Follow the truth of her heart. What was that truth anymore? All her life she’d believed in one thing, that she was Alex’s mate for life. She now accepted how naive that had been. The problem was that truth—her love for Alex—had not diminished. Yes, it had changed. It had grown from childish adoration and infatuation to something she knew was as intrinsic to her being as air was necessary for her to breathe.
So what now, she wondered. Did she accept a marriage as hollow and barren as her parents’ marriage had become, or did she fight for what she wanted—what she was due as Alex’s wife?
Loren kissed her fingertips and touched them to her father’s headstone.
“I love you, Papa. I always will.”
Never stop. His automatic response to her words echoed in her heart.
Never stop. Never give up.
And suddenly it was clear what she had to do. If she wanted her husband to be her husband, she had to fight for him. Had to fight for what was her right as his partner and as the potential mother of his children. Surely it would not be too much to expect of him that he remain faithful to her, especially not when they were already so obviously compatible. If she could only persuade him to give them a chance, she knew they could make their marriage work.
She straightened up onto her feet and squared her shoulders before resolutely walking back to the car. She would lay her demands on the table to her husband tonight. One way or another, she would have her answer.
And if that answer is no, a small voice in the back of her mind questioned, what then?
Loren shook her head as if she could dislodge the thought before it took hold. She couldn’t afford to fail in this. Not when her heart’s truth was on the line.
Back at the castillo, Loren was pleased to hear from the housekeeper that Alex would be dining with her and Abuelo that evening; in fact, both his brothers would also be there. Knowing that time with his brothers was bound to put Alex in a good mood put a spring in her step as she ascended the stairs to their suite.
And she would make an extra effort with her appearance tonight. Somehow she knew she’d need all the additional armor she could gather around her. She looked at her wristwatch. Yes, she had plenty of time to prepare for the night’s success.
In her room, she searched out the candles that had so romantically lit the atmosphere on her disastrous wedding night. She wanted to re-create that golden glow of hope when she and Alex retired to their rooms after dinner. Then she’d show her husband, with her words and with her body, what she expected of him and their marriage.
Satisfied with the placement of the candles, Loren spent a good half hour choosing what to wear for the evening. She didn’t want to be too obviously seductive, after all she had a dinner to attend with the four del Castillo men before she would even have so much as an opportunity to have her husband alone. Eventually, she decided upon a simple strapless white gown that skimmed to her knees with flirtatious layers of organza. The bodice was slightly gathered, the scalloped top edge giving a soft and feminine line, while the boned built-in corset meant she could get away with the bare minimum of underwear.
She smiled, remembering her lack of underwear on their honeymoon. It was ironic that even though she’d bought replacement garments on the first day after their arrival, once she and Alex had consummated their marriage she’d had very little need, or opportunity, to wear any.
The fact that the physical side of their marriage had stopped upon their return meant that the memory left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. She pushed the niggle of doubt about her success for tonight to the very back of her mind.
She decided to team the dress with an elegant pair of gold high-heeled pumps and chose a pair of ruby drop earrings that Abuelo had given her on their return from their honeymoon. Given the style and shape of the stones, she believed they were probably equally as old as the heirloom engagement ring she wore on her ring finger. They’d be the perfect complement to the gown. A light cobwebby gold shawl to cover her shoulders was the perfect finishing touch.
Her spirits bolstered, she ran herself a deliciously deep bubble bath and set about her preparations.
As she had been the first time she’d descended the stairs alone at the castillo, Loren was aware of the murmur of male voices from the salon off the main entrance hall. And uncannily, as she had that very first time, she felt the weight of generations of del Castillo brides settle upon her shoulders. She knew, historically, that most marriages in the del Castillo family in the past had been structured to gain both political and financial advantage. Even Alex’s parents’ marriage had brought with it the alliance between his mother’s family’s vineyards and winery that formed part of the del Castillo brand today. They had, by the time of their marriage, been very truly in love, but they had also been not unaware of the advantages of their union. A union that in all likelihood would not have taken place if the financial gains had not been there in the first place.
That her marriage had been predestined was a fact of life in a family such as this. But a marriage based solely on duty and honor would not be enough to satisfy her. Tonight would establish whether she would finally be able to achieve the kind of marriage she wanted.
A frisson of something cold trickled down her spine and she increased her pace to get to the salon, suddenly eager to see her husband.
She slowed her steps as she drew nearer the salon. Unseemly haste would spoil the image of sensual elegance she’d worked so hard to create tonight. She paused in front of a massive gilt-edged mirror just outside the salon and checked that the somewhat austere hairdo she’d finally settled on, knowing how much Alex loved to tug it loose, remained intact.
Her hand stilled in the air as she heard her husband’s voice raised with a thread of anger in it.
“Don’t be a fool, Reynard. Marriage is a serious business. I know we all agreed to do our part but I can tell you up front that I regret having done what I have. In fact, I think I may have made the biggest mistake of my life.”
Cold shock settled like ice in the pit of Loren’s stomach.
