Alejandro knew there were many different facets to Olivia, but he’d never seen her quite as overwrought as she was when she got home from work on Monday evening.
“I don’t know who Ariana Lamonte thinks she is, but she basically ambushed me at work.”
Alejandro poured her a glass of Saint-émilion Grand Cru from the bottle he had opened an hour earlier so that it could breathe for a while.
“Thank you.” She took a sip and continued. “Wouldn’t you put two and two together and figure out that if somebody didn’t return your calls it was a hint that they didn’t want to talk to you?”
“I know you mentioned her the other night, but who is this woman?”
“She’s a features writer for Weird Life Magazine. It’s an Austin-based magazine. She’s been doing a series of articles called ‘Becoming a Fortune.’ She is completely obsessed with the Fortunes and all my father’s illegitimate offspring.”
“Why did she want to interview you?”
“She’s been profiling my siblings and basically anyone who has a connection to the Fortunes. I can’t believe how many people have cooperated and spoken to her. I don’t understand why. It really weirds me out to think that she’s putting my father’s indiscretions out there for all the world to see.”
Olivia sipped her wine. “This is good.”
“I thought you might like it. It’s one of my favorites. But did you talk to her?”
Alejandro motioned toward the living room. Olivia followed him into the room and they sat on the couch with their wine.
“I tried. Really, I did. But when she started asking about our engagement, that was the beginning of the end. She knows about us, Alejandro, and Sophie spilled the beans less than forty-eight hours ago. She’s that obsessed with us.”
“How do you think she found out?”
Olivia shrugged, then sipped her wine. “There were a lot of people at the wedding. It could’ve been anyone really. For all we know, she might be paying someone close to us for information.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I shut her down. Changed the subject. And she tried to follow up with the most ridiculous assertion that not only had my dad fathering children with women other than my mother, which we do know is true, but she says she has uncovered evidence that my father was married before he was married to my mother. That was the last straw. I asked her to leave.”
“How did she take it?”
“In all fairness, she was actually civil about it. She told me if I didn’t want to be interviewed, I didn’t have to do it. That’s how we left it.”
“I’m glad she was decent enough to realize she couldn’t force you into something you didn’t want to do. Do you think she’ll leave you alone?”
“I do. Or at least, I’m hopeful. I think she knows better than to show up at my office again.”
“I hope so.”
Olivia shook her head and stared off into space for a moment. “Every day it’s something new. Some new revelation or surprise about my parents that jumps out and hits me between the eyes. That’s why it’s easiest to not believe in anything that has to do with love and relationships,” she said. “Because just when you think you have a handle on it, that you know what’s what, a new piece of evidence surfaces that proves that everything you thought was real and good was all a big lie.” She turned to him. “Do you know what it’s like to live a charade?”
His right brow shot up. “I’m in the middle of living one right now,” he said. “I don’t mean to make light of your family situation.”
She reached out and touched his hand. “I know you don’t. The funny thing is, our relationship feels more real and substantive than anything that my parents have lived for decades.”
Her expression softened. And she looked like she had surprised herself by saying it.
“That might’ve sounded awkward or inappropriate,” she said. “I don’t mean to put any pressure on you. It’s just that you and I are more open and honest with each other than my parents have ever been.”
She shook her head and waved her hand as if she were clearing her words from the air.
He wanted to reach out and hold those hands, but he stopped himself. “We are open with each other, Olivia. If I lived in Austin, I think I might want to see if things could work out between us—”
“I was hoping you were still considering moving to Austin. Or at least that Hummingbird Ridge would keep you here for a while, while you look for a new investor.”
He silently muttered an explicative. He couldn’t tell her that he’d planned to talk to her father about investing, but today he had called Gerald Robinson’s assistant and canceled the meeting that was supposed to take place at three o’clock because he didn’t want to solicit an investment while he was masquerading as his daughter’s fiancé. He didn’t want her to feel pressured into intervening or going to bat for him, and he didn’t want to seem like one of the many guys who’d used her just to get to her father. But he was going to have to tell her something now. “I didn’t want to mention this until after the wedding, but that slight snag with the winery purchase is turning out to be more challenging than I first thought.”
“What’s happened?”
He shook his head, trying to decide how much to tell her. “It’s complicated, but it’s nothing we can’t work out. It’s not over yet. I just need some time to reconfigure the timeline. But on a much better note, I have a surprise for you. How about something to brighten your day?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Sounds good to me. What did you have in mind?”
“I got you something. Actually, it’s a birthday present, but I’m no good at holding on to gifts. Especially for the better part of a week. It’s burning a hole in my pocket. May I give it to you now?”
