The Final Seduction(25)

She quickly peeled the top off and wrinkled up her nose. 'Ugh!' she  said, and ran upstairs to put it in the laundry. But when she came  slowly back downstairs it was to find his eyes fixed on every step she  took. 'That's better,' she said awkwardly.

'You look … cooler,' he commented, but his voice was husky.

Never had a simple white T-shirt felt more indecent. She felt it  moulding itself to the contours of her body, outlining the sudden  thrusting swell of her breasts. The small room felt even more crowded  and even Drew had started to look distinctly agitated. 'Let's give Ellie  this medicine,' he said roughly.

Shelley spooned the sticky mixture into the baby's mouth while Drew held her.

'Good girl,' he whispered to the baby.

Shelley held up one of the sachets which Jack had given them. 'I'll go and mix this up in a bottle for her.'

'Good girl,' he said absently.

'Are you talking to me this time, or talking to Ellie?'

He looked up and smiled. 'Sorry. But "good woman" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.'

Yes, it does, thought Shelley fiercely as she sterilised one of Ellie's bottles. Oh, yes, it does!

The baby glugged contentedly on Drew's knee and gradually she dozed off in his arms.

'Want me to take her?' she whispered, but he shook his head with a smile.

'I'm happy like this.'

'How about some coffee?'

He gave a murmur of approval. 'Kitten-you're a mind-reader!'

She wished she was! Then she might have some idea what was going on in  that head of his. She went out into the kitchen and hunted around. 'I  can only find instant!' she called back, after a minute.

'Instant's fine!'

She stuck her head round the door. 'Are you hungry?'

Drew made himself stare at her face, deliberately keeping his gaze as  far from those amazing breasts as possible. He thought he'd rather have  her in the dirty sweatshirt than in that outrageous white T-shirt. He  had been just about to eat supper when she'd rung, but suddenly his  appetite had deserted him.

'No,' he answered shortly, in case his voice betrayed him.

'Okay,' she shrugged.

She made the coffee and brought crackers and cheese in with it, noticing his eyes light up. Funny, she'd known he was hungry!

'I'll take her for a bit,' she said softly. 'Put her in my arms and try not to wake her.'

'What about your coffee?'

'It can wait.'

He carried the child over with infinite care and placed her in the  waiting cradle of Shelley's arms. Ellie barely stirred, just wriggled  her body luxuriously and sighed.

Drew picked up his coffee. 'Nice life being a baby,' he observed, glancing over at the contented picture they made.                       
       
           



       

'Easy,' she agreed.

There was a pause.

He sliced some cheese off the wedge. 'And how would you describe your life in Italy?' he found himself asking. 'Was that easy?'

She smiled, recognising the truce for what it was. You couldn't really  continue waging a battle when you had a dependent little baby in your  care. 'It's a myth that life is radically different in another country,'  she mused. 'You still eat, sleep and go shopping just the same. Of  course, the climate there is wonderful-and so is the food-but I wouldn't  say that life was necessarily easier. Just different. I saw a lot of  lovely things, had some fantastic experiences-like you must have done  when you went travelling.'

'You must miss it,' he observed, wondering how much she missed him. Marco.

Shelley hesitated and he must have seen it, because he said, 'Don't  worry-I won't storm out of here feeling wounded on behalf of myself and  everyone else in Milmouth if you tell me that yes, you miss it madly!'

'But I don't! I miss it much less than I imagined I would,' she told  him, watching the strong hands as they cupped his mug of coffee. She  wondered-hoped-that he wouldn't ask her about Marco. Not now. For  wouldn't it spoil this strange feeling of contentment which had stolen  over her? And Drew felt it, too-she could tell that from the way he had  relaxed back into the chair, his face thoughtful as he drank his coffee.

He saw her watching. 'Quite like old times,' he observed.

She glanced down at the sleeping baby on her lap. 'Well, not quite!'

'No.' His smile was rueful. 'I guess not.'

It certainly had some of the ease of old times, but with an edge of  uncertainty which added an unmistakable tension to the atmosphere.  Shelley kissed the baby's head, thinking what a bizarre little trio they  would make to someone who didn't know the true situation. Why, to an  outside observer, they could almost be a family unit. If only she had  gone with the flow of things, this could be them-only Ellie could be  their baby. It was almost too poignant to bear.

