The Italian Surgeon's Secret Baby

‘But—’

‘No buts, Sonia. Please do as I say.’ Mattia might be talking to his secretary but his gaze was fixed on Elene when she twisted around to face him. Those almost black eyes were wide with surprise. ‘Elene.’

So he hadn’t recognised her from behind. Nor her voice. Or he had and hoped he was wrong. ‘Mattia,’ she acknowledged. Let the show begin. Better yet, could it wait twenty-four hours? She might be more prepared.

‘This is an unexpected pleasure.’

‘I’m sure pleasure is the last thing you’re feeling.’ They had rarely got on well enough to have more than a professional relationship, and when he’d dumped her best friend in preparation to swan out of Wellington onto his next adventure they’d drawn battle lines.

‘Still blunt, I see.’

‘Only way to go,’ she snapped, before remembering she was supposed to get on with him or there’d be no hope for her or Aimee. ‘Sorry. It’s been a long and arduous couple of days and my tongue’s getting the better of me.’

His gaze alighted on her mouth, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly. She was hallucinating. Could he be remembering that awkward moment back in Wellington? But why would he? It wasn’t as though he’d have been celibate in the intervening year after leaving Danielle. He asked, ‘You’ve come all this way to see me?’

The disbelief was so tangible she could almost see it hanging in the air between them. She could certainly feel it. Not that she blamed him. Turn the situation around and she’d be reacting exactly the same. ‘Can we talk in private?’ Her arm tightened involuntarily around Aimee. Here we go. The stress expanded, spread through her like wildfire in a pine tree plantation.

The dark gaze that had been focused on her lowered to her precious bundle, and Mattia rocked on his feet. His wide mouth flattened, and all that arrogance she remembered rose to the fore.

‘We should take this somewhere else,’ she managed through a dry mouth.

Mattia raised his head to stare at her, shock beginning to shadow that gaze.

He knows. Without a word being said, he’s seen what’s before him.

Mattia stepped back from them—way back. ‘Congratulations on your child. How old is she?’

Denial to the fore. ‘This is Aimee. She’s twelve months old.’ Do the sums. Believe your gut reaction.

But Mattia wasn’t playing that game. He had one of his own on the go. ‘Twelve months, eh? You kept your relationship quiet. I thought you were sworn to a single life.’

She still was. Which was none of his business. Careful, you have to talk with Mattia about some serious stuff in the coming days. ‘I wasn’t dating anyone when you were with Danielle.’

‘How is Danielle?’ His gaze flicked to Aimee, immediately looked away.

Oh, no. She was about to leap right into the middle of the deepest pool without a lifebelt. Her heart was already diving. Inclining her head towards the door that led into his office, she whispered, ‘Can we?’

‘I think we must.’ He turned to his secretary, who hadn’t done as requested and left. ‘Sonia, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ His tone brooked no argument, yet the woman didn’t leap up to leave. Brave lady. Or did she have something on him?

Could she share it with me? Gathering strength from Sonia’s attitude, Elene stepped past Mattia. Then faltered. He had never seemed so tall, nor his frame so solid and imposing. Not even when he’d held her, been about to kiss her. Then, when the office door clicked shut behind them, the air evaporated, leaving her lungs struggling to do their job. Without invitation, she sank onto the nearest chair and settled Aimee on her lap, an arm around her tiny waist.

Mattia crossed purposefully to his desk but didn’t sit, instead staring down at her. At them.

Too late, Elene realised she should’ve remained on her feet. Down here, she was at a disadvantage. No change then. But, for a moment, under that unnerving gaze locked on her, she’d forgotten how to fight her corner.

Two words cracked across the silence. ‘So? Danielle?’

No easy way to say this. ‘Died. Cancer.’ Two months down the track, it hurt like yesterday. The pain was a rock behind her heart. She missed her friend so much. There was anger at Danielle being taken so young, when she had so much to look forward to and a daughter who needed her and who’d barely got to know her mother.

A breath hissed over Mattia’s lips. ‘That I did not expect.’

‘Who would?’ Danielle had been thirty-four, fit, supposedly healthy, with everything ahead of her.

His fingers raked his dark hair. ‘Can I ask what type?’

‘Cervical. It was rapid.’ And brutal. A familiar nausea soured her mouth. Caring for her best friend in those last months had been the hardest thing she’d ever done.

