‘Five isn’t being a baby,’ her father put in dryly.
‘No—Tony’s a baby.’ Her sleep obviously hadn’t made her forget about him. ‘Can I see your little boy, Velvet?’ she wanted to know.
‘I—Well—’
‘He’s in England, Vicki,’ Jerard interrupted her halting reply.
‘I know. I meant when we get back. Can I, Velvet?’
Velvet didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t really see any real reason why Vicki and Tony shouldn’t meet. They would probably like each other, both full of mischief. But if Vicki and Tony met then she and Jerard would probably have to meet too, and she didn’t want to see him again once she returned home.
He upset her, made her uncertain, both of her past and her future. Until she had met him she had been secure in her love for Anthony, in her marriage, and now he had made her doubt even that. Her secure little world seemed to be fast disappearing.
And there was another reason she didn’t want to see him again, a reason that frightened her. She was attracted to him! When he had kissed her yesterday, touched her, she hadn’t wanted him to stop. Even now she still tingled from his caressing hands, the feel of his lips on hers, and she was frightened of the emotions he aroused within her. Her body remembered him even if she didn’t, and maybe the next time he kissed her she wouldn’t be able to call a halt to it. Not that he had since given her the impression that he wanted to kiss her again, the opposite in fact; his disgust with what he called her lies was more than obvious.
‘Velvet?’ Vicki prompted anxiously.
‘I—’ she looked at Jerard, but this time he didn’t appear to want to help her out. ‘I don’t see why not, Vicki,’ she finally answered. ‘I’m sure Tony would love to meet you.’
‘Oh, good!’ her face glowed.
Velvet’s heart softened. What harm could it do to agree? Vicki might forget all about it by the time she got back to England.
‘My daughter never forgets,’ Jerard told her softly, obviously guessing her thoughts.
‘Then she must be like you,’ she snapped back resentfully.
His mouth twisted. ‘We don’t all have your convenient lapses of memory.’
She paled. ‘You think I enjoy having forgotten my own husband.’
‘I think you would enjoy having me think you had,’ he scorned.
‘And why would I enjoy that?’
‘Then you could be sure that I thought you’d forgotten how good we were together too. God,’ he groaned softly, his hands fiercely gripping the steering-wheel, ‘I used to wake up in a cold sweat remembering what it was like with you!’
‘Please, Jerard—Vicki!’ she reminded her tautly.
‘My daughter isn’t stupid, Velvet,’ he rasped. ‘She’s perfectly well well aware of the fact that there’s an—awareness between us.’
‘No!’ she gasped.
‘Yes,’ he insisted grimly. ‘Why do you think she likes to see the two of us together? And believe me, I’m no happier about it than you are.’
His tone was so insulting that Velvet clammed up for the rest of the journey, talking solely to Vicki. Not that it seemed to bother Jerard, he chatted quite easily with both of them, not seeming to care that he received no answers from Velvet.
‘I’d forgotten that you sulk.’ he said with amusement as Vicki bounded ahead of them into the hotel and the Ferrari was taken to be parked by one of the hotel workers.
She glared up at him. ‘I do not sulk!’
‘You do,’ Jerard grinned, carrying her overnight bag and another suitcase she presumed contained his and Vicki’s clothes. ‘I vividly remember one occasion when you sulked. I remember even more vividly the method I used to get you out of it.’
By the sensuous curve of his lips, and the warmth in his eyes, it didn’t take much to guess that method. ‘Do you have to get so damned personal all the time!’ she snapped before walking on ahead, catching Vicki up, the two of them waiting at the desk for Jerard to join them, his strides leisurely.
‘Mr Daniels!’ the manager appeared as if from nowhere, shaking Jerard’s hand warmly. ‘It’s good to see you again. And you’ve brought your wife and daughter with you this time,’ he smiled at Velvet.
‘I’m not Mrs Daniels,’ she told him quietly, a high colour to her cheeks.
‘Oh. Oh, I see.’ His smile deepened. ‘Well, it’s nice to meet you, anyway.’
Velvet looked appealing at Jerard. The manager had obviously assumed that she was Jerard’s live-in girl-friend, and she wanted that impression dispelled as soon as possible.
With a mocking smile in her direction Jerard answered the other man. ‘Mrs Dale is a friend of my daughter,’ he drawled.
It wasn’t exactly the explanation Velvet had been expecting, although it was in fact the true one.
‘But Daddy likes her too,’ Vicki put in innocently, looking up affectionately at Velvet as she held her hand.
‘Out of the mouths of babes …’ Jerard murmured so that only Velvet should hear him. ‘It’s been a long drive, Mike,’ he told the other man briskly. ‘If you’ll excuse us?’
‘Of course,’ the manager nodded. ‘Everything has been done to make your stay with us enjoyable, but if there’s anything you need …’
‘We’ll ask for it,’ Jerard nodded.
‘Let me get someone to take up your luggage—’
‘It’s okay,’ Jerard dismissed, ‘I can manage.’ He strode over to the lift, Vicki and Velvet following behind him. ‘Bed for you, young lady,’ he told Vicki firmly as they travelled up in the lift.
‘Oh, but—’
‘Bed!’
Vicki looked rebellious. ‘But it’s early yet. I thought we could all—’
‘We aren’t doing anything,’ she was told as they stepped out of the lift. ‘Hot milk for you, bath, and then bed.’
‘Can Velvet bath me?’ she asked as a compromise.
He raised his dark eyebrows. ‘Velvet?’
‘I’d love to,’ she nodded.
‘Okay,’ Jerard shrugged. ‘But don’t blame me if you get soaked, this young lady likes to play games in the bath—like another young lady I know,’ he added softly.
Vicki looked up at him. ‘What did you say, Daddy?’
‘Nothing important.’ He put their cases down, ruffling her
