Page 53 of Royal Caleva: Luis

Annamaria brought them crystal glasses of ruby wine and then vanished into the house.

“We’re not in Iowa anymore,” Grace said as she swirled the wine in her glass.

“That’s for sure,” Eve agreed as the wine’s full, rich flavor slid smoothly over her palate.

They stood a few minutes longer before Eve heard the quiet hiss of the big glass door sliding open. She turned to see Luis and his son framed in the opening, two tall, spectacularly handsome men in perfectly fitting dark suits, and her heart felt as though it would leap out of her chest.

Luis stopped in the doorway, his gaze locked on the two women bathed in sunlight, their red hair aflame and rippling in the breeze. He was overjoyed to see his daughter again, but his blood raced at the sight of Eve, a welcoming smile curving her sensuous mouth, her clothes molded to her body by the sea wind. The intensity of his reaction surprised him, but he let it flow through him with a certain pleasure. For a moment, his gaze met Eve’s, and he thought he saw an answering flicker of heat there.

But he had an important introduction to make. He stepped onto the terrace with Raul by his side.

“Good evening! It is wonderful to have you here in my home,” he said. “I’d like you to meet my son, Raul. Raul, this is Eve.”

Eve stepped forward with a smile, and Raul met her halfway to shake hands. “A pleasure to meet you, Eve,” his son said. “Pater says wonderful things about you.”

Eve’s smile shifted in some way that he couldn’t read as she said, “He says the same about you.”

“Raul, this is your half sister, Grace,” Luis said and stepped back so he could watch their first encounter.

Grace put her hand out. Raul took it in his. For a moment, they stood examining each other, undoubtedly seeing what he saw. How the shape of their faces mirrored each other with the subtle differences of gender. How their eyes were nearly the same color. How the angle at which they tilted their chins was identical.

Then Raul’s smile flashed, and he pulled his half sister into a hug. “Mi hermana, I am so happy to meet you at long last.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Grace said into his shoulder. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to give up being an only child.”

Relief washed through Luis as well. He had worried that Raul would not believe that Luis did not love his son any less because he also loved his daughter.

Raul laughed, and they released each other but didn’t move apart. Luis understood. Finding a new family member was an occasion to be cherished. Eve was watching the encounter with an expression that mixed hope with worry. Her posture was taut, as though she were poised to jump between her daughter and his son, if necessary.

A mama bear protecting her precious cub.

He admired that. And much more.

Annamaria appeared with two glasses of wine, one of which she offered to Luis with a small curtsy. “Gracias, but I think we should have champagne. This is a moment to celebrate,” he said, although he could not yet divulge why. He saw his mayordoma’s glance traveling back and forth between Raul and Grace. She would draw her own shrewd conclusions. “The vintage Dom Perignon, por favor.”

“Por supuesto, Señor!” Annamaria bustled away.

Eve strolled over to his side, saying in a low voice, “Raul is being so nice. I know Grace has a thousand questions for him, and it looks like she’s bombarding him already.”

Luis watched the two young people, who were talking and gesticulating with great animation, before he let his gaze shift to Eve. “Raul is as delighted by his new sibling as I am. Although he considers his cousin Gabriel as a brother, he welcomes another young member of the family. It is sometimes lonely to be the heir to the throne.”

Eve gave him a searching look that said she understood he was speaking from experience. “Still, Raul has been the apple of his father’s eye for his entire life.” Her tone was light, but he heard the concern underlying it.

“He has not always appreciated that fact,” Luis said with a smiling grimace. “I am grateful, though, that he has a genuine passion for serving Caleva.”

Since his son had little choice.

“Do you think it comes with the genes?” Eve asked, slanting a glance up at him.

“The genes and the training from birth,” Luis said. “Who knows which is more powerful?”

“I’ve been studying Calevan history a bit,” she said. “Not every monarch was an enthusiastic ruler.”

“Luckily, we have ways to remove them when that becomes apparent,” Luis said. “Which no longer involves hurling them off a cliff. Although there was a certain satisfying simplicity to that.”

Eve’s brown eyes warmed with amusement.

“Perdon, Señor.” Annamaria appeared at his elbow. “Shall I open the champagne, or would you wish to do so?”

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