Page 33 of Cinderella's Christmas Secret

Hollie nodded, wondering if that was because he’d grown up without any real traditions of his own.

As had she.

‘Everyone eats grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve,’ he said. ‘One for each stroke of the hour—twelve grapes in all.’

‘Why do you do that?’

‘To bring us luck.’ He smiled. ‘Rare is the Spaniard who will poison his fate for the following year by failing to complete this simple task.’

‘In England, we might be tempted to call that superstition.’

‘Then I shall have to persuade you otherwise, won’t I?’ he said softly as the limousine slid to a silent halt, and she shivered as he whispered his fingertip over her thigh, as if to remind her of what delights lay in store for them later.

Heads turned as they walked into the party—where even the people serving drinks and canapés looked as if they had stepped from the pages of a fashion bible.

Please don’t let me make a fool of myself, Hollie prayed.

There was a split-second pause and then conversation resumed as a tall and very handsome man extricated himself from a group of people and came over to greet them.

‘Maximo,’ he said. ‘I’m glad you made it, though I confess to being a little surprised.’ His black eyes gleamed with curiosity. ‘Since the word is out that there are going to be a lot of very disappointed women here tonight.’

Hollie felt Maximo’s fingertips touch the base of her spine.

‘Javier, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Hollie Walker. Hollie, this is Javier de Balboa, a very old friend of mine, who will probably do his best to cause mischief.’

‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Hollie, her hand straying to her cheek to push away a dangling strand of hair.

‘So it is true,’ breathed Javier, and Hollie knew she hadn’t imagined the surprise which flickered in his dark eyes as he spotted the large diamond gleaming on her finger. ‘Wow. I am delighted to meet the woman who has tamed this black-hearted rogue after so long. You do realise what you’re taking on, don’t you, Hollie?’

‘I think so.’

Her tentative words made both men smile and suddenly Hollie felt a little more comfortable as she asked for a glass of casera.

‘You won’t have champagne?’ asked Javier.

‘Hollie’s pregnant,’ Maximo cut in.

‘Ah. Of course she is. My congratulations to you both. In that case, I will have someone prepare you a casera.’

After he had gone, Hollie just stood very still for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to compose herself. What had Javier meant—Of course she is? That it was inconceivable the powerful bachelor would be contemplating marriage unless he was being shotgunned into it? And wasn’t that the truth? She could see people watching them and wondered how they saw her. As an upstart who had managed to get her claws into one of Spain’s most eligible bachelors? One who was clearly out of her depth, despite her designer dress and the jewels which hung from her finger and her ears?

Maximo turned to talk to someone and, although a nearby couple were eager to chat to her, Hollie felt strangely isolated. She watched as Maximo seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room. People were trying to get near him and she felt as though she were melting into the shadows and gradually becoming invisible. She realised that for him this was truly home, and always would be.

She did her best to join in with the lively party but couldn’t quite contain the nerves which were growing inside her. She saw a huge dish of purple grapes gleaming rather menacingly in a corner and prayed she would be able to match everyone else in the room—although eating twelve grapes in such a short space of time did seem a big ask, particularly of someone who was pregnant.

She glanced around the room, thinking that she’d never seen so many stunning women congregated in one place, and found herself remembering what Maximo had once said. He’d told her that if

ever he met a woman he desired more than her he would tell her immediately and their relationship would end. Looking around at the model-perfect array of females, she failed to see how that could not happen. Surely once the allure of their brand-new sex life wore off, wasn’t it inevitable he would be tempted?

She wasn’t much of a drinker but right then she would have given anything for a small glass of wine to help quell her spiralling nervousness, but of course she couldn’t do that because she was expecting a baby.

And that was the only reason she was here.

All of a sudden Hollie felt as if she were adrift on a life raft, floating on a wide sea. Lost and all alone—despite the proud-featured man at her side who drew the gaze of every woman in the room.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

HER NIGHT WAS RESTLESS—her sleep broken by ill-defined dreams which somehow scared her—and when Hollie awoke it was to find that Maximo had gone. She sat up in bed and blinked, glancing around at the unfamiliar space of his vast Madrid bedroom. Gone where?

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