Free The Spaniard's Woman - Contemporary Romance by Kat Davidson Page A

superhuman effort not to think about the events of the afternoon. Just the memory of his lovemaking had the power to send her off course and the last thing she needed now was distractions. Having collected some basics for herself, she hurried into Dylan’s room. He was talking to his favorite toy, Mr. Snoop, an aged teddy bear with one eye slightly askew, where Rhianna had sewn it on after a mishap with the washing machine.
    ‘We’re going on holiday,’ Dylan told Mr. Snoop seriously, ‘An’ you have to be good.’
    Rhianna gave him a big smile. ‘How’s that packing going?’
    ‘Done.’ Dylan held up his library bag. He’d emptied out the books and had stuffed various treasures in that he couldn’t do without. ‘Where we going Mommy?’
    ‘Maybe the beach. Would you like that?’ Rhianna was opening drawers, selecting clothing, trying to think what he would need. Warm clothing, if they were going to Byron Bay. The NSW coast could be nice in September but spring had only just begun and the temperature couldn’t be depended on.
    ‘The beach,’ Dylan repeated happily.
    ‘With Jenny and Paul. They have a house up there and we’re going to stay in it with them.’ Rhianna was talking while she packed. She snapped the case shut and grinned at him. ‘In fact, we might stay with Jenny tonight or we might stay in a hotel. Which would you prefer?’
    Dylan had no clear idea of what staying in a hotel entailed but he seemed happy to explore the possibilities. He grabbed his library bag and jumped off the bed. ‘Hotel!’
    ‘We’ll see. A hotel might be fun.’
    They headed down the stairs. She’d been back for less than fifteen minutes and now they were ready to go. Maybe there wasn’t any need for this haste - maybe Gabriel wouldn’t decide to chase after her until the next day - but Rhianna was unwilling to risk it. He would have been far from happy to find that she’d disappeared when he’d emerged from the shower. An angry Spaniard was inclined to act first and leave everything else to take care of itself. Rhianna knew that Gabriel would come looking for her tonight, which was why they had to leave now .
    ‘You’re sure about this?’ Grady was still in the hallway. He looked troubled. ‘I think you’re over reacting Rhianna.’
    Rhianna shot him a warning glance, her eyes flickering towards Dylan who was putting his shoes on. Grady looked mildly irritated. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ she told him firmly, ‘and yes, I’m sure.’
    Dylan sat down on the bottom step so that Rhianna could tie his shoelaces.
    So it was that when Gabriel walked in a moment later, he saw Rhianna kneeling in front of a small boy. The child’s foot was in her lap, the fair head very close to the dark one. Both mother and son looked around at him in the same instant and Gabriel froze on the threshold, his hand still on the door handle. For the longest moment he stared at Rhianna, before his gaze shifted to the little boy and he took in the childish features; big dark eyes, small, square chin, olive skin and a wealth of dark curls. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and his face took on a shuttered look as he did the mental math and the truth hit him.
    That Rhianna had born him a son...
    ‘It’s usually considered good manners to knock,’ Grady’s acerbic voice broke the terrible silence, ‘and even better manners to wait to be invited inside.’
    Gabriel’s eyes flickered towards Grady. ‘My apologies,’ he said, voice even. ‘But I had my doubts about anybody extending an invitation and my business is... pressing.’
    Rhianna, frozen in place, stared at Gabriel in dismay. She knew from the expression on his face that he had instinctively reached the right conclusion about the identity of the child before him and she felt paralyzed with fear. Her time with Gabriel had taught her enough to know that, despite the coolness of his tone, he was furious. Instinctively, she slid a protective arm around Dylan’s shoulders.