Aimee squawked.

Grateful for the interruption, Elene lightened her grip and kissed Aimee’s cheek. ‘Sorry, darling.’ When she looked up there was no avoiding that dark, inscrutable gaze fixed on them. She had to get this over with. ‘The cancer was discovered before Aimee was born.’

One abrupt nod. ‘So the child is Danielle’s?’

You’ve already figured that out. ‘Aimee. Her name is Aimee.’ Elene leapt up and strode across to stand right in front of him. ‘Get it?’

She had to give him credit. He didn’t back away or make a dash for the door. ‘Yes, I get it.’

That stole her thunder. Did he really understand what she’d been saying without putting it into words? Probably not. Why would he? It wasn’t as though Danielle had rung and told him the instant she’d found out. She hadn’t told him at all. But there’d been that moment of recognition in Mattia’s eyes. Could be she’d misinterpreted it.

Returning to the chair, Elene sat down and tried to relax. Getting angry or upset wasn’t going to achieve a thing, and she hadn’t been kicked out—yet. ‘Aimee’s nearly one, was born on the third of May last year.’

‘Taurus.’

‘What?’ This man with a scientific mind knew his star signs? She’d thought she was beyond being surprised.

‘The bull. Deliberate in actions, methodical. Likes luxury.’

Surprise got the better of her. ‘You know this how?’

‘I too am Taurus. You’ve got your hands full with this one.’

‘We have.’ I want Aimee full-time, but I can’t deny your role.

‘Now we’re getting to the crux of your visit.’ Mattia parked his honed butt on the corner of his desk. ‘Tell me exactly why you’re here.’

* * *

Truthfully? Mattia did not want to know. He really, really didn’t. Sure, he’d made a summation of the situation, but to hear Elene confirm it would mean there’d be no way out. No going back to the life he’d had up until ten minutes ago. At this moment, there was still hope.

So Mattia focused on Elene instead. The instant he’d seen her standing in his reception area, that long auburn hair all askew, escaping the band meant to keep it in place, the slump in her small shoulders, the curve of her hips against the light fabric of her baggy trousers, he’d felt something he shouldn’t have. A wave of lust. For Elene? Couldn’t be, when they’d kept each other at arm’s length, especially after the night he’d come within a whisker of kissing her. Yet the tightening in his crotch was definitely the sensation that went with sexual need. The woman who’d done nothing but annoy the hell out of him had found another way to vex him.

Danielle Hicks had always laughed at how he got so uptight around her friend, said he should get to know Elene properly because she was the best. Sadness engulfed him. Danielle. No one deserved her fate. She’d been such a vibrant woman, bigger than life, fun with a capital F. Being a doctor, he knew there were no boundaries when it came to life dishing out bad calls, but that didn’t mean he had to like them. ‘I’m sorry about Danielle,’ he told Elene with all sincerity. She must’ve been devastated, still would be.

‘Thank you.’ Sì, definitely a wealth of pain and passion in those two simple words.

Mattia found his eyes tracking to the child now starting to grizzle.

Instantly Elene was cuddling and kissing her, before placing her on the floor to crawl. ‘There you go, sweetheart. Freedom at last. All that flying’s over. For now.’

Mattia ignored the ‘for now’. ‘You came straight through?’ That’d be some haul for anyone, let alone a toddler.

‘Yes. It might’ve been better to stop overnight in Hong Kong, but I thought I’d get here, then relax. A prolonged stop mightn’t have worked for Aimee. Then again, I could be wrong.’

The child sank onto her butt and stared around the room, finally bringing dark eyes to rest on him. His eyes. Mattia fought the stab of wonder hitting his belly. But she was his. No denying the toddler came from his gene pool. There were photos on his desk showing almost identical faces—only those belonged to his niece and nephew. Cute like Aimee. Some time in the few weeks he’d dated Danielle he’d created a child. His hands clenched against his hips. He was a babbo. Like it or not.

That he could accept—well, he would after time to think about it and absorb the truth of the matter. He wasn’t going to admit as much to Elene though. Not yet. Not until he learned what was behind this visit. It wouldn’t be straightforward—meet your child and get to know her.

