‘Ow,’ Lauren murmured sympathetically. ‘That can’t have been a good moment.’
‘There were plenty of others just as bad when the press got hold of the story. My humiliation was very public,’ Ramon said dryly. ‘I felt a fool—and, worse, I knew I had greatly disappointed my father. I soon got over Catalina, once I had seen that she was a mercenary slut, and in a way the whole sordid experience was good for me—because it taught me to be careful who I trusted. The Velaquez fortune is a powerful aphrodisiac for many women,’ he drawled sardonically.
‘Not for me,’ Lauren told him firmly, horrified that he might have thought her to be a gold-digger when she had first met him. ‘I was determined to train for a good career so that I could earn my own money and never be reliant on any man.’
‘Your desire for independence is all very well, but you were wrong to keep my son a secret from me,’ Ramon said harshly. ‘You put what you wanted before the needs of our child.’
Lauren bit her lip. ‘I’ve already explained that I didn’t think you would want our baby when you’d just told me that you intended to marry an aristocratic bride. If I had known that you would love your child, regardless of his mother’s social standing, I would have told you I was pregnant the night we broke up.’
The tense silence that fell between them was broken by Matty, who had grown bored with playing with the car keys and made a grab for the pot of yogurt, chuckling when yogurt flew through the air and landed on Ramon’s shirt.
‘You have to admit he’s got a great aim,’ his father commented as Lauren hastily took the yogurt pot from Matty, before he could spread its contents any further.
She glanced at Ramon, worried that he was annoyed with Matty, but Ramon laughed as he gathered him into his arms and lifted him high in the air, so that the baby squealed with delight.
‘Even if you had told me, I don’t think I would have had any concept of what having a child really meant. Nor would I have known that I could feel such a strength of love for my son,’ he admitted in a low tone. ‘Until I saw Mateo for the first time I had viewed having a child as a duty, to ensure the Velaquez name. I had never imagined what it would be like to be a father, to feel this absolute, overwhelming love for another human being and know that I would gladly give my life for his.’
Lauren swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, startled by the raw emotion in Ramon’s voice. ‘I know what you mean,’ she said huskily. ‘The first time I held him I was swamped by the most intense love for him, and everything else, including my career, suddenly seemed unimportant.’
Her eyes locked with Ramon’s in a moment of shared parental pride for their son. Matty linked them together inextricably, she realised. For the first time since the wedding she felt a sense of calm acceptance that she had done the right thing by marrying Ramon, and that giving up her career was a small sacrifice when it meant that her baby would grow up with both his parents. But hearing Ramon voice his love for Matty made her heart ache with longing that he would love her too.
‘I always respected my father, but it was not until the last months of his life that I realised how much I loved him, and that he loved me,’ Ramon admitted deeply. ‘I was taught that men should be strong and hide their emotions. But my sisters’ husbands are all excellent fathers, who do not believe it is a sign of weakness to show their love for their children. I want to be like them, but it is hard to change the habits that have been ingrained from childhood.’ He hesitated. ‘I need you to help me be a good father, Lauren.’
The note of uncertainty in his voice tugged on Lauren’s heart. It took a strong man to admit he felt vulnerable, and she loved him even more for his honesty. Without pausing to think what he might make of her actions, she leaned towards him and pressed her mouth to his olive-skinned cheek. ‘You’re already doing brilliantly,’ she told him softly. ‘Parenting is all new to me too, but we can learn together.’
‘That sounds good, querida,’ Ramon murmured, turning his head so that his lips brushed over hers in a gentle kiss that stirred her soul.
There had been an unspoken promise in that kiss, of their unity in doing their best for their child, Lauren mused a little while later, when Matty had fallen asleep and they’d carried him back to the lodge. He did not stir when they laid him in the travel cot, and as they crept from the room and shut the door it suddenly struck her that she and Ramon were alone—and this was their honeymoon.
