Page 209 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 1-4

He’d left her over three hours ago. It had been a mistake to surprise her at her leaving do. He hadn’t been invited for a reason, and the reason had become patently obvious the second she had spotted him. He’d seen the dismay on her face, noted the way the laughter had died on her lips and had known that she hadn’t asked him along because she hadn’t wanted him there.

He’d never been in a position like that in his life but Mateo was already growing accustomed to the fact that there was a Mateo that had existed before Alice and one that existed post-Alice. The post-Alice version could take nothing for granted and was conscious of the fact that at any given moment he might find himself in alien territory without any signposts and no idea what lay round the corner.

He certainly hadn’t foreseen being dismissed in not so many words. As soon as he had walked out of the building, his imagination had gone into overdrive. He’d remembered the happiness on her face before she’d spotted him and then he’d tried to think who she’d been with in that little group.

Had there been any men there? Mateo had always prided himself on not being jealous. In fact, he’d never cared about his girlfriend’s exes and had never had the slightest concern about any of them playing the field behind his back. Why should he? Few could match what he brought to the table and the women he dated had always been grateful to go out with him. He’d grown lazy, it had to be said, and Alice never failed to remind him of that.

But as he waited for her, nursing one drink for the entire time and unable to focus on anything but the crazy scenarios in his head, he did his best to try and recall who’d been there.

Had she been having a few last flirtatious encounters for the road? She was pregnant, for God’s sake! Mateo didn’t know where his runaway brain was going with that scenario but, once it took root, it refused to budge.

Was there some teacher there who had had a crush on her before the whole pregnancy thing had happened? Before she had found herself in the position of having to seek him out through sheer decency, only to find herself embroiled with him because he’d given her as little choice as he could get away with? Because he had played on her driving need to do the right thing?

Was that a great place for him to be? Since when had a ruthless need to get what he wanted trumped generosity of spirit?

Maybe the time for talking had finally come—and this time he would have to accept whatever outcome it led to.

CHAPTER NINE

MATEOVAULTEDUPRIGHTas soon as Alice was through the door. She looked surprised to see him, even though he’d warned her that he’d be waiting for her in her apartment.

‘You’re here,’ she said, walking through and dumping her bag on the table, along with a sack of unopened presents wrapped in brightly coloured paper.

‘I told you I would be.’

‘Mateo, I’m honestly not in the mood to talk.’

‘Was it a good leaving do?’

‘The best.’ She sighed. ‘You shouldn’t have waited up for me, Mateo. I’m dead on my feet.’

Mateo watched her as she struggled out of her lightweight coat and kicked off her shoes.

He looked at her stomach and gritted his teeth in frustration at the sudden disarray of their carefully formed plan. He knew that he should back off but he’d hated to do it. He didn’t want to stress her out but he was breaking up inside.

‘I expected you back a little earlier than...’ he made a show of consulting his watch ‘...nearly twelve-thirty.’

‘You’re not my gatekeeper, Mateo—plus twelve-thirty is hardly the early hours of the morning. We were all having fun; we started playing games at eleven, and it was so riotous that the time just flew past.’

She was still in a mood and that cut him to the quick. He didn’t understand. Where did they go from here? How long was she going to be in a mood? Was it hormone-driven—understandable nerves as the due date galloped towards them? Or cold feet before a wedding she hadn’t wanted in the first place? It didn’t pay to forget that she had already been engaged once and had broken off that engagement... He wasn’t the only one with a back story.

Suddenly, the conversation staring him in the face felt bigger than before. He’d barely asked her about that broken engagement. She had mentioned it in passing the very first time they had met, and had vaguely brushed it off as the reason she had fled her friends and taken to dangerous slopes in that fast-gathering blizzard that had thrown them together.

Now it felt imperative that he find out what happened there. Could history be about to repeat itself? Mateo suddenly felt sick with panic.

The baby; this was all about the baby and the fact that he wanted what was best for their child, wasn’t it? This was his highly developed sense of responsibility kicking in and he would have it no other way. He was sure of that.

Sudden uncertainty drove him towards her. He moved to reach out, felt her stiffen for a few seconds and then the predictable melting of her body as it reacted to his.

‘Remember you told me that you wanted me...?’

Alice buried her head into his chest. He hadn’t changed. He kept a stash of clothes at the apartment, as she did at his, but he was still in the trousers he had showed up in and his white shirt, which was rolled to the cuffs, although the hand-made Italian shoes were off and he was barefoot. It was a breathtakingly sexy combination at nearly one in the morning, she couldn’t help but think.

She felt her belly pushing against him and felt her clothes a barrier between them although, as her body surged into shameful life, it was a barrier she didn’t think was going to be there for much longer. Jeez, was it always going to be like this—one touch and all self-control down the drain?

She moaned softly as he slid his hand along her back; there was no zip. The dress was softly stretchy and very easy for him to ease up, scraping it against her thighs and then over her stomach until he could flip it over her head with a bit of help from her eager, scrabbling hands.

He stood back and looked at her. The lighting was subdued. He’d been lounging in semi-darkness while he’d waited for her.

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