‘I thought—’ She paused, and dragged in a quick breath as his hand cupped her breast and began caressing its vulnerable peak.
‘Hmm?’ he queried musingly. ‘What did you think, querida?’
‘After Christmas might be a good time to promote Cindy.’
‘A sensible decision.’
‘I think I’ll keep Elaine on part-time, just to help out.’
‘I assume this is leading somewhere?’ Miguel prompted leisurely.
‘Babies,’ Hannah ventured with a soft smile. ‘How do you feel about starting our own family?’
He felt as if someone had punched him in the solar plexus. A child? His mind leapt ahead to a blonde angel the mirror image of her mother. Maybe a dark-haired son who would drive his mother mad with boyish pranks… Por Dios, Hannah heavy with child, the birth… He went pale at the thought of her in pain.
‘Are you sure about this?’
She twisted in his arms as she turned to face him.
‘You’re not?’ She searched his features in the half-light, and glimpsed something evident she couldn’t define.
‘I can’t think of anything more special, other than you, that you could gift me,’ Miguel declared fervently.
Hannah felt the slight tremor that ran through his large body, and she wound her arms round his waist and pulled him close.
‘Maybe we should go inside,’ she teased lightly, ‘and practise a little.’ A warm chuckle emerged from her throat. ‘Besides, I have a particular reward to bestow.’
Together they re-entered the suite, closed the door to the lanai, then drew the curtains.
Their own private world, Hannah mused as she removed her outer clothes and entered the shower. Miguel joined her, and they took their time, enjoying the promise, the anticipation of the loving they would always share.
During the following few days they delighted in playing tourist. They rode the tramcar, hired a limousine for the day and toured the island.
Midweek they took a flight out to Maui, and spent a wonderfully relaxing six days in a hotel right on the beach overlooking the ocean. Lovely sunny days walking on the beach, lazing beneath the spread of palm trees reading, listening to music on the Walkman. They swam in the ocean, frequented the hotel pool, played tennis, then dined in one of several restaurants, before retiring to their suite to make long, sweet love through the night.
Miguel rose early in the morning to use the laptop for an hour, and checked his cell-phone before they went to dinner each evening as a brief concession to the outside business world.
Hannah didn’t mind. It was enough they were together in a wonderfully idyllic part of the world.
On their return to Honolulu they shopped in several exclusive boutiques. ‘Retail therapy,’ Hannah teased as she added yet another brightly coloured designer bag to the few Miguel indulgently carried in each hand.
There were gifts to select for Renee, Carlo and Esteban, as well as something for Cindy and Elaine.
In one shop she caught sight of the most exquisite little dress for a baby girl, and bought it with Elise in mind.
‘Are you done?’ Miguel queried musingly as she emerged from yet another boutique.
‘Not quite.’ She had something very special in mind. ‘I don’t suppose you’ll take those packages back to the hotel and give me an hour to shop alone?’
‘Not a chance.’
‘Okay,’ Hannah said with resignation. ‘But there are conditions.’
His eyes gleamed and his mouth moved to form a generous smile. ‘And what would those be, querida?’
She sent him a sparkling glance as she lifted a hand and began ticking off each finger in turn. ‘You won’t question which shop I enter. You’ll remain outside and won’t look through the window. And under no circumstances will you come inside.’
He tilted his head slightly and regarded her thoughtfully. ‘Bar there being a robbery, or some strange man attempts to chat you up.’
‘Hmm,’ she conceded, sending him an impish grin. ‘That sounds fair.’
She looked no more than sixteen, Miguel ruminated musingly. Her hair was caught together at her nape, sunglasses rested atop her head, her make-up was minimal, her skin glowed a soft honey gold, and, attired in casual linen shorts and a singlet top, she didn’t resemble anyone’s wife.
Except she was his. The light of his life, his reason for living. It was something he gave grateful thanks to the good Dios for every day. He hadn’t thought it possible to give up your life for another human being. But he’d give up his, for her, in a nanosecond.
Hannah paused outside an exclusive jewellery store, and turned towards him, her expression serious.
‘Remember, you promised?’
‘Go, amante.’
She did, earning circumspect interest from two male staff until she explained what she wanted, indicated a price range, and had their interest immediately switch to respect.
It took a while to make her selection. It took even longer to persuade them to have one of their crafts-man engrave an inscription. A huge tip helped.
She had it placed in a beautiful velvet-lined box, gift-wrapped, charged to her own personal credit card, and she emerged through the glass doors with a satisfied smile.
It was their last evening in this beautiful paradise, and they’d dined at an exclusive restaurant in Honolulu’s ‘Pink Palace’. The food was delicious, the champagne superb, and the view out over the darkened ocean provided a peaceful backdrop.
Together they lingered, each reluctant to bring the evening to a close. For soon they’d have to return to their suite, call the porter to take their bags down to Reception, from where a cab would deliver them to the airport in order to catch the midnight flight home.
The waiter served coffee, and while Miguel signed the credit slip Hannah retrieved the gift-wrapped case from her bag and placed it on the table.
‘For you,’ she said gently as the waiter disappeared, and Miguel regarded her carefully for several seconds before reaching for the package.
He undid the gold ribbon, broke the seal, removed the wrapping, and opened the case.
Inside nestled in a bed of velvet lay a beautiful gold fob-watch with an attached chain.
‘Hannah—’
‘There’s an inscription. Read it,’ she encouraged, watching as he removed the watch and turned it over to read what had been engraved on the back.
Miguel, my heart, my soul. Hannah.
‘Dios,’ he breathed, momentarily speechless.
‘There’s a place inside for a photo,’ she relayed softly. One that would change from year to year as they added to their family.
‘Gracias, amada.’ He rose to his feet and crossed round to kiss her.
Very thoroughly, Hannah mused long seconds later.
Together they left the table and made their way back to their suite.
A long flight lay ahead, and there was little time to spare.
‘One lifetime won’t be enough,’ Miguel said gently as he drew her into his arms.
‘Not nearly enough,’ Hannah whispered an instant before she pulled his head down to hers.
The insistent peal of the telephone caused them to reluctantly draw apart, and Miguel picked up the handset, listened,