Hollie.
Hollie who seemed so soft and vulnerable. Almost too soft. Too vulnerable. He wasn’t used to a woman looking at him that way, all wide-eyed and wondering. His mouth hardened. He would protect her and their child for as long as he lived, yes. He would give her whatever she wanted—hadn’t he told her so just an hour ago, when he had carried her into the bedroom and stripped that provocative lingerie from her delicious body? She would have security for her and their child for the rest of her life, and he would put money in a trust to ensure that his son or daughter’s future was secure. But those were practical needs he was able to fulfil, because this was a practical marriage and nothing more. He had made that clear to her when he’d asked her to be his wife and maybe now it was time to remember it himself. He wouldn’t let her think this relationship was going to become any deeper than it already was, because that was never going to happen. Far better she get used to reality, rather than having her hopes raised and then dashed by unrealistic expectations. In the short term, wasn’t it better to be a little cruel in order to be kind?
He stroked his fingers over the silky flesh of her cheek. ‘Hollie?’
At the sound of his voice she began to stir, opening her eyes to find him watching her, and, almost shyly, she smiled. ‘That was...amazing,’ she said softly.
‘Mmm. It certainly was, but now we must move. The party will already be in full swing and they’re expecting us. Everyone’s going to want to meet my fiancée.’
She bit down on her bottom lip. ‘Have you told them we’re engaged?’
‘Not yet.’ He lifted her hand and the dazzle of the large diamond shot bright fire over her hand. ‘We’ll let this ring announce it for us, shall we?’
‘I’m nervous, Maximo.’
‘Why are you nervous?’
‘What if they don’t like me?’
‘Why wouldn’t they like you? Now go and get ready and I’ll ask Carmen to serve us a glass of casera before we leave.’
Hollie nodded and made her way towards the bathroom as Maximo’s words echoed inside her head. Why wouldn’t they like you? he had asked—because he had no comprehension of what it was like to be her. His world was very different and was inhabited by very different people. Would they welcome an unsophisticated stranger like her into their midst, or would they wonder if Maximo had taken leave of his senses?
She turned on the power shower and let the warm water bounce off her skin, telling herself she mustn’t catastrophise the evening before it had even begun. Maximo’s staff had already welcomed her with open arms and there was no reason why his friends shouldn’t do the same.
She was feeling much better by the time she emerged from the bathroom, to see Maximo already dressed in a dark evening suit—a delectable sight which made her heart twist with predictable longing. He was lounging back in one of the bedroom’s dark leather armchairs and looked up from his phone when she entered, clad in nothing but a snowy bathrobe.
‘I haven’t a clue what to wear,’ she said, rifling through the row of new clothes which someone must have hung neatly in the wardrobe while they were having lunch.
‘Wear the black,’ he said suddenly. ‘And put your hair up.’
‘I thought you liked it down.’
‘In bed, certainly—but tonight, no. Stop frowning at me like that, Hollie. There’s a reason.’
‘Am I allowed to know what the reason is?’
‘In time.’ He smiled. ‘Be patient, mia belleza.’
Hollie began to get ready, fixing her hair and pinning it in place. Half an hour later and she was ready, a loose chignon coiled against the back of her neck, the black silk dress skimming her knees, and a pair of strappy shoes adding extra height. As she leaned towards the mirror to apply a light coat of lip gloss, Maximo walked across the bedroom and placed a small box on the dressing table in front of her.
‘Why don’t you put these on?’ he said.
‘These’ turned out to be two long and sparkling columns—a pair of exquisite diamond earrings—and she stared down at them in confusion.
‘But you’ve already given me—’
‘Put them on,’ he emphasised softly. ‘I bought them at the same time as we got your ring. It’s your Christmas present, Hollie.’
‘But...but I haven’t given you anything!’ she protested, surprised when he leant over and placed the palm of his hand over her still-flat belly and their eyes met in a silent moment, reflected in the mirror.
‘Oh, but you have,’ he contradicted softly. ‘You have given me something money can never buy. My baby.’ There was a pause as she was caught in the ebony spotlight of his gaze. ‘Would it bother you if we announced it tonight? It would kill speculation and everyone is going to know about it sooner or later.’
Hollie didn’t answer straight away. She wasn’t sure she agreed because it still felt very...private, as well as very new. Yet it wasn’t as though it were a guilty secret, was it? It was nothing to feel ashamed about. And if she was surprised by Maximo’s desire to tell people, she couldn’t think of any reason why he shouldn’t—she was past the danger zone, wasn’t she? ‘No, I don’t mind,’ she said.
He turned away then, but not before Hollie saw the flash of something unexpected in his black eyes. A look which was hard and dark and very macho.
Was it triumph?
Was that why she felt a faint flicker of foreboding to add to all the others which seemed to be building up inside her? But she forced herself to push away her fears, determined to count her blessings instead. Tomorrow was the first day of the new year and the man she was going to marry was the father of her baby. Wasn’t that good enough to be going along with?
He took her to the drawing room, which was situated at the very top of the large house, where they sipped glasses of casera—a simple bubbly lemon concoction, which Maximo said was rarely drunk outside Spain and which Hollie found delicious. Afterwards they were driven to the west of the city, to an upmarket area called Pozuelo de Alarcón, where the party was being held. The house was large and modern and surrounded by enormous grounds, with clever lighting focussing on beautiful outdoor statues and surrounding shrubs. Coloured bulbs were looped through the branches of trees, and as the line of luxury cars progressed up the long drive Hollie could see people laughing and drinking through giant plate-glass windows. It looked just like a commercial and Hollie would have defied anyone not to have felt intimidated by it.
Did her shoulders stiffen with tension—was that why Maximo ran a reflective finger over her palm? ‘Everything okay?’ he verified.
‘I’m still nervous,’ she admitted.