing a room with Nicole, not Dominic.
But thankfully Laura said nothing about it, and soon they’d changed into their swimsuits and joined the men poolside. It should have been relaxing in the summer sun. But that wasn’t remotely close to how she was feeling, Cassandra decided, watching Dominic come up the steps of the pool, water dripping from him. She tried not to look, but there was something sexy about a man all wet and awash. She’d learned that last night in the shower. She went all goose-bumpy at the thought.
And then she looked into Dominic’s eyes before he slipped his sunglasses back on, and she knew there was something just as sexy about the way a man looked at a woman he found attractive. Her pulse raced as his gaze briefly slicked down over her sea-green one-piece as she lay on the lounger. Amazingly, her swimsuit had looked rather demure inside the boutique, but in front of Dominic the outfit shouted “seduce me.” She suspected he would have, too, if his parents hadn’t been there.
The rest of the afternoon dragged on, though there were moments when everyone was surprisingly pleasant. Nicole was the common thread between them all, and once the little girl woke up, her grandparents were delighted to spend time fussing over her.
Eventually, Laura tired and took a nap, while Dominic and Michael played chess and kept an eye on Nicole so that Cassandra could prepare the dinner. But as the sun sank in the distance, she could feel the tension escalating inside Dominic. It was spine-tingling to know he wanted her, but she had to keep her own feelings of desire under control. She knew he wouldn’t make love to her tonight with his parents in the house, but what about tomorrow after they left? Would he still want her then? Would she want him? God help her, but the answer was yes!
Later, they watched a movie, then Laura and Michael retired for the night. Cassandra decided she couldn’t stay downstairs with Dominic, so she yawned and said she was going to bed, too.
He got to his feet. “I’ll come check on Nicole with you.”
She blinked. “Oh…okay.”
The air hopped with sensuality as they went up the stairs. She could feel it in every step they took, but he didn’t say a word as they stood over the crib and looked down at the sleeping infant. Then he lifted his head and looked at her, and Cassandra held her breath as his eyes moved over her face. She suspected he was about to kiss her good-night.
He spun away with a jerky movement and walked back to the door. “Good night,” he rasped.
She stood there, swallowing her disappointment, but aware this was for the best. “Good night.” She went to bed.
A restless night followed. She kept imagining Dominic in his bed across the hallway, tossing and turning, thoughts of the previous night in his mind. So it was sweet revenge to see the dark circles under his eyes the next morning when she entered the kitchen with Nicole. At least she wasn’t the only one to feel tired and tense.
Laura and Michael were already there and they both looked rested. They fussed over Nicole, but once things settled down and they’d finished eating, their attitude toward Cassandra took on a slight chill again. It was as if having to go back to Melbourne reminded her in-laws of everything wrong she’d “supposedly” done to Liam. Her heart cramped with the unfairness of it. She couldn’t win. Not with Dominic. Not with her in-laws.
The older couple left midmorning, kissing Dominic and Nicole goodbye, but managing to avoid kissing her, so it was with a mix of relief and despair that she stood watching their car go down the driveway. She doubted she’d be afforded a peck on the cheek by them ever again.
Dominic shifted beside her, and thoughts of her in-laws faded from her mind. She and Dominic were now the only adults here for the rest of the week. Would he make love to her? There was nothing to stop him.
Then Nicole squirmed in her arms.
Nothing…except Nicole.
“I have some work to do in the study,” he muttered, turning to go back inside. He stopped. “Will you and Nicole be okay?”
She was surprised he asked. She nodded and said, “Yes.”
An hour later, Dominic still hadn’t put in an appearance. Cassandra had tidied up the kitchen and played with Nicole, but now it was her daughter’s nap time. She put her down in the crib, then decided to go downstairs and read by the pool. First, though, she changed out of her summery dress into a pair of shorts and a halter top, not quite brave enough to change into her bikini or one-piece suit.
Five minutes later she padded out on the patio and sank down on the lo
unger. She was aware that Dominic had seen her from the study, where she’d caught a glimpse of him standing at the window, talking on his cell phone. She’d felt the impact of his gaze even at this distance.
She opened her book and pretended to read, not that she was taking in any of the words now. Her heart was pounding and the pages were a blur. Dominic had made her his the other night and his look just now told her he wanted her again. She was weak, but, oh, she wanted him again, too. It had been building since yesterday morning.
Ten minutes later he still hadn’t come outside. Had she imagined that look from the window? she wondered, pushing to her feet and going to the kitchen to see what they could have for lunch.
She was looking in the refrigerator when she heard a noise behind her. Straightening, she turned around. Dominic was standing in the doorway. His eyes were filled with hot desire. He didn’t say a word as he came toward her—and made straight for her lips.
His kiss was white-hot, plundering her mouth like he’d been starving for her forever. It was a mind-numbing experience having a man devour her like this, wanting her this much, his tongue painting her with his taste.
Velvet on velvet.
He pushed her back against the coolness of the refrigerator and began kissing nibbles the length of her collarbone to the curve of her shoulder. She inhaled the faint citrus aftershave he wore. Combined with his own scent, it went straight to her head.
Then his lips made their way back and she turned her head slightly before he could reach her, ready to meet his mouth with her own, offering it to him. He took her in one swoop.
She could feel his hands roaming over her, but it wasn’t until he broke off the kiss to look down at her lace-cupped breasts that she realized he’d undone the halter tie at her neck. Her top had slipped to her waist, leaving her standing there in her strapless black bra, and in the clear light of day, his masculine eyes took in every detail.
“You’re beautiful,” he said huskily, unhooking her bra, and she spilled into his hands. She gave a soft moan as he cupped her, his thumbs skimming across her nipples, budding them until they ached for more. His fingers obliged, taking the brown peaks and rolling them until she tingled all the way down to her toes. It was the most superb form of punishment.
High-Society Secret Baby Page 7