He must have read her mind, because he swept her up into his arms and strode into the main bedroom, the hungry gleam in his eyes causing her heart-rate to quicken. ‘I think our son’s idea of a siesta is an excellent idea,’ he stated, as he placed her on the bed and began to unbutton his shirt.
‘You’re planning to go to sleep?’ she asked him, her voice emerging as a husky whisper as desire flooded between her thighs.
‘No. I’m planning to spend the next hour making love to you,’ he promised her, feeling a gentle tug on his heart when he looked into her eyes. He smiled at her quiver of delight when he knelt above her and slid his hands beneath her tee shirt to cup her bare breasts in his palms. Her skin felt like satin beneath his fingertips, and with a groan Ramon tugged her shirt over her head and closed his mouth around one taut nipple and then its twin.
He swiftly removed the rest of their clothes, the urgency of his desire for her making him uncharacteristically clumsy. But Lauren did not mind when she heard her cotton skirt rip. Her impatience matched his. She obligingly lifted her hips so that he could tug her knickers down, sighing with pleasure when he caressed her gently with his fingers before moving over her. He made love to her with tenderness as well as passion, each deep stroke taking her higher and higher, until with a cry she reached the pinnacle and fell back down, to be held safe in his arms.
They spent a glorious week in the mountains. Away from the responsibilities of being a duque, and running a multi-million-pound company, Ramon relaxed and became once more the charismatic, witty and amusing lover Lauren had fallen in love with in London almost two years before. It was a chance for them to rediscover the companionship they had once shared, and to focus on being parents to their son.
Lauren privately decided that they should escape the formality of the castle and come to the lodge for a least a few days every month.
The honeymoon had been a turning point in their relationship, she thought some weeks later, as she stepped into the elegant cream silk dress she had chosen to wear to the christening of Ramon’s new nephews. Two weeks after they had married his sister Valentina had given birth to twin boys. The christening service was to be held in the castle’s private chapel and, knowing that Valentina was run off her feet now that she had four children, Lauren had offered to organise the reception.
Ramon emerged from the en suite bathroom, rubbing his hand over his newly shaven jaw. His steps slowed when he saw her, and his sensual smile evoked the familiar ache in her chest. ‘You look beautiful, mi corazón.’
Her heart leapt at the discernible tenderness in his voice. It was not the first time he had called her ‘his heart’, but she must not get her hopes too high that he meant the endearment literally, she reminded herself. And yet in the weeks since their wedding she had felt that they were growing closer—mainly due, it was true, to their intensely passionate sex life. In bed they were dynamite—and they were in bed a lot, she acknowledged with a smile.
Ramon worked long hours, but this gave him the excuse to insist on early nights and lazy Sunday mornings, and of course there were numerous occasions when he took a coffee break that just happened to coincide with Matty’s afternoon nap!
He might not love her, but he made love to her with a dedication that bordered on the obsessive. And, while their relationship was not exactly what she longed for, Lauren told herself that she was content with what she had. Ramon did not do anything lightly, and the dedicated playboy had transformed into an equally dedicated husband and father.
‘I hope I haven’t forgotten anything,’ s
he murmured, running through a checklist of preparations in her mind. ‘I want the party to be perfect for Valentina.’
‘It will be perfect. I know you, querida,’ Ramon said confidently. ‘I’ve no doubt you have planned things with military precision—just as you organised the other three parties we have hosted since we got married.’
He had been impressed with the enthusiasm with which she had organised the events: two business dinners, and a reception for local dignitaries. Lauren had taken on her role of Duquesa with the same determination with which she approached every aspect of her life—especially motherhood.
But Ramon was aware that although she was devoted to Mateo she was sometimes bored with life at the castle. Most women would be happy to spend their time shopping with an unlimited credit card and visiting beauty parlours, but he had realised long ago that his wife was not most women, he thought wryly.
