Page 25 of His Wedding Day Revenge

How many erogenous zones could there possibly be in an elbow, for God’s sake?

‘He must be getting heavy. Shall I take him back?’ Extending her arms enabled her to escape the skin-peeling contact of his hand and shake off his grip on her elbow without it looking too obvious.

Draco slung her an amused sardonic look. ‘Thanks for the offer but I think I’ll manage.’ The baby was not his issue. His inability to stop staring at her lips was.

CHAPTER SIX

THEBABYOBLIGINGLYlet out a howl of anger and, red-faced, started kicking and squirming, which focused Draco’s attention on the angry bundle.

‘What did I do...?’

Her lips twitched as she watched Draco, none of his habitual ‘master of all he surveyed’ cool written on his face. Instead there was something that on anyone else you might have called panic.

‘Nothing, he’s hungry. Let me take him back.’

This time he didn’t argue, just muttered something in Italian as the baby was passed between them with no drama, if you discounted the shivers that slithered down her neck where Draco’s warm breath brushed her sensitised skin.

Jane began jiggling the baby in her arms. ‘Nearly there,’ she hushed softly as they reached the lower terrace of the gardens that fed onto the wide stone area in front of the palazzo itself.

The baby responded to her voice and the decibels reduced. ‘You are nursing?’

He didn’t appear uncomfortable asking the question, but Jane could feel the heat climb up her neck until her face was burning with colour, not because she was embarrassed, but because she felt guilty.

Here was yet another chance to fill him in on the facts. It wasn’t as if it were a guilty secret or, for that matter, a secret at all.

Of course, she had a secret, but there was no reason to share it with him. ‘No, I’m not feeding him myself.’

‘I understand it is not always so easy.’

He understood? The suggestion that he had researched breastfeeding issues might have made her laugh had she not been holding a fretful baby.

‘Ah, here is Livia.’

If he sounded relieved, Jane felt a million times more so.

‘Livia will show you to your apartments.’ He turned to the other woman, who was wearing a dark trouser suit and what Jane rather uncharitably interpreted as an intense eager-to-please expression. She ought to know—she had worn it herself once upon a time.

‘This way, please, Miss Smith. I hope your journey was not tiring?’

With a charming smile the woman stepped aside to allow Jane to precede her though the massive ornately carved double doors.

It was like walking into another world. She stood and her head dropped back, taking in the ceiling that appeared to float miles above her head. Works of art adorned the gilded and stuccoed areas of the walls, the remaining walls covered, not in plaster, but with massive mirrors painted with laurel leaves.

Classic sculptures, busts of women with Roman profiles and alabaster faces, stood on the plinths that ran down each side of the massive entrance leading up to a dramatic carved staircase. Marble again like the floor, it swept up to the first-floor gallery where it split, drawing the eye up to the glass dome high above.

Amidst all the classicism was the furniture, large and dramatic pieces, all vibrant colour and ultra-modern clean lines. Two massive sofas beneath the classic plinths were emerald green and the towering steel-framed bookcase a striking red.

Jane stared, not taking in a fraction of the detail.

The other woman, who smiled and stood silent, seemed to understand her awe.

‘They made many discoveries during the restoration, but I am sure you do not want a guided tour just now. You are this way.’

She led Jane down a corridor lined with ancient statuary and works of art to a door that opened to reveal a lift, which was not at all ancient. It took them to another floor in smooth seconds, which Jane was glad of. She never had been keen on enclosed spaces.

This corridor was lined with windows that must make it very light in the daytime, but at the moment it was lit by low-voltage lights in the sconces that lined the opposite wall.

‘You are here.’ She opened the door and waited as Jane stepped inside, not to a bedroom, but to a large living area. The furniture was modern but not statement pieces, just high-quality craftsman-made matching the walls that were painted in a pale plaster colour.

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