If that wasn’t pure heaven, it was only a cloud away, Kate decided. How sweet of Dominic to stake his claim in such a public way. She couldn’t have scripted a better response if she’d tried and the blondes’ shock and indignation was just the icing on the cake.

At the sight of the women’s gaping mouths, Dominic tugged Kate closer and turned his attention back to the game. Clearly his message had gotten through. “Hey, Nicole, just a sec. Sure you want to do that? My bishop’s just sitting out here”—he pointed to the edge of the board—“waiting for your hand to lift from that rook. Come on, think.”

Nicole moved her rook out of danger.

“Good girl. That’s better. Now I’m going to move my knight and he’s always a threat. So pay attention. Katherine’s a good chess player. She could give you a few pointers. She beat me in Hong Kong.”

“She did?” A chorus of voices, six youthful pairs of eyes swung to Kate.

“Yup,” Dominic said.

The six pairs of eyes swung back to Dominic. “For real?”

“Darn right. Katherine’s really good. She knows what she’s doing. Here, help Nicole and we’ll show them.” Dominic dipped his head a little and smiled at Kate. “Feel like helping?”

After his kick-ass defense of her, Kate was willing to do just about anything for Dominic, his words still warming her world by a couple hundred degrees. “Sure. No problem.” She smiled at Nicole. “Let’s see if we can take your uncle down. Okay?”

“Julia used to play chess with you, didn’t she, Dominic?” Charlie snidely interposed. “I remember her saying what a good player you were.”

“She didn’t actually play much,” Dominic said coolly. “She was trying to learn.” He turned to Kate and smiled. “Ready to take me on, baby?”

At which point, two glowering, seriously frustrated women melted into the background.

Dominic and Kate played for blood as usual—both averse to failure.

Since the children had been playing with Dominic for years, they were all heatedly involved in the game, giving advice, shouting instructions, jumping up and down when someone made a slick move. Even Ellie understood when something good happened and she’d smile around her teddy bear’s wet ear and the thumb in her mouth.

Toward the end Kate and Nicole were playing keep away with their king and one knight, with Dominic aggressively in pursuit. They were staying out of trouble, but it was only a matter of time before Dominic finally checkmated them.

“Took you long enough,” Kate said, smiling.

He grinned. “You’re a real pain in the butt to catch. I was wondering how long you were going to keep your king on that safe square.” He wasn’t really. He knew she’d make a break for it. Katherine never played safe for long.

“Another game, another game!” the children screamed.

“We can’t,” Dominic said. “I promised Katherine a walk on the beach tonight. We’ll play some other time.”

“Tomorrow! Early!” A clamor of shouting that was satisfied only after a glance passed between Dominic and Kate.

“Tomorrow, but not early,” Dominic warned. “We’ll text you.” Lifting Kate to her feet, he rose from the bed and politely glanced at the two pouting women. “Good to see you again,” he said, then turned back to the children. “Okay, kids, practice on your own. We’ll see who wins tomorrow.”

“Hug, hug!” Ellie squealed, jumping up and down on the chair where she and her teddy bear had viewed the game.

Bending down, Dominic picked up the toddler, hugged her, gave her a kiss, and set her down. “Anyone else?” he said, surveying the other children with a faint smile.

They all wanted hugs, even the boys, who were trying to be grown up.

Even Nicole, who hung back at first until Dominic winked at her and she rushed into his open arms.

“Nicole’s almost past the hug stage. She’s growing up so fast,” Dominic said a moment later as he and Kate moved down the hallway. “I remember when she was born.”

“They’re great kids. Do you think you should have let Nicole win?”

“Did you want me to?”

She shrugged. “I can’t decide.”

“Did Gramps let you win?”

“I think he might have every once in a while.”

“Give me a look then next time. I can do that. See, you’re making me a better person.”

“You’re doing pretty well on your own. The children all love you.”

The sudden silence was awkward, the word love suddenly lighting up their brains.

They both started talking at once.

“You first,” Dominic said, cautious in the face of danger.

“I was just going to say you left two very disappointed women behind,” Kate said, sensibly dismissing notions of love. “I think they were hopeful.”

“They shouldn’t be.”

“They’re both lovely.” Truthfully they were. Perfect in a plastic sort of way.

He shrugged. “If you say so.”

“How well do you know them? Forget it. You don’t have to tell me. Really, I don’t know why I asked.”

“Yeah, you do. Because you’re jealous like me. And I hate it,” he muttered. “It’s driving me nuts as much as you are. Look, I took them out a few times years ago. That’s it.”