One Night In Collection

by Various Authors

  ‘Why did you keep my son’s child from him?’ she demanded without preamble.

  Even Iago looked uncomfortable at her outburst. Her heart thudding heavily inside her chest, Briana resolved to just be herself when answering the blunt question. No more hiding behind a mask of politeness or not feeling good enough, she vowed, or she might inadvertently cause Adán to believe he wasn’t good enough either.

  ‘I made a mistake,’ she answered quietly, brushing her hair from the side of her face and sensing Pascual’s hand behind her back, stroking her. ‘No doubt I made lots of mistakes when Pascual and I were together. But we both should have been more open and not kept our fears and worries to ourselves. I can see that now. It was wrong of me to keep Adán from him and I honestly regret it.’

  ‘My son is a good man. Even if you did not feel that we accepted you, you should have stayed with him regardless. Not run away!’

  Feeling torn, Briana bit down anxiously on her lip. But then Pascual was sliding his arm completely round her waist, giving her a brief smile before addressing the woman who stood before them.

  ‘Unfortunately Briana witnessed something between myself and Claudia the night of the party that made her believe I would not stay faithful to her in our marriage. That was what forced her decision to leave.’

  ‘Something happened between you and Claudia?’ Iago asked in surprise, his dark gaze probing his son’s.

  ‘It was nothing. She had had too much to drink, that’s all. But to Briana it looked like I was encouraging her foolish attentions when I categorically was not!’

  Her cheeks flushing a little, Paloma Dominguez added her own comment—and it was not what Briana expected at all.

  ‘My husband is right … Adán does look very much like Pascual as a child.’

  As if the annoyance she had previously emitted had ebbed away beneath the infiltration of a much stronger, more powerful emotion, the older woman bent down to the little boy and kissed him soundly on both cheeks. With tears in her eyes she impelled his small body into her arms and threaded long slim fingers with an array of dazzling jewelled rings affectionately through his mass of dark curls.

  Amazingly, Adán did not struggle or put up a protest. Hardly able to believe what she was seeing, Briana was all but lost for words.

  ‘I am starting to feel left out!’ Grinning, Pascual’s handsome cousin Rafa suddenly appeared before her and enfolded her in a friendly hug. ‘Holà, Briana. You are even more bewitching than I remember!’

  Unable to help herself, Briana wondered if he was still going out with Claudia, Pascual’s ex. Her pulse raced a little at the memory of that night five years ago, when Rafa had arrived with her at the party and the evening had ended so disastrously with her seeing the beautiful blonde model kissing her husband-to-be.

  ‘You’re looking well yourself Rafa.’ She smiled, and suddenly her pulse was racing again, because Pascual had drawn her even nearer to him, and the sensation of his warm, hard body next to hers made her knees feel suddenly and alarmingly weak.

  ‘He was hoping you would say that,’ he teased, but there was a distinct warning in his glance as he rested it briefly on his cousin, Briana noticed. A warning that said Do not overstep the mark because she is mine. It made her insides flutter.

  ‘Mummy, I’m tired!’

  Feeling a tug on the hem of her dress, she saw a wan-faced Adán, gazing hopefully up at her.

  ‘I should take him to bed.’ Turning towards the man at her side, she waited until he nodded in agreement.

  Without preamble he scooped his son up into his arms and surveyed the assembled company. ‘He has had a very long day,’ he told them. ‘Enjoy your drinks, and Briana and I will be back shortly.’

  They all kissed the bemused and by now very sleepy child goodnight, and before she knew it she and Pascual were climbing the impossibly grand winding staircase with its opulent tread up to the little boy’s bedroom.

  ‘You are very quiet tonight.’

  Leaving the dressing room that was adjacent to the master bedroom, Pascual found Briana seated on the bed. The sleeves of her cotton knee-length pink robe were rolled up to the elbows and she was smoothing lotion onto her pale exposed forearms. With the light application of make-up she usually wore cleaned away, and her dark hair swept up behind her head with wisps of escaped tendrils framing her face and neck, he thought she had never looked more lovely … or more alluring.

