Page 18 of Spanish Marriage Solution

Everything had been astonishingly expensive, and she was already trying to think of how she would pay for it all, and berating herself for spending so much money. Except she’d never had a shopping trip like it. Even when she and Emily would do a sisters’ shopping trip, it had mostly ended up being about Emily buying lovely, delicate, feminine things, while nothing had seemed to fit Alice the way it fitted her sister. She always felt too tall, too large, too ungainly. An Amazon trying to fit into a dress made for a delicate fairy.

But she hadn’t been able to resist the dresses that Gabriela had shown her, each one making her feel as if somehow some magic had been employed and she really was the fairy she’d always longed to be.

It was silly to indulge herself like that, not to mention pointless. Because where would she ever wear any of them? At home it was always suits to work and then sweat pants in the evening to sit in front of the TV. Even when Edward was alive, that was all she’d wear. He hadn’t seemed to care, which had been nice on the one hand, but, on the other, he’d never mentioned it when she had made an effort, so it had also left her feeling unappreciated.

Gabriela hadn’t mentioned when Sebastián would be back, which was annoying. She had to force this discussion with him somehow, get some kind of resolution, otherwise what would have been the point of coming to Madrid?

An idea stole through her head, one she’d never contemplated before and shouldn’t be contemplating now and yet she couldn’t shake it.

There was one way she could get his attention. One way to make him have this conversation with her. One way to bring him round to her way of thinking, even.

She could use the physical chemistry between them, the desire that flared whenever they were near each other. It was maybe a little manipulative, but this was Diego they were talking about and she’d do whatever she had to do for him.

Of course, there was always the risk of such a plan backfiring on her, but it wasn’t as if she were going to sleep with Sebastián. She’d already decided that nothing would happen between them. She’d just...toy with him a little, cloud his judgement. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t been doing to her for the past five years, after all.

Feeling pleased with herself, she showered in the white marble and gold bathroom then carefully chose one of the dresses she’d bought, a beautiful deep red silk number with a plunging neckline and cut on the bias to enhance her curves, before falling from her hips to swirl provocatively around her thighs.

Then she went out to the huge open-plan dining/living area where she sat in grand solitude as Gabriela served her a delicious dinner of a tortilla and salad. No mention was made of when Sebastián would return, but that was fine. She’d just wait until he appeared.

Afterwards, Alice curled up with a book in one of the comfortable armchairs in the small library. On the low coffee table in front of her, Gabriela had put a glass of extraordinarily good Spanish red wine and some squares of chocolate.

It was nice to be looked after, Alice realised, and she could see why Emily had liked it so much. No thought was required and no energy expended. All she had to do was sit there and have all her needs catered for and for someone like her, who usually preferred to have control over most parts of her life, it was refreshing not to have to do it all herself.

She was just on the point of deciding whether she should have another piece of chocolate or a coffee to keep herself awake, when the door to the library opened and Sebastián walked in.

Instantly all thoughts of sleep vanished.

He stood in the doorway, darkly handsome, intensely attractive, with his tie loosened, the top buttons of his black business shirt undone, his golden eyes widening as he noticed her sitting there.

Her heart began to beat faster, harder, the air in the room getting as thick and electric as it had in the helicopter earlier on that day.

The approach she’d chosen for this conversation was dangerous, which meant she couldn’t rush it. She had to do this carefully.

Taking a breath, she put down her wine and the book, slipping from the armchair and getting to her feet.

‘Good, I’m glad you’re back,’ she said into the tense silence, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt. ‘We need to talk.’

He hadn’t moved, his gaze searing as it scanned her from head to foot, following the curves of the red silk dress and then back up again. And there it was, once more, that hungry look in his eyes, the burning intensity that stole all the air from her lungs.

‘Sebastián,’ she managed, though what else she’d been going to say, she had no idea. Because that was the moment he finally moved towards her, striding forward as if for battle, as if nothing was going to stand in his way. And she should have done something, followed through with her plan, but she didn’t. She stood there, her heart beating its way out of her chest as he stopped in front of her. Then he lifted his hands as if reaching for a prize he’d worked long and hard for, thrusting his fingers into her hair and dragging her head back. And his mouth covered hers and the whole universe stopped.

There was heat and demand and hunger. Years of aching need. Longing and desperation and she was lost to it. All her good intentions fell away, her plan and everything that went with it, all her guilt, all her grief. There was only his hard mouth on hers in a kiss that she’d spent so many years fantasising about, and now was finally happening.

She couldn’t control herself. The thought of stopping simply didn’t enter her head. Instead, she groaned in sheer relief and melted into him, winding her arms around his neck, leaning into the heat of his muscular body, opening her mouth, and letting him in. And he tasted as good as she’d always imagined he would. No, better. Like dark chocolate and Scotch, and everything delicious and sinful and wrong.

All of this was wrong and yet no power on earth would have pulled her away. His fingers were tight in her hair and he was devouring her as if he were starving. His tongue in her mouth, exploring, demanding, taking.

Then he shifted one hand from her hair down to the small of her back, pulling her hard against him, only the thin silk of her dress and the wool of his suit trousers separating them. She could feel the tensile strength of his body and it excited her. There was so much power there and he was so tall. Taller than Edward. Broader and more muscular, too. She loved that. Loved how it made her feel so delicate and feminine in comparison. She could feel the hard length of his arousal pressing between her thighs, his hunger for her obvious.

It thrilled her down to the bone.

She’d spent so long feeling unattractive and unwanted, and nothing she’d done to make herself more appealing had made any difference to Edward. He’d withdrawn from her so relentlessly and completely that eventually she’d stopped trying.

But now Sebastián wanted her. Sebastián was desperate for her and she wanted more than anything in the world to give herself to him.

The kiss went on and on, increasing in desperation until eventually Sebastián dropped one hand from her back and took a fistful of her dress, tugging hard and ripping the silk from her body. She barely noticed. Then she was on her back on the carpet in front of the small fireplace, and he was tearing at her underwear like a madman, shredding the flimsy material and getting rid of it.

His eyes glowed bright like coins, the expression on his beautiful face ferocious with desire. She grabbed at his tie, ripping it away then clawing at the buttons on his shirt, jerking it open to get to the hot skin beneath. She had dreamed of touching him for so long and she felt as if she might die if she didn’t right this instant.

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