by Robin Gianna
Miranda felt a flash of anger at the self-centered woman who’d hurt Mateo’s brother, and who was part of the reason Mateo had kept such a distance between himself and his family for so long. From the place he’d admitted today that he loved very much. “Were Emilio and Mateo close?”
“Oh, yes. Very close. When they were both home, they did everything together. Rode the horses, skied, sailed boats, and—”
She abruptly stopped talking, and Miranda prodded, “And?”
“And many other things.” Paula moved to the dresses and smoothed the skirts. “So, please, choose whichever dress you like. Just ring if you need me to help you find the one that fits best.”
“Thank you, Paula. I’m sure at least one will fit me perfectly. I’ll be pleased to wear one, especially since Mateo picked them out.”
“I’m so happy that Mr. Mateo has found a wonderful woman he wants to marry,” she said, smiling again. “We all wondered if he ever would, and if he’d return home. It’s...it’s a very happy Christmas celebration here at Castillo de Adelaide Fernanda.”
Did she really think so? Surely Paula knew Mateo’s parents didn’t approve of their engagement. But maybe she figured they’d get over it if Mateo came back to live here. The thought made her feel a little sad that everyone in this beautiful house was going to be disappointed that Mateo—the man they’d seen grow up and who was their new heir—wasn’t planning to return to his home full-time at all. Unless he thought more about that decision. After walking around the estate with him today, seeing how he felt about the place, she hoped he would.
“Well, thank you again. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Paula beamed and nodded, leaving Miranda alone, still battling the melancholy she’d felt after her hours with Mateo that afternoon.
Why were family situations often so difficult? Even though he hadn’t said much about it, she knew the loss of Mateo’s brother had been hard on him. Add to that the stress of his father’s health, his parents’ demands, and all the people depending on the estate for their livelihoods, and indirectly depending on Mateo, well, she had a feeling he hadn’t fully shared the weight he must be carrying around from it all.
No time to dwell on that now. She took a deep breath as she looked at the beautiful dresses neatly hanging in the closet. Ever since she’d become a Davenport, she’d been blessed to be given glamorous clothing like she’d never seen in her life before that. Wearing them to attend various charitable events and symphonies and Broadway shows never got old, she had to admit. But despite having done that now for thirteen years, having these dresses brought here for her to choose from made her feeling absurdly Cinderella-like.
She wished Vanessa was here to see her as the guest and fiancée of a Spanish duke, and couldn’t help but enjoy the vision of how her mouth would fall open. Wished Penny was here to see her doing this crazy thing, too, and couldn’t wait to tell her about it. Though that reminded her that the adventure would be over and she’d be back to regular old Miranda, living her boring life and working all the time, very soon.
As she flicked through each dress, she couldn’t help but imagine which one Mateo would like best. Which one would be the most flattering. Which one would make Mateo look at her the way she caught him doing sometimes. As though he liked what he saw.
The same way she caught herself looking at him.
She drew another deep breath, wishing she could feel totally confident, without worrying which dress would suit her best. But how could she not feel nervous about it, knowing all the guests would be staring at her even before they announced their fake engagement? Feeling curious about the two of them together? Knowing Mateo would be seeing her in a beautiful dress for the very first time, instead of her usual scrubs, or the jeans she’d worn on their excursions?
With her stomach all jittery, she debated the choices in front of her. Should she go with classic black? The shimmery one in pale gold was made of her favorite fabric, a crepe that hung in beautiful folds. Or would the blue one bring out the color of her eyes, which she knew were her best feature? It was probably the one she liked best, so long as it wasn’t so low cut that her full figure didn’t threaten to fall out of the bodice.
Turning this way and that in front of the full-length mirror, she smiled at the way the cobwebs of blue and aqua threads shimmered as she moved. She eyed the neckline, and decided that, even though her breasts were slightly on display, it wasn’t so overt as to be in poor taste, or a reason for people to talk.
The light caught the diamond on her hand, and as she looked at it, melancholy poked at her again. Such a beautiful ring from a beautiful man. Would she ever have someone like him for real?
With a sigh, she grabbed an exquisitely beaded evening bag that had also been provided by her fairy godmother—or in this case, Mateo—and went down the stairs. Nervous butterflies danced in her belly as she wondered how the evening would go; at the same time anticipation welled in her chest at what Mateo would think of how she looked. And what would he look like dressed in his finery? Drool-worthy, without a doubt.
Paula appeared at the base of the stairs, and showed her to the large ballroom where at least three dozen people were already gathered. As she stood in the doorway, her gaze went straight to the most gorgeous man in the room, and her breath caught in her throat.
A perfectly cut tuxedo that had doubtless been tailor made for him enhanced his broad shoulders and regal bearing. One hand held a glass of champagne, the other was tucked in his trouser pocket, elegance and power simply exuding from the man. It struck Miranda that his fellow EMTs would be astounded that the hard-working man usually wearing a uniform and sometimes heavy gear could also look like he’d stepped straight out of a James Bond movie. Calm, capable, and, yes, very, very drool-worthy.