“We all know Reynard won’t go ahead with actually marrying this girl. The engagement is merely a front to keep Abuelo happy as we all agreed.” Benedict’s voice filtered through the air. “But you needn’t worry that I plan on doing anything so stupid as marrying someone I don’t love.”
“No, we all know you’d marry your car if you could,” Reynard jeered. “I pity the poor woman you do eventually settle down with.”
“Well, I pity Loren,” Benedict continued. “She didn’t ask for any of this.”
Loren felt her knees grow weak, her legs unstable beneath her. She had to move, had to get out of there before one of them realized she’d overheard their discussion.
She forced her feet to carry her to immediate refuge in a downstairs guest bathroom and locked the door firmly behind her. Not daring to let go of the breath she was holding in so tight she thought her lungs might burst, she gripped the scallop-shaped marble pedestal basin. Right now it was the only thing keeping her vertical. She was afraid if she let go that she’d sink to the ground and never want to get up again.
The biggest mistake of my life.
Alex’s words echoed, over and over, in her mind. Was that how he saw her? Saw their marriage? On the heels of the hope and determination she’d returned home with today, his words were like a death knell to her dreams.
Black spots danced before her eyes and a roaring sound rushed through her head. She forced herself to let go of the breath she’d been holding and dragged in a new breath. The spots began to recede but the pain in her heart only grew with her every inhalation.
Biggest mistake. Biggest mistake.
That she had his brothers’ pity was no salve to her wounded soul. She couldn’t bear to be the object of any man’s pity. Not when all she wanted was Alex’s love.
Somehow she had to gather the courage to go in there and face him.
Loren twisted the cold tap on and let
the cool water run over her wrists. As she did so an all-too-familiar ache started in the pit of her belly. An ache that always functioned as a precursor to her period.
Hot tears sprang to her eyes as she realized her fears that she might have been pregnant, and her concerns about Alex’s presence as a father, were far outweighed by her desire to have had a part of Alex that would be her own.
She dried off her hands quickly. As she did so, the overhead light caught the bloodred of her ruby engagement ring, the color uncannily symbolic of the end of her expectations.
* * *
Alex looked up as Loren joined them in the salon. He allowed a small frown to crease his forehead. He’d expected her much earlier. Mind you, given the slant of the conversation he and his brothers had indulged in, it was just as well she was a little tardy. Reynard’s announcement that he’d asked some stranger to be his wife had momentarily knocked his judgment for a loop. It was lucky that Loren had not interrupted their discussion of Rey’s news.
She looked beautiful tonight, almost bridal, and for the umpteenth time this week he rued that work had kept him away from her. He’d become quite addicted to his wife in their time in Dubrovnik. Addicted in ways he’d never imagined.
Leaving her to sleep alone in her bed each night after he’d crawled in from working late had been hell, but he was conscious of the need to ensure she remained well. Replenishing the rest she’d missed during their sojourn was one way of doing that.
A flood of heat hit his groin as he remembered the highlights of that sojourn. Right now he wanted to do nothing more than lead her from the salon and take her back upstairs to their suite and into bed. It seemed it was about the only place they could be honest with one another.
Honest? He cringed internally. Their marriage hadn’t started with much honesty. But that was something he was now very keen to put right. While it was true he still wanted the heir he’d demanded of her, he wanted so much more besides. And he wanted to give more, too.
He had not only made the biggest mistake of his life in marrying Loren the way he had, he’d done her a major disservice. She deserved to be cherished, to be loved.
The taste of what their marriage could be had made him hungry for more. More of what made a union real and binding.
A union based on love.
His fingers curled tight around the base of his glass as he finally acknowledged his feelings toward his wife. He loved her. Now all he had to do was convince her of the fact. He crossed the room toward her and dropped a kiss to her cool lips. Instantly he was enveloped in the subtle fragrance she used as her signature perfume. Inhaling her scent made him rock hard in seconds.
“I’ve missed you this week,” he said.
“You’ve been busy. I understand.”
Her response wasn’t what he’d hoped for. Where was the passionate, teasing lover he’d come to enjoy so much while they were away?
“You’re more understanding than most wives, I’ll wager.”
“But then I’m not most wives, am I?”
Her cryptic answer made him study her face more carefully. She was pale beneath her makeup and there were fine lines of tension about her eyes.
Since their return home, the hope that they’d made a child together during their honeymoon had burned inside of him. That Loren looked somewhat frail this evening gave a hint of truth to the bombshell Giselle had dropped on him this afternoon and made him want to ask Loren outright if she was expecting his baby.
He’d played Giselle’s words over in his mind again and again ever since she’d told him about Loren’s dizzy spell at the office earlier today. Through all the meetings this afternoon and the interminable legal jargon he’d been forced to wade through, he’d had to fight to keep his focus on the business at hand.
Now that focus was very firmly on the woman before him. His wife. The woman he loved. The woman who now, hopefully, carried their child.
“Are you feeling all right?” he asked, searching her eyes for any hint of a lie.
He raised a hand to her chin and was surprised when she subtly moved clear of his touch.
“I’m fine.”
She dismissed his concern with a brittle smile that didn’t fool him for a second. Every instinct in him urged him to gather her up in his arms and take her back upstairs. To tie her to the bed, if necessary, until he knew the truth of what lay behind the fragile exterior she exhibited.
