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Her fury had brought them dangerously close. Tension was at an all-time high. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she warned with the fiercest of looks.
‘Why not? Are you afraid of how that might make you feel?’
Catching hold of her wrist as she went to push him away brought their faces close. She took over, and with a growl of fury she laced her other hand through his hair, and, dragging him close, she kissed him.
‘That’s what it felt like when you left,’ she said as she pushed him away. ‘You can’t just walk back into my life when it suits you, and pick up where you left off.’
‘Yes, I can,’ he argued as he pulled her back to him.
‘Don’t do that,’ she warned as he teased her lips with his tongue.
‘Why? Don’t you like it? Or do you like it too much?’
With a groan she pulled him back for more kisses. One thing led to another, until neither of them could wait. Slipping his hand between her legs, he felt her readiness. ‘Yes?’ he ground out.
Sadie’s answer was to work on his belt, and she sloughed off his jeans faster than he could undress her. They were on the rug before he had chance to rip off his top. Parting her legs, he moved between them. She wrapped them around his waist.
There was no foreplay. None required. He took her fast and deep as she arced towards him, and they worked furiously towards the inevitable release.
It was as if the need to stake their claim could only be achieved with more pleasure than either of them had ever known before, and when he suggested moving somewhere more comfortable during a brief, breath-snatching lull, she informed him that he wasn’t going anywhere and neither was she, which she went on to prove most convincingly by drawing him back into the dark, insatiable world of carnal hunger.
It was dawn when they finally lay quietly side by side, and he turned to look at Sadie to find her eyes closed. Was she asleep, or was she just hiding her thoughts from him? He didn’t have to wait long to find out. Standing up, she grabbed her clothes and dressed.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked.
‘To shower in one of your many state-of-the-art bathrooms, and then back to work, of course.’
He had expected to spend the day together and frowned. ‘Won’t you stay for breakfast, at least?’
‘I’m busy. I’ve got work to do, as I’m sure you do,’ she told him briskly.
‘Sadie—’
‘Goodbye, Alejandro, and thank you for the advice. I’m getting the hang of this living-in-the-moment business, and maybe it’s enough for me. Time will tell,’ she added lightly as she left the room.
Well and truly hoisted by his own petard, Alejandro swore viciously as he sprang to his feet. What maddened him the most, he decided as he tugged on his clothes, was that every twist and turn with Sadie only made him want her more. And the surprises didn’t end there. When he rang the restaurant to ask her what the hell was going on, a receptionist who knew nothing about their relationship said Chef Sadie was away sourcing equipment for some big design job she was handling in the mountains, and would be returning to the Sierra Nevada before she came back to Madrid.
He’d been blindsided by a woman every bit as good as he was at being evasive when it suited her. With an ironic laugh, he conceded Sadie hadn’t told him where her work would take her next.
* * *
Work could really screw up his personal life, and it had been almost a month since he’d spoken to Sadie. In that time she’d worked miracles apparently, and his staff were queuing up to sing her praises. Distance might make the heart grow fonder, but it had upped his frustration to an unsustainable level. His sister was next in line to bear the brunt of his bad temper.
‘So, you’re speaking to me now,’ he snapped as he flew from Madrid to the mountains.
‘Only to warn you not to get in Sadie’s way. She’s doing an amazing job on the kitchen, according to Maria.’
Forced to listen to how thrilled everyone was, and how everything was running smoothly thanks to Sadie, he tapped his foot impatiently. But at least he knew for certain where she was. ‘Tell her to remain where she is until I arrive. She’s not taking my calls, for some reason.’
‘I can’t imagine why,’ Annalisa retorted sarcastically. ‘And I can’t tell her what to do. Is Sadie supposed to second-guess how long you’re going to be away? Her work is just as important to her as yours is to you.’ There was a silence and then his sister added, ‘What have you done, Alejandro? What have you said to her? Sadie must have a good reason not to speak to you.’
‘I need her to be there for the annual flamenco party,’ he said, ignoring this. ‘Sadie should know the new kitchen better than anyone, and her food is second to none.’
‘You want her to cook for you now?’ Annalisa demanded with incredulity. ‘I can’t believe your cheek. Lucky for you, I believe she’s already discussed this with Chef Sorollo, and plans to organise and personally supervise the event.’
‘Bueno,’ he grunted.
‘Don’t you dare upset her when you arrive,’ Annalisa warned.
‘As if I would,’ he gritted out softly.
Sadie was just as likely to upset him. So far she’d made a pretty good job of it—walking out on him, and then avoiding his calls. But with his business issues wrapped up in Madrid, he was hot on her trail. There was just one frustrating delay ahead of him, when he visited the flamenco camp to make sure everyone was happy with the arrangements he’d made for their performance at his party. It was the social event of the year in the area and would garner a great deal of publicity for the professional dancers. Whatever he could do to showcase their talent, he would do.
He was flying in the small jet he used to criss-cross the world, but once he landed, he would transfer to a helicopter to make his travels in the mountains easier and faster. Sadie had inflamed his senses beyond endurance. All he could think of was being near her again—to make love with her, to have her challenge him, and to passionately make up.
Perhaps even more than that, he mused as he lowered the landing gear, he looked forward to basking in the warm ambience she created, proving her right, he supposed, when she referred to his vast property empire as impressive, but lacking a home. Each of his residences was full of expensive props, programmed to work in exactly the same way, so there were no surprises when he arrived. Nothing was allowed to interfere with his seamless existence. How he’d feel about a new kitchen remained to be seen, though he doubted he’d visit the facility more than a couple of times. The greater problem would be that anything Sadie had designed would remind him of her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
PREGNANT!
Sadie stared at the thin blue line in disbelief. Okay, she reasoned when she finally caught her breath. It was a few weeks since she’d seen Alejandro, and they’d certainly worked hard enough at shortening the odds.
Having her suspicions in Madrid, she had dashed to the pharmacy to pick up some tests shortly before boarding the flight for the mountains. She had just completed the last of them in her luxurious suite of rooms at Alejandro’s mountain mansion, which was about as conducive to homey, cosy, motherly thoughts as a rather upmarket hotel room. She had lined up five tests on the porcelain sink, each showing a positive result. There was no room for doubt. She was pregnant! Ecstatic didn’t go far enough to describe her feelings. A family of her own was all she had ever dreamed of, though she did have some reservations, since pregnancy, babies and motherhood were all new to her. Her biggest concern was that she had what it took to be a good mother. Without a pattern to follow, she could only do her best. She would, Sadie determined as a fresh rush of excitement swooped over her. Babies didn’t come with an instruction manual, so she would be starting from scratch like every other new mother.
Work had kept her busy, and it was only when she’d felt sick one morning that she had decided to check, and now she knew for sure
she had to tell Alejandro. She hoped she got the chance before things went too much further. She was in the middle of arranging a party for him, while he was visiting the flamenco camp with no definite time or date set for his arrival. All she knew was that he would arrive in time for the party.
Standing in front of the mirror in the marble-clad bathroom, she took a deep breath to steady herself, and then sluiced her face in cold water before patting it dry and applying enough make-up to hide the pallor in her cheeks. For the first time in years, she missed having a mother to confide in. Pregnancy came with so many hopes and fears, but one thing was certain: she would fight for her child with everything she’d got.
And Alejandro? What would his reaction be?
