High-Society Secret Baby - Maxine Sullivan Page 0,11

in her purse, making sure there had been no calls from the nursing home about her father. She didn’t dare call them, either, or they might ask about the money. She would sort it out next week, when she returned to Melbourne.

The noise of the shower must have woken her daughter, because Nicole was awake and babbling to herself when Cassandra came out of the bathroom. Too precious, she mused as she went about changing her daughter’s diaper before getting dressed herself in another pair of casual slacks and a knit top to hold off a slight morning chill. Then they headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

Dominic was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. He looked up, and at the speed of light his eyes swept over her, his gleam of approval warming her for an instant. She wasn’t used to his open admiration, and for a split second she had to catch her breath, not the least because he looked so handsome in a steel-blue polo shirt that stretched across his broad chest.

Then she forced her legs to move. “I’m sorry about missing dinner last night,” she said, carrying Nicole over to the high chair beside the table. “I fell asleep.”

He folded the paper and put it to the side. “That’s okay. I had an early night myself.”

She could feel herself blushing. Would they ever be having early nights together? She kept her eyes averted while she secured Nicole, then went to prepare her daughter’s breakfast, not allowing herself to think beyond the moment. It was best this way.

All was quiet as she mixed the baby cereal. Curious, she stole a glance over her shoulder and saw Dominic sitting there, looking at Nicole with a tender expression on his face. Her heart did a flip. Clearly he wasn’t as unemotional about his brother’s child as she’d suspected.

By the time she came back to the table, the tender look had disappeared and he was leaning back in his chair, drinking coffee.

“I thought we might go into Lorne after breakfast,” he said as she sat down opposite him. “We can take a look around the town. There’s plenty of stores if you need anything. Or we could walk along the beach.”

“That would be nice.” She placed a spoonful of cereal in Nicole’s mouth. The little girl swallowed it quickly. Heavens, the poor kid was hungry, and was it any wonder? It had been over six hours since she’d had that bottle in the middle of the night, and before that she’d barely eaten anything at dinner.

All at once, Cassandra’s own stomach cramped with hunger. She’d hardly eaten a thing yesterday.

“She likes her food,” Dominic noted.

Cassandra smiled as she fed Nicole another spoonful of the mush, narrowly missing. “Yes, she does.”

“It can be pretty messy feeding an infant, can’t it?” Dominic said, and she looked up to see him watching her.

“She’s just getting her coordination skills.”

“You don’t mind being splashed with her breakfast?”

She laughed. “Not when my daughter is the one doing it.”

It was meant as a lighthearted comment, but all at once the moment went beyond Nicole.

Suddenly it was about her and Dominic and his reaction to her smile.

She watched as his gaze dropped to her mouth…watched as deep down she knew that he wanted to kiss her…. Then slowly…slowly…his eyes inched upward again.

And locked on hers.

She could feel herself being drawn into them.

“Um…speaking of food, I think I’ll make myself some toast.” Jumping to her feet, she took the cereal bowl over to the sink and rinsed it.

A lengthy pause went on behind her, but she ignored it until Dominic’s chair scraped the floor as he stood up. “I’ve got some calls to make.” He strode to the doorway. “Let me know when you’re ready to go. No hurry.”

It was crazy that her hands were shaking as she dropped the bread in the toaster. It was equally as crazy that this “thing” between her and Dominic was gathering strength. It was like all bets were off now that they were married.

Or perhaps she just needed food in her stomach, she joked, trying to keep things inside herself on an even keel.

An hour later, after she had given Nicole a quick bath, had dressed her in some cute little overalls, and had changed her own top from the cereal-stained one, she went looking for Dominic. She found him on the deck, talking on his cell phone, but he wrapped up the conversation and they were soon on