“Loren,” Reynard interrupted them, bringing Loren a glass of champagne.
Alex was about to intercept it, to tell his brother she wouldn’t be drinking tonight or any night for the next several months, but Loren forestalled him by accepting the drink.
Reynard tipped his glass to hers. “You should congratulate me. I’m engaged.”
“Engaged? Really? And who is the lucky lady? I had no idea you were even seeing anyone on a regular basis.”
There was a slightly wistful note to her voice that pulled at something in Alex’s chest.
“Her name is Sara Woodville. She’s a Kiwi girl, actually. You might have heard of her. She was here riding for New Zealand in the equestrian trials we sponsored recently.”
“And she’d only been on Isla Sagrado for about five minutes before being snapped up by Reynard,” Benedict commented drolly. “You’ve got to hand it to him, he can sure spot an opportunity.”
“Well, at least he didn’t wait twenty-five years,” Loren said, raising her glass to Reynard. “Congratulations, Rey, I hope the two of you will be very happy.”
Alex laughed at her comment along with his brothers, but he sensed the thread of bitterness behind her words even if they didn’t.
“Well, we can certainly recommend a lovely spot for a honeymoon, can’t we?” Alex said, hooking his arm around Loren’s slender waist and drawing her against his side.
She stiffened but didn’t immediately pull away.
“Oh, yes, I understand that cottage comes very highly recommended.”
Again, that hint of double entendre slid like a stiletto through the air. Loren looked across to where Abuelo usually sat.
“Is your grandfather not joining us?” she asked.
“No,” Alex responded. “His valet sent down a note to say that he wasn’t feeling a hundred percent.”
“That’s not like him. Should I go and check to make sure he’s okay?” Loren offered.
If he hadn’t thought she would use the opportunity as an excuse to get away from him he would have encouraged her to go. Instead, given how distant she’d been since her arrival this evening, he feared she’d use the visit to his grandfather’s rooms as a reason to stay with the old man and not to return—and right now he wanted her here, by his side.
“That won’t be necessary. Javier is quite capable of seeing to his needs. Besides, you know how much Abuelo hates to be fussed over.”
“By you perhaps, but he’s never turned away a pretty face—especially Loren’s,” Benedict noted.
“Be that as it may, Loren can grace us with her company tonight instead. After all, it’s the first evening I’ve had home with her all week.”
“Well, don’t think you won’t have to share her with us. Surely the honeymoon is over by now,” Reynard said with a smile designed to needle his older brother even as he hooked an arm in Loren’s and drew her away to one side. “Please tell me you are tired of my brother’s attentions and we can have our old Loren back again.”
Loren laughed, a genuine sound that sent a thrill of longing through Alex. Something untamed knotted deep inside. Logically he knew that his brother was only teasing him, doing what brothers do best when it comes to yanking one another’s chain, but he suddenly wished they lived in older times. Times where he could realistically secure Loren away in the castillo’s tower rooms and force her to remain only unto him.
He had no doubt that if he answered his instincts and lay claim to her here and now by dragging her from Reynard’s clasp that she would find nothing about the action appealing. Bes
ides, forcing her into anything wasn’t what he really desired. Truth be told, he simply wanted to hear her laugh—and, more importantly, to be the one who caused her such joy.
Envy didn’t sit comfortably on Alex’s shoulders. If anything he was the one whose life was coveted by others. That said, he would find some way to remind Reynard of his place.
“Tell us about your new fiancée, Sara, and why you didn’t bring her along to meet us this evening,” he said pointedly. “Worried she might take one look and decide she’s chosen the wrong brother?”
And so the evening rolled on. By the time they took to the massive dining table, with each of the chairs ornately carved with the del Castillo family crest, Alex had firmly reasserted his dominance over his younger siblings. His dominance over his new wife, however, was another matter entirely. She wouldn’t so much as meet his eyes and the knowledge definitely set his teeth on edge.
They had just finished their desserts and Reynard was discussing a new publicity drive for the vineyard with Benedict when the castillo’s majordomo all but ran into the room. Alex was up and out of his chair before the man came to a halt.
“Qué pasa?” Alex demanded.
“It is Señor Aston, he is very ill. Javier, he asks for your help.”
“Call for the doctor and an ambulance at once!” Alex barked.
“Already done, señor.”
An elevator had been installed for Abuelo after his stroke when he’d refused to relocate to a suite downstairs, but Alex eschewed it in favor of the stairs that led to the old man’s suite. His grandfather’s words, insisting he’d die in the rooms he’d always lived in before anyone could convince him to move, rang loud and clear in Alex’s ears. Suddenly the prospect that the elderly head of their family could possibly fulfill that prophecy was frighteningly real.
When Alex arrived in his grandfather’s room he was shocked to find the old man lying on the floor, propped up by his manservant and covered with the coverlet from his bed. There was a gray tinge to his features and the muscles on the already weakened side of his face sagged more than usual.
The Tycoon's Charm: The Tycoon's Paternity AgendaHonor-Bound Groom Page 28