what this man wanted? Maybe there was a deal to be made here?
‘That sensitive, is it?’ She toyed with him, like a cat who had stumbled upon a mouse, enjoying the sensation, even if only briefly, of power.
‘Yes, as a matter of fact it is, but it bears no relevance to our discussion.’ The curt tone of his voice blended with his accent and she wondered what he would sound like if he were whispering words of love. Except a man like him didn’t indulge in love—only lust.
‘Supposing I was able to find this family member—discreetly, of course.’
‘You?’ The surprise in his deeply accented voice sent a smile of satisfaction spreading across her lips. He obviously thought she was nothing more than an empty-headed socialite, who did nothing but party and shop.
‘Yes, me. It could clear the debt and relieve us of the need to get married.’ It was also far more than that for her. She wanted to hold on to all she’d worked for in life and if this man could sweep in and demand the properties her father had put in her name, would he then want all she had? Her business?
‘Go on.’
‘I happen to have a passion for genealogy.’
‘A passion?’ His brows rose and a shiver of awareness spread all over her as he said the word, giving it a totally different connotation from the context she’d meant. ‘Now you have aroused my interest. But how can it help with this matter?’
Much to her disgust heat rushed to her cheeks and yet again she lifted her chin and fixed him with a piercing glare. She couldn’t let it show just how much he was affecting her, how he was making her stomach flip and her heart pound like a lovesick teenager. Not when she’d sworn she’d never indulge in such nonsense. Hadn’t her time with Daniel been enough to warn her off?
‘I’ll make a deal with you, Mr Valdez. If I find this person, all the debts will be cleared without the need for marriage.’
‘That’s a massive charge for such a service when I could hire an agency, as you say.’
‘But would you have the confidentiality you require?’ She waited, hardly able to breathe, the anticipation immense. Had she actually managed to dig her way out of the mess her father had landed her in?
‘It’s still a high price, Miss Carter-Wilson. Are you sure you can deliver?’ He leant forward, his forearms on the table, his long tanned fingers holding the stem of the wine glass.
‘Yes.’ She crossed her fingers beneath the table and smiled boldly at him.
‘How long?’
‘That depends on many things. Months at least.’
‘You don’t have months.’ The brittleness of his tone made her blink rapidly.
‘Weeks, then.’
‘Four at the most.’ He assessed her again and she wondered if he sensed her panic.
‘In that case you have yourself a deal—but be warned, if this is leaked before I am ready, or you are not successful, then I will want full and immediate payment of the debt, which would mean you as my wife.’
‘That threat won’t be necessary, Mr Valdez.’ She kept her voice firm as she put out her hand to shake on the deal. ‘I suggest we meet again as soon as possible, then you can give me any information you already have before you return to Spain.’
‘If you are investigating my family, I will be keeping a close watch on what you are doing. Which means, Miss Carter-Wilson, you will return to Madrid with me.’
RAUL COULD HARDLY believe the surprising deal he was about to agree on with this woman. He’d been immediately captivated by her beauty, but had pushed that aside, unable to think past the terms of his father’s will or the fact that it appeared ever more likely that he was going to have to do the unthinkable and marry.
He had no desire to get married to any woman. Least of all one his father had tricked him into marrying. The last thing he needed right now was the constant temptation that this woman would represent if she came back to Madrid with him. From the moment he’d first seen her, annoyed and angry at his late appearance, he’d been fighting the pull of attraction that insistently demanded satisfaction.
He couldn’t act on it, not when it was the one thing his father had wanted, obviously considering him as much of a womaniser as he had been. Did his father recall the time he and Lydia had met? Had she been part of his plans even then? But what was there to gain from two years of marriage? That was the part that didn’t yet make sense.
As he’d arrived at the busy London restaurant, decked out for Christmas, the one thing he hadn’t anticipated was that Lydia would hold cards of her own—and be more than willing to put them into play.
Had she sensed how much he needed to track down Max? Did she really have the connections to trace people or was family history just the passing fancy of a rich girl with too much time on her hands? He had little option but to trust her now and cursed himself for having confided in her. Her offer of a deal, even one as outrageous as that, was one he wasn’t able to refuse. Not now she could walk away and spill the long-kept family secret he’d only recently discovered. There would of course have to be a back-up plan, one that would mean he wasn’t about to risk his business reputation now that he’d finally proved he was not the same man as his father to those that mattered in the business world.
Until recently, he’d been unable to work alongside his father and had started buying up small and struggling businesses, turning them around and either selling them on or trading their shares. It was far more than just the banking business his father had operated. It was a way of helping people and now the Lopez deal was back on the table. His biggest yet.
‘You want me to come to Madrid? To drop everything at this time of year just so that you can trace a long-lost relative?’ Lydia’s shock-infused words dragged him back to the hustle and bustle of the busy London restaurant.
‘And what keeps you so busy, Lydia? Parties? Shopping? All of that happens in Madrid too.’ Annoyance filled each word. He hadn’t expected instant compliance from her, but he had anticipated she’d be ready to do anything to avoid her father’s debts.
‘Don’t assume you know me.’ Her eyes sparked angrily at him.
‘I don’t assume anything other than you will come to Madrid, trace the person I am looking for and settle your debt. Unless you wish to be married before Christmas?’
‘I will not go to Madrid on your whim.’ She pulled back her hand before he could shake on the deal and he had to suppress the urge to smile. He liked the anger that sparked in her eyes brighter than the Christmas lights of London. He liked the way her lips parted in almost total contrast to that anger. What he didn’t find so appealing was his questionable urge to kiss those lips until desire replaced the anger in her eyes.
‘Then there is only one alternative open to us.’ He let his words hang heavily between them and for the briefest of seconds it was only the two of them. The noise of the other diners slipped away and all he could hear was the rhythmic thump of his heart. He couldn’t let
