Megan giggled, then splashed the water again.
Lana returned the favor.
“You two look like you’re having fun.”
Lana’s head swung to the doorway. The smile froze on her lips. “Er…she likes her bath time.”
“You look like you do, too.” His eyes dropped to her wet top, his pupils dilating before he lifted his gaze back to her face. “Keep playing. I like watching.”
Lana’s breath hitched. She dared not look down, but she was sure her ni**les were beaded and easily seen, and after that glance of his she almost expected to see steam come off her clothes.
She swallowed. “No, she’s finished her bath. It’s time for bed.”
Lana took the toy duck out of Megan’s hands and went to pick her up, but before she could the little girl made an outraged sound and hit the water with her fist, then stuck her bottom lip out in an angry pout.
Something in her expression looked so much like Matt at that moment, Lana could only exclaim, “Lord, she’s the image of you.”
He looked startled. “Actually I was just thinking how much she was like you.”
It was her turn to be surprised. She didn’t think her daughter had any of her features and she was pleased.
But a pout?
“I don’t pout,” she said with a rueful grin.
The corners of his mouth quirked upward. “Well, I certainly don’t.”
They stared at each other, and Lana felt her smile slip. He turned and left the room.
Swiftly she turned back to Megan and concentrated on getting her ready for bed. And when she sat down to dinner, it was alone. Matt had already gone out.
At work the next day Lana was placing some reports on Irene’s desk when Cesare called to her from inside Matt’s office. She frowned as she stepped up to the doorway.
“Come in, Lana.” He got to his feet and came to give her a kiss on the cheek, making her feel like one of the family. “Welcome back, cara.”
She wasn’t used to such affection. Her parents had been too full of hatred for each other to have anything left over for friendliness.
“Thank you, Cesare.” She didn’t look at Matt, nor did she let her thoughts show on her face.
Cesare led her to one of the chairs. “Sit down here.” He waited until she did, then went back to his own seat. “I was just telling Matt that his mother and I have ballet tickets at the Opera House for Friday night.”
Lana eased into a smile. Now, this was a nice safe subject. “How lovely.”
“Do you like the ballet, Lana?”
“Love it,” she said with enthusiasm. She’d only ever been once, but she—
“Then you and Matt can go in our place.”
She darted a look at Matt, then back at her father-in-law. “I…we couldn’t possibly take your tickets, Cesare.”
“You would be doing us a favor, Lana. Both Izzie and I have a full day on Friday and we’ll be just too tired to go out that night, as well. And the friends who gave us the tickets would be insulted if we didn’t use them.”
“But—”
“Thanks, Dad.” Matt cut across her. “We’ll be happy to take them off your hands.”
Lana’s eyes snapped back to Matt, but her glare bounced off him.
“Good. Your mother and I will look after Megan.”
Lana tensed as she turned to Cesare. “Won’t she be too much for you both after such a long day?”
“She’s our granddaughter. She’ll never be too much.”
Her heart did a roll. “That’s sweet of you, Cesare, but—”
“No problem, Dad.” Matt cut across her again. “That’ll work out just fine. We’ll be able to enjoy ourselves knowing Megan is being looked after so well.”
Cesare nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Your mother said to say that you should leave Megan with us for the night. That way you won’t have to worry about waking her up and taking her home again. It would only unsettle her.” With that bomb-shell, the older man stood up. “I must get back home now. I just dropped by to see how things were going here.”
“Business is booming, as you well know,” Matt teased.
Cesare kissed her cheek, and Lana barely waited for him to close the door behind him to get her words out. “Damn you, Matt. You shouldn’t have accepted.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice. I don’t want him to overdo things by going to too many events. And he will accept the invitation himself if we don’t go.”
“Wouldn’t Nick or Alex like the tickets? I’m sure Sasha or Olivia would jump at the chance of going to the ballet.”
“They’ve already made plans they can’t break.”
Her lip curled. “Do you know that for a fact, or are you just guessing?”
He nodded at the telephone. “Call them and see. My brothers are attending a charity dinner on Friday. I’d already gotten out of that one, but I didn’t expect this.”
Okay, so she could accept that. “He’s matchmaking, you know.”
“You may not have noticed but we’re already married,” he mocked.
“He’s still matchmaking.”
All at once his eyes closed in on her. “Now I see where this is coming from. You’re worried about being alone in the house with me all night.” He paused. “You have nothing to worry about, Lana.”
“That’s obvious,” she said before she could stop herself.
He pinned her with a stare. “What does that mean?”
She realized she had to tread carefully. She didn’t want him thinking she cared. “Just that you’ve been spending a lot of time out each night.”
His look sharpened. “Do you have a problem with that?”
She raised one slim shoulder. “Not at all. It was just an observation.”
Seconds crawled by.
“Do you think I’m with another woman?”
“Are you?” she challenged, despite not being sure she was ready to hear this.
A pulse beat in his lean cheek. “Perhaps I might just be trying to stick to the deal we made about separate lives. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m out with other women.”
Silly relief raced through her veins but she quickly held it at bay. Was he just telling her what he wanted her to know? “I’m glad to hear it. For Megan’s sake, of course.”