Innocent as Sin

40

Castillo del Cielo

Sunday

The child’s soft footsteps woke Elena immediately. She slipped out of bed and went to the door. Miranda was in the hallway outside. Tears magnified her big golden eyes.

Elena gathered the weeping child into her arms and rocked slowly. “What’s wrong, pet? Did your bad dream come back?”

“Y-yes.” The little girl threw her thin arms around Elena’s neck and hung on. “Maria s-said I was a b-baby and-”

“Hush, little one. You’re a beautiful child and Momma loves you. I understand about bad dreams and night fears. I used to get them myself.”

The girl drew a ragged breath. “R-really?”

“Of course. It’s all part of growing up.”

“Oh.” Miranda snuggled against her mother and slowly relaxed. “You smell good. The monsters don’t like things that smell good.”

“Then we shall be certain you wear my perfume when you go to bed.”

The girl smiled.

And stayed wrapped around her mother.

Elena soothed Miranda and mentally rearranged her schedule so that she could fire the useless nanny. Then she had to begin the tiresome process of hiring someone who understood children’s needs.

“Where is my angel?” asked Bertone’s voice from the bedroom.

“You have two angels now.” Elena walked back into the bedroom, carrying the daughter who would soon be too big for her mother to lift.

Irritation flashed across Bertone’s face, followed quickly by resignation. His plans for morning sex had dissolved in Miranda’s tears.

The last thing he’d expected when he married the gorgeous Elena was to find the heart of a good mother beating inside the sex-goddess body. Watching Elena with their children had at first been baffling, then amusing.

Now he was charmed.

“It’s time for angels to be in bed,” he said, lifting the covers.

Elena and Miranda came to bed as a unit.

Smiling, Bertone stroked Miranda’s fine hair and wondered when his contacts in the government would find Kayla Shaw. She was an annoyance. A dangerous one.

And soon, a dead one.