The Innocent's Secret Baby(26)

He was furious at how she'd been treated by adults who should have known better.

And now he sat trying to do the hardest thing in his life-afford Bastiano the same feelings.

'Raul!'

This time it wasn't Allegra.

Instead a very pale Lydia stood in the doorway, in short pyjamas.

He could see all the tiny changes in her. Her hips were rounder, her  breasts fuller, but he wasn't really noticing them in reference to her  being pregnant.

Her hips were round and her breasts were full and she would never, ever, not turn him on.

And how the hell did he keep his distance?

How did he keep removing himself from want?

He saw her gaze descend to the ring he held.

'Don't worry.' He did his best to keep things level and dropped the ring  back in the drawer. 'I wasn't planning a surprise. It isn't for you.'

And to her shame, to the detriment of her stupid heart, for a second she  had hoped that she might have found someone who would never leave.

Fool!

And when Lydia was angry, when she was hurting, she was ice.

'Of course it isn't,' Lydia said in her most crisp and affected tone,  but then it cracked, just a little, and she could hold it in no more.  'You never cared about me-not for a moment. You were too busy working  out how to get to Bastiano...'

'Merda.'
         

     



 
This time he said it out loud as he realised that she knew.

'Lydia!' Raul stood-not in defence, more in horror.

'Don't!' she warned him. 'Don't you dare try to justify it.'

'I'm not. How long have you known?'

'I get to ask the questions-did you follow me out of that dining room  because you were interested in me or because you wanted to find out more  about Bastiano?'

Before he could react, she took away the safe answer.

'And please don't say both, Raul-at least give me the truth.'

He owed her that.

'Bastiano.'

Absolutely the truth hurt, but she forced herself to speak on. 'And when  you invited me for dinner was it to get to him? When you told me to  choose...?'

She wanted to spit as she recalled it.

'Were you hoping to flaunt me in front of him?'

'Yes,' Raul answered, and he knew that the absolute truth was needed  now. 'Because that's how I've always operated-that's how I have run my  life. I lie to get by. I say what I have to. However-'

'I hate you!' Lydia shouted.

Oh, the ice hadn't cracked-it had split wide open. And fury was pouring out-years of it.

And it terrified her.

'You're the cheat, Raul! You say you hate them, but you're actually the cheat. You were lying all along.'

'Not all along.'

'Yes! You screwed me to get back at him!'

She walked out, and then she ran.

Back to her room.

The bed was turned down and the light was on and she wondered how it  could look just as it had before, now he had told her himself the  truth-he had pursued her to get back at Bastiano.

'Lydia.' He didn't knock, he just came in, and he was very calm.

'Get out.'

'No. We're going to talk about this.'

His head was actually racing-everything looked different now.

'When did you find out?'

'Does it even matter?'

Of course it did-and of course he knew when she had found out.

When everything between them had changed.

'You were right,' Lydia said, her temper rising. 'We'll do this through  lawyers.' She meant it. 'I'm going to screw you now, Raul. I am going to  make your life hell.'

'You couldn't.'

He took her arms and tried to calm her, but she was crying now-seriously crying.

'You couldn't make my life hell.'

Lydia took his words as a threat-that he was mightier, richer-but he meant it otherwise.

Hell was not having her in his life.

An angry Lydia he could deal with-was what he had waited for, in fact.

Because her fury was private and deep and finally she shared it.

Loudly.

'You lied.'

'I did,' Raul agreed. 'That's what my life was like until you came along.'

'You were using me.'

'At first,' Raul said, but then reconsidered. 'Actually, I wanted you on sight. I remember your buttons.'

'I don't take that as a compliment.'

'Take it any way you like. The floor is yours.'

His calm enraged her.

That he could just stand there when she'd exposed what he had done.

'I should never have told you about the baby.' She picked up the statue.  'I should have just sold this and you'd never have known.'

'I thought you already had sold it.'

And it had hurt him that she had.

Like her blasted mother-taking heirlooms and passing them on to get through another week.

He loved that statue too, and now she was holding it in her hand and about to toss it.

Raul stood there, a little conflicted.

He could stop her, because he knew she'd regret it later.

But she was angry.

Not just at him-that much he knew.

