Something new, something undefinable, now simmered there too.
Finally, as the sun was setting, he could stand it no longer and went in search of the woman who would tomorrow be his wife. She was curled on the sofa, her phone in her hand. She looked up at him as he stood in front of her.
‘I can’t get Emma on the phone.’ Her words were rushed.
Guilt shot through him, he’d completely forgotten her need to phone her sister.
‘I sent a text instead.’
He didn’t know how to respond to the obvious anxiety in her voice. Worrying about siblings was not something he’d ever done. Distraction was what she needed, he decided. ‘Would you care to join me for a walk?’
‘Another walk? Tonight?’ She put her phone on a nearby table and smiled at him, the same warm smile she’d given him the night before. ‘It’s supposed to be bad luck for the bride to see the groom on the eve of her wedding.’
‘I won’t tell if you don’t,’ he teased, and held out his hand to her. She hesitated, then laughed softly. It was such a sexy sound he had to brace himself against the onslaught of thudding desire which rushed over him.
‘In that case, how can I refuse?’ She seemed different, as if all pretence had been abandoned, and he knew this was the real Georgina. The fiery, demanding woman who had burst into his office last week no longer existed.
The sea was calmer than he’d ever known it, with the waves hardly making any sound. They walked along the sand hand in hand, as they had done the previous afternoon. The sky was dark and the stars were shining brightly as he stopped and turned to her.
‘I’ve enjoyed your company,’ he said awkwardly. ‘It’s hard to believe it’s only been a few days since we arrived.’
Georgina looked up at him. Was it possible he felt it too? He was so different now, so relaxed, and she knew she was in danger of falling in love with him.
‘Don’t say any more,’ she whispered, putting her finger on his lips. She didn’t want him to give her hope if he didn’t mean it.
He kissed her fingers and before she knew how she was in his arms, her body pressed close to his. Fire tore through her as she kissed him, giving way to all the new emotions she was battling with. She wanted him with a fierceness that shocked her.
He deepened the kiss, his arms pressing her close against him, leaving her in no doubt that she needed to stop things now. She pulled back from him, her heart racing, and her breathing fast.
‘I can’t, Santos.’
‘Can’t what?’ His voice was hoarse and he tried to kiss her again.
‘This,’ she said, moving back from him. ‘We shouldn’t even be seeing one another tonight. It’s bad luck.’
SANTOS’S PULSE POUNDED in his head and a fire coursed through his veins which had little to do with the punishing early-morning run he’d just completed. After yet another night of trying to douse his need for Georgina he’d given up and, despite it being the morning of his wedding, had gone out to find some kind of release. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take.
How could one woman drive him to such distraction?
Refusing to explore the answer to that question, he returned to his villa. As he did so he heard female voices and knew that Señora Santana had arrived, along with the others, to do the bridal hair and make-up. He clenched his hands into fists, fighting hard against the urge to go to Georgina’s room, send everyone out and continue what she’d started last night—because start it she most definitely had.
Patience, he reminded himself, and headed for a cold shower instead. His run had not had the desired effect. Heady lust still throbbed through his veins and he knew of only one antidote for that—other than taking Georgina to his bed right now. Work. Once he’d showered he would shut himself in his office and work until lunchtime, when he would escort Georgina to the beach to become his wife.
An hour later he admitted it was impossible. The figures blurred before him and all he could think about was that kiss last night. At first so innocent and tender, then passion had taken over. Santos realised he’d been so consumed by need he’d behaved like a teenager, raging hormones taking control of his senses, rendering him completely under her spell.
Just as his father had been with Carlo’s mother.
That thought alone had the sobering effect he needed on his body. He could never allow himself to be at the mercy of a woman—wanting her so much that nothing else mattered. Not even his inheritance. He’d never wanted a serious relationship, and certainly didn’t want to get married, but his father’s interfering had changed that.
In a bid to divert his mind he turned to his laptop, scanning the business pages and the headlines from Spain and England before looking at the celebrity gossip columns. Sure enough, just as he’d expected, he and Georgina were featured leaving the party together. Speculation as to what would happen next had filled the columns for the last two days.
At least now nobody would think him grasping enough to marry purely for financial gain. That sort of reputation wouldn’t go down well when making business deals in the future. But if his business rivals thought he had a human side, one touched by love—whatever that was—they would be less guarded with him, giving him the edge he always sought.
He looked up at the clock on the wall. Eleven-thirty. Almost time to seal the hardest deal of his life. He turned off the laptop, put away his papers and headed back to his room to put on his suit.
As he fixed his cufflinks he looked in the mirror. Was he doing the right thing? He thought of the clause in the will, the need for an heir, and knew in that moment he should have told Georgina exactly what might be expected of her unless his legal team could find another way out. So why hadn’t he? Because he didn’t seriously think it would come to that when he was paying to find a solution. But then he hadn’t thought he’d ever have to marry either.
A knock at the door drew his attention and he strode over to open it, knowing he was to be given the message that she was ready. It was time to make Georgina his wife. Guilt shot through him. She didn’t know exactly what she’d signed up for. He had to tell her as soon as they were alone. Tell her that his mention of children in the prenuptial agreement might prove vital in the deal she’d come up with. Even he wasn’t that harsh. Despite everything, he still clung to the hope that it wouldn’t be necessary.
She was waiting for him on the terrace, but nothing could have prepared him for that moment if he’d spent several years organising it, instead of several days.
Georgina looked amazing.
Cream chiffon and silk encased her slender figure, but the slit in the floor-length dress drew his eye to her leg as she moved towards him. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a chignon and lace was attached to it, giving her a very Spanish air. The bodice of her dress clung to her breasts lovingly and on the single strap diamonds sparkled.
‘I trust this meets your requirements?’
Her chin lifted defiantly, and her voice