A smile spread over Olivia’s face and some of the stress from the day seemed to melt away. He got up and walked to the kitchen island and came back with a small square red velvet box. Balancing it on his right hand, he offered it to her.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Open it and see.”
She held the box for a moment, glancing up at him with a skeptical look on her face. Finally, she opened it.
* * *
It was the fire opal ring she had fallen in love with at the shop in downtown Austin yesterday. The sight of it took her breath away.
“Alejandro, what is this?”
He slanted her a glance. “The ring you liked? It is the right one, isn’t it?”
“Of course it’s the right one.” She slid it onto her finger and admired it for a moment before she got up and threw her arms around him. “Why did you do this?”
“It’s for your birthday. I guess I should’ve sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to you, but I’m sure you would’ve asked me to stop.”
“You shouldn’t have done this. It’s too much. I know how much it cost.”
He shrugged. “Nothing is too good for my fake fiancée. Now when they ask you to see the ring you can show them.”
“If I was engaged, this is exactly the ring I would choose.”
Olivia framed Alejandro’s face with her hands and before she could overthink it, she kissed him.
It was supposed to be a quick thank-you kiss. A peck on the lips to show him her appreciation, but somewhere between quick and kiss, it turned into something more.
Kissing him had become so natural these days. But this was different. It began leisurely, slowly, starting with a brush of lips and a hint of tongue. But at the contact, reason flew out the window.
When she slid her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, inviting him in, he turned her so that he could deepen the kiss. Deeply, fervently. Desperately.
Olivia fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer.
Her entire body sang. Every sense was heightened as his touch awakened the sensual side of her that had been sleeping for far too long.
She heard the ragged edge of his breathing just beneath the blood rushing in her ears. She felt the heat of his hands on her back. He smelled like heaven: a heady mix of soap and cologne with subtle grassy notes mixed with something leathery and masculine. Yet despite the intoxicating way he smelled, it was the way he tasted—of red wine and something that was uniquely him—that nearly made her drunk with pleasure. The two combined were a heady, seductive mix that teased her senses and made her feel hot and sexy and just a little bit reckless.
Here in his arms, she didn’t feel like she had to have control. She wanted to melt into him, let him take charge for a while.
As he tasted and teased, the last bit of reason she possessed took flight. It felt too good to touch him, kiss him. It had been far too long since a man’s touch had made her blood churn and her body long to be fully taken.
Was this really about to happen? Was she about to make love to Alejandro? Finally. After pretending to be lovers, they were about to stop lying to themselves. After nights spent dreaming about him, about this, it was about to happen. She wanted it to happen.
Judging by the way he shifted and groaned, he wanted it just as much as she did. His kisses made her body hum, her heart sing. It had been so long since she’d been with anyone and even longer since she had let herself trust anyone the way she trusted Alejandro. She took in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the wave of feelings swelling inside her, threatening to break.
He untucked her blouse from her pencil skirt and slipped one hand beneath the fabric, the warmth of his hand teasing her bare skin, his fingertips gently caressing her before he grasped the hem of her blouse and pulled it up over her head. She wriggled out of it, helping him by straightening her arms and ducking her head so they wouldn’t have to worry about undoing buttons. Next she shed her bra and unzipped her skirt. He pushed her skirt down, taking her panties with it.
Clothing was a barrier and she wanted nothing between them. The realization that they were about to be naked sent a shiver of longing coursing through her.
Sure, they had kissed and touched each other and made everyone around them believe that they were lovers, but this was a new level of intimacy. Skin on skin. This time it was just for them.
But that wasn’t going to happen if he remained fully clothed. She tugged his shirt over his head, and let it fall to the floor. Sliding her hands over his bare back, she relished the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips before going for the button on his pants.
“Alejandro Mendoza, we should’ve done this a long time ago,” she said, moving her hands down his back and cupping his backside.
“Might’ve been overkill if it had been a way to prove to Sophie you really do believe in love.”
“Seeing is believing.”
“I’ll say,” he conceded.
A half smile curved Olivia’s lips. “I had no idea what I was missing.” Especially now that she had him completely naked.
He leaned back, his eyes intent on her. “Damn.” His voice was hoarse in his throat.
“I’m guessing it’s a good thing that I’ve reduced you to one-syllable words?” she said.
He didn’t answer; he simply leaned in and pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot behind her ear, his breath hot and delicious on her neck. Anticipation knotted in her stomach as he walked her backward down the hall toward her bedroom.
Once there, he moved his hand down her hip to her thigh. She parted her legs, and he nestled himself against her.
