In the Argentine's Bed / Secret Baby, Public Affair

But why had his mother and father reacted so strangely to her arrival? They’d had some obnoxious visitors in the past, folks who’d enjoyed the wine too much, but he’d never seen his parents be less than civil.

What was going on?

He stepped closer, until he could smell her scent. Subtle, floral, in keeping with her demure, businesslike persona. “Why did you come here on this strange errand?”

“Tarrant Hardcastle is my boss. I travel for the company sourcing wines. I’m pretty sure I was chosen because I’m fluent in seven languages, including Spanish. Tarrant’s daughter Fiona offered to come, but they weren’t sure you’d speak English.”

“I do, you know,” he replied, in English.

“So I see.” She smiled, which revealed a row of delicate teeth. “Then they needn’t have sent me at all, but here I am.” She shrugged. “I do love my job and I’d like to keep it.”

“And for that you require a few ounces of my life’s blood.” He had no intention of complying with her request, but she was so serious that he couldn’t resist the urge to tease her.

“As I said before, a swab from the inside of your mouth…”

Amado winced, then an entertaining idea occurred to him. “Could you perhaps obtain it with a kiss?”

Her eyes widened, and he saw a flush of color deepen the smooth skin of her cheeks. Lovely.

She regained control of herself and lifted an eyebrow. “You mean take a cheek cell culture with my tongue?”

The thought of that quick pink tongue in his mouth made a predatory smile creep across his lips. “That, I might be able to subject myself to. If you were willing, of course.”

“I don’t think that would be very scientific. My DNA would be mixed in with yours.”

“All the better.” He stared at her mouth until her lips parted.

“Ha ha ha.” Her laugh sounded tinny and false. Good. He was making her nervous.

He cocked his head. “I’m ready and willing. You can take your sample right now, if you like.”

She narrowed her lovely dark eyes. “My best friend warned me about Argentine men.”

“Oh?” He let his gaze drift over her face and neck. Enjoyed the sensual curve of her mouth and the proud tilt of her chin.

She put her hands on her hips. “She said they’re very arrogant. Full of themselves.”

He fought the urge to say Yeah, and?

But he didn’t resist letting his eyes wander lower, to where her stance pulled her jacket taut over her firm, high breasts, then down to where her propped hands defined her waist all too sharply.

Her hips twitched slightly under his gaze. Desire crept through him. He couldn’t help staring as a sudden breeze pressed her gauzy skirt to her long, slim legs.

Susannah took her hands off her hips and crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

“I’ve never had a beautiful woman ask for my DNA before. I’m just considering all my options.” Amado raised his eyes again and confronted her with his open admiration.

Her prim and proper demeanor triggered an urge to see her unbuttoned and breathless. He’d like to take her to his bed and pleasure her. Make her forget all about DNA and someone’s child and the whole crazy idea.

“Why does your boss think that I, out of all the people in the world, am his son?”

“He hired a researcher a few months ago. I think he told her all he knew about the mothers, and when they’d had the children.”

Revulsion rose in his gut. “This man thinks he has several children he’s never met?”

She nodded. “It’s awkward. I haven’t met the researcher, but I was told they’d located you here. Maybe they’re just fishing in the hope that you’re the right person.”

“I can’t be, you know.” It simply wasn’t possible.

She shrugged and a half smile tilted her mouth. Tickled his urge to kiss it. “It does seem unlikely. I’m only here because I was asked to come.”

“Do you always do what you’re told?” He raised a brow.

“It depends on who’s asking, and how much I trust them.”

Her honest answer only intrigued him more.

“Then how about I’ll give you a sample of my DNA—just to prove you’re wrong, of course—if you’ll spend the night in my bed.”

Chapter Two

Susannah’s mouth hung open for a second before she managed a laugh. “That’s one way to collect DNA. I’m not sure your parents would approve.”

Ignacio Alvarez burst through the doors onto the patio as if he’d been listening. Susannah recoiled in horror at the realization that he probably had. Clara followed close behind him, plucking anxiously at his jacket.

Cool and calm, Amado raised the bottle. “Will you join us for some wine?”

