ONE NIGHT WITH MORELLI

by Kim Lawrence

  And I need some answers or questions or both… She needed something from him; after weeks of not knowing she still didn’t know. ‘Why?’

  He angled a brow and said quietly, ‘Think about where we are, Eve. Parents get to make some tough decisions in here.’

  ‘Oh!’ Even in her emotional state she had noticed the couple sitting beside an empty cot when she had arrived. Their faces had stayed with her, a mixture of fear, resignation and anger that had fed the sense of dread that lay like a cold stone in her chest.

  Unconsciously her own hands went to her stomach where there was a slight but defined bump to curve them around. Her size had resulted in a few raised eyebrows during her recent first antenatal appointment and the phrase big for dates had been bandied around. Eve was totally confident that her scan the following week would confirm her dates. There was only one time it could have been, as Draco had always taken care that way. There had just been the one time when the condom had split.

  Rather naively she had imagined that one time would be OK.

  She tipped her head, her eyes sliding towards the closed door. It certainly put things into perspective. ‘All right, but I can’t be away from my brother for long.’

  ‘What I have to say won’t take long.’

  They were words Eve struggled to take any comfort from as she also struggled to keep up with his long-legged pace. All the corridors seemed the same to her, the place was a maze, but Draco seemed to know exactly which way to head.

  Probably in the daytime the gravelled quadrangle with its tubs of flowers and benches would be popular, but not surprisingly at this time of night it was empty.

  As they stepped outside Eve took a deep gulp of fresh air and looked up at the light-filled rows of windows surrounding them. She shook her head.

  ‘How do people work here day in and day out, seeing all that…grief?’ She had forgotten the exact percentage in the recent article she had begun to read. Eve had scared herself so much she had stopped halfway through—it had been about survival rates in very premature births, but the numbers had horrified her and it seemed that many very young babies that did survive had long-term medical problems.

  ‘I suppose there are coping techniques. I imagine they learn to balance compassion with objectivity…and I’m assuming that the good days make it all worth it,’ Draco replied.

  This was not a good day. ‘I was going to tell you about our baby,’ she said.

  ‘When?’

  ‘Six weeks ago.’

  ‘That’s very specific.’ His eyes dropped to her belly. It still hadn’t sunk in…a baby. A sense of warm anticipation flowed through him as he pictured her with their baby at her breast.

  ‘I rang your office. After they’d put me on hold for ages and they told me you weren’t available because you were out of the country…’ Her eyes lowered, she recalled the hurt and anger she’d felt, and it was still there in her face when she said with careful neutrality, ‘I got the message.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘Well, I didn’t.’

  And the culprit would be the temp who had seemed to feel it beneath her to do anything much but file her nails, and offend at least two clients. It did not surprise him to learn that she had picked and chosen the messages she had passed on.

  Did not surprise but did anger him, and he had already made it clear to the agency who’d supplied her that he had been dissatisfied with her work. The person he had spoken to had been very apologetic, explaining that he was in a difficult position because the temp in question was his wife’s sister.

  Draco had made the man’s position easier by dispensing with the services of his firm.

  ‘When did all this happen?’ Draco asked.

  ‘It was Tuesday the sixth.’

  ‘I was in the country that day. That’s the anniversary of my father’s death, and it has become a tradition for us all to go to his favourite spot. We take a picnic, remember him and raise a toast.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘So when are you due?’

  ‘Christmas.’ She placed a self-conscious hand on her stomach and said defensively, ‘I know I’m enormous.’

  ‘You’re beautiful, and you’ll be a perfect mother.’ He had never in his head associated a pregnant woman with sexiness, but looking at Eve and knowing that his child, their child, was growing inside her did not diminish his desire in the slightest; it simply added a new dimension to it.

  ‘Are you all right?’ she asked. He was obviously not if he thought she looked beautiful. ‘Do you want to sit down?’ Looking concerned, she nodded towards the bench that was set against the wall.

  He laughed and sat down, pulling her down beside him. ‘I would much prefer to lie down.’

  The warmth of his hungry, all-encompassing gaze made her shiver. She started in surprise when his hand went to her stomach, curving over the gentle mound.

