to take her in his arms.
Gregorio had drunk several more glasses of brandy before going to bed, knowing he was going to need the relaxant if he stood any chance of sleeping at all.
It had taken some time, but he had finally dozed off into a fitful slumber. Only to be woken—minutes...hours later?—by the sound of Lia screaming.
At first he had thought someone—Richardson—had managed to get past his security and Lia was being attacked. It was only once he had entered her bedroom and found her there alone, screaming as she tossed from side to side in the bed, that he realised she was obviously in the middle of some horrendous nightmare.
His efforts to calm her had so far been unsuccessful.
‘Lia!’ He was careful not to knock the cast on her arm as he grasped her shoulders. ‘Open your eyes and look at me, Lia,’ he instructed firmly.
She’d stopped screaming, at least, and her eyes were open, but her body was still being racked by intense sobs.
‘It was just a nightmare...it isn’t real,’ he continued to soothe as he took her in his arms.
It seemed very real to Lia!
She was running, knowing that something...someone...was pursuing her. She couldn’t see him when she dared to take a quick glance behind her, but she could feel him, hear him breathing—could almost feel that hot breath on the back of her neck. And then he was there—in front of her—not behind her at all. An indistinct dark shadow and yet she knew it was a man. Knew it was David. And he wanted to kill her.
‘You are safe now, Lia.’ Gregorio held her tightly. ‘No one will harm you while I am here. I promise you.’
But he wouldn’t always be there, would he? She was just a woman Gregorio felt a fleeting obligation to protect. Because she was alone in the world and she needed his help. He didn’t really care about her. They’d had sex yesterday afternoon, and that was the reason he probably felt even this much obligation. Right now he was probably regretting that he had ever shown an interest in her at all. She brought too much baggage with her, and Gregorio de la Cruz wasn’t interested in a woman with baggage.
‘I’m okay now.’ She was very aware of the fact that Gregorio wore only a pair of loose jogging trousers, and his chest was completely bare. The warm and muscular chest he was holding her against... ‘I’m sorry if I disturbed you.’ His half-nakedness was certainly disturbing her! ‘I’ll be fine now.’
She kept her gaze lowered as she attempted to pull away. Gregorio’s arms only tightened in reaction.
‘Lia, look at me.’
She didn’t want to look at him. At any part of him. Bad enough that her hand that wasn’t restricted by the sling was now pressed against Gregorio’s chest, that his flesh was warm and sensual to the touch.
‘Lia?’
She glanced up at Gregorio’s face and then quickly down again. His hair was tousled from sleep, his eyes black, and dark stubble lined his jaw. He looked incredibly sexy. And he smelt edible. A cross between the lingering aroma of that expensive cologne he wore and something else—a male musk that was uniquely Gregorio.
She felt her body’s response to all that overwhelming male lushness.
Gregorio simply felt an obligation to look out for her, Lia firmly reminded herself. That was the only reason he had been around this past couple of months.
And in return she had slapped him at her father’s funeral, been incredibly rude to him before asking him to leave her apartment, and then yesterday—yesterday she had told him she didn’t want him. That she never wanted to go to bed with him again.
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
She could lie to Gregorio, but there was no longer any chance of lying to herself.
She was in love with Gregorio.
Not infatuated, not sexually enthralled by him—although she was that too!—but one hundred per cent in love with him.
He was everything a man should be. Honourable. Truthful. Protective of those he deemed weaker than himself. A man Lia knew instinctively her father had liked as well as respected. And the reason she knew that was because her father had recognised those traits in Gregorio.
In the same way her father had known that David was none of those things. If he had lived, would her father have told her the truth about David? Or would he have continued to lie and cover up for the younger man because he wouldn’t have wanted to hurt Lia by exposing the true nature of the man she loved?
Lia hoped it would have been the former, and that her father would have realised she was strong enough to accept the truth.
None of which changed the fact that she had now fallen deeply in love with a man who was never going to want her as more than a friend with benefits.
‘I’ll be fine now,’ Lia assured Gregorio lightly as she pulled out of his arms. ‘Please go back to bed. Please.’
‘Sure?’ He studied her closely.
‘Sure.’ She nodded, keeping that bright look on her face until Gregorio had left the bedroom.
Which was when Lia closed her eyes and allowed hot tears to fall down her cheeks.
‘MIGHT I ASK what you are doing here, Sebastien?’
Gregorio’s brother had arrived at the hotel just minutes ago. Considering it was only eight o’clock in the morning, Sebastien had to have flown here in the second company jet overnight from New York. Almost immediately after the two men had concluded their telephone conversation the night before, in fact.
His brother stepped back from their brotherly hug. ‘You didn’t sound at all yourself when we spoke on the phone last night, Rio.’
He arched dark and sceptical brows. ‘And that was reason enough for you to immediately fly to London?’
Sebastien gave him a boyish grin. ‘That, and I wanted to see Lia Fairbanks for myself.’
Gregorio tensed. ‘Why?’
Sebastien’s grin grew even wider. ‘I wanted to meet the woman who has my big brother so tied up in knots.’
‘Stop talking nonsense,’ Gregorio snapped. ‘No doubt you would like a cup of coffee?’
He turned away to pour some of the strong brew he always made to accompany his breakfast. He had already drunk two full cups this morning, having been unable to fall asleep again after Lia’s nightmare. He had wanted to stay alert in case Lia needed him again.
‘No changing the subject, Rio.’ Sebastien made himself comfortable at one of the high stools at the breakfast bar as he accepted the mug of coffee. ‘What’s so special about Lia Fairbanks?’ He kept his eyes on Gregorio as he took a swallow.
Everything.
The
