Stand-In Bride's Seduction

If Sara returned tomorrow it wouldn’t be a day too soon.

Ten

Rey drove Sarina home in absolute silence. His body still clamored for her, the taste of her skin remained on his tongue. He’d wanted to see how far he could push her and he’d found out—found out he was just as susceptible to her wiles as she was to his. The knowledge was galling, and yet intoxicatingly exhilarating at the same time. He was man enough to know that, with only an ounce more persuasion, she would have capitulated to him—yet gentleman enough not to force her. The power lay firmly in his hands.

The fact that it had left his body raging with fire and need was a discomfort he would learn to either live with or overcome completely.

He had no doubt she’d been as enraptured as he. What was it, he wondered, that had broken through the veil of sensual pleasure and brought her back to damning reality? He’d wanted to take her all the way—to ensnare her, for want of a better phrase. Beneath the exterior that was identical to her twin’s lay a rich and sensuous nature. If he could tap into that, he would ensure she fell completely under his spell.

Keeping her in his life, in his bed, would make things safer for everyone—and, no doubt, prove intensely pleasurable along the way.

Rey snuck a glance at Sarina, sitting next to him in the close confines of the car. Her face was pensive, a tension around her eyes that hadn’t been there earlier this evening. Her hands lay clasped together in her lap and even in the dark interior, he could tell they were tightly clenched. Her posture, also, was taut—as if every muscle in her body was poised and ready for flight—and suggested that she hovered on the surface of her car seat rather than sank within it. Would she run from him? he wondered. Would she decide to cease this pretense and cut her losses? While he wouldn’t deny that it would be a relief to have this stupid blackmail business no longer hanging over his head, he perversely still wanted to see just how far Sarina was prepared to take this.

He knew she was shaken by the strength of her reaction to him. Truth be told, he was equally shaken. Overriding that, however, was a frustration that went beyond the physical. He couldn’t afford for her to run away. Not now, not when Abuelo was growing stronger again and would be permitted to return home soon—and especially not while Benedict was still in hospital, his accident all the while feeding Abuelo’s obsession with the curse.

It occurred to him that he should never have organized a vehicle for her. It would allow her all too much freedom when he needed to know where she was at any given time. Perhaps, with gentle persuasion, he could convince her to stay with him at his apartment. In her own room, if she continued to insist on such. Yes, she required careful handling, that much was clear. Keeping up the travesty of an engagement was surely taking its toll on her—even this evening, she’d almost slipped and exposed her true occupation.

It would be interesting to work with her, he realized. To watch how she would reveal herself and her experience when exposed to the del Castillo publicity machine. The concept of a new challenge with Sarina sent a thrill of anticipation through his veins. He would keep her close at hand, set her up in his office, in the room where she’d almost capitulated under his touch.

The constant reminder would hopefully be a sensual burr in her side—the images of the two of them in the glass a tangible, visceral thing every time she glanced out the windows. An inner satisfaction spread throughout him. Yes, he still held the ultimate control over this situation, and would continue to do so for as long as she and her reprehensible sister believed they had him hoodwinked.

He reached out and laid a hand on her fisted knot of fingers. She jumped beneath his touch, and despite the faint clawing edge of frustration that still clung deep inside, a small burst of humor settled upon him that she could react so.

“I won’t bite, you know,” he said softly, injecting as much comfort into his words as he was able. “What happened tonight was my fault. All of it. I overstepped the parameters we set when we agreed to get engaged so early in our relationship. It would be unfair of me to expect more from you than you can give right now.”