As he walked over to her he took a slim velvet box from his pocket. ‘For you—because when I saw them they reminded me of the creaminess of your skin,’ he murmured, pushing her hair over her shoulder so that he could fasten the string of pearls around her slender throat.
The necklace was exquisite, each pearl separated from the next by a tiny sparkling diamond which caught the light when Lauren turned her head. ‘It’s lovely, but you shouldn’t keep buying me things,’ she protested.
‘Ah, but today is a special day,’ he said, feeling the tremor that ran through her when he brushed his lips up her neck and lingered on the sensitive spot behind her ear. ‘Today is the six-week anniversary of our wedding day. Did you think I had forgotten?’ he queried softly, knowing that she was remembering that disastrous night in London, when she had wanted to celebrate the six-month anniversary of their affair.
‘You said you didn’t set great store by anniversaries,’ she reminded him.
He smiled. ‘But that was then, and this is now. Things have changed. I have changed, querida. And I think six weeks of marriage is worth celebrating, don’t you?’
Her reply was lost beneath the hungry pressure of his mouth, and a long time later Lauren had to re-apply her lipstick before they hurried down to the great hall to greet the guests.
Later that afternoon the one hundred or so guests trooped back from the chapel to the castle after a beautiful christening service, to toast the birth of Valentina’s newborn sons—Sancho and Tadeo.
They were adorable, Lauren mused. She had forgotten how tiny new babies were. Matty looked huge in comparison, and now that he was walking he just loved being part of the gang, getting up to mischief with his older cousins. His first birthday a few weeks ago had been a day of mixed emotions for both her and Ramon. She had shown him photos of Matty, some taken when he was a few hours old. But now, as she watched Ramon cradling one of his new nephews, she knew he was thinking of all the precious time he had missed in his own son’s life.
Juanita had also been observing her brother, and now she strolled over to Lauren and Ramon. ‘You’re going to have to hurry up and have another baby, Lauren, if you want to catch us up,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Alissa has three, I have two, and now Valentina has four. It’s definitely your turn next.’
There had been a lull in conversation among the guests assembled in the drawing room, and Juanita’s words drew several curious glances in Lauren’s direction. Conscious of Ramon’s sudden intent scrutiny, she forced a smile. ‘Mateo is only just over a year old, and for now I’m happy to enjoy him,’ she said lightly.
The awkward moment passed, but the conversation with Juanita stuck in Lauren’s mind for the rest of the afternoon. It would be nice to give Matty a little brother or sister, she acknowledged, and she knew, although they had not discussed the subject, that Ramon wanted more children. She sighed and wandered over to the window, watching Valentina pushing an enormous pram around the garden.
Why wasn’t motherhood enough for her, as it was for Ramon’s sisters? she asked herself dismally. She adored Matty, and loved being with him, but sometimes she was ashamed to admit that she longed to use her brain—and she missed her job. Perhaps when Matty was older she would be able to return to her career, she told herself. She did not want to work full-time; she loved being with her son too much to want to be away from him for any length of time. But one day she hoped to work part-time hours and regain a little of her independence.
Ramon had disappeared to take a phone call. It occurred to Lauren that he had been gone for ages, and she guessed the call was related to Velaquez Conglomerates. She hoped he would not have to rush off to the company’s headquarters in Madrid, as he sometimes did, but even while she was wondering what was keeping him from the party he walked back into the drawing room and strode over to her, a forbidding expression on his face.
‘Why didn’t you just come out with it and tell Juanita that you are not planning on having any more children because your career is more important to you?’ he demanded coldly.
One glance at his dark face warned Lauren that he was furious, but because of the presence of their guests he was fighting to control his temper.
‘For that matter, why didn’t you tell me that you’re going to be working in London for one week a month—or is the welfare of our son so unimportant to you that you didn’t bother to mention it?’
‘Of course Matty is important to me,’ she said sharply. ‘He is the most important person in my life.’ She frowned. ‘How did you know…?’
