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He pulled her out, laughing and spluttering, and then she saw the intensity on his face, the way his eyes burned. She reached for him, seeking and finding his hot mouth, revelling in his whipcord body as he lifted her against him, wrapping her legs around him.
The waves crashed around them unnoticed as Gabriel pulled her swimsuit below her breasts, feasting on her wet flesh. The stark contrast of his hot mouth against her sea-cold skin made her head fall back...she was in paradise with the most exciting man she’d ever met and she never wanted it to end...
The knowledge that she’d never felt happier than in that moment was bittersweet. Because she knew it wasn’t the same for Gabriel. What he was feeling was purely physical, evidenced by the way he couldn’t take his hands off her, or she off him. But, weakly, she avoided thinking about that and gave herself up to the moment, like a miser with her gold.
* * *
A couple of hours later, after they’d made love under the shade of the trees on the edge of the beach, Leonora sat with her knees tucked up under her chin, her arms around them. She wore her caftan over her naked body while her swimsuit dried on a nearby rock, with Gabriel’s shorts beside it. He wore a towel, tied precariously around his narrow waist.
The detritus of a delicious picnic lay around them. Fruit, bread, cheese, cold meats. Ice-cold water and sparkling wine. Of which Leonora had had a little.
The feeling of happiness lingered in her chest. It was unsettling, because she realised now how little she’d ever felt truly happy in her life. She’d always been so worried about her parents and Matías. And before they’d lost everything she’d always been far too reticent to let her emotions free rein.
‘What are you thinking about?’
She glanced at Gabriel, who was sitting back, leaning on one elbow, watching her. He popped a piece of pineapple into his mouth. The thought of blurting out exactly what was on her mind made her break out in a sweat.
She shrugged lightly. ‘Just about life...’
‘Oh, just about life? Nothing much, then?’ Gabriel mocked her easily.
Leonora smiled. ‘I was thinking about how I used the castillo to hide away for a long time. I was so shy... I never felt as if I truly belonged in our world. Everyone else seemed so much more confident than I felt.’ She looked at him almost accusingly. ‘You even noticed it.’
He sat up too. ‘Our perception of other people is usually wrong, you know. Some people just manage to put on a more convincing act. I don’t think you’re that shy, really. You didn’t like being the centre of attention that evening in the hotel, but you did it because you felt you had to. For your family.’
Leonora absorbed that. She hadn’t thought about it like that before. He was right—she hadn’t liked it, but she hadn’t been crippled by it. Maybe her shyness had dissipated over the years and she hadn’t even noticed. And he was also right that when it came to doing something for her family she didn’t hesitate.
Maybe it would be different if she felt she had a role. A reason to get up in front of people.
She looked at Gabriel and said grudgingly, ‘You’re very observant.’
He arched a brow. ‘I’m observant because I have to be. If I can’t read people and I don’t see what’s going on around me I lose my edge. And if I lose my edge I risk losing everything. My father lost his edge and I had to take over. Too many people depend on me. My family legacy depends on me.’
Leonora touched her belly under the caftan. ‘And me too.’
He turned to her and she saw the seriousness of his expression. It cleared, and he smiled, but it was wicked.
‘Yes. And you too, Señora Torres.’
He lay down again and pulled her with him, so she was sprawled across his chest. Her breasts were flattened against him and he funnelled his hands through her hair, pulling her head down to his.
‘About that legacy... I think it still needs work...’
When his hands reached for her caftan, pulling it up and off her body, she helped, throwing it aside. He removed the barrier of the towel between them and she sat astride him and took him deep inside her on a gasp.
Afterwards, when the sun was setting and it was warm on her naked back, where she lay sprawled across Gabriel’s bare chest, she knew she was in deep trouble. All the warnings in the world couldn’t stop her falling for this man, because she was already deeply and irrevocably in love with him.
* * *
A couple of far too short days later they took off from San José airport. Leonora felt nervous at the thought of leaving behind the idyllic bubble they’d inhabited these past few days. Nervous at the thought of going back into the real world with a man who was still an enigma to her in so many ways—in spite of their physical intimacy, and in spite of her getting to know him in a little better.
They’d discovered similar interests in everything from art to books, movies and politics. But she couldn’t afford to forget that the very urbane and seductive man she’d come to know hid a ruthless streak. How could he not be ruthless when he’d shouldered such responsibility for so long and when he was so successful? When he had a legacy to continue?
Physically, their obsession with each other didn’t seem to be waning. Far from it. They’d been ready to leave for the airport, dressed and packed, and all it had taken was one burning look from Gabriel and they’d been back in the bedroom, on the bed, clothes ripped off in minutes.
Maybe Gabriel was right, Leonora told herself now. Maybe all they needed was this insane chemistry and mutual respect. And a willingness to commit to bringing up their children differently than they had been brought up in order to have a happy life?
But she couldn’t shake the hollow feeling inside her that it wouldn’t be enough.
