High-Society Secret Baby - Maxine Sullivan Page 0,12

their way.

The ride into Lorne was quite pleasant, and soon they were strolling along the main street, past stylish shops and cosmopolitan restaurants in a beachside atmosphere. Dominic had offered to push Nicole’s stroller, and Cassandra secretly watched him and couldn’t help but think he actually looked a tad proud to be pushing her daughter around like this.

What wasn’t to be proud of? Cassandra mused to herself, being the proud mama herself.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked, catching her unawares. She hadn’t realized she’d been so obvious.

She went to tell him, then thought better of it. She didn’t want him becoming self-conscious in the way he treated her daughter. Then she smiled to herself. Dominic self-conscious? That’ll be the day!

“Who wouldn’t feel like smiling in such a beautiful town?” she replied.

He shot her a dry look.

After that they spent another hour walking around. Then Dominic insisted they have lunch in one of the more upmarket restaurants, but it was such a warm day that Cassandra suggested an outdoor café overlooking the sheltered bay. He looked at her oddly, but soon she was feeding Nicole her lunch from a jar of baby food, and then they ate fish and chips that tasted divine because she hadn’t eaten or done something like this in years. Cassandra could feel herself unwinding, and even Dominic looked more relaxed again.

They decided to go back to the house after that, where she put Nicole down for her afternoon nap, then grabbed a book from the living room while Dominic went off to work in the study.

Glad to have some time alone, Cassandra donned sunglasses and took her book outside, kicked off her sandals and stretched out on the lounger by the pool. The sun had grown hotter, and as she focused on the sound of cicadas in the surrounding bushland, the tension sapped from her.

She was deep in the story when Dominic sat down on the lounger near her, having swapped his trousers for casual cargo pants, his blue polo shirt hugging his chest, a thick paperback in one hand, dark glasses hiding his eyes.

Startled, she said the first thing that came to mind. “I didn’t know you liked to read.”

“Well, there you go,” he mocked. “You learn something new every day.” And they were back to being adversaries again.

Stupidly disappointed, she quickly looked down at the title of his book. “You read science fiction obviously.”

He indicated her book with a derisive twist of his lips. “And you read romance.”

Thankfully her sunglasses covered her eyes. “Why not?” she said as casually as she could, not wanting him to see his comment upset her. She wouldn’t give him that power over her.

“It’s not exactly your…forte, is it?”

He was just trying to goad her. “So you don’t believe in true love, Dominic?” she challenged.

“What I believe doesn’t matter.”

“That’s not the impression I get.” This was about him believing her unfaithful, so it did matter. It affected how he was treating her. In his eyes, she was only after the good life and nothing more. He thought her a woman totally incapable of loving a man for himself alone.

Suddenly sick at heart, she closed her book and got to her feet. “I think I hear Nicole waking up.” She started to walk off, aware of his eyes following her. “Cassandra?”

She took a few more steps, then stopped to look at him.

“Bring Nicole for a dip in the pool.”

Her upset heart tilted inside her chest. She’d been putting off the moment when she had to wear her bikini in front of Dominic.

“Or are you scared of the water?” he drawled.

She had the feeling he’d guessed why she hesitated. “I love the water,” she said, keeping her voice even despite her increasingly racing heart.

A second lapsed as he stilled—and the air thickened with sensuality. “Oh, that’s right. You like to take very long and luxurious baths, don’t you?”

The sun instantly felt hotter.

She moistened her dry lips. “We’ll be back in a little while,” she said, spinning away, heart thumping, knowing that the scrap of bikini Nesta had packed for her wasn’t something she’d normally wear. Even before she’d given birth to Nicole, the bikini would have been on the smallish side, but these days her breasts were slightly fuller, her hips a touch curvier.

Darn, she should have bought herself a new bikini in town this morning. It would have been the perfect opportunity to buy something a little less revealing, but just being in Dominic’s presence all morning had put