Read Online Black Widow Bride by Tessa Radley - Free Book Online

and me? Where will we be staying?”
    “In my quarters.”
    Rebecca faltered. “Your quarters?”
    Ahead of her, Damon paused on a landing. “Savvas and I had Mama’s old suite extended and refurbished. But now Savvas has moved out—he bought a house where he and Demetra will live after the wedding—so it is mine alone.”
    Rebecca forced herself to follow him down a well-lit corridor glassed from floor to ceiling on the left. Through vast sheets of glass she could see a darkened courtyard where the flat gleam of water glittered blackly below.
    He caught her sideways glance. “I replaced the old pool. The new one is more practical.”
    She remembered the fussy, elaborate pool with pockets of frothing water connected by artificial waterfalls and fountains decorated with fawning statues. A previous owner had possessed terrible taste. “You swim laps?”
    “Every morning.”
    Rebecca made a mental note to keep away at that time. Then she thought of T.J.’s fascination with water. “Is the pool fenced?”
    “The only access is through the house—and a gate in the garden which stays locked. I will give instructions to the staff to secure the ranch sliders at all times.”
    “Thank you.”
    “This will be your room.” He opened a door to a room decorated in restful shades of cream. Curtains of heavy damask complemented a bedcover fashioned of rich ivory silk. On the wall hung a Monet print—or it might even be an original—the pale water lilies drifting on a pond adding to the restful mood of the room.
    “And T.J.? Where will he sleep?”
    “Through here.”
    She followed Damon into the adjoining room. It was smaller, clearly intended to be a dressing room, but a bed had been set up with bright, crisp new linen, while a selection of brand-new toys crowded the floor.
    She pulled back the covers and he lowered T.J. so gently that her baby didn’t even sigh. Deciding that T.J. could sleep in his clothes on this one occasion, Rebecca pulled his sandals off and fussed with the covers.
    “There are bigger rooms, but I thought you would want the boy near you.”
    “Thank you.” His thoughtfulness surprised her. Her gaze lingered on the array of toys. “But you didn’t need to go to so much trouble—or expense.”
    “There wasn’t much time. Johnny had a little over an hour before the stores closed this evening. But I wanted your son to be settled, happy, while you are in Auckland. I don’t want you fretting. If a few toys make the adjustment a little easier, then so be it.” He gave a shrug.
    Rebecca’s heart contracted. That shrug—it was so intrinsically Damon.
    She straightened, desperate to escape the sudden claustrophobia that cocooned them in the small, cosy room. Rapidly she made her way across the bigger bedroom to the large curtained windows. Pulling the heavy drapes aside, she stared out into the night.
    In the courtyard below, the long, narrow pool mirrored the ripe moon, and through the open side windows Rebecca detected the scent of orange blossom and a whiff of jasmine on the night air.
    “I need to go to the hospital. I’ll leave you to settle in.” Damon’s voice sounded husky.
    “Thank you.”
    But she heard no sound of footsteps, no thud of the door shutting behind him.
    Driven by curiosity, she turned. He was watching her, an unreadable expression on his dark pirate face. The intense blue eyes were full of shadows, caused by the anxiety and concern for his mother, no doubt. But despite his uncharacteristic vulnerability she could still feel the pull that he’d always exerted.
    She swung back to the window and stared blindly out, her back as tense as steel wire, her pulse hammering.
    “It is too dark now to see how much better the courtyard looks with the lap pool and the landscaping I had done.” His voice was low.
    She wished he’d leave. Before she made a fool of herself. All over again.
    “You always had a good eye,” she admitted, her spine stiff. Old memories stirred.