The Spanish Aristocrat's Woman (8 page)

“What’s the matter,
mi dulce?
”

“Nothing,” she said, hoping for once that he’d just let her get away with the white lie. She closed her eyes, trying to let his deep voice wash away her nerves. It did help a little.

“Kara, I know you better than that.”

“Dang it. Can’t you let it go this time?”

“No, I can’t. Everything about you matters to me.”

She wanted to believe him but Gui was used to romancing women and…Why did she do that to herself? She knew she was important to Gui. He wouldn’t be planning to marry her if she didn’t matter on one level or another. And they wouldn’t be here in front of his sister-in-law and brother’s home otherwise.

“Talk to me,
bebe.
Where is the confident woman who seduced me in my dressing room?”

She flushed. “I didn’t seduce you. I was just sitting there.”

He leaned over, his fingers brushing over her face before his mouth found hers. “That’s all it takes to seduce me.”

She smiled, feeling the confidence that came from the sexy feelings Gui evoked in her.

He kissed her again and she didn’t want to stop. In his arms she forgot about meeting other people and what their opinions of her might be.

“What are you thinking about?” Gui asked, pulling back.

She shrugged. “Your family is filled with gorgeous people and they are used to socializing with other royals and I’m…”

“What are you?”

“Not what they are probably expecting from your fiancée.”

“Didn’t you spend the afternoon shopping with my sisters?”

“Yes.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes.”

He looked at her expectantly.

“That was different. Your sisters are very nice and they wanted to like me.”

“Kara.”

“Hmm?”

“What is going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he asked.

She smiled. She really couldn’t help it. Each time he complimented her about her looks and body, she was filled with a rush of joy that she knew was unrealistic. “I’m not beautiful, Gui. That’s the problem. I’m not going to fit in with this crowd.”

“Kara,
mi dulce,
I don’t want to hear anything else like that from your mouth. You are extremely good-looking and I will be the envy of every man in the room tonight.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to think of something to say to convince Gui of what she meant. But he leaned forward and kissed her before she could think. It wasn’t just a brush of the lips but was filled with passion.

She forgot everything. Her worries and fears, her doubts that she’d fit in at this function. Her fear that she wasn’t enough for Gui.

Instead she put her hands around his shoulders and held on to him. Let the passion he called easily from her body overwhelm her. And she didn’t have any doubts about where she belonged or how she looked when his arms were around her.

He pulled back. “Now you really do need to fix your lipstick.”

“Gui?”

“Si?”

“Are you sure about marrying me? It’s not too late to change your mind,” she said, because for a long time those words had been in the back of her mind. Actually, she worried that she’d wake from this dream and find that she’d imagined everything. That she wasn’t really in Madrid with Count Guillermo, and she wasn’t going to be his wife.

“Kara, look at me.”

She raised her eyes and met his gaze. The quiet confidence she saw in his gave her strength. It was moments like this that made her believe that she was going to find love and happiness with Gui.

“I’m not going to change my mind. We’ve made a commitment to each other and I intend to honor it.”

She swallowed and blinked so the tears that burned the back of her eyes wouldn’t fall. “Good. I intend to do the same.”

“Then we are agreed,” he said, then cursed under his breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“My father has come out of the house. He must have heard us pull up.”

“Oh, no. Do you think he saw us kissing?”

“Who cares?” Gui said.

“I do. Your father has published several articles on decorum, and public displays of affection are—”

“Perfectly acceptable between an engaged couple. My father would be surprised if we weren’t touching each other.”

“But still.”

“But nothing. Ready to get out and meet the family and all my friends?”

She shook her head, but then he gave her one of his hot, sexy looks from under his eyebrows and she realized she
was
ready. With Guillermo by her side, she could do anything.

Lonzo handed him a shot glass as the sun set. There was a peace and quietness between them. Unlike his friend Christos, who’d had a contentious relationship with his late older brother, Gui and Lonzo had always been two peas in a pod.

Before settling down to marriage, Lonzo had been just as wild as Gui was. Often they’d partied and run together. But all of that had changed when Lonzo married at twenty-five.

“I like your fiancée, Gui. How on earth did you find her?”

“I’m not incapable of finding a smart, beautiful woman, Lonzo.”

“I’m aware of that, but normally you are incapable of keeping her for very long.”

“You’re just jealous because you’ve been an old married man for all of your life.”

“Niños.”
They both stood at the sound of their father’s voice.

“Papa.”

“Thank you for coming early,” he said and took a deep breath.

Gui put his drink down as did Lonzo. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” he said, but there was something in his voice.

“Papa, what is it?” Gui asked, going over to his father.

“Don’t worry,
mi hijo.
Your mama is having some health problems.”

“What kind?” Lonzo asked.

“We’re not sure. She’s going in to see Dr. Gonzales in the morning for some tests and we’ll know more.”

“What are her symptoms?”

“She has had blinding headaches for the last three days and has been dizzy and tired, and that’s not your mama.”

“No it isn’t. What time will you be done at the doctor?”

“By the afternoon.”

“I’m going out of town tomorrow morning, Papa,” Lonzo said. “Flying to Paris with Bella for a function. Should I cancel and stay here?”

“No. It’s just a doctor appointment.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“That’s not necessary, Gui.”

“It is to me,” Gui said, glancing at Lonzo. His brother nodded. In this they were like one. They’d always take care of their family first. It was what they did. What their papa had done, and how they had been raised.

“Your mama insists this night be about you and your lovely Kara. So I haven’t said anything to your sisters.”

“Of course. We’ll have a toast and make this night a special one so Mama doesn’t worry,” Lonzo said. “But Bella will know something is wrong.”

