boost for his people.
Tomorrow they would complete the signing of the Santo-Valderra treaty. The concessions had been heavy. Mendez had made outrageous demands, like the excessively extravagant banquet held here tonight to honour his birthday. A ceremony Reyes had initially balked at attending, but had eventually given in to, because he suspected Mendez would use any excuse to postpone the final signing of the treaty.
The concessions Santo Sierra had given would be recouped with time. And, most importantly, the trade blockage had been removed.
He still faced an uphill battle in convincing his council members to accept the changes to come. And there was also his father...
Reyes pushed thoughts of his father and grief aside and reminded himself that his father was alive.
And for one night, this night, Reyes intended to turn his mind to more...pleasant matters.
Jasmine sat in silence beside him, a beacon in the gloom that threatened to swallow him whole. But Reyes sensed that she was almost as reluctant as he to test the depths of awareness that zinged between them, just as he was quietly amazed by the depth of his attraction for her.
The memory of her skin when he’d held her on the balcony returned. His hand tightened next to his thigh.
He’d taken one look at Jasmine and the foundations of his self-imposed celibacy had started to shake. All through the banquet he’d been unable to take his eyes off her, a notion that had at once fascinated and irritated him. By the time the banquet was over, he’d known his resistance was severely compromised.
Yet, he’d been determined to walk away. Bitter experience and the heavy burden of duty had taught him to weigh his decisions carefully.
One-night stands weren’t his modus operandi.
So what in the name of Dios was he doing?
He hadn’t touched her since that last electrifying contact, and yet a storm unlike anything he’d ever known raged inside him. From the corner of his eye, he watched her fiddle with one earring. The sweet, yet provocative movement fanned the inferno of his lust.
‘Are we going to get out?’ Her question emerged with that same breathy, husky quality that sent shivers racing through him. Her eyes, blue like the ocean surrounding his kingdom, slid to his and the throb in his groin accelerated.
‘Momentarily,’ he replied, hoping for some last-minute perspective.
But the only perspective his brain was willing to consider was the one where this enthralling woman ended up in his bed, her voluptuous body quenching his ferocious need.
She’d shown herself a worthy opponent, and yes, he considered the insane tug and pull of attraction between them a battleground. A battle from which he would emerge the victor and walk away with everything he held dear intact.
During their intriguing exchange not once had her gaze slid from his. In fact, more than once he’d seen a spark of defiance in the blue vividness of her eyes. That spark had ignited something inside him he’d long forgotten.
It had reminded him of a carefree time when life had been less fraught.
He glanced up at the lights of his yacht. He’d deliberately not moored at the same quay as Prince Mendez because he’d wanted to avoid the avid media attention Mendez courted.
Reyes preferred privacy...solitude...silence. His mother had created enough chaos in his life when she was alive.
So what are you doing bringing a total stranger on board?
He faced Jasmine.
Her gaze immediately riveted to his and heat surged through his bloodstream. She gave a nervous smile and pulled her wrap tighter around her. He frowned at the protective gesture. The interior of the car wasn’t cold, in fact the night air blowing gently through the half-open windows was sultry. So there could be only one other reason for the telling gesture.
‘It’s not too late to change your mind.’ His statement emerged harsher than he’d intended, partly, he realised, because he didn’t want her to leave.
Her eyes widened and she wavered for a second before a curiously resolute look settled over her face. ‘No. A deal is a deal. Although I’m not sure how to go about buying you a drink when we’re boarding your boat.’
Relief made him exhale unsteadily. He signalled to his bodyguard, who opened the door. Reyes handed him the briefcase holding the treaty and held out his hand to Jasmine. ‘We’ll continue our debate on board.’
She glanced from his hand to his yacht. He held his breath. Slowly, she reached out. His grip tightened on her fingers as he stepped out of the car and helped her out. He’d taken two steps when he felt her tug at his grip.
‘Wait. I can’t do this.’
Disappointment curled through him. Reyes bit back a sharp retort as he dropped her hand. In the time since his last liaison, the world hadn’t changed, then, he mused caustically. Women continued to tease, to engage in sexual games in the hope that playing hard to get would make them seem more attractive to the opposite sex. The bitterness he’d tried to douse welled up again.
‘Save the excuses, Miss Nichols. I’m disappointed that women seem to believe creating intrigue involves mind games, but I am not willing to indulge you.’ He nodded to his driver, who stepped forward. ‘You’ll be delivered to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Rio.’ He couldn’t stem the regret that settled gut-deep inside him. Not to mention the uncomfortable arousal that tightened his groin and made thinking straight difficult.
He turned away, wanting to be far away from her, from the temptation of her voluptuous body and seductive scent that insisted on lingering in the air around him.
‘Actually, that’s not what I want.’ She sounded hurt and a little confused. ‘I didn’t mean that I’d changed my mind about the drink.’
He whirled round. ‘Then what did you mean, Jasmine?’
An uneasy look crossed her face. ‘I told you, I don’t really like boats. But I thought I’d make an exception...just this once...’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, I’m not coming aboard wearing these shoes.’ She gestured to her feet.
Puzzled, he frowned. ‘What?’
‘My step—umm, I read somewhere that heels and boats aren’t a good combination.’ Her shrug drew his attention to the silky curve of her shoulder. ‘Of course, I don’t know what sort of flooring you have on your yacht, but I don’t want to ruin it.’
Laughter replaced Reyes’s disappointment. It rumbled through his chest, a sensation he hadn’t felt for a while.
‘My floors? You don’t want to ruin the floors on my boat?’ His incredulity grew with his words and he barely stopped himself from shaking his head.
‘No, I don’t. Plus, my feet are seriously killing me. So if you don’t mind?’ She held out her hand for him to take. ‘It’ll only take a minute.’
Caught in the surreal moment, Reyes took her hand. He felt the rough ridge of scarred tissue and looked at
