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‘These rings have belonged to Cruz y Torres brides down through the generations. But if you don’t like any of these we can buy a new one.’
Leonora shook her head faintly. As much at the thought of the unnecessary expense as because one ring in particular had immediately caught her eye. It wasn’t as ornate as the others. It was much plainer. And yet it stood out.
It was an emerald cut diamond in a gold setting, with a detail of three smaller diamonds either side of the main stone. Classic and elegant.
Gabriel must have seen where her gaze was resting and he picked it out, holding it up. ‘This one?’
She looked at him and nodded reluctantly, feeling like a fraud.
He took her hand and said, ‘Let’s see if it fits.’
Leonora held her breath as he slid the ring onto her finger. It fitted perfectly. She felt a shiver go down her spine as it sparkled up at her benignly.
‘This ring belonged to my great-grandmother, actually. My father’s grandmother. Apparently her marriage to my great-grandfather was a rare love-match. She died at the age of eighty, and he died less than a week later of a broken heart. Or so they say.’
Leonora looked at Gabriel suspiciously but he didn’t look mischievous. He looked serious.
He said, ‘This isn’t a love-match, Leo—you do know that, don’t you? We have insane chemistry...but that’s just desire. I’m not denying that it’s a boon for our marriage, but that’s all it is. A boon. The important things are our compatibility and the fact that we come from the same world. We both want a different life for our children. But as for love... It’s not something I’ve ever really hoped for or believed in. Sweet stories about my great-grandparents are just...fairy-tales.’
She pulled her hand back, the rin
g feeling heavy on her finger now. ‘Why did you tell me about them?’
He looked at her far too assessingly. ‘Because I think you want more from this marriage. More than I’ll ever be prepared to give. And you need to know that now.’
Leonora’s insides clenched tight. Was she so transparent? She felt the weight of the ring, the cold of the precious metal against her skin. He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know, but her treacherous heart was shrinking in her chest at his words. In spite of everything, she had hoped for more.
She forced all emotion out of her voice. ‘I know what’s expected just as much as you do. I’ve never been under any illusions about what marriage means for me. Do I need to remind you that if the announcement of my engagement hadn’t been so rudely interrupted I would be engaged to Lazaro Sanchez right now?’
His expression darkened. He moved closer. ‘Do not mention that man’s name again.’
Leonora tipped up her chin. ‘I’ve known you intimately for less than a week—do you really think mere sex would turn my head so much that I’d forget a lifetime’s lessons and start believing in fairy-tales?’
Gabriel looked at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a plain button-down shirt. He could see a hint of the lace of her bra. She wore faded jeans. Not a scrap of make-up. Her hair was up in a messy knot. She could pass for a student, and yet she had the innately regal grace that belied her lineage.
She was also the most exquisitely beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And every moment he thought he could read her, or figure her out, she slipped through his fingers like quicksilver.
The ring sparkled on her finger in his peripheral vision and something about that was immensely satisfying. Even though he still felt the spike of irritation at hearing her mention Lazaro Sanchez’s name. Just the thought that she might possibly be with that man was enough to make Gabriel reach for her, tugging her into him so their bodies were flush.
‘It’s not mere sex—it happens to be amazing sex,’ he said in a low, rough voice, already feeling the inevitable rush of blood to his groin.
Colour tinged her cheeks. ‘We can’t—not here.’ She put her hands on his chest.
Gabriel clenched his jaw. She was right. As much as he’d love to turn her around, pull those provocative jeans down and bury himself inside her, he wasn’t about to be the first of his line to desecrate the family vault in such a carnal manner. The fact that this behaviour was also totally out of character was something he didn’t want to investigate.
‘My apartment is less than five minutes from here.’
Leonora desperately wanted to pull back and say something cool, nonchalant. She still stung inside from his warning not to fall for him. But the sting was melting under the rush of blood to every nerve-ending. And she realised that she’d never felt so alive. Fizzing.
She was not a spontaneous person, and she wouldn’t have figured Gabriel to be one either. But she was suddenly filled with an urge to unsettle him as he did her every time he looked at her. So she moved her hands down his chest to his waist and then cupped the growing bulge under his trousers.
Instantly his eyes flared with surprise and he sucked in a breath. ‘Witch...you’ll pay for this.’
Leonora smiled, even though she knew that every time she savoured a small victory like this she was fooling herself if she thought Gabriel’s warning would serve as a deterrent. Nothing could save her from herself.
* * *
The thing that struck Gabriel most on the morning of his wedding was the equanimity he felt. He’d always imagined that on his wedding day he’d be suffocating with claustrophobia and chafing at the demise of his freedom.
