Page 72 of Midnight Surrender to the Spaniard

Sebastián looked at her face, lit up by the lights of the shop windows. He knew he’d let her get too close. But he also knew she was leaving and so he was pulling away...

It was best for both of them, he’d decided.

Tomorrow his family descended. Anna would be there—but not the Anna he had come to know.

She would be the Anna who denied they even existed.

They would ignore each other, or talk politely...

The way they would have to do now, whenever she returned see her friend.

‘It will be nice.’ She turned and looked at him. ‘To have everyone see the baby. What time are they flying in?’

‘We’re meeting at the hotel at four,’

‘The same one Carmen’s staying at?’

‘No.’ He gave her the address. ‘From there we’ll head to the hospital. I’ve organised a private room. After that we’ll head back to the yacht for a little celebration before they fly home.’

And the next day it would be Anna who would fly home.

End it now, his head said as they walked back to his yacht.

And he knew how to: as Anna spoke with Dante, Sebastián took out his phone and fired a quick text to his sister.

‘Señorita Anna!’ Dante greeted her. ‘Welcome aboard.’

‘Gracias, Capitán Dante.’

Anna smiled as she practised her Spanish, but as they chatted a thought occurred: would Dante greet her by name tomorrow?

Would Emily and his entire family find out that she had been spending time on the yacht? A lot of time actually!

‘Carmen’s dropping by,’ Sebastián said.

‘When?’

‘After she’s visited Emily.’ He pocketed his phone as if it was Carmen who had messaged him. ‘At least she gave me some notice this time.’

Anna had a wish—and it was a terrible wish. She wished his family would clear off. Or that she could stop the clock...that the world would just disappear and leave them alone.

But of course life wasn’t like that.

‘Then I might head back to the villa.’

‘I thought you might say that.’

‘Sebastián, the next time I’m here it will be with my daughter.’

How?Anna begged in her mind.How can I ever see him and act casually? How can I begin to accept that we will never have this precious time again?

No future, he had said. No falling in love.

‘I don’t want anyone knowing we had a...thing.’

‘A thing?’ Sebastián checked.

‘A fling. A sex fest. A brief romance. I don’t know what to call it, but I don’t want to have to explain it to them.’

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