The Vasquez Baby

‘Of course.’ His usual confidence apparently restored, Raul curved his arms around her in an unmistakably possessive gesture. ‘I can’t let you out of my sight, I worry if you’re even half a shade paler than you usually are and when you stop wanting to talk about everything I get really, really worried.’

‘You hate talking.’

‘Given a choice between conversation and sex, I’m going to pick sex every time,’ Raul admitted, with typical male frankness. ‘But I’m prepared to concede that a certain degree of emotional honesty has its place.’

‘Does it?’

‘Yes.’ He smoothed her hair away from her face. ‘I should have talked to you sooner, but you have to understand that I’ve never talked to anyone about this. I don’t even let myself think about it.’

‘I don’t blame you, but I’m glad I know because now I can understand why you feel the way you do. And I have something to say that’s important.’ Faith took a deep breath. ‘You don’t have to stay with me just because you’re afraid of losing your child, Raul. I would never take your child from you, ever. If you’re saying this because of the baby, then we can work something out. You own ten-thousand acres—you can build me a house to live in.’

‘I am not building you a house to live in. The only place you’re living is here with me,’ he growled and Faith bit her lip.

‘I’m worried, Raul,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m worried that you’re only saying this because of the baby. I mean, it’s not as if you had a choice about this.’

‘Come with me!’ Having delivered that command, he took her hand and led her up the staircase to the upper floor.

‘Where are we going? We never come up here—’ Exasperated, she tugged at his hand. ‘Raul, we were talking—’

‘And talking is fine,’ he purred, turning to her with his most charismatic smile. ‘But there are times when actions speak louder than words, cariño.’

Mesmerised by that incredibly sexy smile, Faith felt her insides tumble and flip and gave a moan of disbelief. No, no, no! She wasn’t going to respond like this, not now! They were discussing an important issue. Surely he wasn’t going to try and solve this problem with sex? Not after the discussion they’d just had. ‘Raul, this just isn’t—’

‘Trust me.’ With his usual confidence, he threw open a door and stepped aside for her to pass him. ‘Go in. Tell me what you see.’

Puzzled, Faith stepped inside the room and her heart tumbled over in her chest.

It was a nursery.

A beautifully decorated, sunny nursery complete with an old-fashioned rocking chair, an antique cot and pretty curtains.

For a moment Faith couldn’t speak at all and then when she finally tried to say something, nothing came out of her mouth.

His hands curved over her shoulders. ‘What do you see?’

‘I see—’ Her voice cracked. ‘I see a nursery.’

‘No.’ He gently turned her and cupped her face in his hands. ‘You see a man in love.’

‘But—’

Raul was watching her reaction with a self-satisfied smile on his handsome face. ‘Now try telling me I’m insensitive,’ he drawled softly, pulling her against him and bringing his mouth down on hers. ‘I had this decorated when we were on our honeymoon.’

‘Our honeymoon?’

‘That was when I realised that I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. I didn’t know you were still pregnant, Faith. But this was how I saw our future. As a family.’

She felt tears prick her eyes. ‘You—you’d already done this?’

His eyes gleamed with sardonic humour. ‘You think I shot up here with a paint brush five minutes after the doctor left?’

‘No. Yes.’ Tears filled her eyes and his smile faded.

‘Don’t cry. Te amo, cariño. I love you. Do you understand me?’ He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. ‘Do you? Answer me, because if you don’t then I will have to solve the problem the way you suspected I was going to solve it.’

She sniffed and made a sound that was half sob, half laugh. ‘I thought—’

‘I know what you thought