raw nerve? What would he say when she told him all she’d discovered? And more to the point, how did she tell him?
‘But he had not used his surname.’
‘So, he has shunned the Valdez name.’ Raul’s voice sounded firm and full of irritation. ‘When exactly was my baby brother born?’
‘He isn’t your baby brother, Raul.’ All the sympathy she’d felt for him as she’d read the contents of the envelope rushed back at her and she looked into his handsome face, watching the colour drain away beneath the olive tones of his skin.
Raul merely looked at her, the shock on his face clear.
‘He is older than you, Raul.’ She could still feel the pain his mother must have felt, the hard underlining in black pen of Max’s birth date giving away so much. ‘That is probably why your father set this whole thing up. To ensure you find his heir.’
‘How much older?’ Shock echoed in Raul’s voice.
‘Four months.’
She had been so stunned by it all, by the revelations that Raul maybe wasn’t the heir to his father’s fortune, she hadn’t been able to tell him. She’d spent the last few days checking it all out and now she knew for sure that footballer legend turned entrepreneur after a bad car accident, Maximiliano Martinez, was his brother. Two powerful and wealthy men. It was going to be some showdown when they met.
Raul pulled her closer and she gasped, the sudden movement in complete contrast to the anger shining brightly in his eyes, but she moulded herself against him, the attraction she felt too strong to ignore, as was the need to salve his obvious pain.
‘What are you doing?’ The words flew spontaneously from her when his hand pressed against her lower back, forcing her so close it was almost intimate—too intimate.
‘Dancing with you.’
She wanted that more than anything else right now, but deep down she didn’t trust herself. The intimate way he held her, the deep, desire-filled look in his eyes lured her and she couldn’t allow it to happen even though she wanted it—wanted him.
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. ‘Carlos is watching us closely. I want him to see desire, show them that the deal our fathers struck has not defeated me—or you.’
She looked up at him as her heart thudded. ‘Desire?’ The word was barely audible as his face came so close to hers that it would be easy to tilt her chin up and kiss him. Just as she had done once before.
‘Yes, Lydia, desire. Can you do that? Then we can leave, get away from all this deceit.’
‘What about your plans to show we are happily engaged?’ Her words were a husky whisper and, despite all her reservations, she knew the same desire that had taken over that night in the rain was pushing her on now, turning her into a different woman.
‘Right now I want them to think we are so consumed by one another that we have to leave.’
Her heart went out to him. He needed to leave in order to deal with all she’d just told him. How did it feel to discover you were not your father’s firstborn as you’d always believed? No wonder his father had attached such a bizarre condition to the will. He wanted his firstborn to inherit equally and had done everything in his power to ensure it happened.
Consumed by desire and sympathy, she reached up, placed her palm against his face, feeling the new growth of stubble. Her gaze became riveted to his, seeing the passion building with them. Compassion fused with passion and her attention moved to his lips, remembering the electric kiss in the rain. Had it been the sudden downpour that had made that kiss so intense, so memorable? Or the man himself?
As the questions raced through her mind and the desire to lean closer grew ever stronger, she tried to fight it. Raul didn’t. With a fierce intensity his lips claimed hers, sending her mind reeling and her heart thumping and the power of that contact shot through her entire body, unlocking an unbearable need deep within her.
Silently she gave thanks that they were in the middle of a dance floor, that all around them people could surely see the fire that had sparked to life. But she wanted more and to her horror she wished they weren’t at the party, wished that they were alone and able to follow the heady trail of passion to its ultimate conclusion.
Raul pulled back from her, his eyes darker than she’d ever seen them. ‘I’m taking you home. Right now—and then I’m going to make love to you.’
No. That was the word she wanted to say, the word she should say, but for a moment it wouldn’t come and when it did it was a breathy whisper. ‘No, we can’t. That’s not part of the deal.’
‘To hell with the deal.’
‘Raul,’ she pleaded even though inside her body clamoured with excitement and need for this man.
He brushed his lips so lightly over hers she almost sighed with pleasure. ‘Tonight you will be mine, Lydia.’
She had to remember what this was all about, but did the deal really matter any more? Hadn’t she done her part? She’d found his brother, her dues were paid, her father’s debt now clear. So where did that leave her now?
Could she walk away from this moment, this man? He’d got to her, entered her mind, her thoughts, her very soul and, even though she knew she shouldn’t, she wanted him, wanted to be his, to feel the passion and desire so completely.
Her heart was leading her head, her desire for him all-consuming. ‘Take me home, Raul.’
LYDIA’S HEART THUMPED and her body hummed with anticipation as Raul’s car stopped outside his apartment. There was no mistaking the intent in Raul’s eyes, just as she couldn’t deny the need within her. A need that had boiled up rapidly, blending together with the shock that she’d been so bold, creating an intoxicating cocktail that couldn’t be denied—by either of them. It was strong and powerful. The kind of attraction that, if she was honest, had sealed her fate the day they had first met.
His eyes said all that needed to be said as he got out of the car, took her hand and she stepped out into the crisp evening air. In one hungry sweep his gaze devoured her, ratcheting up the tension, the anticipation, smothering the nerves and apprehension over what she was about to do, making her want him, want this night more than ever.
He still held her hand, the heat of his touch scorching her, and without a word he led her into the building, calling the elevator. Was he still angry at what she’d told him about Max? Or was it her use of Spanish? Had he put everything but what they were about to do from his mind? Was he so focused on desire that he thought of nothing else? Could she really affect him like that?
‘Raul?’ His name slipped out as a question, her eyes searching his firmly set profile as the elevator took them up to his apartment. The tension in the confines of the mirrored walls all but exploded as his gaze met hers, the unconcealed desire in his eyes echoing around her from the reflective surfaces.
Hungry need met innocent desire, becoming something else, something she couldn’t deny even if she wanted to. There would be no turning back now. This strong, powerful man was