Feeling unable to move, Miranda just stared. She saw him smile and nod to whoever he’d been talking to, then move toward another guest. Maybe he sensed her gawking at him, because he turned and, as their eyes met, she saw him stop dead.
His gaze slowly traveled from her hair to her sparkly shoes, then back up to linger on her breasts before meeting her eyes again. Something about that leisurely perusal made her pulse leap, then flutter even faster as he moved toward her in a relaxed gait that somehow enhanced his graceful sophistication.
When he stopped only inches from her, his hand reached for hers, thumbing the blue diamond ring circling her finger. “You look incredible.”
She managed to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “Thank you. Did you get the dresses because you feared I might wear something to embarrass you?”
“Nothing you could do or wear would ever embarrass me. Even if you wore your hospital scrubs. Though I admit you look even more stunning than you do at work.” He smiled, leaning forward to brush his lips against her cheek before speaking softly in her ear. “I know this thing isn’t something you’ve looked forward to. So thank you again for coming. There’s not a soul here who won’t be dazzled by you.”
“You...you look pretty dazzling yourself.”
The intimate smile that curved his lips made it hard to breathe, which was further complicated when he closed the small gap between them, pressing his mouth to hers. So softly and sweetly, she closed her eyes and soaked in the sensation, drowned in it, even as the niggle at the back of her mind reminded her he was kissing her to make everyone in the room believe they were in love.
When he drew back, his lips stayed parted, his breath feathering across her moist mouth as their eyes met again. He reached to slide a strand of her hair between his fingers before tucking it behind one ear. “I like your earrings, but I may have to get you blue stones for your ears, too. Of course, your amazing eyes bring the sky into any room you enter.”
“There’s that romantic, poetic side of you coming out. Who would have guessed?” Her voice was breathy, she knew, but it was the
best she could do. The current swirling around them felt like an electrified tornado, holding her close to him.
“Not me. I never knew I had a romantic bent until I met you.” He dropped another soft kiss to her mouth. “And speaking of never guessing, who would suspect that Dr. Miranda Davenport was hiding such an incredible body beneath the scrubs she always wears?”
She felt a blush heat her cheeks. “You’ve seen me out of scrubs.”
“Wearing winter street or hiking clothes covering you from neck to toe. Or a thick robe.” His voice went lower. “And now I think we should stop talking about seeing you out of scrubs before something happens and I embarrass myself.” The crooked grin he gave her somehow managed to be both amused and sexy at the same time, and she forced herself to look away from it, knowing there had to be a number of people here watching them.
“So, now what? We talk with your parents? Mingle?”
“Both. Then, when we can’t take it any more, we dance, so I have an excuse to hold you close.”
Miranda swallowed hard, and tried to concentrate on the various people Mateo introduced her to. But it all felt so surreal. Standing beside a handsome, elegant man, wearing a beautiful dress and spectacular engagement ring, with him touching her and looking at her like she meant everything to him. The whole fairy tale come to life.
Except it wasn’t. None of it was real, not the flirtatious things he’d said, not the kisses and not the engagement. He was playing the part of loving fiancé for his parents and their guests, and that reality made her throat ache and her chest feel a little hollow.
Stupid. She’d known exactly how this would be, hadn’t she? Except she hadn’t, not really. All the pretending, knowing Mateo didn’t really feel that way about her, made her feel a little empty. Made her ask herself if she’d ever have a man in her life who really did love her.
Somehow she managed to keep her end of the bargain. So many introductions and chit-chat for what seemed like forever left Miranda’s cheeks aching. Her smile felt frozen on, especially when talking with Mateo’s parents, aunts and uncles.
She’d assumed that Rafael and Ana would at least pretend to be happy about their son’s engagement, but it seemed like every time Ana looked her way, she scowled instead of smiled. They hadn’t even officially announced it yet, and now it seemed that they really might not, probably to give Mateo more time to think about it, as they’d said yesterday. Though it was obvious people had figured it out, as she’d seen and heard the whispers about Mateo’s future wife.
Miranda knew she shouldn’t be bothered by his parents’ attitude. She should try to understand that they were hurting horribly over their son’s death, and because of that weren’t able to think in a normal way right now. Except Mateo had told her they’d always favored his brother and, watching their distant and cool treatment of him, it was sadly easy to believe.
“Mateo! My handsome brother-in-law. It’s been far too long since you’ve come home.”
Miranda knew it was wrong to instantly judge the small blonde with an obviously saccharine smile as she hugged Mateo, giving him the European two-cheek kiss as she did so. Except how could she not? She’d been prejudiced by what Mateo, and Paula, too, had told her about the woman who was obviously his brother Emilio’s widow.
“Hello, Camilla.” Mateo quickly extricated himself from her grasp and turned to Miranda. She couldn’t help but feel impressed at his impassive expression. She knew how he felt about Emilio’s wife, but no one would know it. For the first time that night, he introduced her as his fiancée, despite his parents not having made any announcement, and Miranda wondered if it was to keep the woman from making a play for him, as he’d said she’d done in the past.
“Well, well. The woman who finally reined in Mateo Alves. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day. It’s so very good to meet you.” Camilla smiled brightly, but her eyes were even colder than Mateo’s mother’s, and held something else besides disapproval.