He kissed her again, moving his hands along the curves of her body. Reaching between her legs, his fingertips traced her sensitive skin, dangerously close to her center, where she was aching for his touch.
Olivia feared she might spontaneously combust or possibly melt into a puddle of her own need right at his feet. And when he finally moved his hand, sliding his finger over her center, she heard a low sound rumbling and realized it was coming from her.
After that, she lost all ability to think lucidly. The only thing she was aware of was the way Alejandro was teasing the entrance to her body with his fingertip before sliding it deep inside her. Her head lolled back. He increased the rhythm and everything went hot and bright like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. She was electric, sizzling like a live wire or a rocket ship launched into space. And when she finally landed, Alejandro was right there with her, kissing her lips. She could feel the hardness of him pressing against her. He was ready for her.
And she was ready for him. She wanted him so badly she felt she would burst into flames.
He eased her down onto the bed. Everything that was dark about his eyes grew even darker.
“Do you have a condom?” he said.
“Me? No, I don’t have any.” There had been no need. Until now. Oh, for God’s sake, why hadn’t they thought about this before now? Why? Because they had sworn this wasn’t going to happen. A hiccup of laughter nearly escaped her lips. Just making that promise should have been her first clue that she needed to have some on hand. She supposed she should’ve been relieved that he hadn’t come prepared because that would’ve meant he’d been planning this seduction. But, good grief, if they had come this far and had to stop for lack of protection, she just might actually die.
“I may have one in my shaving kit. If I do, I don’t know how old it is, though.”
“Not much action lately, huh?”
He groaned and kissed her. “I’m not quite sure how you want me to answer that. Still, it’s worth a look. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk across the room naked and fine. Funny, she thought, you can tell yourself you’re immune, you can tell yourself you don’t want something or you shouldn’t have something, when all the while the don’ts and shouldn’ts are a colossal lie. Seeing him like this, she knew she had been lying to herself since the night she saw him in the Driskill Hotel bar.
She wanted him. And on some very basic level, she’d known they were going to end up like this—whether she’d wanted to admit it to herself or not.
Olivia turned over onto her side and drew in a deep, measured breath, trying to calm her shallow breathing and slow her thudding heart.
This is happening. This is really happening.
And she couldn’t believe how right it felt. It was probably going to make things harder when he went back to Miami; she was well aware of that. But she had known it would be difficult from that first moment, after that first kiss, when they’d started down this thrilling, rocky road. But the thing was, even after that first kiss, things had never been awkward. Even the public displays of intimacy they’d put on for Sophie’s benefit hadn’t been awkward. In fact, the lack of awkwardness had blurred the line between fantasy and reality that should’ve been so distinct. She could only hope this wasn’t a mistake, that after all was said and done, making love to Alejandro wouldn’t be the straw that brought everything crashing down.
He returned a moment later, holding a small square packet.
“Victory is ours,” he said. “And it is still well within its shelf life. I am happy we can give it a decent burial.”
Olivia propped herself up on her elbow and laughed at the double meaning. “I never dreamed a rubber could make me so happy.”
“You obviously need to expand your horizons, querida.”
She loved how he called her that. The endearment warmed her from the inside out. As if she could be any hotter right now.
“What I meant was, it would’ve been a real mood killer if you would’ve had to have gotten dressed and gone to the drugstore.”
He ripped open the foil packet.
“No worries. This time. We might want to keep that in mind for the future, though.”
The future.
The thought caused Olivia’s heartbeat to kick up again. Would there be a next time? She hoped so. But why was she thinking about next time before this time had even happened. And it was about to happen.
It had been a long time since she’d been intimate with a man, but he was worth the wait.
She watched, mesmerized, as Alejandro positioned the condom over himself and rolled it down his hard length. Arousal ripped through her, knocking the breath right out of her lungs. But that was nothing compared to when Alejandro slid into bed next to her and, with one swift motion, had her lying flat on her back.
Alejandro kissed her senseless. It was as if his next breath depended on it. Need had her fisting her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck until he grabbed ahold of her wrists and lifted her arms over her head. He deepened the kiss and positioned himself between her thighs, his hard manhood bumping against the private entrance to her body. And suddenly she needed him inside her.
His gaze locked on hers, he thrust gently to fill her. She raised her hips to take him all the way in. His breath escaped in a rush, and he held absolutely still for a moment, as if he were afraid to break the fragile moment of their joining. Looking into his eyes, Olivia reveled in the sensation, in the wonder of this man inside her.
“You feel even better than I imagined,” he whispered, his voice sounding hoarse and raspy.