Elene’s sudden appearance without warning was a worry in itself. Back in Wellington, her snippy remarks about his womanising had rankled. She’d also pushed the guilt button for that hot moment with her when he was in the midst of a fling with her friend. In defence, he’d always been honest with women about what he required from a relationship and if they couldn’t agree he moved on fast. Elene had never accepted that Danielle was happy to go along with the rules. Elene was a warrior when it came to protecting her friend. So it stood to reason she’d be the same with her friend’s daughter. My daughter. No. Don’t accept it so readily. There had to be proof and legalities and a whole load of other things to consider first. His stomach clenched so tight it hurt. Because he already knew half the score. Aimee was his. He’d never walk away from her, no matter what.

He demanded of Elene, ‘Why are you here?’ To ask for money? To hand over Aimee and leave, free of obligations? No, even with his high level of distrust he knew she wouldn’t do that. Or would she? Raising a child would interfere with her career, and he’d seen how serious she took nursing. Couldn’t fault her there. He could use her talents here, with the ridiculous lack of suitable nurses at the moment.

‘We don’t have anywhere to stay.’ She’d gone for the immediate situation, not the bigger one. ‘I’m hoping you can look past our previous disagreements to help me out.’

Sì, she could still push his buttons. If he wasn’t careful he could find himself enjoying that. Mattia studied the pale face in front of him. Shadows stained her cheeks, her mouth drooped, as did her whole body, really. She was shattered, and who wouldn’t be after those long flights getting here from New Zealand? Throw a baby into the mix and it was a wonder she was conscious.

‘Believe me, the last thing I’m feeling like is arguing.’ Nor was he mentioning the unexpected heat lancing him internally from seeing her again. She was a breath of fresh, though angry, air.

‘I’m sorry for turning up like this. I’d hoped for a night to recuperate,’ she acquiesced, worrying him more than almost anything else she could’ve done.

‘You came here directly from the airport?’

‘Via the hotel that double-booked my room.’

Blink, blink.

Don’t cry. You are a tough, snippy woman—you don’t do tears.

Then her words swiped his brain. Elene meant it when she said she didn’t have anywhere to stay. Got it wrong about what would worry him the most, hadn’t he? She’d just handed him a grenade. Offering her a place to stay for a few days would mean seeing his daughter every day—bringing home the truth: bang, bang, bang. Having to spend endless hours in Elene’s company was another problem that’d be equally difficult to handle. He breathed deep. Tossing her out on the street wasn’t an option. His house was enormous; this mightn’t be as difficult as he envisioned. Besides, it was said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. At the moment Elene fell into the latter category. ‘I believe you have a nappy to change.’ He’d overheard her conversation with Sonia.

Her head dropped, rose, in a slow nodding gesture. ‘I do.’

He took charge. ‘I have a patient to check on. It won’t take long, then we’ll head home. Unless you want me to change the nappy first.’ It wasn’t as though he didn’t know how.

She stared at him like there was no strength left in any part of her small frame. As if he’d offered her a gift she was waiting for him to snatch back. Finally she muttered, ‘I’ll do the nappy.’

Who’d have believed he could feel compassion for this woman? Right now he wanted to give her whatever she needed. Anything. He also wanted her back on the other side of the world, out of his hair.

‘You can stay with me until you sort other accommodation. There’s no rush. I have lots of space and bedrooms.’

Elene sagged further and he made to catch her and hold her upright, but as he took a step forward she began pulling herself together, one click at a time. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

‘Don’t thank me. It is why you turned up here, isn’t it?’ There. Bring this back to practicalities—definitely not about the child, not about Elene, not his unexpected reaction to her.

‘I was desperate. Aimee was screaming the roof down. The hotel receptionist was struggling to find accommodation at a hostel and—I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of anything else to do.’ Just as it was for him, it was as though Elene was afraid to talk about what had brought her to Sorrento in the first place.

He’d go along with her. There was no way he wanted to delve into that particular mess. Not tonight. ‘You did the right thing.’ By Aimee, at any rate. He’d have been furious if they’d stayed in a room amongst strangers. His daughter deserved better. So did Elene, though he wasn’t sure why he felt that way. Perhaps he’d extend the invitation to stay through to the end of her visit, but he’d wait on that decision. ‘I’ll be back shortly.’

Mattia strode away without a backward glance, despite his head pounding with incredulity. He was a babbo. Elene had brought his daughter to meet him. Sure, he wasn’t naïve; there was a lot to get through, decisions to make about Aimee. But a fizz of excitement ran through his veins.

