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‘You have everything you could ever want.’ She doesn’t look comfortable. ‘You never need to leave the place if you don’t want to.’
‘Right.’ I tense a little. Because yeah, that was part of it. Full privacy.
‘You know I want to keep working,’ she says in a low voice.
‘I know.’ I inhale deeply. At that comment I can’t wait any longer and can only hope my assistants have been as efficient as they usually are. ‘On that, I have something to show you in the pool room.’
She shoots me a wary glance. I’m actually nervous, which is ridiculous. Still carrying Lukas, I walk past the tennis court and the pool to the low building at the back.
‘This is the pool room,’ I explain.
‘It’s a whole other house.’
I smile because that’s actually true. It’s a three-bedroom cottage.
‘Do you want me to live in here rather than the main house?’ she asks.
A flash of guilt makes me flinch. When I first thought about her moving here I considered that, but now there’s no way. ‘I think we both need to be near Lukas at night and he’ll definitely be in the main house.’
I lead her to the large kitchen usually reserved for pizza parties and pool refreshments and let her walk in ahead of me.
‘I’ve had my assistant set a few things up, but you can change the layout and of course you can exchange any items if there’s another brand of equipment that you prefer.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ Her eyes are huge as she slowly turns on the spot.
I lean against the doorjamb and feel a smug satisfaction for the first time in days. I’ve shocked—and pleased—her. It feels good. I want to please her some more. I want to see her smile and her skin flush and hear her light laughter.
She runs her hand lightly over the gleaming chrome of the brand-new Italian espresso machine. It’s a commercial one with so many levers I wouldn’t know where to start, but she clearly does because she whispers its name beneath her breath with the reverence of meeting a deity. Watching her makes me smile harder.
Then she sees the double camera set-up—the rotating mount so she can film directly above the polished counter-top and get that bird’s eye view, and the other camera on a free-standing tripod. There are diffusers and other technical gear so she can get the exact lighting she needs. There are smaller boxes that I told my staff to leave unopened because I thought she might like to enjoy unwrapping them herself—it’s crockery and tools for any kind of coffee shoot she can think of. She’s speechless but that doesn’t mean I can’t read her mind on this.
‘I know your channel is important to you,’ I say. ‘This way you can keep making content while being here at home with Lukas. It will do for now, right?’
Her wide-eyed gaze turns troubled. ‘You hate social media.’
‘Well, I didn’t think I’d be in your videos.’ I smile at her.
‘Right.’ She almost smiles back but then she goes solemn again. ‘I’ll pay you back.’
I instantly chill. That’s not a conversation that interests me, but I don’t want to argue with her. I turn and begin walking back to the main house. ‘I’ll show you the nursery and your room now.’
She runs to catch me and grabs my shoulder to make me stop. ‘Thank you, Dain.’
I stare down at her. Yeah, I wanted to please her but oddly I really don’t want her gratitude. I don’t want her feeling beholden to me. I want there to be nothing like that between us again.
‘No problem.’ I’m gruff. ‘Keeping you happy is important.’
She pulls back and I want to bite out my tongue even though what I’ve said is true.
I keep moving. I show her through the airy bedroom suites that have been arranged for them. There’s a room for Lukas. One for a nanny next door while Talia’s is further along. My bedroom is at the other end of the corridor but I don’t make the mistake of showing her right inside that—my self-control has its limits.
‘I need to do some work,’ I say shortly once I’ve swiftly nodded whose is whose room. ‘Will you settle Lukas into the nursery?’
‘Of course, he’s due for a snack.’
I carefully hand our son to her. It’s torture being so close and getting a hit of her soft fragrance. I’m tempted to go into the nursery with her and sit with them while she tends to our baby. Except I need to get my head back together and I haven’t done any real work in days.
Only half an hour later I can’t stay away any longer. I go back to the nursery half expecting to see them both taking a nap. But while Lukas is bundled up fast asleep in his crib, Talia isn’t there. I hear noises and walk along the corridor. Talia’s in her bedroom—red-faced and frantic and rummaging through her bags.
