she had every right to be here. This was her wedding reception. Her day. Even if it wasn’t her choice.
Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat. Today should be the happiest day of her life!
If she didn’t laugh at the absurdity surely she’d cry.
Holding Raul’s eyes, she lifted her chin and downed the rest of her champagne.
‘If you’ll excuse me, Tamsin, I’d better introduce myself to my mother-in-law.’ Luisa passed her glass to a waiter and picked up her skirts, grateful now for the formal dress that kept her posture perfect and made guests move aside as she stalked forward.
She was magnificent. She cut a swathe through the crowd as if it didn’t exist, her eyes locked with his.
A pulse of heat thudded deep in his belly at the sight of her: jaw angled, eyes glittering, chest swelling against the demure V neckline. She skimmed across the polished floor, her train sweeping magnificently behind her. Tiny bursts of fire peeped from beneath her hem as her jewel-encrusted slippers caught the light. It was as if she set off sparks with each step.
Absently Raul brushed Ana’s clawing hand away. He’d done what he had to—accepted her presence publicly. But he’d had enough.
He’d had enough of her eight years ago!
He barely registered her protest as he strode instead towards the woman he’d just married and pleasure surged.
All day tension had ridden him. Worries for the state. Fury at Ana’s return. Discomfort at the idea of marrying. Guilt at forcing Luisa’s hand. The need to bury his thoughts deep behind a cloak of royal calm. Now the tension morphed into something that had nothing to do with concerns and everything to do with his long-suppressed needs.
And with the challenge he read in his bride’s expression, her posture, her firmed lips.
Her eyes flashed azure fire and heat danced in his veins. He drew a breath, the first free breath all day.
He’d done his duty in marrying. Now he wanted to forget about duty, about diplomacy and building bridges with intransigent politicians and soothing the bruised egos of his father’s cronies. About his own doubts.
He wanted … Luisa.
A smile cracked his carefully schooled features.
‘Luisa, you look enchanting.’ Her pace propelled her forward and he took full advantage, stepping before her at the last moment and putting a hand to her waist, ostensibly to steady her. Through the lace and silk he felt warmth and lithe muscle and the deep exhalation of her breath.
He grasped her other hand in his and lifted it to his mouth. Her eyes blazed and he almost smiled at the provocation in her glare. Instead he turned her hand and pressed his lips to her wrist. He heard her breath catch and a satisfying tremor rippled through her. Slowly he moved his mouth, kissing her palm and touching his tongue to the erogenous zone at its centre.
Her eyes widened and he felt pleasure tug through his belly. She tried to draw her hand away but he held her.
‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your mother?’
He read the doubt and hurt pride in her eyes and silently applauded her front.
‘You mean my father’s second wife. Not my mother.’
‘My mistake.’ She bit the words out precisely with her even white teeth. ‘You two looked so close …’
Little cat.
This was what he’d missed. Much as he enjoyed having his plans go smoothly and the tantalising sense of closeness he’d experienced with Luisa now and then, he’d missed her vibrancy. From the first she’d sparked with energy and defiance. She’d obstructed him and argued and defied him. Even consenting to wed she’d been proud as an empress.
He enjoyed her sassiness when she stood up to him. He’d grown accustomed to fireworks. He enjoyed them more than he’d thought possible. Especially when it wasn’t argument that fuelled the conflagration.
Even the hint of jealousy in her tone pleased him. Did her desire match his? A bolt of excitement shot through him. He recalled her passion, the way she melted in his arms. How she watched him when she thought he didn’t see.
He leaned forward and whispered, ‘I’m not going to introduce her. You wouldn’t like her.’
She gaped at his honesty. He wanted to kiss those lush lips till she forgot how to speak. He wanted that sizzling energy channelled in more satisfying directions.
Urgent heat swirled in his loins as he visualised it.
‘Why not?’ Luisa looked stunned.
‘Because she’s not at all nice.’ It surprised him how much pleasure there was in saying it out loud, even if in a murmur for Luisa’s ears alone. How long he’d been constrained by the need to keep up appearances!
‘But surely I need to meet her.’
‘Hardly. She’s leaving for LA tonight. Grabbing a lift with her newest boyfriend, a Hollywood producer.’
Raul didn’t even feel the usual simmering anger. Ana couldn’t be bothered to feign mourning for her dead husband. Their marriage had been a farce, his smitten father turning a blind eye to anything in his young wife’s behaviour that might dent his royal pride.
Raul was tired of pretending his father’s marriage was anything but a sham. His father was dead and his ego couldn’t be battered any more. Ana didn’t deserve more than the merest observance of courtesy. Her attempt just now to wheedle more cash from the royal coffers had been expected but her timing had surprised even Raul, who’d believed himself inured to her grasping ways.
‘Come,’ he said, turning Luisa with him towards the dais where the royal throne rested. She grabbed her wide skirts and followed. The scent of lavender that accompanied her movements was refreshing after Ana’s cloying perfume. He breathed deep and helped his wife up the steps.
The flush colouring Luisa’s cheeks was charming. His gaze descended her throat, gorgeous in its gold filigree and pearl choker, down to where her breasts rose and fell rapidly. His palms itched to touch.
Leaving the reception early would cause a stir. But he wasn’t in the mood to worry about protocol. After years acceding to duty and convention, trying to compensate for the trauma of earlier royal scandal, Raul chose for the first time to flout tradition.
It felt good. The gossips could go hang.
He reached for his wife’s hand, enjoying the way it fitted his own so neatly. Enjoying her presence beside him.
‘Highnesses, ladies and gentlemen.’ Raul addressed the assembly. When he’d finished the sound of clapping made him turn. There were Alaric and Tamsin, smiling broadly. The applause spread.
Raul raised a hand in acknowledgement, then turned to Luisa. ‘It’s time we left.’
Her eyes rounded but a moment later she conjured a smile and a wave for their audience. She really was superb.
A
