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Her sister breathed in deep ‘ChrissieI knoill be difficult but you should want hihter, no matter hoard it is for you A father in their lives would be a plus, not a minus’

Duly admonished for her honesty, Chrissie flushed and cli to collect thehly disconcerted to see that he had actually sent his bodyguards as well She knew Lizzie had spoken sensible words but the prospect of sharing the tith Jaul daunted her He was theand the idea of her children being looked after by his next wife in Marwan chilled her But that was the way the world was noith fa relaxed about once bitter relationships that were in the past, she reminded herself irritably Other people coped and she would have to learn to cope as well Even so, she couldn’t help thinking that it would have been easier altogether if Jaul had never come to London and had never had to be told that he was a father

The front doors stood wide open on the massive house for their arrival As she clutched first Tarif below one arled to hoist Soraya, a wo out and offered to help

‘I’m Jane,’ she announced ‘Your husband sent me out to assist’

Chrissie was unimpressed that Jaul was too proud and exalted to come and help her with his own hands but she allowed the woman to lift Soraya They walked into the hall and on into the ugly drawing roo covered with brand-new toys and asked if there was anything Chrissie needed for the twins

‘No, thanks I have everything I need withdown on one of the wooden sofas and wondered where the heck Jaul was

But when she looked up froarbed in black designer jeans and a dark red T-shirt and looking verycheekbones all the way down to his sleek, beautifully built body The thought shook her and her cheeks went pink, heat trickling through private places, reer part of her life

‘I’e of the rug and just halted there to stare at the tith blatant curiosity ‘I don’t know anything about babies, which is why I brought the nanny in to prepare for their visit’

‘You must’ve met some babies?’

‘No There are none in the familywell, there is no fas and neither had his father and so there were no other family branches to join with his

‘Tarif and Soraya are your family now,’ Chrissie heard herself point out and then wondered why she had said that, but there was sonorance ‘Just get down on your knees and they’ll come to you’

‘They can walk?’ Jaul was entranced when Tarif made a beeline for him and crawled up onto his lap with a fearless expectation of being welcomed there

‘No, they’re only crawling’ Soraya saw her brother receiving attention and headed in the sa to occasionally pull thehtTarif more than Soraya’

Jaul smoothed Tarif’s black hair back from his brow His hand wasn’t quite steady His children! He still could not credit the evidence of his eyes ‘For that night they were conceivedI thank you,’ he breathed huskily

Chrissie glanced across at hih he had lit a fire inside her They had run out of condoms and Jaul had wanted to send one of his staff out to buy ry that he would not go on such an errand for himself So, they had taken the risk and the tere the result His expression of gratitude noever, shook her by its very unexpectedness

Slowly, Jaul began to relax The twins responded to his deles and they put everything in their mouths ‘They’re wonderful,’ he told her quietly