by Abby Green
‘About the menu earlier...I should explain—’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t mean to imply for a second that you’re stupid.’
Now Lexie shook her head, regretting her defensive response. ‘The reason I wasn’t reading the menu very well was because I’m severely dyslexic.’
Lexie could feel her insides contracting, as if she were waiting for a look of disdain in Cesar’s eyes. She’d seen it before.
But that didn’t happen. He just said, ‘And...?’
Lexie blanched. ‘And...I can read perfectly well, but if I’m stressed...or under pressure...it becomes nearly impossible. I just need time.’
Cesar moved closer, his fingers whispering over her skin, under her hair. Lexie repressed a shiver of sensation.
‘And are you?’ he asked. ‘Stressed? Under pressure?’
She wondered how it would be if she told him about the severe pressure and stress she felt under right now, with her body sparking and firing on levels she’d never even been aware of before.
Instead she said dryly, ‘A little.’
He moved back slightly. ‘You should have told me. A good friend of mine is dyslexic and he uses special software to help him. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you of the renowned geniuses who had dyslexia but didn’t let it hold them back.’
‘Of course you don’t,’ Lexie said, almost feeling cross that Cesar was the one defending dyslexia and not her! ‘I go to some of my local schools in London and talk to the kids about it—help them see that it won’t limit them.’
He frowned, ‘How do you manage with the scripts for your films?’
Lexie fiddled with her napkin self-consciously. ‘I usually get an actor friend of mine to read them out. I record them, then I transfer them to my mp3 player...’
Someone sounded a gavel just then, and Lexie looked away with an effort. She was so engrossed in him. But people were sitting down again and she was glad of the interruption.
Not that long ago another man had duped her into thinking he was interested in her and she’d almost fallen for it. Now Cesar was coming perilously close to making her believe that he was interested but she knew that it was just lust. The spike of excitement in her gut was shameful, but she couldn’t ignore it.
Cesar’s attention had turned to the front. And then Lexie found herself distracted as with admirable nonchalance he made bids on the most expensive lots, only to get an assurance from the auctioneer that the lots he’d bought would be raffled for free at the charity for its workers.
When it was over, and Cesar had spent more money than Lexie had ever heard of, he turned to her and said brusquely, ‘Are you ready to go?’
She nodded, too intimidated by what she’d seen to say a word. Lexie could see all the sycophants vying for his attention as they left, but he didn’t stop for anyone, his hand on her back again.
His car and driver were waiting outside, as if psychically informed of his departure, but Lexie knew it must have been a series of frantic Chinese whispers from the staff, who had been watching his every move like a hawk.
Once they were in the back of the car, the darkness closed around them like a blanket, cutting out sounds, cutting out reality. It made Lexie exceedingly nervous and she scooted right over to her side of the car. The thought of Cesar kissing her again in this seductive gloom was far too scary to contemplate, even if the thought of his words we will be lovers tantalised her more than she cared to admit.
Through the tinted windows Lexie could see the lights of Salamanca glittering. It distracted her. She said on an awed breath, ‘It’s so beautiful...’
After a moment Lexie head Cesar say something to his driver in the front and then the car was turning around.
She looked at Cesar. ‘Wait...what are you doing?’
A little gruffly he said, ‘You should see the Plaza Mayor at night when it’s lit up.’
After watching how generous he’d been to the charity, Lexie was mortified to think that he might feel the need to act as tour guide. ‘It’s fine,’ she protested. ‘I can come back again some evening.’
He ignored that and asked, ‘Are you hungry for something sweet?’
Lexie blinked in the gloom. She hadn’t had dessert. How did the man know she had a sweet tooth?
‘A little...maybe...but really we don’t—’
He cut her off. ‘I know a place. We’ll go there.’
The car parked on a street where couples strolled arm in arm. Cesar got out, and by the time Lexie had her door open he was standing waiting, holding out a hand for her to take. Muttering her thanks, she let him help her.
The early autumn air had a slight nip, and before Lexie could say anything she felt Cesar’s dinner jacket being settled around her shoulders. His warmth and scent surrounded her like an intoxicating cloak.
When he took her hand Lexie had to battle the urge to pull it free again. The truth was she liked the way it felt to have her hand in his. She glanced up at Cesar and saw that his bow-tie was gone and the top button of his shirt was open. It made him appear rakish.
Lexie was attracting attention in her long gold dress. ‘Do you think the photographers will be around here?’
Cesar looked down at her. ‘They could be—they saw us leave.’
They rounded a corner then, and Lexie’s mind blanked at the beauty before them. Salamanca’s famous Plaza Mayor was lit up in golden lights. They spilled from everywhere and illuminated the huge ancient buildings. It was like the inside of a magical golden ornament. Lexie had known the old part of the city was a UNESCO heritage protected site and now she knew why. The square was huge...awe-inspiring.
Cesar led her across the airy space and she felt tiny in the midst of the baroque grandeur. When she was able to stop looking up and gaping at the beautifully ornate buildings, she saw that they’d stopped outside one of the cafés which was still open.