  As had been the case from almost the very first moment he had ever set eyes on her, desire followed swiftly and intensely on the heels of that captivating thought, like a waterfall plunging down over a cliff-face.

  ‘I was miles away, actually.’

  Shyly surveying him, her ethereal grey eyes were like twin beams of silver starlight in the softly lamp- lit room, and Pascual sensed the heat in him move fiercely through his body like a sirocco wind threatening a previously calm desert.

  ‘What were you thinking about?’ Dropping down next to her, clad only in black silk pyjama bottoms, he realized even the minimum of clothing was too hot against his skin at the mere sight of this woman. Quizzically, he smiled at her.

  ‘I was thinking about seeing your parents and Rafa again,’ she replied, continuing to rub the lotion into her skin, seemingly oblivious to the effect she was having on him. ‘I am glad that we all seemed to let down our guard a little. Perhaps in future my relationship with them can be a little better than I imagined it ever could? I hope so, anyway.’

  ‘I should have listened to you before—when we were first together. If I had spoken to my family then perhaps our own relationship would have had a proper chance … hmm?’ Pascual reflected, becoming more and more fascinated by the rhythmic movements of her small hand with its lilac-painted fingernails back and forth across her arm.

  Sliding his fingers beneath her chin, he made her turn to face him. Her enchanting lips in their naked beauty quivered a little. Immediately he wanted to plunder them and wet them, make them look bee-stung, as he remembered they had whenever they’d made love in the past …

  ‘But you stood up for me tonight … that makes all the difference in the world.’

  ‘I wish I had done it before … I am well aware that my mother in particular can be a little aloof sometimes, and with people who do not know her well that may easily be misinterpreted. But I want you to know that underneath that difficult exterior she only wants the best for her family. I hope that in time you will discover that for yourself, Briana. Building good relationships will take time for all of us. But you and I are back together, after a long time apart, and feelings on all sides are bound to be tender. Can we not just put any hurts aside … for tonight at least?’

  ‘We can. At least your parents were happy to meet Adán.’

  ‘They were completely overjoyed at the realisation that they have a beautiful grandson. How could anyone not love him on sight? He is perfect … just perfect.’

  ‘Already he seems to be comfortable with you and your family … It’s extraordinary, really. He’s only had just my mum and me for so long, and now we’ve come all this way to Argentina and he’s totally taken everything in his stride. Sleeping in a huge bedroom on his own on his first night here is a really big deal for a small boy, do you know that? If he wakes in the night and is fearful you don’t mind him coming in with us, do you?’

  ‘Of course not. I want my son to be happy, not frightened.’

  ‘Good. The fact is, he’ll probably be missing my mum too.’

  He thought of Frances Douglas, and the way she had taken him aside the day he had collected Briana and Adán to drive them to the airport—the beseeching, yet steely look in her eyes when she’d ordered him to, ‘Take good care of them both, won’t you? They mean everything in the world to me.’

  Pascual suddenly knew a surprising need to reassure the woman by his side. ‘She is welcome to come and stay whenever she wants to. I will organise the flights and pay for everything. As you can see … there is plenty of room
for guests here.’

  ‘Thanks … I appreciate that. I expect she’s missing Adán too, even though we’ve only just left. They’re naturally very close.’ Stifling a yawn, Briana capped the tube of lotion and laid it down on the silk coverlet beside her. Her glance was apologetic. ‘Sorry. All of a sudden I feel immensely tired. Must be all the travelling today.’

  ‘Here.’ Picking up the discarded lotion, Pascual flipped opened the top again. ‘Let me apply some for you.’

  ‘I’m done, Pascual. I don’t need you to—’

  ‘It smells of peaches … a peach for a peach …’ He smiled, squeezing some of the cream into his hand. ‘Turn round and loosen your robe. I will massage your shoulders for you.’

  ‘It’s all right. I don’t really—’

  ‘You do not like me touching you?’

  The idea made him freeze. Already he was having immense trouble keeping his hands off her heavenly body, just sitting near her. The idea that Briana might not welcome his touch after all was akin to ice water being poured down his back, and the memory of her rejection of him as her prospective husband five years ago still had the power to wound him greatly.