And, hell, she deserved to show it.

Lydia did.

She threw it.

Not at him.

She threw it against the wall and heard it shatter and she did the same.

Because she loved it, and she had destroyed the nicest thing she had ever had.

Except for Raul.

Yet she had never really had him at all.

And she wanted him so much.

But he didn't want her.

So why was he kissing her? Why was he telling her he'd better lock up the china or they were going to have very expensive rows?

Why, when she was crying and kicking and, oh, so angry, did he contain  her, yet let her be, and seem to want her at the same time?

They were frantic-tearing buttons and shredding clothes with their lips locked, because Raul wanted to be out of his head too.

Today had been hell.

Yesterday too.

And all the weeks before that.

He wanted her badly.         

     



 

Raul kissed her hard, pushed her to the wall, and her bottom was bare in  his hands, and her swaying breasts were stilled by his chest.

Lydia climbed him.

Even as Raul was preparing himself she was wrapping around him, and then she was safe in strong arms and being taken away.

It was rough and intense, and her face was hot and wet as he kissed her cheek on his way to finding her mouth.

And there was not a scream left within her as she climaxed-there wasn't  even air in her lungs left to come out. Because he took everything she  had and gave her more.

Everything raced to her centre as he thrust in deep and filled her. Her  orgasm was so tight as he joined her in a climax that went on as hers  faded.

She was calmed and coming down, watching the tension of his features and revelling in the feel of his final rapid thrusts.

And then thought returned, but the hurt did not.

At least not in the way it had been there before.

They were still kissing as he let her down. Standing in a war zone and yet safe and kissing.

And then she peeled back and peeked out and saw the glass on the floor.

'I broke our statue...'

Because that was what it was.

Theirs.

A diary of them.

And she had destroyed it.

'Why didn't you sell it?'

'I couldn't.'

And that meant so much to Raul.

She hadn't taken a single photo-Lydia, he knew, held on to nothing-yet she had been unable to let this go.

'And now I've destroyed it,' Lydia said, looking at all the shattered glass.

'No.' He picked it up from the floor and showed her that the beautiful couple were somehow intact, just minus the sheet.

'I hated that sheet,' Raul said. 'I didn't like to say so to Silvio. It's his art and all that, but I think he made a mistake.'

'He's a master of his craft!'

'Well, I think it looks better now.' Raul shrugged. 'Though the valuers  might disagree.' He smiled at her. 'But you don't need them now, and we  don't need lawyers.'

Lydia wasn't so sure.

She could not deal with Raul with her head.

One tryst and she craved more-one more night in his bed and she would be putty.

And she was scared to try to forgive him.

Lydia was scared of his lies-in that he was the master.

'Come to bed.'

She knew he meant his.

'Come on.'

And it scared her, not that she would take his crumbs...

But that she did.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WRAPPED IN A sheet on Lydia's command, so as not to scare Loretta, they headed down the mirrored hall.

'She won't be here,' Raul said as they shuffled along with him holding the statue.

'Well, I'm not walking naked through your house.'

'Our house.'

Lydia ignored that. Instead she asked about Loretta.

'How come she works for you?'

'Because she was always good to me, and when my father died I knew she would be without work.'

'So you do have friends?'

'I guess.'

They were at his bedroom-back to where she had promised never to be.

It was even more beautiful the second time around.

'It's so gorgeous.'

'It's your room now.'

He saw her shoulders stiffen.

'I mean it.'

'Raul, can we talk about this tomorrow? There's still a lot to sort out.'

'It's sorted.'

'Raul, I'm here because you found out I was pregnant. I don't think that's an awful lot to base a relationship on.'

'Nor do I,' Raul agreed. 'I lived with my parents, after all. It's not just the baby.'

'Please don't just say the right thing. You're a liar, Raul.' She  thought back to the plane, the first time they had flown here. 'I can't  bear the thought of you pretending to care. That's what you've been  doing all along...'

'Never.'

'You stand there and tell me you're speaking the truth and then straight away you lie.'

'When I held your hand I wasn't lying. When we took a taxi rather than  my car I was caring for you then. And when we didn't have sex that first  time...'

He thought back.

'For a second I considered how good it would feel to get back at him.'