Ignacio’s bushy silver brows lowered. “Amado, we have urgent business to discuss.”

“I can imagine no business more urgent than entertaining Miss Clarke. As you heard, she’s a buyer for an important New York wine retailer. We’ve spoken about bringing our wines to the States. This could be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.”

He shot her a sly wink.

Susannah managed to keep her features composed.

“She’s arrived unannounced. There is no record of her appointment.” Ignacio glared at her.

Tarrant’s office had made multiple calls trying to set up an appointment, and had been pointedly ignored. Most likely by Ignacio. That was the reason she’d been forced to arrive unannounced.

Her curiosity deepened. She glanced at Clara, who stood in the doorway, eyes wide and anxious.

“Dad, why does Susannah’s presence here make you so uncomfortable? Surely you don’t believe her crazy story about me being her boss’s illegitimate son?” He smiled as if it was a great joke.

Ignacio’s weathered brow creased into a frown. “Of course not,” he growled. “It’s ridiculous and downright offensive. I don’t wish base accusations to tarnish our reputation. Who knows what ugly rumors such scandalous talk might generate?”

“You can’t have a rumor without something to talk about. And there’s nothing to discuss, right?” Amado leveled a dark and challenging stare at his father. Clearly, his parents’ odd behavior was making him suspicious.

And curious.

“She must leave, dear,” Clara piped up in her soft voice. “It’s for the best. We don’t want people to talk.” She wrung her plump hands.

“Have you both taken leave of your senses? Of course we want people to talk. We want the words ‘Tierra de Oro’ on everyone’s lips.” He tilted his chin to them, defying them to disagree. “I want Susannah to return to New York, unable to stop talking about our wines.” He shot her a winning smile. “In fact, we were about to head to the winery, so I can make her comfortable in the tasting room.”

Susannah’s eyes widened. Still, she wasn’t going to argue. As long as he wasn’t throwing her out.

Ignacio spluttered and Clara issued a breathy plea for him to talk to his father, but Amado slipped his arm into Susannah’s and led her past the troubled pair, through the living room, and out into the drive.

For a split second it occurred to her that he was going to pack her into her car. Get rid of her as his parents had demanded.

But instead he pulled open the passenger door of a large Mercedes sedan parked in the shade.

She climbed in, wondering if she’d live to regret it.

And if he’d live to regret not throwing her off the property. “You must be very close to your parents, to still live with them.”

“They don’t live here. They built a modern house near the winery. They’re always hovering around, though. I think they worry about me. They keep badgering me to find a nice girl and settle down.”

His wicked smile confirmed that he had no intention of obeying their wishes.

“They’re right to be worried.” Susannah raised an eyebrow. “You seem to be looking for trouble.”

“You’re wrong. Trouble has come looking for me.”

His heavy lidded stare made her legs wobble.

She was in trouble. At least she would be if she didn’t find a nice way to turn down his bold invitation to spend the night in his bed, yet still get her sample.

She couldn’t go home without the sample. If it proved Amado wasn’t Tarrant’s son, then there might still be time to find the right person before Tarrant died. She couldn’t forgive herself if incompetence on her part denied him the chance to meet his child. She had to get Amado to agree.

Still, she didn’t want to press her point too hard and scare him off. He did seem intrigued by the prospect of doing business with Hardcastle Enterprises. Maybe she could somehow use that to persuade him to go along with her request.

She leaned back in the leather passenger seat and cleared her throat. “How many cases of wine do you produce each year?”

Amado chuckled, staring ahead out the windshield. “Changing the subject? I guess you don’t need my DNA so badly after all.” His lips hitched into a sensual smile. “I’m disappointed.”

His gaze lingered. Would he dignify her question with an answer? And what would she do if he didn’t?

She wished she could be a witty flirt like her best friend Suki. Being the daughter of devout missionaries didn’t really prepare you for situations like this.

His big hands rested on the steering wheel. “Last year we produced nearly four thousand cases. This year, there’ll be more, as several hundred new rows are coming into full production.”

“You’re growing fast.”

“We have to if we’re going to make a name for ourselves.”

She nodded. “Are you trying to expand your markets overseas?”

