Page 33 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

Mia nodded. ‘She’ll be fine once she’s been fed and put down. I’ll go and make sure she’s okay. Odile is exhausted too. She should have the rest of the evening and tomorrow off.’

‘Of course. I have some calls to make, but I’ll be eating in about an hour if you want to join me?’

The warm breeze caressed Mia’s body. The sky was turning lavender now, and the smell of sea and sand and exotic blooms made the air fragrant. Night birds started their calls. And there was this man, as elemental as his surroundings in spite of the trappings of civilisation.

She could feel the pull to move closer, to have him envelop her in all that heat and steel. Transport her to an even more seductive paradise. It was dangerously romantic.

Mia stepped back before she made a fool of herself. She shook her head. ‘I’m quite tired myself, actually, I’ll just grab something and then go to sleep with Lexi.’

Daniel watched Mia go, her flowing dress doing little to hide her long bare legs. She moved gracefully, her tawny hair trailing down her back and over her shoulders. For someone who’d just got off a transatlantic flight with a small child, she looked pretty perfect. In fact, she fitted into this wild landscape very well, with her naturally sun-kissed skin.

Daniel felt something ease inside him at the knowledge that they were here. It was a subtle shift. A sense that he could relax.

That thought registered and he scowled at himself—at the notion that Mia and Lexi’s proximity was somehow beneficial for him.

Having Mia and Lexi here, far away from the French media and his conservative board—thatwas beneficial. As was the fact that he now had time to convince her of what he’d spent the last week realising was the only solution for them. The only solution he was prepared to accept.

Full commitment from Mia.

This wasn’t what he had ever planned for his life, but the reality of having a daughter had aroused emotions and protective instincts he’d buried a long time ago with his sister. He wanted more for Lexi. He wanted to be able to nurture her and protect her. He’d failed his sister and he vowed now that he would not fail his daughter.

And, more selfishly, he wanted Mia back in his bed. For good.

The following day, after Mia had woken and fed Lexi and dressed her, she explored a little. There was no sign of Daniel, which brought her a mixture of relief and something else she refused to call disappointment. Gabriela told her he had gone to work—to wherever they were setting up the shoot.

Odile had gone into the pretty little town of Santa Teresa to explore. While passing through it yesterday Mia had thought it looked charming, and rustic. Full of cafés and artisan shops. Very bohemian. But she was happy to stay around the house and take Lexi to the beach to paddle in the surf, which delighted her. It was a long time, if ever, since they’d been able to relax like this.

In the afternoon, when Lexi didn’t seem remotely inclined to go down for a nap, Mia dressed them both in swimwear and liberally applied a high-factor sunscreen.

To her surprise, when she’d explored more yesterday evening, she’d found the dressing room adjoining her very luxurious bedroom suite to be fully stocked with clothes. All in her size. When she’d mentioned it to Gabriela that morning the woman had told her that Daniel had instructed her to get a local boutique to deliver clothes for both her and Odile, and baby clothes for Lexi, in case they needed anything.

The fact that the clothes weren’t a permanent fixture made Mia feel somewhat off-centre. She wondered if Daniel had ever kitted the dressing room out for anyone else. Surely he’d come here with lovers? It would almost be a crime not to—the place was so romantic and full of earthy sensuality.

But Mia quickly diverted her mind from that line of thinking. She didn’t care if Daniel had been here with lovers. He could do what he liked with his properties.

She checked her reflection before they went out. She was wearing a one-piece swimsuit which had looked very conservative on the hanger, but it felt a lot more revealing now. One-shouldered, it had a cut-out above her hip, high-cut legs, and a top cut a little too low across her breasts for her liking.

But Lexi was grizzling now, and Daniel wasn’t even here, so Mia told herself she was being ridiculous, plonked hats on their heads and went to the pool.

When Daniel rounded the corner of the building to walk onto the decked area by the pool he stopped in his tracks and his blood ran cold.

All he saw was Lexi in the pool.

He couldn’t move. It was as if cement had been poured into his legs.

Helpless. Any minute now she was going to tip face-forward and—

‘Hi, we weren’t expecting to see you until later...’

Daniel’s stricken gaze finally took in more detail. They were in the shallow end of the pool, and Mia had Lexi securely under the arms, holding her as she pulled her forward and back through the water. Lexi was splashing and babbling in baby language.

Not about to drown.

Not like his sister.

Mia must have seen something on his face. She stopped moving and said, ‘Are you okay?’

Somehow Daniel managed to move forward, nearer the edge of the pool, but still at a distance. He hadn’t considered this scenario.

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