Disdain? Jealousy? Miranda had no idea, but she did know that she disliked the woman instantly.
“Nice to meet you, too.” If only to see that Mateo wasn’t making things up about the woman. The way she looked at Mateo, then Miranda, showed loud and clear how she felt about him belonging to someone else. Was she the kind of woman who wanted any man she could claim, or did she have a real thing for her late husband’s brother?
“When is the big, happy day?”
“We’re still finalizing our plans. But don’t worry, I’m sure my mother will apprise you of it as soon as we decide.” Mateo’s arm tightened around Miranda’s waist, but his cordial expression didn’t change.
“I’m glad to see you’re finally stepping up to your duty to your parents. Emilio felt so frustrated, hurt really, that you never came to help.”
Miranda cringed at the woman’s nasty barb, knowing that had to score a painful, direct hit on Mateo. She glanced up at him, and the tic in his jaw and tightness of his lips showed she was right.
“I don’t think I’m the one who hurt him. But do I wish I’d been here for him when things got rough? Yeah. I regret that more than you’ll ever know.”
He swung away with Miranda still held in the crook of his arm and strode toward the dance floor. She thought about saying something about his exchange with Camilla, but his hard, fierce expression told her that keeping quiet was a better choice.
A headache began to form in both temples, and just as she was considering telling Mateo she’d like to excuse herself for a while he led her onto the dance floor. His arm stayed closed around her as he grasped her hand, but he didn’t pull her close. Probably, he was as exhausted by the charade as she was.
“How are you holding up?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Don’t worry about me.” The tension around his eyes and in his jaw had her wanting to reach up to somehow smooth it away. “I’m used to people whispering and talking about me. About why I moved away. About why I don’t come home often. Bringing you here has greased the gossip wheel, doubtless making everyone’s day as they wonder what’s going on.”
No mention of Camilla and her words. “It doesn’t bother you that your parents obviously aren’t going to announce our...our engagement?”
He shrugged as he swept her into a turn. “My goal with our engagement was to buy some time. Give my parents a reason to understand why I’m not coming back full-time. We’ve accomplished that goal, so I don’t care about the rest.”
She wished she could say the same. Stupid as it was, there was still that tiny part of her that felt a little like she had as a teenager showing up at the Davenport home, barely tolerated by the matriarch.
Another turn took them to the edge of the room, and to her surprise Mateo swept them out the French doors onto a wide stone loggia dimly lit by the lights from the ballroom. The cool air felt good against her cheeks, and it felt wonderful to be away from the crowded room.
They came to a stop next to a wide pillar, and Mateo tipped her chin up, their eyes meeting.
“You didn’t answer my earlier question.”
“What question?”
“About how you were holding up. Is it bothering you that people are talking about you? That my parents have virtually ignored you?”
She nearly denied it, not wanting him to worry about something so silly when they weren’t really a couple. But the brown eyes looking into hers seemed to already see what she was feeling. “It shouldn’t, I know. But I can’t help feeling a little...uncomfortable about it, you know?”
“I know. After what you told me about your lack of welcome by Vanessa Davenport, I’ve been worried. I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I’d known. I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. Honestly.” He looked so concerned, she tried to reassure him. “It’s just baggage that I shouldn�
��t still be carrying around with me.”
“There’s no ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ when it comes to feelings, Miranda,” he said quietly. “We feel how we feel.”
She stared up at him, seeing that was true for both of them. And it struck her that observing the way Mateo was dealing with tough issues and feelings of grief and loss had made her think about her own life and how she’d been living it. While all the flirting and kissing didn’t mean anything, his confidence in her did. And maybe that meant it was long past the time she should learn to have more confidence in herself.
“I know. But maybe what we’re feeling isn’t based on reality. Vanessa didn’t want me around, but it didn’t take long for everyone else to accept me. Maybe it’s time I accept myself.”
“What about yourself haven’t you accepted?”
“That I don’t have to keep pushing myself to try to live up to the Davenport name. Maybe I’ve accomplished that.”
“No maybe about it.” He tugged her closer. “You’re a very special woman in a beautiful, tempting package.”
The warm rumble of his voice, the way he was looking at her, sent her thoughts away from her past and her lack of confidence. They made her think about him, and that he was right. That how she felt wasn’t something she could control, which was a deep attraction and connection to this man. Could he have been thinking that, too, when he’d talked about feeling what they felt? Was there any way his kisses and touches were more than a show of make-believe?
“I guess that’s true,” she whispered. She licked her lips, wanting more than anything to kiss him, to explore those feelings squeezing her chest and heating her body even in the crisp November air. But what if that’s not what he’d meant at all? What if she embarrassed him, and herself, which would just complicate an already odd situation? What if putting herself at risk like that would be a huge mistake?
Wearing her high heels, his mouth was at her eye level, and she found herself fixated on the shape of it, thinking of how it felt to kiss him, and her own lips involuntarily parted. Heat curled in her belly, and that swirling electricity seemed to charge the air around them all over again. She managed to lift her gaze to his, and the eyes that met hers held a hot flicker of awareness that sent her pulse racing.