Page 23 of Spanish Marriage Solution

The shock moved slowly outwards, making her stomach twist, and she was aware that beneath the shock, there was also an instinctive thrill of joy. As if being his wife was exactly what she wanted. Which it wasn’t. At all. In fact, she was horrified by the suggestion.

‘Are you insane?’ She stared at him. ‘I’m Emily’s sister. And she’s only two months dead.’

‘I realise that. We can wait six months if you prefer.’

‘You can’t be serious.’

His jaw hardened. ‘Oh, I am. Very serious. I want Diego to have a proper family and that includes a father and a mother. I would also like more children.’

Alice struggled to get hold of herself. ‘I can’t have more children. I told you that last night.’

He lifted one powerful shoulder. ‘Not biological children, no, but you can certainly have children in other ways. As you can imagine, blood ties aren’t much of a concern to me.’

Of course. He hadn’t been his father’s biological son, either, as he’d told her the day before. Interest once again flickered through her, belated questions crowding in her head, but since they were the least of her concerns right now, she ignored them.

‘You don’t need me for adoption,’ she said. ‘Or surrogacy.’

‘The children will still need a mother,’ he pointed out.

‘What about Sofia? Or another nanny?’ She’d told him earlier that Diego needed a mother, and he did, but panic was clouding her thinking.

‘A nanny they will certainly have,’ he interrupted, relentless. ‘But a nanny is not the same as a mother.’

Of course, it wasn’t.

Alice swallowed, the panicky feeling intensifying. She couldn’t marry him. It was a ludicrous idea. She barely knew him. And she was only just a widow. Why would she rush into marrying someone else so soon, especially him? She didn’t love him, and he certainly wasn’t asking because he loved her.

‘Why me?’ she demanded. ‘You could have any woman you wanted. It doesn’t have to be me.’

He didn’t even blink. ‘I don’t care much about blood ties, as I said, but you do. You’re Diego’s aunt, his only blood relative. You want to be in his life, yes?’

‘I do, but—’

‘If you and I are married, you can formally adopt him as your son. All the legal complications will be resolved. There is also one other reason it must be you.’ He paused a moment, the intense light in his eyes glowing even brighter. ‘I have no intention of divorcing you, and, since I will never be unfaithful, physical desire is vital.’

This time the shock that went through her was hot, making her face flame and her skin tighten. Making her very aware of the night before, of being in his arms, of screaming his name...

‘Yes,’ he murmured, watching her, reading every single one of her thoughts. ‘That is why it must be you, Alice. You and only you.’

Sebastián could barely stop himself from reaching for her, but he managed it. Control at this delicate stage was of the utmost importance.

He knew this would be a shock to her and she needed time to come to terms with it, to think about it.

Marrying Alice...

The solution had come to him in the middle of the night, as he’d lain alone in his bed, every part of his body aching, tormented by thoughts of her and what had happened in that library. Him, losing control. Her, reaching for him, welcoming him. The feel of her better than any fantasy.

She’d wanted to pretend it had never happened and he’d agreed that it had been a mistake. Then he’d started thinking about having to negotiate potential custody issues with her and what they were going to do about it, and how he’d manage to keep resisting the temptation of her...

It had come to him in that moment that there was an answer to all his problems. Their problems. He’d known after Emily had died that he wanted to marry again, to give Diego a loving mother at his side.

Sebastián himself hadn’t had one and, with nothing to soften Mateo’s resentment or to provide even a loving counterpoint, it had been terribly lonely and isolating. And since neither he nor Javier, his biological father, had known of their relationship to each other, because Mateo had kept it secret, he’d felt as if he’d had no one at all to whom he’d truly belonged.

No, he wanted to make sure Diego never felt like that. That he grew up never knowing how painful love was. That he would be accepted, regardless of who he was. That he belonged.

Sebastián knew his own nature all too well, that his emotions were strong and had to be ruthlessly contained and controlled. Which meant Diego would need someone who didn’t have to constantly hold themselves back and that someone would be Sebastián’s wife. That person would be Alice.

You want her for yourself...don’t use Diego as an excuse to justify it.

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