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‘My mama is visiting today,’ he said as he poured himself a mug of the hot, dark liquid. ‘She’s just got back from her cruise and she’s keen to meet my wife.’
I looked at him over the rim of my coffee mug. ‘Oh?’
He crossed the kitchen in two strides until he was standing so close to me, I could smell his cologne from the previous evening, and it made my insides melt like warm butter.
‘I hope it goes without saying that I expect you to be on your best behavior while she’s here,’ he growled.
I looked up at him. His dark brown eyes blazed with fire and he had a light dusting of dark stubble across his jawline.
Damn! Why did he always have to look so bloody hot? I placed my hand on the back of my neck to try and cool my flushed skin but it did nothing.
‘Of course,’ I said with a flutter of my eyelashes. ‘Best behavior.’
‘I’m not playing, Alana. My mother thinks that this marriage is a for real. She thinks that we’re in love and it would break her heart if she were to discover the truth.’
I blinked at him. Did the King of L.A have a weak spot?
‘Understand me?’ he said, his voice as smooth as chocolate.
‘Yes. Okay,’ I said quietly.
Suddenly, the devil seemed a little more human than he had before.
ALANA
I smoothed my dress over my thighs as I stood awkwardly in the doorway waiting for Alejandro’s mom. I was surprised I was feeling so nervous. Meeting people and being charming had become kind of my thing in New York. I was accustomed to working on my father’s campaign and he often wheeled me out for interviews and PR events.
I had no idea why I should be so bothered about impressing Alejandro’s mom. It wasn’t as though I even liked him. But, I knew from the change in his demeanor these past few hours that she obviously meant the world to him, and he was keen to protect her and make her happy.
From what he’d told me earlier, she believed we’d had a whirlwind romance and got married because we were madly in love.
She had been on a month-long cruise with her sister, which had been orchestrated by Alejandro’s father, Mateo, to ensure his wife was out of the way when her only child got married. This was in case she became suspicious and asked too many awkward questions about our relationship. But, now that Alejandro and I were married, there wasn’t much that she could do about it.
I wondered how we’d manage to convince her that we were happily married newlyweds, when we had barely said a dozen civil words to each other in the past two weeks. But, I was willing to give it a try, and maybe I could even have a little fun while I was doing it?
I watched as Alejandro walked up the driveway with his mom, her arm linked through his and a wide smile on her face.
Maria Montoya was a stunningly beautiful woman. I knew that she was in her fifties, but she could have easily passed for a woman ten years younger. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant chignon and she wore a simple, yet clearly expensive dress.
I looked down at my own attire. I’d chosen a simple pink wrap dress that suited my skin tone and emphasized my curvier figure.
I swallowed as they drew nearer. What if she hated me? What if she was one of those mothers who never thought anyone was good enough for her son?
Why the hell did I even care?
‘Mama, this is Alana,’ Alejandro said when they reached me.
I stepped out into the driveway. ‘Hello, Mrs. Montoya, I’m delighted to meet you,’ I said with a smile.
She looked me up and down and I took a deep breath, bracing myself for a potential onslaught. ‘So, you’re the woman who has captured my son’s heart?’ she said and her face broke into a huge smile before she held out her arms and beckoned me to her.
I stepped forward and was enveloped in a cloud of her sweet perfume as she kissed each of my cheeks in turn.
Then she stepped back and took another look at me. ‘Please, call me Maria,’ she said before she smiled again, and I was sure that I saw tears in her eyes.
‘Maria,’ I said, returning her smile. ‘Come on inside, I’ve just brewed a fresh pot of coffee and there are cookies in the oven.’
‘Sounds delicious,’ she said as she linked her arm through mine.