  ‘I—I didn’t say I didn’t like you touching me. It’s just that it’s late, and …’

  It came to him that she was suddenly somehow shy with him. He wondered if what had happened the last time they were in bed together was on her mind. With all his heart he wanted to erase the unfortunate scene from her memory and replace it with a far happier one. So, with a slow, teasing smile, utilising his free hand, he undid the belt of her robe and eased the material down over her shoulders. Conveniently, the thin satin cerise nightgown she wore underneath had narrow spaghetti straps. Silently speculating if she had worn it especially for his benefit, Pascual saw how easy it would be to do as he’d suggested.

  ‘Turn round, Briana. This will make you feel good … I promise.’

  He had the magical touch of a healer, Briana thought in delight, with a heartfelt inner sigh. And not only did those amazing hands heal as they massaged her already overheated skin, they stirred the passion slumbering inside her into a restless wild sea that engulfed her. So much so that it was almost impossible for her to sit still on that magnificent opulent bed with the heat of Pascual’s semi-naked taut-muscled body behind her, goading her imagination to ever more stimulating heights.

  When he eased her robe off completely, in an orchestrated sensual manoeuvre that couldn’t help but elicit a startled response from her, then slipped the thin straps of her nightgown down so low over her arms that her breasts were suddenly exposed to the warm scented night air, she sucked in a shaky breath that seemed to echo round the entire room.

  ‘Amante … you are so beautiful you make my very soul ache for wanting you!’

  His hot mouth suckled her bare shoulder as his hands circled her ribcage to massage and cup her breasts, his thumbs and forefingers stroking, then squeezing the rigid nipples, until Briana cried out and tipped back her head against his chest to allow him even greater access.

  This time Pascual kissed her in the sensitive hollow between her neck and shoulder, his hands moving hungrily down to her hips, moulding them seductively in his palms. Kneeling on the bed behind her, he pressed himself against her, so that she felt the hard silk contours of his amazing body, smelled the masculine scent that had always had the power to drive her crazy. She ached so hard for his possession that she thought she might lose her mind if she couldn’t have what she so desperately craved …

  As if reading her mind, Pascual urged her round to face him and helped her dispense with her nightgown and robe completely. Lying down on the bed, his dark head against the silk pillows, he encouraged her to straddle that taut hard middle of his. Immediately her soft inner thighs made contact with the deliciously warm skin beneath her Briana was devastatingly reminded of the unmatched intoxicating pleasure his touch could arouse. Feverishly seeking his mouth, she bent her head for his equally feverish kiss, lips, teeth and tongues clashing hungrily, until she thought the world could come to an end right then and she wouldn’t even notice.

  ‘I need to see to something.’ His ebony eyes glazed with passion, Pascual reached towards one of the elegant oak cabinets beside the bed. His lips parting in the most bone-melting smile known to woman, he opened the slim foil package he’d retrieved and handed the contents to Briana. ‘Put it on for me.’

  The timbre of his captivating voice was like brushed velvet to her already impossibly heightened senses, and with her heart racing she sat back a little, to ease the black silk pyjamas down over bronzed hips as lean and straight as an arrow and release him. His sex was silky, hard and impressive, and as she nervously rolled the latex protection down over its erect length her hands were trembling.

  ‘Now, come here …’ He smiled, sliding his hands onto her thighs and urging her across him.

  He entered her in one smooth, shattering thrust, and Briana’s ensuing moan resonated with relief, pleasure, longing and a deep sense of being home at last. Home with the man she irrevocably now knew she had never stopped loving … not even for an instant. All the years they’d spent apart had done was increase that longing and love for him. Helplessly she thought back to when she’d given birth to Adán, and how her heart had cracked loud enough for the whole of London to hear because Pascual had not been with her to share her joy.

  ‘That feels so good …’

  Reaching for her hand, he kissed the inside of her palm as she moved over him, her hips rhythmically meeting his, feeling his possession become deeper and deeper, until she thought the deliciously wild feelings building inside her could only implode and take her straight into another stratosphere altogether.

