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The attic was large and airy: my mother had windows installed on both sides that overlooked the island, filling the space with as much natural light as my mother could possibly make happen. Lyse gasped slightly when we stepped into the room. “This is—”
“The perfect place to paint?” She looked at me, and I gestured to the stack of boxes in the center of the room. “My mother wanted us to learn about art, but I told you about my Padre. He thought it was ridiculous…but she bought all these supplies anyway and they’ve been sitting up here.”
“Supplies?” Lyse’s eyes widened. “Art supplies?”
I nodded. “I’m not sure what’s still good there, but you can have anything you want.” I gestured at the space. “While you’re here, you can use this space as much as you want.”
Lyse looked around, and then her eyes met mine. “Why would you do this for me?”
A hundred excuses came to mind, some of them sarcastic, some of them sincere, but I settled for shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t know,” I said. “You’re the first person who might…enjoy this place.”
She looked around again and blinked. “This is the most beautiful studio space I’ve ever seen,” she said, almost absently, like she couldn’t believe it. She turned to me, the sweetest smile curling at her lips, and my chest squeezed tightly. “Thank you so much.”
I wasn’t expecting her to thank me. “Um…you’re welco—”
She crossed the space, and standing up on her toes, Lyse pressed her lips to mine. It was whisper-soft and so fast that I thought I might have imagined it, but the bright red flush that stained her cheeks assured me that it was real.
I reached out and cupped her cheek in my hand before she could get away. “That must have been your first kiss.”
Her blush grew even darker.Hermosa, I thought. “What makes you say that?” Her voice was guarded, like she wasn’t sure if she was going to get in trouble for something.
“Considering your fiancé’s serious hard-on for your chastity,” I said, “I’m going to bet your father kept you under lock and key.”
The mention of Felix made her face drain of color. Where was the girl who had tried to seduce me? The one who was bold enough to drop a towel and reveal her naked body? Surely, she wasn’t one and the same with this scared bunny.
Before she could say anything, I leaned down and kissed her again. I kept things soft, but I took my time, slowly coaxing her lips to open for me. Lyse gasped slightly when I licked into her mouth, brushing my tongue against hers.
It was the tenderest kiss I’d ever given someone, and it was making my head swim. This was not how this went; I wasn’t the one who did soft and intimate…I wasn’t sure a man like that existed in all of the Castillo family.I need to get out of here.
When I pulled back, her hands were fisted in the front of my shirt. “The space is yours,” I said, intent on leaving her alone. “Enjoy it.”
But when I tried to leave, her hands clenched in the fabric of my shirt, unwilling to let go. “Stay. Please.”
CHAPTER16
Lyse
My head felt like it was filled with cotton. That was the only explanation for why I was beggingOmar Castilloto stay. To, maybe, kiss me again. My mouth tingled at the thought.
“I shouldn’t stay,” Omar said and broke out of my grasp. “If I do—”
“What?” I pressed. A part of me, probably a bigger part than I would like to admit, needed to hear him say how much he wanted me. Especially after he so callously threw me away before.
“I might kiss you again.” A dark look filtered across his face. “I might do more than kiss you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, steeling my nerves. “Maybe you could finish what you started last time.”
Omar smirked, dangerous and amused. “Shameless,” he taunted. “You are absolutely shameless. What would your Apá say?”
It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head. “He wouldn’t say anything at all. He would just beat me to death.”
A frown marred Omar’s handsome face. “You sound like you know from experience.”
I spun away so that I could look out of the massive picture window, but I hummed in agreement. “My father told me that I was going to be engaged to Felix when I was fifteen. I hadn’t even met him yet.” I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold. I hadn’t told anyone this story; the only ones who knew about it were my father, mother, and me. “I didn’t want to be promised to someone so much older than me.”
I glanced back, and Omar had a complicated look on his face. Like he was picturinghis sisterin my place. “That’s…understandable.”
Arranged matches weren’t an unheard-of practice for families like ours. I knew that my marriage would most likely be an alliance made between my father and someone who had something he wanted. It was my role as a daughter.
