AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Santa’s coming!’ Frankie cried, even as Seb read the words confirming that the man in red was indeed visiting Mont Coeur on the day before Christmas Eve—two days’ time. Perfect.
‘Will you take me to meet Babbo Natale, Papà?’ Frankie asked sweetly, using the Italian name for Santa, and Seb couldn’t help but smile at the excitement in his eyes.
‘Of course I will.’
Frankie bounced himself right off Seb’s lap in the resulting joy and celebration, after giving his papà as giant a hug as little two-year-old arms could manage. Then he bounded back towards the door to hug Noemi, and promptly crashed into his mother coming the other way.
‘Mamma! Papà’s going to take me to see Santa!’
Maria raised her eyebrows as she looked across the chalet’s office at Seb. He waved the garish flyer in explanation. ‘He wants to go.’
‘Of course he does.’ Maria’s mouth twitched in what Seb suspected was an effort to keep from grinning. ‘Are you hoping you’ve been a good enough boy to ask for a treat this Christmas, too?’
Heat filled his body just at the flirtatious tone of her voice. God, he was so far gone with wanting her, it was insane. He didn’t remember feeling like this ever before—except maybe on their wedding day, waiting to be alone with her, waiting for their life together to start.
‘Do you think I stand a chance?’ he asked baldly.
For the first time since their kiss, Maria didn’t pull back at the suggestion. ‘Do you know, I think you just might.’
Seb’s heart soared. Finally, finally, it felt like he was getting somewhere.
At this point in a business negotiation he’d know exactly what to do next—push the advantage. But could he risk it with Maria? She had said theirs was a business partnership...
And she was already halfway out of the door with Frankie, Noemi following behind. If he wanted to act, it had to be now.
He stood up behind his desk. ‘In that case, I think you owe me another date.’
Maria paused in the doorway and raised her eyebrows at him. ‘I owe you?’
Noemi was shaking her head at him. He ignored her.
‘That was part of our deal, yes? Regular catch-up meetings in romantic settings.’ He was still kind of amazed he’d got that one past her. She’d been so determined to keep everything businesslike, and he, well...hadn’t been.
‘I suppose I did agree to that.’
‘Then tonight?’ he pressed.
Maria shook her head. ‘Noemi and Leo both have plans tonight, so no willing babysitter.’
Seb glanced over at his sister to check the truth of this statement.
‘Sorry,’ Noemi said unapologetically.
‘Then we’ll have the house to ourselves,’ Seb said, glancing down to see Frankie still bouncing beside Maria. ‘Well, us and Frankie. We’ll have date night at home.’
‘I...’ Maria’s mouth was open, but no more words were coming out.
‘Dinner at eight,’ Seb said. ‘I’m cooking.’
That was how you won a negotiation.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MARIA SMOOTHED DOWN the soft jersey dress she’d chosen for the evening, and hoped against hope that Frankie wouldn’t choose tonight to wake up with a bad dream, or wanting another cup of milk, or whatever. She’d finally settled him down—after three books about Babbo Natale and his reindeer, helpfully supplied by his aunt Noemi—while Seb was bashing about in the kitchen downstairs, and then realised that if this really was a date night, she should probably change out of the jeans and jumper she’d been wearing all day.
She hadn’t exactly packed for parties or fancy nights out, but she had included a forest-green jersey dress, with a twist at the waist that made her slender curvy shape into a true hourglass, and a cowl neckline that dipped low enough to show off her best lingerie.
That she was only wearing because it went with the dress. Not because she expected Seb to be stripping it from her later.
Probably.
Oh, who was she kidding? That was exactly what she was expecting.
Since their trip to the lake, Maria had been feeling the tension between them more than ever. Every smile Seb gave her, every look...she could feel the heat in it. Could remember the sensation of his lips under hers as she’d kissed him, his breath against her skin as she’d pulled away. The amazed look in his eyes. The way his hand at her waist had made her tremble...
And, of course, it had gone nowhere, because that was the reality of life with a toddler. But this time Frankie was asleep, the rest of the house was empty, and anything could happen. And maybe it just might.
In fact, making love with Seb tonight would be the perfect end to a pretty perfect week. Yes, Seb had still worked most days—he wouldn’t be the driven and conscientious man she’d married if he hadn’t—but he’d called on her to talk things through once or twice, and he’d always turned the laptop off in time for a family dinner. And he’d been surprisingly patient with Frankie’s many, many interruptions during his office hours. Plus he’d actually taken whole afternoons off some days to play with Frankie in the snow, attempt more ski lessons, or just show him around Mont Coeur. They’d even managed to take him on a sleigh ride—although Frankie still wasn’t sure about the huge horses that pulled the sleigh. Apparently he’d prefer reindeer, like Santa had.
In short, Seb had given her a picture-perfect view of what life could be like with him, if he stuck to their agreement.
Now it was her turn to keep to the contract.
A romantic date night. And maybe more... A shiver ran through Maria’s body just at the thought.
With one last check on the sleeping Frankie, Maria headed down the stairs to the large, state-of-the-art kitchen. There was a formal dining room for special occasions—where Maria fully expected that they’d be eating Christmas dinner in just a few days—but tonight she found that Seb had laid the small table in the breakfast nook, with a delicate display of seasonal greenery in the middle, and a couple of low candles giving it a romantic air.
‘I thought this was more...intimate than the dining room.’ Seb handed her a glass of white wine, and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘You look beautiful, by the way.’
That was another thing. Seb had made a point of telling her how beautiful she was at least once a day for the last week. As if he was making up for all the years when he’d barely seemed to see her at all.
It was almost enough to make her believe that this time it really could all be different.
‘Is Frankie asleep?’ Seb asked, returning to the stove to stir whatever was in the pot that smelled so delicious.
Maria nodded. ‘I think your ski lesson this afternoon wore him out. That and all the Santa excitement, courtesy of Noemi.’
Seb flashed her a smile. ‘He did seem pretty
excited about the idea of meeting Babbo Natale.’
‘So did you,’ Maria replied. She settled herself on a stool at the kitchen counter to watch him cook. ‘This is the first year he’s really understood about the concept of Santa—or even Christmas, really. So it’s all new and exciting for him.’
‘I can’t tell you how glad I am that I get to share that with him,’ Seb said.
Maria shifted uncomfortably on her stool, very aware that she was the reason that Seb had missed Frankie’s second Christmas. They’d have to ensure that his third was a great one to make up for it.
‘What are we eating?’ she asked, eager to change the subject. Seb hadn’t cooked for her very often—by the time he’d got home in the evenings it had usually been too late to start and, besides, Maria liked to cook. But she also knew that Nicole Cattaneo wouldn’t let any child of hers out into the world without being able to cook some Italian classics.
Or knowing how to serve a perfect antipasti plate. Maria picked at the platter of cured meats, olives, roasted vegetables and cheeses, and felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. If nothing else about tonight went to plan, at least the food should be good.
‘That pasta and sausage dish of Mamma’s that you always loved,’ Seb replied, stirring the sauce. ‘Want to taste? Check it’s as good as you remember?’
She nodded eagerly, and he lifted his spoon from the pan with a small sampling of sauce on the end, and held it over the counter for her to try. Maria blew to cool it, then let the delicious, spicy sauce luxuriate on her taste buds as her eyes fluttered closed.
‘Okay?’ Seb asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
‘Perfect.’ Maria opened her eyes to find him watching her intently. And, before she could even guess what he was about to do, Seb dropped his spoon to the counter and leaned across it, his tall frame allowing him to reach her easily.
Then he kissed her, and Maria forgot all about the taste of the pasta sauce, and let herself fall into the taste of him instead.