A small old man came rushing out, welcoming Cesar effusively and offering them a table under one of the massive arches that lined the square. They sat down. Lexie was relieved and disappointed in equal measure to get her hand back.
Cesar asked, ‘What kind of dessert do you like?’
Feeling very bemused at being here with him, Lexie said, ‘Anything...cakes...pastries.’
He arched a brow. ‘Coffee?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, please.’
Cesar said a few words to the proprietor, who looked as if he was about to burst with pride at having such an esteemed guest—clearly he knew who Cesar was.
A few people lingered over coffee, glasses of wine. Cesar’s jacket swam on Lexie, but his warmth still tantalised her skin. It was incredibly seductive.
The owner bustled back out, with another young man following him. They set down coffee and a tray of different desserts. Lexie’s mouth watered. When they’d left, Cesar explained what they were. There was an almond sponge cake, candied almonds, small fritters filled with cream, sweet puff pastry, small chocolate cakes...
Lexie groaned after she’d tasted some of the delicious pastry. ‘If only I didn’t have to worry about getting back into that corset in a couple of days.’
Cesar paused in the act of drinking his coffee and looked at her. Lexie looked back. The air between them sizzled. That moment in the back of the car earlier invaded her head like a lurid B movie.
He put his cup down. ‘When I saw you for the first time I thought you were some kind of an apparition. That you weren’t real.’
Lexie swallowed her dessert with difficulty. She remembered the transfixed expression on his face that day. She’d never forget it. While she hadn’t thought he was an apparition, she’d felt something similar.
‘I knew you were real...’ she admitted. ‘But I know what you mean. I wasn’t meant to be there.’
Cesar grimaced. ‘I was harsh on you.’
Lexie glanced down at her coffee and shrugged. ‘Your privacy had been comprehensively invaded by hundreds of strangers...’
‘I’d also just returned from my half-brother’s wedding in Paris.’
He sounded so grim that Lexie looked up again. She recalled seeing the pictures on the internet of that wedding, the speculation.
Her curiosity piqued, she asked, ‘So you are related, then?’
He frowned. ‘Why do you ask?’
Lexie flushed, feeling like a stalker. ‘I saw something on the internet when I went looking to see if there were any more pictures...of us.’ It wasn’t entirely untrue, she reassured herself.
Cesar’s face was hard. ‘Yes, it’s true. He and Rafaele Falcone are my half-brothers.’
Lexie had the sense she was entering into a minefield. ‘But this wasn’t common knowledge?’
Cesar took a swift sip of his coffee and shook his head, putting the cup back down with a clatter. He was so tense all of a sudden that Lexie half expected him to jump up and stride away. But he didn’t. Although for the first time his gaze was avoiding hers.
‘We had the same mother but different fathers.’
‘You didn’t know them growing up?’
He shook his head and then speared her with a look that she couldn’t read.
‘No. I just knew of them. My mother was more interested in a life of opulence and luxury to think about cosy reunions, or to worry about the fact that she’d abandoned her eldest son.’
A multitude of questions hit Lexie. Why had his mother left him? But then that very first niggle of suspicion she’d had came back. ‘Does that have anything to do with...this?’ she asked carefully.
Cesar frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
Lexie wasn’t even sure herself. She only knew that she was feeling increasingly exposed on a level she didn’t welcome.
‘I mean, does the fact that it’s come out about your brothers have anything to do with the fact that you were happy to agree for us to be seen together in public?’
His mouth tightened. ‘I will admit that I saw an advantage in allowing another story to take precedence.’
Lexie had suspected that this might be a possibility. So why was a feeling of hurt blooming deep inside? A snide voice answered her—because she’d been seduced by his touch and his words into thinking his desire for her was his only motivation.
Of course someone like Cesar Da Silva would normally prefer to keep her tucked away out of sight, so that he could make it look as if that first kiss had been some crazy brief aberration. It had been his initial reaction.
Why hadn’t she even questioned it properly at the time? His ready compliance? Because he’d turned her brain to mush exactly at the same time as he’d turned her insides molten.
She thought of the bathroom earlier—when she’d entertained the notion of their becoming lovers for a moment. The dizzying rush of exhilaration that had gripped her. God, she’d been so easily caught.
Lexie looked away from him and blindly picked up her cup again, not even noticing when some coffee sloshed over the rim to fall on her dress. Suddenly she couldn’t stand it—being under his cool assessing scrutiny.
Almost knocking the small table over with her jerkiness, she stood up, any inherent ability to act deserting her. ‘Would you mind if we left now? I’m quite tired...it’s been a long week.’
She whirled away from the table and started to walk. Agitation was rising up from her gullet and also a kind of panic. Panic that she’d not thought more clearly that obviously he’d have an ulterior motive for wanting to be seen in public with her. He’d just been toying with her, while she’d been perilously close to proving how easily duped she could be—again.
She vaguely heard a muttered curse and some change being thrown on the table and just when she’d reached the middle of the golden square which by now was almost empty, her arm was caught in a big hand. She was spun around to face a familiar glowering expression. She welcomed it.
‘What the hell was that about, Lexie?’