“Absolutely. I’d especially like to expand into North America.” His expression was entirely genuine, nothing sexual about it.

Somehow that touched her. “If your other wines are as good as this, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble securing distribution.”

“We’re still small, so it must be the right distribution. Outlets where our wines will reach the right people.”

“Where they’ll be appreciated.”

“Exactly.”

Amado drove the familiar road apparently by instinct. His eyes seemed mostly to rest on her face, which heated under his intense gaze.

She struggled to keep her composure. “I think Hardcastle Enterprises could do a lot for you. In addition to our restaurants, we offer a boutique wine-selecting service for our customers. We keep their cellars stocked with the very best wines available that year.”

Amado’s keen interest was written all over his handsome features as they pulled into a parking area behind the large, stone winery building. “I look forward to showing you our winery. I’m confident you’ll enjoy our wines.”

Susannah resisted a triumphant smile. Finally, she had some real leverage. If she played her cards right, she could get the DNA she needed.

Was it the flattering glow of sunset, or was Amado getting more ridiculously handsome than ever?

Susannah sat at a wide, polished table, rows of fine-stemmed glasses in front of her, their shimmering contents ranging in color from darkest garnet to palest silver.

Across the table, standing, Amado inhaled the bouquet of a youngish red, sipped it, then tossed his head back to swallow with a lavish gesture.

He’d rolled up his creamy-white sleeve to reveal a tan forearm, and she couldn’t help imagining the rest of his body would be equally hard and well-formed.

The tasting room was warm, and she’d removed her jacket. Her nipples stood to attention inside the loose-fitting top of her dress. The curved chair with its velvet padding was deliciously comfortable after the long drive crunched into her tiny rental car, and she longed to stretch like a cat.

She felt downright…tipsy. She’d blame the wine, but as an experienced taster she knew how to sip tiny amounts that couldn’t possibly get her inebriated.

At least she thought she did.

Amado poured Chardonnay into a glass. The pale liquid sparkled in the afternoon sun streaming in through the tall windows.

She inhaled then tasted. Flavor tingled across her tongue and caressed her throat with its smooth, golden warmth.

Like Amado, the wines seemed to be getting more delicious by the minute.

“Tierra de Oro—is there real gold in the earth around here?” She set the glass back on the table.

“I don’t think so. If there ever was, it’s long gone. The only gold around at Tierra de Oro is the kind stored in bottles.” He caressed a stemmed glass of pale liquid between finger and thumb.

Susannah’s belly shivered in response.

“I enjoy this kind of gold much more than the metal.”

“It costs less per ounce but gives more pleasure.” Amado’s smile revealed his white teeth.

Why did he have to be so great-looking?

And she was entranced by the way he treated the wine like a sacred liquid. He handled the bottles as if they were sentient—firm yet gentle.

The way he might handle her if he removed her dress and layered kisses over her breasts and belly.

Susannah sat upright as a rush of heat swept through her. “It’s getting late. I’d better go to my hotel.”

Amado frowned. “What hotel?”

“Any hotel.” She hadn’t booked a room, as she wasn’t sure if she’d have to stay locally, or if she could just head back to the city.

Apparently, she’d have to stick around for one more night to talk him into giving the DNA sample. What if he balked tomorrow, as well?

“There are no hotels here.”

She groaned. The vineyard was over two hours from Mendoza. If she returned there for the night, she’d have to drive back here in the morning to resume her campaign.

“Where do people usually stay?”

He blinked. Innocent. “Here.”

“At the winery?”

“In my house.” He picked up a three-year-old Cabernet. The tapered glass bottle looked slender and delicate in his big hands.

She could picture those broad palms and long fingers spanning the dip of her waist. “I’d prefer a hotel.”

He shrugged. “As I said. There isn’t one. This is the country, not a tourist destination.”

His polite smile warred with the mischievous gleam in his dark eyes. “And Rosa will cook you a very fine dinner.”

“But what about your parents? They can’t wait for me to leave.”

“Don’t worry about them. They have their own house and I’ve made my feelings clear. They won’t interfere again.” His expression softened. “You’ll find my home quite comfortable. You’re the only one here, so you can have your pick of the rooms. In the morning, we can conclude our business.”

