deeply regretted her past lies and the part she’d played in increasing his suspicion of women, and surely the only way she could make amends was to demonstrate her support for him in a quiet and caring way.
So she was determinedly upbeat on the way to the airfield to Alej’s jet, and grateful for the large bedroom on board, which meant she was able to sleep for most of the night flight to Buenos Aires in the vast king-size bed. But Alej didn’t join her and every time her eyelids fluttered open it was to find her husband sitting working on his laptop, seemingly oblivious to the hours which were creeping away. As morning broke in a firework explosion of coral and golden sunrise, she saw that he’d fallen asleep in the chair.
Sliding out of bed, she padded over to kiss his forehead and he awoke with a start, his gaze briefly disorientated before he seemed to gather his wits about himself. And not just his wits. He was hard for her and seemingly ready and so was she and she gave silent thanks that the plane’s crew had their own private quarters at the other end of the giant aircraft as he ripped off her little satin teddy. Pausing only to unzip himself and push his trousers down far enough to free himself, he impaled her completely before kissing away her startled gasp of pleasure as he bounced her up and down on his lap. Was this all she meant to him? she wondered, just before she succumbed to the pulsing tide of pleasure which beckoned.
She was showered and dressed by the time their plane touched down—the faint flush of her cheeks and bright eyes the only outward sign of their lovemaking, though inside, her heart was pounding like mad. A chauffeur-driven car was waiting to take them to Alej’s estancia and Emily drank in the sight of the Argentinian countryside. Last time she had been here, it had been for a brief and flying visit—jolted by running into Alej again and marred by Joya’s ill health. This time it was different. Her head might be all over the place but in many ways she had found a curious kind of contentment, because didn’t she actually enjoy her husband’s company, as well as being completely bamboozled by the things he did to her in bed?
She was lost in her own thoughts when Alej pointed out the soaring shape of a distinctive mountain.
‘They say it resembles the shape of a reclining woman. There’s the curve of her breast and the—’
‘I don’t need a lesson in anatomy,’ she cut in quickly.
‘Well, any time you change your mind about that, I’m prepared to help you, Emily,’ he taunted softly.
Blushing, she cleared her throat, aware of the chauffeur’s dark gaze in the driving mirror and wondering if he spoke any English. ‘So what made you buy a place out here?’ she said, with a deliberate change of subject, as the luxury four-wheel drive began to descend into a green valley.
There was a pause before he spoke. ‘If you look down there you can see exactly why.’
Emily blinked and then her eyes widened. She could. Nestled in a glorious dip and surrounded by beautiful mountains, she watched horses grazing happily in the lush emerald pastures, and the silver ribbon of a winding river as it meandered along. As the car bumped its way up the track towards the simply built wood-and-stone building, Emily felt her heart wrench with a powerful kind of longing. Because before her she could see something which she’d never really had. Something which felt like home.
The breath caught in her throat. ‘Oh, Alej,’ she said. ‘It’s beautiful.’
It was even more beautiful inside. Not eye-wateringly sumptuous like the apartment in Paris, but it had an air of quiet comfort, which was equally luxurious. The solid-looking furniture was designed to be used, not looked at, and the views from the giant windows were to die for. There were big skies with gusting clouds and rich, fertile soil with bags of space to run around in. Stupidly, she suddenly imagined children here, making joyful shouts as they played or rode their little ponies...
‘The staff live in a house a little way down the track,’ he explained, his deep voice butting into her suddenly painful thoughts. ‘They leave me everything I need and only come if I call them, which isn’t often, because this is a place for solitude—not people.’ He nodded towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll make some coffee. You might want to take a trip upstairs. I’ve left a wedding present for you in the bedroom.’
She stared at him in surprise before a mild stab of panic hit her. ‘I haven’t bought you anything.’
But he had already turned away. ‘It doesn’t matter. Go and see if you like it.’
