High-Society Secret Baby - Maxine Sullivan Page 0,26

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