Except it was Elene’s face popping into his mind, not Aimee’s. Elene’s expression when their lips had brushed that night, the sudden tightening in his blood and manhood when he’d breathed her in. That would not happen again. Not now that they had a child whose future needed sorting out.

He’d never seen Elene so exhausted, heard her voice so flat—not even after a day of emergencies and dramas in Theatre. She’d run out of steam, and was unlikely to be back up to speed quickly. Jetlag was a killer of even the toughest souls, so he’d see she had everything she needed to get through it. If he lived to regret that, so be it. It wasn’t in his nature not to help someone and, in this case, Elene was in a mess partly because of him. Even if he hadn’t had a clue what had been going on with Danielle, he owed Elene for bringing his child across to him, and he hated owing anyone. Debts were repaid pronto. This particular one was too close for comfort, so the sooner it was dealt with the better.

Mattia charged along the corridor, trying to outrun the sight of Elene looking so lost. Normally a feisty woman who rattled his cage and annoyed the hell out of him, this was not Elene Lowe. Bring her back. She might push every button he had and some, but he’d prefer that any day. The feisty version heated his blood with anger, sometimes with lust; this version also made him sympathetic, warmed him towards her. Made him want her with him.

Mattia swore.

CHAPTER TWO

ELENE WAS ONLY vaguely aware of the mansion Mattia drove up to, barely noticed the wide expanse of wall hanging off the hill, her mind busy, racing from Mattia to Aimee to sleep and back again. Once inside, the heat fell away under the onslaught of air conditioning, but she couldn’t find the energy to take in what was in front of her. In her arms, Aimee was busy squirming and staring around, making up for her lack of interest.

Ahead, Mattia paused. Her case swung from one large hand, the stroller from the other. ‘I’ll show you which bedroom you’ll use. There’s a cot in the basement my niece and nephew used when they were a similar age.’

‘That’s a bonus. Aimee will be safer in a cot than on a bed with pillows tucked around her. She’s a restless sleeper.’

‘Shall I put it in the same room as you?’

‘Please. So far she’s doing okay, but being in an unfamiliar room without me on hand could exacerbate her mood.’ The last thing Aimee was about to do was go to sleep; not after the hours she’d put in getting here, while the only thing Elene wanted to do was pull bedcovers over her head and succumb to the lethargy tugging at every cell and not reappear for twenty-four hours. But, hey, that was never going to happen. Not now she was a parent.

‘Let’s get this sorted so you can relax.’ Once again Mattia was striding away and she scurried to keep up.

How long this unusual politeness would last was anyone’s guess. Elene looked around the bedroom he led her into. It was huge and even this late in the day still warm from the sun. A bonus was the attached bathroom. ‘Perfect.’ She’d better not get too comfortable. This was a short-term fix.

‘Glad you’re happy with it.’

‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ No clues in that inscrutable face staring at her. ‘I’ll start phoning around hotels tomorrow so we can get out of your way as soon as possible.’

‘Leave it for a day or two.’

So he wasn’t inviting her to stay for the whole time she was here, but then he didn’t know how long that was, or if she even intended returning to New Zealand. ‘We’re heading home in three weeks.’

His tense stance appeared to relax a fraction, but that could’ve been the play of light from the overhead lamp causing her to think so. Of course he didn’t want her here, had yet to come to terms with Aimee—if he accepted his role in her life. There were many hours ahead for him to come up with lots of questions, demands and denials. The questions she was prepared for. The demands not so much; they worried her enough to make her shake in her shoes, but until she heard them she couldn’t fight them. As for the denials, she’d wait and see.

‘Are you intending staying in Sorrento the whole time?’ He spoke as though holding his breath—as if her answer was important.

‘That depends on you and how things go. I have family outside Florence I might catch up with.’ The trains were reliable and fast, and would make travelling with Aimee a doddle. ‘But this trip isn’t about them.’

‘I’ll arrange transport if you decide to head up there.’

Typical. ‘I am perfectly capable of organising a couple of train tickets, thanks all the same.’ Take it easy. He mightn’t be on the ward now, but there was no need to antagonise him when he was offering help. She wasn’t thinking straight, there was so much fog in her head. Why else did she keep noticing that flat belly and wide chest? Presumably he’d had them when she knew him before and they hadn’t impacted on her in any way then. Oh, yeah? Who do you think you’re fooling?

