‘Mmm... Big ones. All white. I make the sails out of paper. Sometimes fabric. Once I cut up a shirt of Mum’s and she was very cross.’
The little boy’s skin grew pale. He jerked his gaze back to the bricks, fumbling with them a little. His fingers weren’t steady and he jabbed his space ship, knocking it so it fell to the floor and broke apart.
They both stared at it for several seconds.
‘Let me help you,’ Santos offered, wondering how long it had been since he’d played with bricks.
‘No.’ The word was firm, surprising Santos.
‘You want to do it on your own?’
‘I want you to go away.’ He glared at Santos with a mutinous expression. ‘I want to be alone.’
Something flared inside Santos. ‘Cameron.’ He spoke gently, not exactly sure how to handle the outburst. ‘I know you’d worked hard on building that, and you’re disappointed it’s broken, but there’s no need to speak like that. I was only offering to help. If you’d prefer to build it on your own, then I will just sit and watch. Is that okay?’
‘I want you to go!’ He pressed his palms into his eyes and then made a small sobbing noise, but he swallowed it, fixating on anger instead. ‘Go away!’
Santos wasn’t used to being told what to do but the boy was clearly distressed. He stood quickly, hovering for a moment, before walking towards the door. He was only two feet down the corridor when the door was unceremoniously slammed shut behind him. He winced, shaking his head, a rush of frustration exploding through him.
* * *
It wasn’t Amelia’s fault, but that frustration turned towards her, so he found himself walking through the house—at four o’clock on a Tuesday, when he should have still been in his office—in search of the woman who’d guilt-tripped him into doing something that evidently neither Santos nor Cameron wanted.
He found her by the pool, wearing a red one-piece bathing suit. He ignored his body’s now predictable response. ‘Santos?’ She stared at him in obvious surprise, scrambling to her feet. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘What do you think?’ He didn’t mean to stand so close, close enough to smell her vanilla and strawberry body wash teasing his nostrils. ‘I came home to spend time with my son.’
Her smile was like a ray of sunshine, piercing the fiercest storm cloud. But it didn’t pierce his mood. ‘I’m so glad, Santos.’ She lifted a hand to his arm on autopilot, pressing it to his flesh. He fought an urge to pull away.
‘Don’t be. He threw me out of his room.’
She stared at him for a second and then laughed, the sweetest sound, something that threatened to unpick his anger. But he wouldn’t let it. He was angry, and he was lost—completely lost. He’d never wanted to be a father!
‘I’m sorry.’ She sobered when she realised he was glowering at her. ‘It’s just the idea of anyone, let alone a sweet six-year-old kid, physically throwing you from anywhere is kind of absurd.’
‘He told me to get out, in no uncertain terms.’
Amelia blinked at him, shaking her head. ‘That doesn’t sound like Cameron.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘What did you say to him?’
‘Nothing!’ Santos growled. ‘He was playing with bricks. I complimented him on the ship he’d built. I told him I have a yacht. I was about to suggest we go out on it for the afternoon and then he just lost it.’ He expelled an angry breath. ‘He broke his construction. I offered to help fix it. He snapped.’
‘He’s a little boy,’ she said quietly. ‘With big emotions. You just have to be—’
‘Patient, yes, you’ve said that. Then let me be patient. Let me do this in my own time. You’re the one who pressured me to spend time with him but he’s not ready.’
‘He’s not or you’re not?’
‘Don’t psychoanalyse me.’
‘Well, then, don’t be so childish,’ she retorted. ‘You know what? He might have thrown you out of his room but he’ll calm down, and he’ll see that you came to him, that you made the effort. It’s not always going to be plain sailing but learning to trust that you’ll be there for him is what you need to work on. Let him calm down now, then later go to him again. Let him see that even though he lost his temper you still love him. Trust me, he needs to see that.’
‘What do you base this on?’
She spoke without thinking. ‘Years of knowing what it feels like to have no one in your corner.’ She wished she hadn’t been so honest when his features showed obvious curiosity. ‘Give him time. And keep doing this. Come home, spend time with him. Be in his life without pressuring him.’ She dropped her hand to curve over his, entangling their fingers. ‘Okay?’
His fingers gripped hers right back, his features taut, revealing nothing, so she had no way of knowing what he intended until his head had swooped down and his lips claimed hers, his tongue driving into her mouth, his body curving around hers, the kiss filled with passion, anger and annoyance. And she felt those things too, biting through her, so she kissed him back with the same intensity, grinding her hips, frustration exploding in her gut.
‘I wanted to ignore you,’ he growled, but his hand lifted to the back of her head, holding her there so his mouth could ravage hers, dominating her in every way.