  ‘And I am the one who should be asking you that question. Are you all right?’

  None of this was going according to her script. ‘I think you might be in shock, Draco.’

  ‘No, I’m in love.’ And there was no might about it. ‘I thought I had lost you,’ he said, his voice thick and unfamiliar with emotion. ‘I just lost it when I saw you with Mark. I wanted to kill him! What the hell are we doing living separate lives pretending we can function apart? I can’t, I know I can’t. I need you, Eve, to be a whole person and not some cardboard cut-out. I need you.’

  Eve stared at him, her heart thudding fast, and whispered, ‘You don’t have to say that.’

  ‘I do have to say that,’ he countered firmly as with a smile that made her heart flip he took her wrists and pulled her gently to him. Wrapping her hands around his neck, he kissed her tenderly and with infinite care.

  Eve was weeping tears of joy. ‘Say it,’ she whispered, needing to see it in his eyes when he said the words; then and only then would she allow herself to believe it.

  ‘I love you, Eve. Will you give me a second chance?’

  ‘Idiot!’ she said, lovingly touching his cheek. ‘Oh, Draco, I’ve been so unhappy without you. I love you so much.’

  With a groan he hauled her to him and kissed her deeply. His smile faded as he drew back and saw the sadness in her eyes.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  She shook her head and sniffed. ‘It just feels wrong to be this happy at a time like this.’

  ‘Would your mother want you to be happy?’

  She nodded tearily.

  ‘Then let’s be happy. The real celebrations can wait, but the important thing is we have each other and whatever happens, here or anywhere else, you know I’ll be there for you, don’t you, Eve?’

  Her eyes shone with happiness as she looked into the face of the amazing man she loved so much. ‘I do know.’

  He kissed her again before they went back in—together.

  EPILOGUE

  ‘IT’S SNOWING! IT’S SNOWING…!’

  Josie rushed into the drawing room where her father was placing the angel she had made when she was six on top of the tree. It had lost a piece of wing and the leg surgery had left her lopsided but she always had pride of place.

  Eve, looking almost as excited as her stepdaughter, bounced to her feet. ‘Snow for Christmas—what could be better?’ She gave a contented sigh.

  ‘How about an hour’s sleep?’ her more pragmatic mate suggested.

  ‘We had three hours last night.’ Sleep deprivation had become a way of life but, sleep-deprived or not, her husband was still the handsomest man on the planet and since the birth two weeks earlier he had been at home to help.

  She had needed it. Her dating scan, with Draco there beside her, had shown very clearly the reason for her ‘large for dates’ size. The sight of the two little hearts beating had reduced Eve to tea
rs. Draco said it hadn’t hit him for weeks and when it had his reaction had been to go out and buy a house in the country—as you did!

  ‘Impulse,’ he’d admitted. ‘But I drove past on my way to Gabby’s and I just thought, I can see our family there—but if you hate it…?’

  Eve hadn’t hated it, she had loved it, so home for them was now a Victorian vicarage five miles from where his sister lived. Josie was delighted to be so close to her cousin.

  During Eve’s pregnancy, she and Gabby had grown close and since the birth of her healthy twin sons Gabby had been a real support, as had Josie, who was delighted with her twin brothers. The custody threat hanging over them had gone. Clare had dropped all thoughts of having Josie live with her after she channelled her maternal instincts into her latest project—a donkey sanctuary.

  So different from a year ago, when Eve had worked in an empty office on Christmas Eve.

  ‘The snow is sticking—do you think Mum and Charlie will get here?’

  They would have a lot of people around the table tomorrow, although Veronica had chosen to stay with Gabby. Their turn to have her next year, she’d promised, but they were all coming over for lunch. And of course Eve’s little half-brother Joe, who was now a sturdy little chap who had suffered no long-term ill effects from his shaky start, would be there too. Sarah had spent four days in Intensive Care and there had been times when things had looked very black but she had finally pulled through and had come home a week before Joe.

  ‘They’ll be fine.’

  Draco came to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Eve leaned back into him, feeling safe, warm and cherished.

  ‘Our first Christmas together… I wish Hannah could come,’ Eve said wistfully.