Perhaps he’d give her what she wanted if she stayed overnight. And it wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go.

“It looks like I’m at your mercy. I mean, thanks for your hospitality.”

He laughed. She couldn’t help smiling. Truth be told, she didn’t mind staying. Not because she had any intention of personally extracting Amado’s DNA, but because everything about Tierra de Oro was so enchanting. The breathtaking views, the lush vines, the comfortable well-kept buildings.

And the wine had mellowed her out something wicked. She wasn’t even sure she should drive. Not to mention that she still had no gas.

And she couldn’t leave without his DNA.

“My offer still stands.”

“Which offer was that?”

He leveled a challenging gaze at her. “Whichever one you prefer.”

Susannah stowed her bag in a guest bedroom, committing herself to stay the night, one way or another.

As promised, dinner was sensational. A classic Argentine meal with locally raised steaks, fresh-picked vegetables and glass after glass of Amado’s magnificent wines.

Silent and catlike, Rosa served their food in the grand dining room. Instead of family portraits, the walls were lined with oil paintings of massive, rectangular-shaped bulls, each frame adorned with a gold nameplate.

“I guess someone loved cows.”

“My great grandfather. My grandfather. And my father.” Amado sipped his wine. “Tierra de Oro was known throughout Argentina for its breeding stock.”

“Do you still breed them?”

“My father does, but it’s a hobby at this point. Not profitable. That’s why I started the vineyard.”

“You?”

“Yes.” He looked at her quizzically. “Why are you surprised?”

“Well, you’re only thirty.” She blanched when she realized she’d assumed that the research was correct and he was in fact Tarrant’s son. “Aren’t you?”

“As it happens, I am thirty. But I was fooling around in the fields and growing things by the time I was eight. By age eleven, I’d hybridized a Syrah that got people talking. My neighbor Santos taught me a lot. He’s ninety now and one of the true geniuses of winemaking. He helped me persuade my father to let me plant grapes in our pastures. By the time I was eighteen, we’d planted seventy hectares of vines.” He nodded at her glass. “You’re drinking their fruit now.”

“So, you skipped right over watching Power Rangers and Real World TV shows.”

Amado smiled. “When the TV broke, no one cared—except Rosa. She missed her telenovelas.”

“Thank God your father finally came to his senses and bought a satellite dish.” The silvery voice made Susannah whip her head around. Rosa stood right behind her. A stern expression still tightened her inscrutable and impossibly ancient face.

Amado laughed. “Now she’s addicted to CNN broadcasts.”

She clucked her tongue.

“Someone’s got to keep the Alvarez family in touch with the modern world. Otherwise, all you’d do is fondle grapes and stick your hands up a cow’s backside.”

Susannah almost spewed her wine and Amado bent his head in laughter.

Rosa bustled away with an empty serving dish. Susannah leaned forward and whispered. “She’s a character. How old is she?”

Amado blew out a breath. “Probably older than the mountains. She’s certainly been here longer than anyone else. Every other person around here is her grandchild or great grandchild. For years I’ve been trying to convince her to retire and take it easy in her old age. She flaps her dishcloth at me and says she’d just as soon be dead.”

“What do you do around here for fun?”

“What could be more fun than testing the soil for nitrates?” Amado tilted his head and regarded her with mock seriousness. “What can I say? I love my work.”

“I know how you feel. I love mine, too.” She indicated the delicious meal spread before them. “I’m working right now. It’s a tough job, but, well, you know.”

“You traveled a long way. The least I can do is give you a good meal.”

“Much appreciated. I’m used to traveling though. I’m on the road about eighty percent of the time.”

Amado’s lips parted in dismay. “You’re away from home most of the year?”

Susannah shrugged. “My home is a featureless, one-room apartment in a busy part of Manhattan. It’s just a place to keep my stuff. I’m happiest when I’m out and about.”

He stared at her. “Where are you from originally? I mean, where did you grow up?”