Emily’s heart was pounding as she ran upstairs and quickly found the master bedroom, which commanded the best views of all. And lying on the bed were a number of garments, which made her stop in her tracks. An exquisite pair of jodhpurs, a cream shirt of finest silk and a pair of brown riding boots in leather as soft as melted butter. And all in exactly her size. She didn’t see the note at first, written in Alej’s distinctive writing, and as she did she felt her heart clench with something like hope.
Put these on.
Her fingers were trembling as she did just that, not daring to dream that his gesture might mean what she wanted it to mean. Because the other night in bed—in those quiet and intimate moments after the heady hunger of sex had been satisfied—hadn’t she told him that, yes, she missed riding, but that living and working in London made the pastime difficult. Just as she’d told him how much she missed the sweeping majesty of his homeland—and how it had been there, for the first time in her life, that she’d felt truly free. Had her words reminded him of the connection they’d once shared? Despite his immense power and wealth, was it possible that he yearned to recapture some of that connection—or at least discover if such a thing were feasible?
She pulled on the soft leather boots and ran back downstairs to where the pungent aroma of strong coffee was wafting from the kitchen. Alej turned to watch her final descent, his eyes narrowing with a look she’d never seen there before, and didn’t some imperceptible flicker in their verdant depths send a brief shiver tracking down her spine? She sucked in a deep breath, desperate to know what had prompted such a thoughtful gesture but terrified of saying the wrong thing.
‘Thank you,’ she said simply, because she couldn’t really go wrong with that, could she?
He nodded as his gaze skated over her. ‘You look...amazing.’ He nodded towards the steaming pot, his words uneven. ‘Help yourself to some coffee while I go and change. I thought we could ride out together. I have two horses saddled up and ready in the stables. That’s if you’re not too tired after the trip?’
Emily shook her head, unable to stem her rising feeling of anticipation. ‘Not tired at all,’ she said eagerly. ‘I’m tired of being cooped up inside and it’s a long time since I was in the saddle.’
She drank her coffee and waited for Alej. He reappeared soon enough in jodhpurs which clung to his narrow hips and a shirt as fine as hers, which outlined the shadowy musculature of his torso, and Emily had to fight the urge to touch him. He led her out to the stables, where she saw a gleaming black stallion and beautiful golden mare, all saddled up and waiting to go, and her heart leapt with excitement at the thought of riding again after so many years. And then the groom appeared from within the gloom of the stable and his face was one she seemed to recognise. It was like a flashback, she thought—as past and present became confusingly combined, because he reminded her of her stepfather’s elderly groom, Tomas.
‘It’s Tomas’s son, Gaspar,’ explained Alej, as if he had read her mind. ‘He and his wife work for me now.’
Gaspar smiled and greeted her in Spanish before going back into the stable and when he returned, he was leading an old bay horse who began to whinny with pleasure as it came trotting across the yard towards her. Emily felt the prick of tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around his dear, familiar neck.
‘Joya!’ she said, burying her face in his well-groomed mane, and for a moment she thought she might cry. ‘Oh, Joya. You look so...so well.’ She lifted her face to meet Alej’s hard green gaze, her voice shaky with gratitude. ‘How can I ever thank you, Alej?’
His smile was brief as he shook his head, the firming of his mouth non-committal. ‘No thanks are needed. I take pleasure myself in witnessing Joya’s recovery, although, as he is too old for you to ride, you must be content with this palomino. Now let me see if you can remember what to do before I join you,’ he said as he helped her up onto the saddle.
At first, Emily felt nervous and then exhilarated as she mounted the beautiful golden horse, but the main feeling which dominated was one of safety. Safe beneath Alej’s watchful gaze, with his hand firmly on the rein as she trotted around the paddock. And wasn’t it amazing how quickly it all came back—with confidence flowing through her by the second as she went through her paces? It wasn’t long before Alej jumped on his own horse and Emily felt momentarily winded as she watched him ride. Because here was poetry in motion, she thought hungrily. Here was his skill and his gift perfectly demonstrated in a masterclass of strength and symmetry, as he put the stallion through his paces.
They rode for an hour and Emily would have gone further, but Alej shook his head.