‘See you, and raise you one,’ she said, smiling as she lifted out a bulkier package from under the bed.
‘This is the perfect Christmas Day,’ Xavier said as he ripped the paper off her first gift. ‘Rosie...’ He stared down with astonishment at the books she’d given him.
‘Do you like them?’
‘First editions of my favourite author—are you serious? I love them.’
‘Margaret helped me—told me which antiquarian bookshop to use. They’re for the library on the island,’ she explained. ‘You don’t have these volumes, do you?’
‘Do you know how rare these are?’
She had some idea. It was only when Margaret had insisted that Rosie must enjoy some of the money from her inheritance that she had been able to afford them.
‘What’s this?’ she asked as Xavier handed her a package that looked very much like the one she was about to give to him.
‘Open it and see,’ he said.
He opened his second gift at the same time, only to discover they’d both had the same idea. Rosie’s bright red Christmas sweater had a cross-eyed reindeer on the front, while the one she had given Xavier had a smiling Father Christmas with rosy cheeks and a long grey beard.
‘Perfect!’ they chorused, laughing as they fell back on the pillows.
‘But I don’t think we need to put them on just yet, do you?’ Xavier murmured, reaching for her.
Five years later...
The sugar-sand beach on sunny Isla Del Rey was packed with islanders, visitors, children, and young people of all ages. The hacienda had been completely renovated, remaining true to its original architectural features, and there was a sturdy handrail on the impeccably maintained cliff path.
Xavier held a barbecue on the beach once a year to host all the suppliers and buyers, who were big supporters of the island’s now famous organic vegetable farm. He cooked and the older children from the thriving Doña Anna Adventure Camp helped him out.
This year’s beach-feast was the biggest celebration yet, as it marked the opening of the third building for their international centre. Interested parties had arrived on the island from all over the world to pick up tips on the magic that turned troubled youngsters into confident young people.
Xavier would have said that it was the Rosie touch. Her eternal optimism meant that she had never given up on a child yet. In Rosie’s opinion, the success of the centre was all Xavier’s doing. He had the drive, the vision, and the practical skills, while she was the dreamer who provided the barefoot fun. Of course, one of their secret weapons was Xavier’s trusted financial director, Margaret, who, having semi-retired from full-time work, was helping them to run the centre.
‘You’re not a bad chef,’ Rosie commented with a grin as Elijah, the four-year-old at her feet, clamoured for another treat from Daddy’s kitchen. Their two-year-old twins, Lily and Grace, were just happy to take everything in, while the bump in her stomach was too busy having a kick-boxing fest all its own to be in a position to ask for something to munch on.
‘Happy?’ Xavier asked, wiping his muscular forearm across his brow. He could only grant himself the briefest of breaks, but the break had to be long enough to kiss his wife. That was his rule.
‘What do you think?’ Rosié teased.
‘I think I love you, Señora Del Rio,’ Xavier whispered, staring deep into Rosie’s amethyst eyes.
‘That’s a relief,’ she teased softly. Holding Xavier’s dark, sexy stare, she hitched Elijah up onto one hip. ‘Because I adore you, señor, and I always will.’
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from A DI SIONE FOR THE GREEK’S PLEASURE by Kate Hewitt.
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A DI SIONE FOR THE GREEK’S PLEASURE
by Kate Hewitt
“Talia…” Angelos’s voice broke on her name, and then, before she could even process what was happening, he pulled her towards him, his hands hard on her shoulders as his mouth crashed down on hers and plundered its soft depths.