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The jeans emphasised the length of his muscular legs, pulling taut across the thighs and riding low on his lean hips, and the polo had ridden up a bit. With not too much squinting, she could see a sliver of bronzed belly, and the sight made her feel all hot and bothered.
‘By the way,’ she snapped, ‘shoes aren’t allowed on the bed. It’s a house rule.’
‘My apologies.’
She expected him to move and sit on the chair, which would have been a lot more calming on her fraying nerves. But instead he kicked off the loafers and they dropped to the ground, leaving the sight of bare feet, which was a thousand times more disconcerting.
‘Think about it, Maude,’ he said seriously. ‘Your mother is fully engaged with your brother’s up and coming wedding. She’s put a huge amount of effort into making sure that everything is perfect.’
‘Shehasbeen in her element,’ Maude admitted.
‘With the big day so close, would you want to ruin things for her now? And for your brother and his fiancée?’
‘I beg your pardon? What on earth are you talking about? Why do you think I would want toruinthings?’
‘If we go down and break the news that this was all a charade, then your parents are going to be shocked. Your mother...’ Mateo paused. He thought of his own mother, missing in action. ‘Your mother loves you, and for that you should count your blessings.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because I never had one around to give a damn.’
The silence settled between them.
What the hell had possessed him to say that?
Mateo scowled. He waited for her to jump on his casual admission, to try and prise confidences from him that he had no intention of sharing, but she remained perfectly silent with her head tilted to one side and her cornflower-blue eyes, so calm and intelligent, holding his but without asking any questions.
He vacated the bed in one easy movement and strode towards the window to perch against the sill, arms folded, as were hers. He was filled with a sudden restlessness.
‘My mother walked out on me and my father when I was a baby,’ he said gruffly, still scowling, still completely bewildered by this departure from his normal behaviour.
‘I’m sorry,’ Maude said quietly.
‘A better prospect rode into town and she decided to hitch her wagon to his and take off. She never looked back.’ He raked his fingers through his hair and prowled the room, absently taking in the bits and pieces of Maude’s past that were there in the framed photos and the children’s books from a long time ago.
When he finally came to a stop, it was to stand in front of her, staring down and feeling a tug ofsomethingat the empathy in her eyes. He’d never in his entire life needed empathy from anyone, so why wasn’t he turned off by what he saw now?
In fact, he’d never needed to talk about his past with anyone in his life before, so why now?
For a split second he felt vulnerable, and it was anathema to him.
‘None of this matters.’ He waved aside his momentary lapse with a dismissive gesture. ‘You know what I’m getting at.’
‘I do.’ Maude sighed. She’d brushed her hair in the bathroom but hadn’t tied it back and it fell over her shoulders, halfway down her back. Distracted, she scooped it up, swung it over one shoulder and then toyed with the ends, chewing her lips, not looking at him but instead staring out of the window with a frown. It was another lovely day with the summer sun glinting on the huge gardens outside and streaming into the bedroom.
Mateo’s startling admission had taken the wind from her sails. How she longed to ask more questions. She was in the grip of driving curiosity but there was no way she intended to breach boundaries. Enough had been breached already!
‘I know it would stress Mum out...would stress both my parents out...if they were to think that we’d concocted the whole thing. You’re right. There would be questions and all sorts of soul-searching.’
She made a decision. ‘Perhaps it might be an idea to play along with the gossip. The wedding is in a matter of weeks. When you think about it, nothing really has to change. You disappear and, when I do come back here, I can always say that you’re abroad.’
‘The vanishing workaholic,’ Mateo murmured.
‘That’s right. In the meantime, I’ll get the opportunity to quietly start laying the foundations...’
‘For our eventual parting of ways?’
‘Relationships come and go.’
