He heard her breath catch as though he’d struck her.
“I will not ignore my actual blood. I want my daughter.”
She took a step back, but he caught her arm, keeping her close and tilting his head to peer through the shadows straight into her eyes.
“You will come to Spain. You will marry me and we will make this work.”
* * *
Poppy might have knocked his hand away if she hadn’t needed his touch to steady her; his words were that impactful.
“That’s a big leap,” she managed shakily. “I won’t keep you from knowing her, Rico. I see why Lily being yours has extra significance for you.” Her heart was aching under the weight of what he’d revealed and she had only just heard it. It had been festering in him for nearly two years. “But you and I barely know each other.”
“We know each other,” he scoffed gently. “I just told you something I haven’t told anyone.”
And she had shared her heartache over her parents’ neglect.
A similar thing had happened that day in the solarium. Their conversation had somehow become deeply personal. Her crush on him had been instant and she’d never meant it to become obvious to him, but for weeks she had longed to talk to him in a meaningful way. She had wanted to find out who he was beneath his shell of gorgeous looks, easy manners and unsmudged armor.
She recalled telling him about that liar of a backpacker who had stolen everything she had, then asked why he had agreed to an arranged marriage.
Why compete with a business rival if a marriage can turn them into a partner? Faustina’s very upstanding family would never connect themselves so intimately to any but the most exemplary politician, which polishes my father’s already stellar reputation in the upper house of Parliament. Faustina gains the social standing of marrying into a titled family. My mother gets the heiress and the wedding event she envisioned for my brother.
It had seemed so laughably factual. She had asked him what he stood to gain and he’d mentioned running a company he would control, allowing him to pursue ambitions away from working for his brother.
A rational part of her brain had warned her that she deserved someone better than a man bouncing off a broken engagement, but her pride had needed the focused attention of someone so much grander than she was. She had thought the camera thief had genuinely liked her, but he’d been flattering her to blind her. Rico hadn’t wanted anything from her except her. If he was rebounding after his own rejection, that was okay. It was one more detail that made them equals.
And when their kisses had escalated with passion, she hadn’t wanted to stop. His lovemaking had been exactly what she had needed in that moment. Much as she believed she would only marry for love, she had known a soul-mate connection was an elusive thing. Expecting the full package of love and pleasure and a lifelong commitment for her first time wasn’t realistic.
It had been enough to have infatuation and a man who ought to be firmly out of her reach, but who brought her entire body to life by simply watching the release of a button on her dress, then lifting his gaze to check in with her as his finger traced a caress against her skin.
She put a halt to recalling the rest or she’d succumb to him all over again without so much as a single protest.
“This is the second time we’ve spoken,” she pointed out, inwardly shaking at how profound their encounters had been. “We made love once.”
“With spectacular results.” His gloved hand took hold of her chin. “I’m not just talking about Lily.”
She was so glad he couldn’t see her blush, but her helplessness was on full display in her strained voice. “That was... You were relieved you weren’t marrying,” she accused. “Coming off a dry spell with the first woman you happened across.”
“I noticed you before that.”
They were close enough that the fog of their breath was mingling.
“I wouldn’t have kissed you if you hadn’t made a point of telling me you’d finished your last shift and were no longer an employee,” he reminded. “The attraction was mutual.”
“I didn’t make a point of it.” Maybe she had. He had asked if she wanted to leave and had moved aside, giving her plenty of space to walk past him to the change rooms where she’d been headed when she had bumped into him. She had stayed, eager to keep talking to him. Basking in the glory of being noticed by him.
“Do you ever think about that day?” he asked.
Constantly. She wouldn’t admit it, though.
“Hmm?” he prompted, lowering his head. He stopped before he kissed her.
She let her eyes flutter closed and parted her lips in invitation.
He only grazed his mouth against hers, provoking a buzzing sensation in her lips.
She put out a hand, but the knit of her mitten only found the smooth leather of his jacket, too slippery to hold on to.