Stand-In Bride's Seduction

“He’s that proud?”

“He’s a del Castillo,” Rey replied, as if that should be sufficient explanation.

Rina laughed softly and made to pull her hand away from his thigh, but Rey settled his hand over hers and linked his fingers in her own. Effectively trapping her with his gentle hold. In her heart of hearts, she wished she had the right to be here like this, touching him. Sharing thoughts with one another as genuine couples did.

She’d seen the closeness between Loren and Alexander. Sure, they were still technically in the honeymoon stage of their marriage, but there was a sense of unity between them that she envied. The love they bore for one another had been evident in a myriad of unspoken moments where their gazes had intercepted or their hands had brushed. It was the kind of relationship Rina had always wished for but been too frightened to trust. With Jacob she’d felt secure. No massive highs, no massive lows. Just stability—pure and simple. Now she knew she wanted so much more than that—was ready to take that risk. Except that risk wasn’t hers to take. Not with Reynard anyway.

When they reached the cottage he moved swiftly around the vehicle and opened her door, ready to escort her to the front door. His old-fashioned courtesy was something she’d miss when she left Isla Sagrado. It had become all too easy to relinquish the hold she’d so tenaciously made on her life and how she lived it.

Rina pulled the key from her evening bag and Rey surprised her by taking it from her fingers to open the door for her. He ushered her over the threshold and she bent to remove her shoes, letting them drop just inside, before she moved forward to switch on one of the table lamps near the entryway. The golden glow of the bulb flung an orb of light around them, even as it appeared to cast the rest of the cottage into deeper shadow. A draft of air pulled through the house, and a noise rang out from the bedroom.

“Wait here,” Rey commanded and flew through the dimly lit sitting room toward where they’d heard the noise.

Rina waited by the door, wondering if she should start to dial the police. Her heart hammered in her chest. The cottage was isolated. If anyone had decided to break in and Rey hadn’t been here… She’d been burgled once at her townhouse in Christchurch. Discovering that her home had been violated—every personal effect touched and either broken or stolen—had left a very sour taste in her mouth and a sense of vulnerability that even now she fought to control.

She’d thought Isla Sagrado beyond that kind of thing, especially with the legend attached to the cottage. She’d noticed that few locals wanted to come out this far from the nearest town, especially not after dark. She’d felt safe here, secure. Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Another sudden thought occurred to her. What if it was Sara who’d made the noise? What if she’d come back earlier than anticipated? The fist around her heart tightened. How on earth would they explain it?

Relief flooded her as Rey swiftly came back across the room.

“You left a window open in the bedroom. Some creature must have come inside and knocked the bedside lamp off the stand. It’s gone now. It was probably just a cat from one of the farms. I closed the shutters and lit the candles on the dressing table for you. The lamp is probably beyond economical repair.”

“A cat? It gave me quite a fright. I’m so glad you were here. I’d have been a mess on my own.”

Even now, knowing everything was okay, small tremors rocked her body.

Rey pulled her into his arms. “You’re shaking. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a few minutes.”

“Perhaps you need a distraction, hmm?”

Before Rina could think, his lips were on hers, slowly, gently coaxing hers open. She felt him push the door closed behind her and fumble the key into the lock before turning it with a click but all she could concentrate on was his solid heat and strength, paired with the incredibly gentle touch of his mouth against hers, of his tongue as it stroked across her lips, dipping and tasting as if she were a morsel to be savored.

“There,” he said softly against her lips. “You’re quite safe now.”