‘That you have been offered a job with a law firm in England?’ Ramon finished for her. ‘My mother asked to see the photo album of Mateo when he was first born, and I did not think you would mind if I took it out of your bedside drawer. But when I picked up the album I accidentally picked up this letter that was hidden beneath it.’
Lauren stared down at the letter he had thrust into her hand, and acknowledged that there was little point in denying its contents. ‘I can explain—’ she began, but Ramon cut her off.
‘I’m sure you can,’ he said sardonically. ‘But it is Mateo who will want an explanation when he is a little older—as to why you have chosen to leave him for a week or more every month.’
‘I have no intention of abandoning him,’ she said tightly. ‘And can I point out that you were away on business for three days last week, and you didn’t worry too much about leaving Matty.’
‘That’s different,’ he snapped. ‘I am CEO of Velaquez Conglomerates, and sometimes business trips are unavoidable. But there is absolutely no need for you to work. You cannot deny that I give you everything you could possibly want or need.’
It was debatable whether she needed the numerous pieces of stunning jewellery Ramon had given her since their marriage, or the designer handbags and the wardrobe full of more beautiful clothes than she was ever likely to wear, Lauren thought heavily. She could not fault his generosity. But the fact he believed that material things mattered to her proved that he did not know her at all.
‘I appreciate that it is not necessary for me to work,’ she said quietly, ‘but is it really so wrong to want to do the job I spent years training for? To wish for a little independence that will give me a sense of self-worth?’
‘You and your damned independence,’ Ramon growled impatiently. He did not understand what she wanted. He showered her with gifts in an attempt to make her happy, but hearing her bang on about wanting her independence felt like a slap in the face. ‘Your place is here at the castle, as Mateo’s mother and my wife. I will not allow you to leave our son for days at a time just so that you can follow some selfish whim.’
‘You won’t allow? Am I your prisoner, then, Ramon?’ Lauren gave a bitter laugh, the happiness she had felt earlier in the day when he had given her the pearl necklace draining away.
A couple of guests had wandered into the drawing room, clearly intrigued by the sound of raised voices from their hosts.
‘This is not a suitable time for private discussion,’ Ramon ground out tensely—apparently forgetting that he had initiated the disc
ussion, Lauren thought darkly.
‘I think you should know—’ she began, but he swung round and strode away before she could continue, leaving her staring angrily after him.
‘Oh, dear! Do I sense trouble in paradise?’
Lauren stiffened at the sarcastic comment, and turned to see Pilar Fernandez step out from an alcove by the window. It was plain from her satisfied expression that the Spanish woman had overheard her spat with Ramon, but good manners prevented Lauren from accusing Pilar of eavesdropping.
‘Everything is fine,’ she lied, and knew from the arch of Pilar’s perfectly shaped eyebrows that the beautiful model did not believe her.
There was no escaping the fact that Pilar was absolutely stunning, she thought dismally as she made a lightning inspection of the other woman’s scarlet silk dress, which fitted her fabulous figure like a second skin. She already knew the Fernandez family had been close friends of the Velaquez family for several generations, and Pilar had been at school with Valentina. Ramon had explained this when Lauren had questioned why Pilar had been included on the guest list for the christening party. Her father, Cortez, had suffered a stroke six months ago, and since then had become a recluse who never left the Fernandez home, Casa Madalena.
And so Pilar had attended the party alone—and had spent most of the day flirting with Ramon, Lauren brooded, recalling the sharp knives of jealousy that had stabbed her insides when she had watched the two of them laughing and chatting together.
‘The trouble is that you do not understand a man like Ramon,’ Pilar drawled.
Lauren’s hold on her temper was close to snapping point. ‘And I suppose you do?’ she said tightly.
‘Of course. We are from a similar social background. I am aware that Ramon takes his responsibilities as Duque seriously, and he requires a wife who is suited to the role of Duquesa.’
His Unknown Heir Page 14