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Slowly, he turned from the fire and faced her.
She was composed, as if the woman who’d thrown her bouquet and tried to hit him had never existed. Her diamond circlet was now on straight, her veil draped decorously back from her hair, her long-fingered, elegant hands folded in her lap.
The picture-perfect Crown Princess.
Except for the wet fabric that clung to her ankles and the water stains that sprinkled the expensive white silk.
‘Why not?’ He kept his tone as neutral as hers, as if they were having a discussion about what kind of food they’d like for dinner or what drink they preferred. ‘You are pregnant with my child.’
‘Believe it or not, I’m well aware of that.’ Her inky lashes fell as she looked down at her hands. ‘However, marrying me just because I’m pregnant is not the most compelling of proposals.’
‘And what would constitute a compelling proposal? Is it money you’re after? Power? You said you didn’t want to let your parents down and, if so, perhaps they would be satisfied with you having a high-powered executive position in one of my companies?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I just...don’t want to marry anyone who feels forced into marrying me.’
He stared at her, not understanding. ‘How is that any different from marrying Matias? You’ve been betrothed since you were children.’
She kept her gaze on her hands and stayed silent.
His temper pulled at the leash, along with his hunger and that possessiveness he couldn’t seem to lock away. ‘You know what people call me. “The Spanish Bastard”.’ He said the words with a certain relish, watching her face. ‘It is not a compliment,princesa.And let me be clear, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. But I will not leave my child open to such names or such contempt. And if you’re expecting to be sent out of the country to live in exile somewhere with a nice stipend, you will be very disappointed.’
He put his hands in his pockets and took a leisurely step towards her. ‘Some day, at some point, no matter how hard you hide it, someone will discover that I am the father of that child. And when they do, you will find the media camped on your doorstep. You will have no rest. They will hound you.’ He took another step towards her. ‘And they will hound our child, too. Your reputation will be called into question, because the press are always hard on women. Every aspect of your life will be picked over.’ Another step. ‘Matias will be made to look a fool. The crown will be embarrassed and everyone will say “Like father, like son”. Santa Castelia will be the laughing stock of the entire world.’
She kept her gaze down, but her jaw became very set.
He stopped in front of her, the tips of his expensive, hand-made black leather shoes grazing the white spill of wet silk from her skirts. ‘So, tell me, Lia. Is that a more compelling proposal?’
CHAPTER FOUR
RAFAELSTOODINfront of her, the tips of his shoes brushing her gown, tall and dark, muscular. Towering over her.
She kept her attention on her hands, but she could feel him watching her. His barely contained sense of frustration was almost palpable.
He’d always hated it when people didn’t give in to his wishes and he clearly thought she should. Then again, she’d had some time to think, sitting out here in front of the fire, and she’d come to a few decisions.
The future she’d always thought she was destined for had been ripped away from her and, yes, that had been her fault. Her parents were going to be so disappointed and so was Matias, not to mention Santa Castelia, but there was no hope of her regaining the position she’d once had.
That was gone, as Rafael had so clearly laid out just now.
Which meant that for the first time in her life, Lia was faced with a choice about what she wanted.
She didn’t have to be Queen.
She didn’t have to rule a nation.
She didn’t have to marry a man she didn’t love.
She didn’t have to be the Crown Princess.
The only thing she had to be was a mother and, though providing heirs had always been another thing that was expected of her, she didn’t have to raise them to be royal as she had been.
She could be the kind of mothershewanted to be. She could do the thingsshewanted to do.
And there was no one to disappoint, not when she’d disappointed everyone already.
She’d never had that before. She’d never even thought about it.
What this would mean for herself and her child she didn’t know. But one thing shewassure of: Matias hadn’t ever said anything to her openly, but she’d always had the impression that she wasn’t his choice. That he was marrying her purely for duty’s sake and not because he actually liked spending time with her.
