Surrender to Her Spanish Husband by Maggie Cox Page B

grinned in delight as she stroked her hand over the deliciously soft striped fur. ‘Cozette, my angel! How have you been, baby? Have you missed me?’ The cat rubbed its face against Jenny’s arm, then settled into the blanket against her middle to purr contentedly.
    ‘Little traitor.’ Rodrigo grinned, dropping easily down to his haunches to fondly pet the animal.
    ‘A traitor…Why?’
    ‘Because since you’ve been ill she’s behaved like I am the sun, moon and stars—playing up to me, wanting me to pamper and pet her whenever she gets the chance…just as if she lives for nobody’s attention but mine. Now she’s with you I see that she was merely toying with my affections, like the typically mercenary little female she is!’
    ‘All females aren’t mercenary, Rodrigo.’ Imbuing her tone with a teacher-like scold, Jenny bravely met his mocking glance. Almost instantly the humour in his eyes vanished, leaving her with the strangest sensation that she was falling through space—plummeting at frightening speed—with no sense or idea of when or if she would land safely on earth again. A gasp caught and died in her throat as he reached for her hand to place it firmly against his rough-velvet cheek.
    ‘I find myself intensely jealous of the attention that you’re paying Cozette, querida… I’m wondering if you have any left to spare for me.’ Moving her palm to his lips, he pressed a warm kiss into the centre.
    ‘I expect you’ve been missing the routine and demands of your work.’ Keeping her voice deliberately light, so that he wouldn’t see how affected she was, Jenny retrieved her hand to lay it over Cozette again. She prayed Rodrigo wouldn’t see that it was trembling. ‘Your friends are probably missing you too. I feel slightly guilty that I’ve monopolised your time because of this stupid illness.’
    ‘So you expect never to get ill? You are infallible?’
    ‘I didn’t mean that. All I meant was that it was inconvenient.’
    ‘You know my lifestyle. I travel too much to be concerned with friends.’
    Shrugging, Rodrigo rose to his feet, briefly rubbing his hands together.
    ‘You don’t always have to isolate yourself from people, Rodrigo.’
    ‘I am perfectly happy with the way things are.’
    ‘Really?’ It hurt Jenny to hear that.
    ‘I find it works better for me if I keep a little distance.’
    ‘But still…don’t you get a bit lonely, doing all that travelling and never really being close to anyone?’
    ‘My work is my life. You of all people know that. Now, I’ve got some phone calls to make that have been backing up. Are you okay by yourself for a while?’
    ‘Yes, I’m fine.’ Her heart thudding heavily, because Rodrigo suddenly seemed to be clearly illustrating his preference for a little distance, Jenny sighed.
    ‘At least you have Cozette for company, no?’
    ‘I told you—I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter…Just go and make your phone calls and forget about me.’
    ‘I’ll make my phone calls…but I won’t forget about you, Jenny Wren.’
    Because he’d taken the wind out of her sails, Jenny glared at him. ‘Just go!’
    ‘Okay, okay, I’m going.’ Having the audacity to chuckle at her petulant tone, he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed slowly out of the room.
    As soon as he was gone, Jenny was appalled to find hot tears boiling up behind her eyes. Suddenly the prospect of him leaving made her stomach lurch with sadness. What was the matter with her, for goodness’ sake? She was over him, wasn’t she? What on earth was she doing, attaching herself to the idea that somewhere deep inside he perhaps still held a torch for her? They’d parted a long time ago now. Why couldn’t she just accept that and get on with her life as she’d been doing before he’d shown up?
    Lifting her hand up to her face, she stared at the spot that his lips had so spine-tinglingly caressed. It throbbed like a brand. Did he still not need anyone at