  ‘How good?’ she teased, gripping and then releasing her feminine muscles tightly round him, eliciting a melting groan from deep inside his chest.

  ‘Do you want to make me lose my mind, amante?’ he answered, gravel-voiced, sliding his hands up her ribcage to her breasts and palming them.

  Meeting his hungry, melting gaze that was like all the midnight-black skies she had ever known melded into one, Briana touched her aching mouth to his and kissed him. Voraciously his tongue slid between her lips and took command of the erotic little dance she had started, his hands sliding up and down her slim back and round to her bottom.

  After a while she raised her head and now, on the most intimate terms with those black-coffee-dark eyes with their sweeping long lashes, she smiled. ‘Why don’t we lose our minds together?’

  ‘Why not?’ he agreed, and thrust high into her core, holding himself there as he sensed her unravel around him, showing no mercy as her shuddering soft cries littered the air.

  The action was the catalyst for Pascual’s own undoing. Just as he felt Briana come apart, the intense need and hunger for release that had gripped him almost from the moment she’d obligingly and so erotically sheathed him with the protection he’d given her peaked, taking him hotly and irrevocably over the edge. Now it was his turn to cry out, and as he did so he impelled Briana towards him, hungrily drowning out his own voice with the pressure of her sweet strawberry and vanilla mouth gliding against him. Then, pushing his fingers though her soft dark hair, he kept her there for long, heart-pounding seconds …

  CHAPTER TEN

  SHE woke to the fragrant twin scents of jasmine and jacaranda, drifting up through the opened French doors that led onto the ornate bedroom balcony. She remembered that although it was now autumn in London, it was spring in Buenos Aires. Breathing out a sigh of deep contentment—instigated, she was sure, by the pleasant ‘well-loved’ feeling in her body this morning—Briana was a little taken aback to find Pascual already gone from their bed.

  Just as she was reaching for her cotton robe, which lay across the silk counterpane, the door opened and Adán—still dressed in his short-sleeved pyjamas—raced across the room and flung himself beside her.

  ‘Mummy! I slept all night in my new bed!’ he announced happily,
winding his soft childish arms round her waist.

  Briefly nuzzling the warmth of his sweet-smelling neck, Briana hugged him hard and gave him a kiss. ‘I know you did, my darling … well done! You’re getting more and more grown up every day!’

  ‘But not too grown-up, hmm?’ remarked the man who’d entered the room behind him. Fully dressed in light blue denim jeans and a fitted black T-shirt that instantly drew her appreciative glance to his bronzed skin and tight toned biceps, Pascual gave her a smile. ‘Childhood is a precious time … we do not want him growing up too fast!’

  Before she could raise a comment he reached the side of the bed and, bending down, pressed his warm lips to her cheek. Instantly the provocative drift of his spicy cologne and his own unique male scent made a devastating assault on Briana’s senses, and the passion of the night they had shared came back to her in all its never-to-be forgotten glory. She blushed.

  ‘Buenos diás,’ he added, dark eyes twinkling.

  His comment about Adán not growing up too fast was all the more poignant, she reflected, because he had already missed over four years of his son’s life. Her eyes briefly smarted as she fought to hold back her tears.

  ‘Good morning. You should have woken me. Adán needs a shower—and so do I.’

  ‘Take your time. I will see to Adán and you can shower and dress at your leisure. Then we will meet downstairs for breakfast. How does that sound?’

  ‘Good … if you don’t mind seeing to him? His clothes are folded away in the bureau in his bedroom.’

  ‘Come on, mi hijo! Let us leave your mamà in peace for a little while, to do all the things that beautiful ladies have to do in the morning to get ready for the day … sí?’

  Catching Briana’s eye, Pascual gave her the most lascivious wink, and her skin suddenly felt like ice cream melting beneath the blaze of a scorching sun. To disguise her disturbing reaction and divert herself, she gave Adán a brief, affectionate squeeze, and helped him off the edge of the bed onto the floor.