‘I wasn’t thinking trains.’

They’d be beneath him. Stop it. ‘Let’s leave it until I’ve caught up on sleep and can think straight.’

‘Done. I’ll get the cot.’ Within minutes Mattia returned with a large square bag which he emptied onto the carpet before assembling the cot like a pro.

‘You’ve done that more than once.’ Elene aimed for friendly as she plugged in the nightlight disguised as a plastic teddy. ‘How many nieces and nephews have you got?’

‘One of each, both aged two and a half, and there’re two more bambini on the way.’ He glanced sideways down to Aimee, now crawling towards her bed. ‘She doesn’t look much like her mother.’

‘Except for the curls.’ Those were definitely Danielle’s.

‘Danielle always complained about hers.’ His tone was wistful. ‘Despite what you thought, I liked her a lot. We got on well, but the friendship was never going further than those few weeks.’

Time to fess up. ‘I know.’ When his eyebrows lifted she hastened to explain. ‘I didn’t at the time. I truly thought you’d hurt her, but later Danielle explained she’d only wanted a fling, same as you.’

‘She’d had a few flings. Why was it any different with me?’

Elene struggled to come up with an answer. She’d just always been anti about Danielle and Mattia. Shrugging, she admitted, ‘I don’t know. She was happy, especially when you stood up to that drunk for her.’

Mattia nodded. ‘He’d been ogling her all night in the pub, making her very uncomfortable. When he came across and made lewd comments I’d had enough and suggested we go out the back for a discussion.’ Flicking his forefingers in the air, he emphasised ‘discussion.’ ‘He declined.’

‘Go you.’ So chivalry wasn’t dead. But she wouldn’t expect it to be with a man like Mattia. One thing she couldn’t dispute: he was a gentleman and treated women as they deserved. Except they’d always rubbed each other up the wrong way. Was she in denial? Had there been sparks at other times than that one night she’d tamped down hard because he was seeing her friend? He was tall, good-looking in a dark and dangerous way, intelligent, funny, and—No. She was not noticing anything like that about him. No way. She looked around for something else to focus on.

Aimee was using the cot to pull herself up onto her feet. She slipped and banged down on her bottom.

Elene waited for the indignant shriek that usually accompanied a fail. Instead Aimee turned on her toothless grin and reached for the cot to start over. ‘She’s happy to be free of constraints.’

Mattia was watching his daughter, disbelief and something else on his face. Longing? He hadn’t touched Aimee yet. Not even a finger on her arm. Holding himself back until he’d thought through all the connotations? Afraid of where this might go? Still in denial? Who knew? She certainly didn’t, and right now working it out was beyond her.

For her own sake Elene felt a little bit glad he wasn’t rushing to fall in love with his daughter, if he accepted who she was. Being here was about deciding where Aimee should live and with who, though she was determined that would be her, but denying Mattia fatherhood wasn’t happening either. Bending down, she swung Aimee up to hold her out to her father. ‘Here. You look after her. I need to shower.’

* * *

Mattia automatically caught Aimee in his steady hands. Not that Elene would’ve let her drop, but he hadn’t even thought about not taking her. Holding his daughter out, he watched her kicking her legs and banging her hands on his arms, her face split in a gummy smile as she eyed him up. Hope I pass the test. Gulp. Really? Of course really. He was her father. He didn’t need a DNA test to prove that. Gut instinct brought about by the family likeness and Elene’s honest demeanour, even without putting it into words, told him all he needed—or didn’t need—to know.

‘Hello,’ he croaked around a tennis ball lodged in his throat.

‘Ma-ma-ma-ma.’

‘Is that right?’ A smile was stretching his mouth without any input from his brain. ‘You’re beautiful.’

‘She won’t break,’ came a crisp quip from behind.

What? Oh, hold her against me. Was that what Elene was telling him? ‘Thought you were going for a shower.’ He glanced over his shoulder and saw the apprehension blinking back at him. She was worried about this development. What exactly was her role in Aimee’s life? Number one question to go on the list he suspected would be pages long before many hours passed. Elene’s usually sparkly green eyes were now dark, like the ocean depths. Her tiny, curvy body had shrunk ever smaller.