Page 41 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
Massimo’s eyes were burning and his arms were snaking around her waist, holding her tight. ‘Long enough.’
He picked her up into his arms and took her back to the bedroom, and Carrie exulted in this very minor measure of control she wielded.
Even though it had only been a few weeks since they’d been in New York, the seasons were changing. The humid heat was gone and the air was much milder. Fresher. Carrie felt as if she’d been abroad for ever. Her old life and her work as Massimo’s housekeeper felt very far away.
This was reinforced when they went into the apartment and the new male housekeeper met them, treating Carrie with deference, as if she was Massimo’s mistress.
Which you are, pointed out a snarky voice.
‘Miss Taylor, if you’ll give me your dietary preferences, I’ll pass them on to Chef.’
Carrie blushed when she thought of what Chef would make of her new status. She said quickly, ‘That’s really not necessary. I eat everything and anything.’
‘No allergies?’
‘No.’
He looked almost comically disappointed. Carrie might have laughed if she hadn’t been feeling a little nauseous after the journey. She’d asked exactly the same questions of Massimo’s guests, countless times.
When the housekeeper had left, Massimo said, ‘I have to go straight to the office now, but we can eat out later if you like.’
To Carrie’s surprise, she felt a surge of queasiness at the thought of eating out. She shook her head, ‘That’s really not necessary. I’m happy to eat in.’
She realised she was feeling quite tired too, all of a sudden. A very faint warning bell went off in her head, but she couldn’t put a finger on what it meant.
‘I’m happy just to potter here.’
Massimo frowned. ‘Potter? You are making pottery?’
Carrie laughed. ‘No, silly.Potter—as in mooch about, doing things with no real aim.’ She saw the confusion on his face and took pity. ‘Don’t worry about it. The concept doesn’t really exist in your world.’
He grinned, and the sight of it took Carrie’s breath away for a moment.
He tugged her close. ‘That’s a pity...maybe you can teach me more about thispotteringlater. Does it apply to bed?’
Carrie giggled. ‘Not really.’
She realised they were both grinning at each other. A swell of emotion gripped her before she could stop it.
She took a step back, rearranged her face. ‘You should probably get going...’
To her surprise, Massimo reached out and traced a finger down over her cheek to her jaw, leaving her skin tingling.
‘Later, then.’
She felt breathless, and wondered how he could still have this effect on her when she now knew his body as intimately as her own. ‘Okay, then, later...’
His hand dropped and he walked out.
Carrie lifted her hand to her face and touched where he’d touched. It had been a tender gesture. Not even sexual. Like when her mother had used to tuck hair behind her ear. It made her feel—dangerously—a kernel of hope.
But for what?asked a questioning voice.
She sat down on a chair, suddenly deflated.
Massimo had made it very clear he didn’t want a relationship, and even though she might want to try again at some stage, he was way out of her league. He didn’t have relationships. He had lovers. Yet, no matter what he’d told Carrie, he would marry a woman from among his peers eventually. At some point he would realise that he had a responsibility to carry on the Linden title.
Massimo might be happy to keep her on as his mistress indefinitely, while he wanted her, but it would come to an end. And Carrie knew now that she would have to be the one to take the initiative. To walk away. Because if Massimo kept touching her like that she would be right back at square one. Believing in things that didn’t exist.
