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The man’s smoothly cultured voice floated over Trinity’s shoulder.
‘The pleasure was all mine, De Carrillo. Trinity is a charming, beautiful woman. A breath of fresh air.’
Trinity watched, fascinated, as Cruz’s face darkened and a muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘Then I’m sorry that I must deprive you of her presence. I believe the dancing has started.’
She barely had time to get a word out to say goodbye to the other man before Cruz was all but hauling her out of her chair and onto the dance floor, where a band was playing slow, sexy jazz songs. His arm was like steel around her back and her other hand was clasped in his, high against his chest.
He moved around the floor with such effortless expertise that Trinity didn’t have time to worry about her two left feet. To her horror, though, she felt absurdly vulnerable, reminded of how lonely she’d felt during the day even while she’d appreciated the beautiful majesty of Madrid.
She’d missed Matty and Sancho and she’d felt a very rare surge of self-pity, wondering if this would be her life now—forever on the periphery of Cruz’s antipathy.
It was a long time since she’d indulged in such a weak emotion and it made her voice sharp. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
Cruz’s mouth was a thin line. ‘I’m not sure. Maybe you want to tell me? Sebastian Lopez is a millionaire and renowned for his penchant for beautiful young women—maybe you knew that and saw an opportunity to seek a more benevolent benefactor?’
Trinity fought to control her breathing and her temper, and hated it that she was so aware of every inch of her body, which seemed to be welded against his.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she hissed. ‘He’s old enough to be my father and there was nothing remotely flirtatious about our conversation.’ She tilted her head back as much as she could so she could look Cruz dead in the eye. ‘But do you know what? It was nice to talk to someone who doesn’t think I’m one step above a common thief.’
Terrified that Cruz would see emotion she shouldn’t be feeling, she managed to pull herself out of his embrace and stalked off the dance floor, apologising as she bumped into another couple. She walked blindly, half expecting a heavy hand on her shoulder at any moment, but of course Cruz wouldn’t appreciate that public display of discord.
She made it out to the marbled foyer area, where a few people milled around, and walked out to the entrance. She sucked in a breath to try and steady her heart. Night was enfolding Madrid in a glorious velvet glow but it couldn’t soothe her ragged nerves.
It wasn’t long before she felt Cruz’s presence. The little hairs all over her body seemed to stand up and quiver in his direction. She refused to feel foolish for storming off. He’d insulted her.
He came to stand beside her, but said nothing as his car arrived at the front of the building with a soft sleek purr. Trinity cursed the fact that she hadn’t been quicker to call a cab. Cruz held open the back door and she avoided his eye as she got in, not wanting to see the undoubtedly volcanic expression on his face.
As the driver pulled into the light evening traffic Trinity said frigidly, ‘You don’t have to leave. You should stay. Your brother soon learned that it made more sense to let me leave early.’
* * *
Cruz was in the act of yanking at his bow tie and opening his top button, wanting to feel less constricted. But now his hand stilled and the red haze of anger that had descended over his vision during the course of the evening as he’d watched Trinity talking and laughing with that man finally started to dissipate.
‘What did you just say?’ he asked.
Trinity was staring straight ahead, her profile perfect. But she was tense—her full lips pursed, jaw rigid.
It slammed into him then—the truth he’d been trying to deny. He was insanely jealous. He’d been jealous since the day she’d walked out of his house and got into Rio’s car to go and work for him.
At that moment she looked at him, and he could feel himself tipping over the edge of an abyss. Those huge blue eyes were full of such...injury.
Her voice was tight. ‘I said that your brother soon learned that I don’t fit into those events well. I’m not from that world, and I don’t know what to do or say.’
She clamped her mouth shut then, as if she’d said enough already.
Cruz reeled. His impression had been that Rio had taken her everywhere and that she’d loved it and milked it, but something in the tightness of her voice told him she wasn’t lying, and that revelation only added to the doubts clamouring for attention in his head.
He tried and failed to block out the fact that when she’d pulled free of his arms on the dance floor and stalked away he’d thought he’d seen the glitter of tears in her eyes.
She turned her head away again and he saw the column of her throat working. His gaze took in an expanse of pale skin, slim shoulders, delicate clavicle, the enticing curve of her breasts under the material of the dress, and heat engulfed him along with something much more nebulous: an urge to comfort, which was as bewildering as it was impossible to resist.
He reached across and touched Trinity’s chin, turning her face towards him again. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘You didn’t deserve that. The truth is that I didn’t like seeing you with that man.’
The shock on her face might have insulted Cruz if he hadn’t been so distracted by those huge eyes.
Her mouth opened and the tense line of her jaw relaxed slightly. ‘I...okay. Apology accepted.’
That simple. Another woman would have made the most of Cruz’s uncharacteristic apology.