She forced a bright smile. Here we go. “Everywhere. I was born in a tiny village in the Philippines where my parents set up a primary school. When I was eighteen months old, my parents moved to Burkina Faso to take over a mission there. When I was three, we moved to Papua, New Guinea. I turned six in a small village in Southern India, but that placement didn’t work out, so I had my seventh birthday in Columbus, Ohio while my parents attended a retreat there. Then we were back on the road to Honduras, El Salvador, Paraguay and Bolivia, which is why I speak fluent Spanish.”

The canned account of her strange childhood rattled out like a recorded recap.

“Your parents were missionaries?”

“You got it.” She raised her glass in a mock cheer. She was used to the sideways glances and snide remarks. Her parents were good people and they did what they thought was right.

Surprise trickled through her as she noticed Amado wasn’t mocking. He looked interested. “It must have been hard when you were a kid. To keep leaving your friends and your familiar environment.”

She shrugged. “I never lived any other way, so I guess I’m used to it. Their specialty is setting up programs and finding the right local people to run them. Then they move onto the next place. I guess the lifestyle shaped me, because I’m happiest when I’m moving from place to place.”

She realized Amado was staring at her with a look of…was it pity?

“What?”

He shook his head, as if shaking loose a painful thought. “Nothing. I guess it’s great that you love to travel. Everyone’s different.”

“You’re horrified, aren’t you?”

“No.” He laughed. “Okay, maybe a little. I don’t even like to go away on business for a few days. I feel like my roots have been pulled from the soil and I can’t wait to get back home and plant them among the grape vines again.” His wry expression suggested that he was a little embarrassed by his deep attachment to his home.

That touched her. What would it feel like to be so deeply rooted in a place—in one special place—that you felt like you truly belonged there?

Amado’s brows gathered. “Are you okay? More wine?”

Her face must be giving too much away. “I guess I’m just tired from all the traveling.”

He nodded, sympathetic. “Of course. Well, tonight, you are home in Tierra de Oro where I will take good care of you.” He rose and held out his hand to lift her from her chair.

His genial gaze rested on her face. “Come into the living room and we’ll light a fire. The nights are still cool and a fire warms the soul as well as the body.”

Susannah blinked as his words and the touch of his hand stoked a very different kind of fire.

He held her hand—casually—as he led her into the spacious living room and settled her into the butter-soft leather sofa in front of the grand carved-stone fireplace.

“Make yourself comfortable.” He offered her a knitted throw from a drawer. She shook her head.

He stroked it. “It’s pure alpaca, from the mountains. Soft as the clouds that gather in the foothills.” His sparkling gaze challenged her to resist.

“Well, if you put it that way.” She let him drape it over her shoulders. Soft as a breath. And somehow the caress of his strong hands transmitted through the lush fabric.

She slipped her shoes off, and put them on the floor. When she looked up, the fire was already lit and blazing.

“How did you do that? It takes me half an hour to get a fire going.” Sometimes even the fake logs sputtered out in her tiny apartment fireplace.

Amado shrugged. “Good kindling. Old wine barrels are the best.” He smiled. “And we have a steady supply.”

Without a word of warning, he seized her left foot and began to massage the sole with his broad thumb.

Susannah’s mouth fell open.

Sometimes she was ticklish, but right now she had no urge to laugh. The penetrating motions of his thumb and fingers sent sensations ricocheting through her foot, up her leg and all over her body.

She should protest. This was far too intimate. But no words came to her mouth, and Amado just went about the task as if it was a service he provided to all guests.

He knelt at her feet. His dark hair hung in his eyes and she couldn’t make out his expression. All she could see was the subtle movement of muscles in his bronzed forearms and powerful hands as he worked the day’s tension—heck, the entire year’s tension—out of her muscles with a deft, firm touch.

A long exhale escaped her.

“Ahh.” Amado smiled as he looked up. His hands didn’t even pause in their expert massage. “Now you’re starting to relax.”

His fingers worked his way up her instep and over her heel. Thank goodness she’d worn smart, silk panty hose.

“You take good care of your feet.” Her sole buzzed deliciously as he went to work on the second foot. “They’re strong and healthy.”

Susannah laughed. “They’d better be with all I put them through.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll walk in the vineyards. You can stay tomorrow, can’t you?” The sudden concern in his eyes tugged at something inside her. Why did he care if she stayed or went?