She wrenched her arm out of Cesar’s grip, dislodging his coat from her shoulders. It fell to the ground, unnoticed by either of them. Words trembled on her lips, but if she uttered them she only risked exposing herself even more.
His lip curled. ‘You find the fact that I have my own reasons to avoid the press digging into my life unpalatable? That I was left behind like some unwanted luggage, with half-siblings who never even knew I existed?’
‘What?’ Lexie said, his words shocking her out of her own turmoil for a moment. ‘No! Of course not... I didn’t even know anything about your family.’
Cesar’s mouth was tight. ‘My mother hoped to get a good deal by bringing me back to the family home, but she hadn’t banked on my grandparents giving her an ultimatum: just me or neither of us. So she left me behind.’
Lexie’s agitation drained away. She put out a hand, ‘Cesar...I had no idea.’
He stepped back. The huge magnificent square seemed to frame him in a leonine glow, making his masculinity even more impressive.
‘That’s what is about to hit the papers any day now. The full lurid story of Esperanza Christakos—née Falcone, née Da Silva—her rise from poverty to incalculable wealth and fame. And the gory details of the son she abandoned.’
Even as his words touched a painful nerve within Lexie she let out a tiny gasp of recognition at the name. She’d never put two and two together and realised that the world-famous beauty had been related to his brothers—or him.
She shook her head. ‘I didn’t know anything about her.’
Cesar, clearly angry at himself for letting all that spill out, said curtly, ‘Well, what, then? If not that?’
Lexie’s equilibrium was all over the place again. How could she articulate the fact that she was hurt because he evidently hadn’t been motivated to appear with her in public simply out of sheer desire? When all along she’d protested vehemently at his arrogant assertion that they’d become lovers even as she’d pathetically melted whenever he touched her. And yet now that he clearly had another motivation it only highlighted her inner confusion and the tumultuous desires he evoked within her.
She searched his face for any hint of softness. But found none. She realised then just how truly hard he was, and couldn’t stop the tug of emotion at imagining a small child being left in that huge grim castillo without his mother.
Racking her brain for a way not to betray herself, she avoided his question and said weakly, ‘We don’t have to do this...if you don’t want to.’
Right now even the prospect of staying in the castillo to avoid the press was more appealing than the thought of exposing herself like this again.
Cesar moved closer. His face wasn’t so hard now. There was an explicit gleam in his eye that had a direct effect on Lexie’s blood.
She spoke quickly, to hide her frayed nerves. ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. If we stop now we can make it look like it was just a brief...fling.’
Cesar shook his head and said in that deep voice, ‘We’ve gone too far to turn back now.’
Lexie’s heart thumped hard. Her mouth dried. Treacherously, she didn’t feel inclined to argue.
He said then, ‘We both have our reasons for doing this, Lexie...and we’re adults. This happened in the first place because we took one look at each other and couldn’t keep our hands off each other.’
She thought of what he’d told her about his half-brothers. About his desire to avoid press intrusion around what was obviously a tender subject. Even though she didn’t know the full story it resonated within her. She too had secrets to keep—dark ones. She found herself feeling a dangerous kinship with him. They were in this together.
He was sliding his hands and a
rms around her waist now, tugging her unresisting her body into his. All Lexie could feel was steel. Warmth and steel.
She put her hands on his chest. The moment felt slightly unreal. They were surrounded by the golden shimmering lights of the square.
Lexie’s recent feelings of exposure and vulnerability were nowhere to be felt when Cesar’s mouth touched hers. And they were certainly nowhere to be found in the almost shameless way she responded so quickly—opening her mouth, inviting him in, arching closer, demanding more.
There was a flash from nearby and it made her jerk in Cesar’s arms. He pulled back, cursing. A photographer was feet away, snapping them. She felt Cesar tense but he made no move to stop the photographer, who was already walking away, checking his digital images.
Cesar turned back to Lexie and there was a distinctly satisfied gleam in his eyes. ‘There goes any chance to protest that this was just a brief fling.’ The satisfied gleam became something else—hotter. ‘Whatever our reasons were, it’s about us now. I want you. And you want me. It’s that simple.’
CHAPTER FIVE
ABOUT AN HOUR later Lexie lay in bed with his words reverberating in her head. After that moment in the middle of that beautiful square Cesar had said nothing else. He’d just taken her by the hand and led her back to the car.
They’d remained in silence for the journey, as if both contemplating what lay ahead. Lexie’s mind had been slightly numb, though. Too full to be able to tease out the different strands.
When they’d returned to the castillo the dour housekeeper had met them and told Cesar that he had some phone calls he must return. Lexie had welcomed the chance to escape, pleading tiredness, but she hadn’t missed the intensity of Cesar’s expression as he’d bade her goodnight. It had set a fire alight deep in her belly.
She could feel it now. As if she’d been awoken on some deep level. This hadn’t happened with Jonathan Saunders, her alleged married lover... He’d appealed to an altogether less visceral side of her. Perhaps he’d appealed to the part of her that had finally been ready to trust again and she’d just chosen unwisely.