His eyes were the darkest shade of brown she’d ever seen. As he moved inside her, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He pulled back slightly just before thrusting deeper, closing those dark eyes, getting lost in the rhythm of their love.
The driving need that led to her release grew with every pump and thrust. She held on to him, watching him, his expression, his eyes squeezed shut, his jaw clenched tight.
This was Alejandro. Gorgeous, sexy Alejandro. And he was lost in her.
She looked away, unable to deal with the intensity as he pushed into her one last time and she caught a glimpse of his tattoo. That tattoo. Another woman’s name branded on his arm. She turned her face away so she wouldn’t have to see it, wouldn’t have to think about him in love with someone else.
She refocused on the passion, on how right they felt together, on the feel of him moving inside her, and the next moment pleasure exploded within her, and she felt as if the clouds had parted on a gray day and she was looking directly into the sun.
His eyes closed and his neck tendons strained as the orgasm shook his body. She slid her hands along the rock-hard muscles of his arms to end up with her fingers curled into his hair. He swayed above her for a moment before she pulled him down on top of her. He bowed his head and rested his forehead on hers, kissing her again as if drawing a sustaining life’s breath from the final moments of their coupling.
He rolled off her onto his back and she curled herself into his body, amazed by the heat radiating from his skin.
He covered his eyes with his palms. Then, keeping his elbows crooked, he slid his hands beneath his head. She wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do. Her instincts were telling her to hold on to him, snuggle into him, because that’s what lovers did after making love. But he wasn’t making any effort to hold her. As right and intuitive as the lovemaking had been, this part felt awkward.
The last thing she wanted was for her vulnerability to morph into neediness. Because that was so not who she was. She had never been a clinging vine. And she didn’t want to start now.
But, dammit, she felt clingy.
She didn’t want to have feelings for him. He made her want things that didn’t make sense. Things that she didn’t even believe in. He was part of the extended family. She had even hoped after their short-term engagement that they could be friends.
Family and friendship. Those things were far too valuable to mess up. Why was she just considering that now?
She supposed that somewhere deep in her psyche she thought making love to him would exorcise whatever demon had possessed her when she met him. While it had been mind-blowing, it hadn’t satisfied that craving. No, she still wanted more. She needed more. She wondered if rather than satisfying the beast, she had simply awakened it.
She lay there lost in thought, heart thundering as she tried to sort out her emotions.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, but he didn’t say more. They just lay next to each other, until she couldn’t stand the silence anymore. She turned over onto her side, facing him. She stared at him through the golden early-evening light, filtering in through the bedroom’s plantation shutters.
Olivia studied his profile as he lay there with his arm raised over his head, his tattoo in full view. She reached out and touched it. She hadn’t pushed him to talk about it the other night because it’d felt too personal, as if she were crossing the line. But here they were in the most emotionally vulnerable space. It felt like nothing should be off-limits.
“Tell me about Anna.”
He was silent for a long time, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer her.
But she wanted to know. She needed to know. So she decided to prod him.
“You loved her.” The words escaped before she could stop herself and she felt awkward after saying them, because obviously he had loved Anna and he didn’t love her.
“I did. I still do. I have to be honest with you, I always will.”
Olivia felt small, and irrationally jealous of the dead woman.
“We met in our freshman year of high school in English class. Anna was new to the school. She’d just moved to Miami from Venezuela. We were reading Romeo and Juliet aloud in class. She read Juliette’s part and I read Romeo’s. It was love at first sight. I was so taken by her grace and beauty, I wanted to marry her when we turned eighteen. I’d even saved my money and bought her an engagement ring. But Anna’s father asked us to wait to get married until after we’d graduated from college. We weren’t happy about it, but we honored his wishes. It was important to Anna. But we still got engaged. We ended up going to different universities—she was at Florida State in Tallahassee and I was at the University of Florida in Gainesville. We alternated weekend visits, taking turns making the drive to see each other. Sophomore year, she was killed instantly when a semitruck driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit her car.
“I have always felt responsible for her death. If only I had insisted she leave Sunday afternoon when it was still light outside rather than staying one more night with me and leaving before sunrise the next morning to make it back for an early class.”
She heard the pain in his voice, but it was her pain she felt when he said the next words.
“I guess I’ve always believed each person was only granted one true love in a lifetime. I always believed Anna was mine.”
He lowered his arm, held it in front of him, tracing the intricate lines etched into his skin.
“I got her name tattooed on my arm so that I would always remember that once life wasn’t hard and happiness wasn’t impossible.”
She wanted to ask, What do you think now? Do you think you could be happy with me? But she couldn’t force the words out of her throat.