  ‘They’ll be here for New Year.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see the baby.’ Hannah had given birth to a gorgeous little baby girl called Cordelia and she had already asked Eve to be godmother to the baby royal. ‘It’s so peaceful,’ she sighed, staring out at the snowy scene.

  On cue the speaker in the corner flooded the room with loud baby squawks.

  Eve turned and buried her face in Draco’s sweater. ‘I shouldn’t have tempted fate!’ she groaned.

  ‘Davide or Dario?’ he asked. Their twin sons already had very distinct personalities but to him their cries were as identical as their faces and it amazed him that Eve could identify them.

  She turned her head and listened for a moment. ‘Davide.’

  She started for the stairs and he pulled her back. ‘No, you sit there and we’ll bring them down to you, won’t we, Josie?’

  Always a willing helper, Josie jumped to her feet.

  At the door Draco turned back. A question in her eyes, Eve watched him approach.

  ‘Have I told you how much I love you today?’

  She smiled as his lips brushed hers. ‘Once or twice,’ she murmured against his mouth. ‘But,’ she admitted, reaching up to frame his face with her hands, ‘you can’t have too much of a good thing.’ And her husband was the best!

  Coming back into the room to see where her father had got to, Josie rolled her eyes.

  ‘Not again! You’re meant to be the responsible adults here. Get a room!’

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for a special excerpt from HEIRESS'S DEFIANCE by Lynn Raye Harris.

  Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.

  Austin Treffen has the plan… Hunter has the money… Alex has the power!

  Read each of their stories in the captivating Fifth Avenue trilogy,

  only from Harlequin Presents:

  Avenge Me by Maisey Yates (June 2014)

  Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews (July 2014)

  Expose Me by Kate Hewitt (August 2014)

  And don’t miss the Fifth Avenue prequel that started it all, Take Me, by Maisey Yates!

  Order your copies today in ebook format.

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Presents title.

  You want alpha males, decadent glamour and jet-set lifestyles. Step into the sensational, sophisticated world of Harlequin Presents, where sinfully tempting heroes ignite a fierce and wickedly irresistible passion!

  Enjoy eight new stories from Harlequin Presents every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

  Harlequin® Presents® welcomes you to the world of THE CHATSFIELD

  Synonymous with style, spectacle…and scandal!

  Read on for an exclusive extract from Lynn Raye Harris’s stunning conclusion

  to this exciting eight-book series:

  HEIRESS’S DEFIANCE

  * * *

  “YOU HAVE NO CONTROL over me, Christos, no matter what you think. Yes, you control The Chatsfield empire, and you control access to my trust fund. But you won’t intimidate me the way you’ve intimidated my family.” She walked over and put her palms on his desk, leaned over until her eyes were at the same level as his. She was all in now, her emotions whipped to a furious froth that had been bubbling for weeks, ever since this man showed up and started giving orders like a despot.

  Christos’s eyes glittered. He stood very slowly, and Lucilla straightened. Even in her heels, she wasn’t as tall as he was. He looked down on her as if she were a bug beneath his custom shoe.

  “You’ve been wanting to say that for a while, have you not?” His voice was mild, amused, and yet it also managed to be hard and unflinching.

  Her heart raced, her skin heating from the inside out. Yes, she’d been holding it in and, yes, it felt good to finally say what she’d been thinking. But she also felt as if she’d committed an error. She’d admitted to the enemy that she cared very much about his elevation over her when what she really needed to do was be quiet and take him down from the inside.

  “I have, indeed. You might be congratulating yourself on dispersing my siblings on your errands, but don’t think you’ll handle me quite so easily.”

  His eyes slid over her then, and her stomach tightened. “I wouldn’t dream of handling you, Lucilla. But if I did, rest assured, you would do as I wished. And you would enjoy every moment of it.”

  * * *

  Step into the gilded world of THE CHATSFIELD!

  Where secrets and scandal lurk behind every door…

  Reserve your room!

  December 2014

  Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books, S.A.

  ISBN-13: 9781460341803

  One Night with Morelli

  Copyright © 2014 by Kim Lawrence

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K
9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com