'Do you want to go?' she asked him suddenly. 'It's late. Jennie said they might not get back until one.'

'No.' He shook his head and frowned. 'You go. I'll stay.'

'But Jennie will be expecting me, won't she?'

'She'll be expecting a responsible, caring adult and I think we both fit that category, don't you?'

'Why, thank you, Drew!' she murmured.

'Anyway, I'm staying,' he put in obstinately. 'I'm her uncle and I'm  perfectly capable of looking after her. What you do is up to you.' He  narrowed his eyes and shot her a look of deepest blue. 'But you look  dead beat, Shelley. Why don't you go to … ?' A pulse flickered at his  temple as he seemed to have trouble getting the word out without making  it sound like an invitation. As he'd done in the restaurant. 'Bed … ' he  finished, wondering why certain words could sound so explicit. He stared  at Shelley. It depended on who you said them to, of course.

'Maybe I will,' she said, hoping that if he noticed the pinkness of her  cheeks he would put it down to the central heating. Except that they'd  turned it right down …

'Of course-' his voice deepened '-you could always stay here and keep me company?'

As if! She remembered the sleepiness in his voice when he'd answered the  phone, the voice in the background. She knew she had no right at all to  ask and that asking might make her appear vulnerable, but her need to  know overrode everything right then, including her judgement.

'Won't anyone be expecting you back home?'

'What makes you ask that?'

There seemed little point in beating around the bush. 'Because I heard someone speaking to you when I telephoned.'

'So you did.' He gave her a shrewd stare. 'And you want to know who it  was, is that it? Whether somebody is keeping my bed warm for me, back  home?'

'That wasn't what I asked you, Drew.'

'Liar!' The glitter in his eyes intensified. 'Not in so many words,  maybe-but that was the point behind your question. You wanted to know if  I was with a woman.' His voice was husky. 'And the answer is yes, I  was.'

She felt the blood drain from her face and wondered if it showed. She  stood up carefully and carried the baby over to him, but at least it  distracted her from the thump of pain she felt at the thought of  somebody-anybody-in his bed. Bar her.                       
       
           



       

'Oh, I see.'

'Do you?'

'Perfectly.' She swallowed. 'And it's time I was going.'

His blue eyes were fixed unwaveringly on her face, wishing that she'd  come straight out and ask him. Except that he still hadn't asked her  about the Italian. Had he? 'Her name is Amanda and she's a friend.'

'A friend?'

'Sure. I have lots of friends of the opposite sex-don't you? Want to  meet her?' he questioned. 'You could wait until Jennie gets back and  I'll take you home with me.'

'I think I'll pass.'

'Another time, maybe?'

'We'll see.' Because she wasn't sure what part he was suggesting she  play in his life-as another friend of the opposite sex, perhaps? And it  wasn't the kind of question you could come straight out and ask a man.  Even a man you'd once been engaged to-no, especially a man you'd once  been engaged to.

She picked up her keys and both he and the baby looked up at her as they  started to jangle like Christmas bells. 'I'm sorry if I disturbed your  evening,' she said stiffly.

He smiled, but it was an empty smile. 'That's probably the most  insincere thing you've ever said to me, kitten,' came the soft reply.





CHAPTER NINE




JENNIE came round the following morning to inform Shelley that Ellie had  been suffering from a twelve-hour bug which she had quickly shrugged  off in the way that only babies and children could.

'So she's okay?' asked Shelley.

'She's fine.' Jennie's eyes were like saucers. 'I couldn't believe it  when I came back to find Drew there!' She pulled a face. 'Jamie wasn't  very happy about it.'

'I wasn't ecstatic about it myself,' said Shelley. 'We don't have the  easiest relationship in the world, as you know-but he was the first  person I thought of calling when I saw she wasn't well.' She sighed. 'I  have to say, though, that he was absolutely brilliant-though I sort of  knew he would be!'

Jennie smiled. 'Funny-that's exactly what he said about you!'

'Did he?' Shelley clamped down her enthusiasm. 'What time did you get back?'