AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘So, why are you staring at my brother?’ Marissa demanded as the band started up again.
‘I’m not staring.’ She was evaluating, Sadie reasoned, watching as Alejandro chatted to the people around him. He was such a different man in the mountains, approachable and affable. By contrast, in Madrid he seemed restless and remote. Always another deal to close, she supposed.
‘Concentrate,’ Marissa scolded.
Her friend was trying hard to hide a grin, Sadie noticed. ‘There’s nothing between me and your brother.’
‘So, it should be easy to forget he’s watching you.’
‘He’s watching me?’ Sadie sounded alarmed, which made Marissa laugh.
‘You have to forget everything except the dance,’ she said. ‘Even my brother.’
Which was easier said than done when Sadie’s frowning gaze landed on Alejandro’s swarthy face.
‘Dance,’ Marissa commanded.
Breaking eye contact with Alejandro with relief, Sadie threw all her pent-up feelings into the dance.
‘Olé!’
The deep, cynical voice that sounded behind her could only belong to one man. ‘Olé, yourself,’ she said, turning to face him. ‘Are you determined to throw me off balance?’
‘I’m determined to dance with you,’ he said, and, swinging her into his arms, he did just that.
‘It’s polite to ask first,’ she informed him, fighting off the sense that her body was most definitely winning this clash, and that her sensible mind wasn’t required on the battlefield.
‘Polite?’ Alejandro queried in amusement. Locking his arm around her waist, he brought her so close they shared the same breath, the same air.
‘If this is your idea of teasing me again...’ Sadie protested.
‘Would you like me to tease you again?’ he suggested.
Firming her jaw, she refused to answer, and turned her face away to avoid the heat in his eyes. She’d seen enough of that firm, smiling, ridiculously sexy mouth, and if dance was a prelude to sex, she’d have none of it.
Oh, for goodness’ sake! her inner voice protested. Do you feel safe and protected?
Yes.
Will you miss Alejandro when you both return to Madrid and normal life is resumed?
Yes again.
So, why not enjoy the moment? If you play it safe all your life you’ll never have any memories to enjoy.
‘You’re a good dancer as well as a good rider and swimmer,’ he commented. ‘Do you have any other skills I should know about?’
‘I can cook.’
He laughed. ‘You certainly can, but you also have a great sense of rhythm.’
‘It must be kneading all that dough,’ she snapped.
Hearing how angry she sounded, she laughed at the absurdity of being at daggers drawn with Alejandro because he’d kissed her and she’d enjoyed it.
He laughed too, which was the signal for them both to relax. How could she not enjoy this, when she was dancing with the most incredible man, who, with his strong, proud face and incredible body—a body that she might have taken a small peek at on the riverbank, ‘small peek’ being the only small thing about that encounter, cold water having absolutely no effect on him—would have Michelangelo lunging for his chisel? After all, they were only dancing.
Only dancing?
Yes. Where was the harm in that?
Dancing so close that her body was already pulsing with pleasure was dangerous, but when one tune segued seamlessly into the next and she didn’t make the smallest attempt to pull away, the music cast its spell, urging her to forget caution and consider the possibility of one night in Alejandro’s arms. It could do no harm and might even help to get rid of her insecurities. During their many conversations, Marissa had told her that Alejandro’s parents had instilled in him a deep respect for women, so she’d be safe, and what better teacher could she have?
Would she be safe? It wasn’t Alejandro she had to worry about, but her all too vulnerable heart.
‘Spend the night with me.’
She glanced up, wondering if she’d misheard him.
‘Spend the night with me,’ he repeated.
The musicians had started to play a slow, wistful tune that suggested absence and longing, and a sudden rush of emotion made all the things she knew she should say stall on her lips.
Taking her silence as agreement, Alejandro led the way off the stage, and they walked across the camp together, but not towards Marissa’s caravan. He stopped outside another heavily decorated dwelling, which was hidden deep in a leafy glade.
‘Welcome to my mountain retreat,’ he said, and, reaching past her, he opened the door on the shadowy interior. ‘This is the place I consider to be my true mountain home,’ he explained as she walked up the steps.
‘This is where you were born,’ she guessed, and where he returned to reboot and to recover from the pressure of the city, Sadie suspected as Alejandro shut the door behind them, enclosing them in the comforting warmth.
Lit only by moonlight, it was a deeply romantic space. Comfortably furnished, the traditional caravan was heavily shaded, with a comfortable settle and a large double bed. It was a magical hideaway in the forest, Sadie thought as her heart started racing at the sight of Alejandro leaning back against the door. How could he look so sexy? Even the shadows loved him, throwing his cheekbones into sharp relief and making his eyes gleam in the darkness.
Sexual tension soared between them, until, as if all the barriers had suddenly come tumbling down, he reached out and she sprang into his arms.
CHAPTER TEN
THERE WAS NO caution and no acknowledgement from Sadie that she was a virgin with no experience of men. She only knew what she wanted and needed, and that was Alejandro. Like two tigers mating they ripped at each other’s clothes. Two equals meeting, and demanding everything from each other, meant skin scorched against skin, as if a tornado had torn through the confined space. Cushions and throws hit the floor. Personal belongings went flying, until, finally, breathlessly, she was naked and so was he.
When Alejandro brought her into his arms this time, she responded by reaching up to weave her fingers through his thick, wavy hair to keep him close. There was no blushing, no shame, no surprise at feeling his very masculine contours thrusting against her softer, yielding body. There was only eagerness to c
laim her mate, and to be claimed. No thought of consequences crossed her mind.
Alejandro’s kisses were seductive and addictive, and as he pressed her down on the bed the helpful night threw a thick black blanket of privacy around them, making it seem to Sadie that they were the only two people in the world. Her senses were heightened to an incredible degree, so that each touch and kiss threatened to tip her over the edge into a pleasure she couldn’t even imagine. Their breathing, her heartbeat and his, and the fact that Alejandro’s brutally masculine body was poised above hers with such restraint, only made her want him more. He smelled so good, so warm and masculine, musky and clean, and he tasted minty and fresh. But it was his cherishing touch that moved her almost to tears. There was something different about him that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Then she realised it was tenderness, which was the last thing she had expected from him, and it made emotion surge inside her.
‘You’re a virgin.’
His words shocked her. They hung in the air between them like an accusation, shattering the spell and bringing harsh reality into the world of passion. ‘How can you tell?’ she asked defensively. ‘Did I do something wrong?’
‘You should have told me,’ he said, drawing back.
‘So, now you know.’
‘I suspected,’ he said, ‘but now I’m certain.’
‘And...?’
‘And now you have to be doubly sure that this is what you want,’ he said.
‘I am sure. I’ve never wanted anything more,’ Sadie admitted. ‘But if you don’t want—’
Alejandro answered this, as well as her self-doubt, with a kiss so lingering and gentle he moved her to tears. She had never felt a touch like his, or received such devoted attention before. She’d never believed in fate bringing people together. Sheer hard work, and the ability to be flexible, had seen her through. There had never been any room in her life for romance, but it seemed that tonight fate had the last laugh.
