Dream Lover (18 page)

‘Yes I’ll marry you,’ she said quietly, ‘not because I’m having your baby,’ taking all her courage before it fled she added quickly, ‘but because I love you.’

His response was to leap from his seat and pull her up with him, ‘Wonderful,’ he smiled into her face, ‘I’ll make you happy,’ he promised before kissing her passionately.

After clearing up the kitchen he led her into the lounge, a large comfortable room with a big fireplace and big soft sofas. He lay down on one of the sofas and pulled her against his chest, yawning once again as he held her close.

‘I am so tired I could sleep for a week,’ he told her, ‘What?’ he asked when she giggled.

‘I just never imagined you feeling tired,’ she looked up to his face and kissed his chin, ‘or your hair being messed up, or you needing a shave,’ she ran her fingers through his ruffled hair and down across the dark bristles shadowing his chin.

‘I am human Quinn,’ he yawned again, ‘it’s only a rumour I’m a robot, we’ll go to bed soon. I was thinking of taking a trip to London on Saturday,’ He said conversationally, ‘we could stay overnight what do you think?’ he smiled when she agreed. ‘Let’s go to bed,’ he said pushing her up from the sofa after yawning yet again. ‘I want to make love to you, go to sleep with you in my arms, wake up with you in my arms and I want it all to happen in my own bed.’

Amazingly he didn’t seem at all tired once they got into the bedroom; in fact he seemed anything but tired.

Quinn woke to an unfamiliar alarm clock buzzer, she lifted her head from Max’s chest and looked around the room, ‘Max, shut that thing up,’ she begged.

Obligingly he reached out with one long arm and turned off the annoying sound. ‘Sorry I forgot to switch it off,’ he murmured sleepily, ‘go back to sleep it’s far too early,’ he pulled her head back against his warm chest kissed her cheek and closed his eyes. In seconds he was snoring softly once again.

She dozed fitfully mostly because she didn’t know what time it was and didn’t want to have to dash around to get ready for work. ‘Max,’ she whispered softly, ‘we have to get ready for work,’ she reminded him sleepily.

‘No we don’t, I’ve given us the day off, go back to sleep,’ he urged not even opening his eyes while he spoke to her.

Obediently she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep only waking again when he lay her down against the mattress and started to press soft kisses over her face. She stretched and smiled up into his face, ‘Hi,’ she greeted him lifting her hand to run through his sleep tussled hair, ‘did you sleep well?’

‘Yes did you?’ he asked running his hand down her cheek, ‘you look lovely when you sleep, so peaceful,’ he pressed his lips against hers.

Quinn sighed and parted her lips sliding her hand around his neck she pulled him back toward her mouth, ‘You talk to much,’ she told him sliding her tongue between his smiling lips. He made a soft groaning sound and returned her kiss; turning onto his back he pulled her with him so she sat astride him. ‘This is the only place you’ll ever get on top of me Quinn,’ he smiled, ‘make the most of it.’ He lifted her easily and settled her over his body. ‘Easy does it,’ he told her when she gasped as he pushed into her warm body.

They spent most of the morning in bed, at some point Max got up and brought her breakfast up on a tray.

‘How do you fancy going to London today instead of tomorrow?’ he asked.

‘When?’ She asked between mouthfuls of toast.

‘Now, let’s get ready and go,’ he smiled at her expression while she thought about his suggestion.

‘Yes, that would be lovely,’ she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘Get ready, throw a few things in a case,’ he stopped, ‘have you unpacked yet?’

Quinn shook her head, ‘Not really, but every thing I have with me is business like, formal,’ she explained.

‘Don’t worry we’ll sort something out,’ he promised.

She found out the reason for the unexpected trip when he took her to an exclusive jeweller to choose her engagement ring and wedding band.

‘Please just pick something you like and don’t look at the price,’ he urged her.

But Quinn couldn’t help but look at the price, ‘These are far too expensive,’ she hissed as the assistant left them to ‘find something special for his young lady.’

Max picked up a solitaire the size of a one-penny piece and slipped it on to her finger. ‘That is tacky,’ she told him pulling it off once again.

‘Well if you don’t pick something you really like, that is what I’ll get you,’ he threatened. ‘I could afford to buy the whole display,’ he informed her without exaggeration, ‘please pick the one you like the most.’

She eventually picked the one she liked second best, the one she really liked she thought was far too much money to wear around her finger. But Max had noticed her looking at the other ring a sparkling trio of diamonds.

‘I’d like this one,’ she told him, smiling into his face.

Max reached across and slipped the ring from her finger, ‘We’ll have this one,’ he told the jeweller replacing it with the one he knew she really liked.

They walked along the busy London streets completely oblivious to the throng of hurrying shoppers, stopping to share a kiss and to look at her sparkling diamond ring.

‘What sort of wedding would you like?’ he asked as they sat in a small cosy restaurant, patting his breast pocket where their wedding bands were secured.

Quinn knew what sort of wedding she wanted, something small with the minimum of fuss. ‘Nothing too elaborate,’ she said hoping it would be what he wanted.

‘How does just the two of us on a sparkling white beach in the Caribbean sound?’ he asked pulling her fingers to his lips. ‘I hate fuss, would that suit you?’ he asked.

‘Perfect,’ she told him, ‘but what about the flight?’ she asked concerned about the length of the journey.

‘Don’t you worry about that I’ll keep you occupied,’ he said with a smile.

The next few days were a flurry of activity as they dashed from one set of parents to the other to advise them of their forthcoming marriage.

Max’s parents took it all in their stride, delighted with his new bride to be; while they were visiting she also met his brother James and his wife Sue. The two men were so alike she kept tight hold of Max’s hand to ensure she left with the correct one! But deep in her heart she knew no matter how much alike they were she would always know which brother was hers.