Gui smiled to himself. Lonzo and Bella had one of those rare marriages where they truly were each other’s best friend. Gui wondered if that was why he’d never married—he’d never found a woman who suited him the way that Bella suited Lonzo.

In the back of his mind was a thought about Kara, but he brushed it aside. He didn’t want to think about her beyond sex and marriage.

There was a rap on the door and he glanced up to see Vincent standing there.

“
Si,
Vincent?”

“Anika has asked to see you for a moment when you are finished here. She said it’s about Miss Kara.”

“Thank you, Vincent. Where is she waiting?”

“In the hallway.”

Gui knew Kara was uncomfortable in large groups, but he’d left her in the capable hands of his sisters, sister-in-law and mother. No one else should have arrived yet.

“Excuse me, Papa, Lonzo.”

His father chuckled. “The throes of new love are very exciting.”

“Indeed, Papa.”

They set a time to check in on the results of his mother’s tests, and then Gui walked away from his brother and father, thinking how lucky he was to have them. His family had always been solid, filled with a kind of love that was unexplainable to outsiders.

Being with Kara brought him something close to the serenity he’d found in his family. Which concerned him. Despite his comments to Lonzo, he knew there was a reason he’d always moved on. And he wondered sometimes how he’d been lucky enough to make Kara his fiancée. Because at the end of the day, she really was too good for him.

Elvira probably didn’t realize she spoke Spanish fluently. Or maybe the other woman simply didn’t care that she’d insulted Kara to her face.

Arcelia had defended Kara, telling Elvira to back off or she’d be asked to leave. But Kara hadn’t stayed. She’d had enough of Elvira.

The other woman was truly one of the most gorgeous women that Kara had ever seen, but that beauty was only skin-deep. Before Elvira had approached Kara, she’d heard the countess make snide remarks around others in the room. Then, when Gui’s mother had entered the room, Elvira had suddenly turned all cooing and nice. She’d even stopped speaking Spanish and had addressed Kara in English.

But by that point Kara had decided it was time to get some fresh air. So here she was in the lush garden courtyard, accompanied by only a fountain and the scent of the blooms in the air.

Her dress, which had seemed so perfect tonight, no longer had the power to make her feel pretty. Instead she felt as she always did, too big and too awkward to really be a princess. To really be a part of the social set that she’d been born into.

She should go back to the party before anyone realized she left. Instead, she followed the cobblestone path around to the fountain and a padded bench nestled under a large fruit tree.

She brushed the seat off before sitting down. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she held herself and closed her eyes.

She needed to find her confidence. She pictured Rina and tried to infuse herself with the attitude her sister always carried around. She heard Rina’s voice in her mind, telling her that she was a deMontaine and that when people made ignorant remarks about her looks or size, it was due to jealousy.

But that didn’t help right now. Because Elvira’s comments hadn’t just been about her looks, but about her own secret fears where Gui was concerned. Maybe she really wasn’t good enough for him.

Maybe…

“
Bebe,
why are you out here alone?”

She opened her eyes. “I needed some fresh air. How did you find me? I thought you were meeting with your father and brother.”

“I was. We were finished and Anika came to find me.”

She flushed a little. She’d truly hoped that it had just been Arcelia who’d heard Elvira’s comments. “Why?”

“She was concerned about you.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

“But you aren’t.”

“Gui, I need you to let this lie. I’m finding my center and I’m going to be able to go back in there and function. But if you make me talk about this, I’m going to cry—”

He cut her words off with a kiss. It wasn’t about passion—she felt something different. She felt, as silly as it sounded even to her, that he was wrapping her in the affection he held for her. He made her feel beautiful and confident. He pulled back a second later and she forced a smile to her lips.

“That was very nice. Let’s go back to the party now.”

“Not yet,
mi dulce.
”

“Gui…”

He lifted her off the bench and sat down, settling her on his lap. He gently pushed her head down on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her.

“Until you believe in yourself, people like Elvira are always going to have power over you.”

“I do believe in myself,” she said.

“Yes, you do, until you meet someone you perceive as being physically better-looking than you are.”

She shrugged. She couldn’t deny it. Her weight and size were always in the back of her mind, making her feel awkward. They always had.

“I can’t change that.”

He tipped her chin up so that he was looking down into her face and she caught her breath, not even hearing the words he said. He was so handsome and sexy, and she realized why Elvira’s comments bothered her so much.

Gui deserved a woman who was truly his equal. Truly the other half of him. A woman whom everyone would glance at and know was his wife or fiancée.

“Did you hear what I said?”

She shook her head. “You are so handsome.”

He laughed. “That’s neither here nor there. You are the one whose beauty has captivated me. I need you to believe that, Kara.”

“When you hold me, I do.”

“Then know that I’m always holding you,” he said.

She smiled and tried to make it real. Tried to make it come from deep inside, but that was difficult. Because deep in her soul she knew that, no matter what Gui said to the rest of the world, they’d always be an odd couple. Gorgeous Gui and his fat fiancée.

Tears burned her eyes and she blinked rapidly, but he’d already seen them.

He cursed under his breath and then leaned down to kiss her. Really kiss her this time. His tongue thrust deep in her mouth and his hands tightened on her body until she was a mass of need and desire for him.

She felt his body stir under her hip.

“You need to start believing me when I tell you that you are the only woman who arouses me so quickly.”

She shifted in his arms, wrapping her own around his shoulders, and realized how ridiculous she’d been to let Elvira’s comments ruin her evening. This night was about her and Gui, and for once she needed to let go of everything else and just focus on that.