Quinn’s parents were a little more reserved in their acceptance of Maxwell. He was after all the man who had made their daughters working life miserable over the past two months.

Daniel took his sister quietly to one side and told her she was making a big mistake. ‘Why the big rush?’ he asked suspiciously, ‘is there something you’re not telling us?’ he looked toward her stomach for a moment.

‘Don’t you dare ask me such a question,’ she said indignantly, ‘we are getting married because we love each other,’ the look on Daniel’s face told her he didn’t believe her.

Richard on the other hand reserved judgement, congratulated the couple warmly adding, ‘we love Quinn dearly, I’m sure Maxwell would never do anything to hurt her,’ the words delivered with a smile and an underlying threat should he do anything but treat her kindly.

Max took his cool welcome into her family all in his stride and was no less charming to them all, ensuring them he would make her happy.

Two weeks later they were married on a small sun kissed beach on the island of Antigua. Quinn had been apprehensive about the long light but Max assured her she would be fine.

‘The plane we are travelling on is not like any other you have been on, I promise you will be okay,’ he assured her.

The next few days were a whirl of activity and it was only as they arrived at the airport that Quinn remembered the long flight ahead and the first twinges of concern started to eat at her.

‘This way please Miss Morgan, Mr Cordell,’ the airline representative ushered them away toward the first class lounge.

Twenty minutes later Quinn and Max were sipping champagne, this was the first time she had flown first class, and if she had been impressed with business class she was now bowled over.

‘You do realise I will expect this every time we fly,’ she told him jokingly.

‘That won’t be a problem,’ he replied smiling, ‘wait until you see the plane I think you will like that too.’

The plane was the new Airbus; they didn’t have seats as she had expected but a room with arm chairs, a bed a mini bar, flat screen television in fact every comfort they would need.

‘Wow this is amazing it is more like a hotel room than a plane,’ Quinn observed when the purser closed the door to their cabin.

‘Didn’t I tell you everything would be fine, now lets get comfortable before we take off?’

For the first time in her life Quinn relaxed while flying, she even managed to eat her meal and catch a couple of hours sleep.

Antigua was everything Quinn had dreamed it would be the sand was sparkling white, the azure blue water so clear she could see the colourful fish swimming beneath the surface.

On their wedding day they both wore white she wore a simple white dress with narrow straps and fitted bodice, he white slacks and polo shirt, in the few days they had been there they had both acquired a light golden tan and made a stunning couple as they took their vows.

Max had still not told Quinn he loved her, but as he repeated his vows promising to love and honour her, his fingers tightened around hers for a brief moment.

They spent their honeymoon swimming, sunbathing, talking for hours and making love, and by the time they returned home Quinn felt there was nothing they didn’t know about each other.

The week after they arrived home they went to visit both sets of parents to tell them of their expected grandchild. Sara and Alexander Cordell were delighted to be first time grandparents. Once again Quinn’s parents were not so pleased, neither was her brother Daniel who rang her later that night so he could speak to her alone.

‘You bloody fool Quinn,’ he admonished, ‘I knew there was something wrong, you didn’t have to marry him we would have looked after you,’ he said quietly.

‘Nothing is wrong and I married Max because I love him,’ she said ignoring her brother’s snort of disbelief.

‘When is this baby due,’ he asked catching her off guard, when she told him he slammed the phone down hard after making a quick calculation and coming to a conclusion which did not meet with his approval.

Quinn sighed, Max had been right, Daniel hadn’t been the first to work out how quickly she after starting to work for him she was expecting his child. Jasmine and Sophie, her closest friends were hurt and angry that she had not told them she was seeing Maxwell.

‘Oh Jasmine…Sophie you know I would never keep anything from you,’ Quinn took her friends hands and slowly told her the story of how she came to be having Maxwell’s child before they had started dating.

Jasmine was appalled that Maxwell hadn’t realised Quinn was asleep, ‘My goodness…how dreadful,’ she gasped, ‘are you sure he’s the right man for you?’ she asked outright.

‘He is…wonderful so kind,’ she gave a short laugh, ‘has a great sense of humour. I am a hundred percent sure you will like him,’ Quinn laughed again at her friends look of disbelief. ‘Why don’t you all come around on Saturday afternoon, if the weather is good we can have a barbeque, that way you can make up your own mind when you meet him.’

Saturday was a success and as Jasmine and Sophie left they both told her that they thought Maxwell was wonderful.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As the weeks went by Quinn came to realise how Max's first wife felt insecure, he was away for days at a time. But having worked closely with him she knew he worked hard and didn’t feel threatened by his long absences, but it was during this time she came to the conclusion he was never going to fall in love with her. Deep inside she believed him to still have feelings for his ex-wife, but that didn’t change her feeling for him. She loved him and often told him although he did not return the term of affection; he would frequently tell her she was beautiful and desirable.

Max was attentive to her every need and comfort, even in the short weeks before they were married he set up an account for her telling her she was to use it and not buy the cheapest things in the store. He encouraged her to buy the best of everything for herself and their child. Every night he was home he would rub her legs and body, massage oil into her stomach and whisper softly to his unborn child.

Max had been away for a week he rang from the airport to let her know he was on his way. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said, his voice a soft whisper.

Her heart raced maybe she had been wrong, maybe he did have deeper feelings for her, ‘I’ve missed you too,’ she smiled into the receiver.

Quinn was waiting for him as his car pulled up out side of their home, dressed in one of her new maternity dresses with her hair washed and shining, she looked the picture of health. The first thing she noticed as he got out of his car was he looked tired. She watched as his eyes swept up her body to her face.

‘You’ve grown,’ he told her brushing his lips across her cheek and walking into the hallway.