Page 75 of Royal Caleva: Luis

Luis waved away the apology. “It’s only a photograph and not even a scandalous one. It happens to be a problem only because we are trying to keep a secret.”

They had not even kissed when the photo was taken, but Luis had wondered how her lips would taste many times before that. It showed in his body language. Mostly, though, he had felt a quiet joy in sauntering barefoot on the sand beside a woman he found intriguing…and sexy.

Then Eve walked into the office, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved green T-shirt. Her glorious red hair—that he had tangled his hands in last night—was still wet from a shower and tamed into a thick braid.

“Buenos dias, Luis!” Her smile was brilliant with happiness, and an answering joy bloomed in his chest as he stood. Then her glance fell on Bruno and Mikel standing by the desk. The smile shifted into wariness. She was a smart woman.

Eve’s stomach lurched as she took in the three imposing men who faced her. Luis was smiling, but Bruno and Mikel had solemn expressions.

“Buenos días, Eve,” Luis said. “You look lovely this morning.”

A lie. She had just gotten out of the shower when his text arrived. Hoping that he was inviting her for a quickie in his office, she had twisted her wet hair into a braid and thrown on the first clothes she dragged out of the closet. But Luis’s gaze was as warm as his smile, so maybe he was blinded by lust.

“Good morning, señora,” Bruno said, while Mikel gave her a respectful nod.

“This looks ominous,” Eve said.

“More of a nuisance.” Luis came around the desk to put his hand on the small of her back and guide her to the seating area. “Please, let us sit.”

Luis took the chair next to hers and held out his hand for Bruno’s tablet. “One of our media outlets plans to run this tomorrow.”

He tapped the screen before he passed it to Eve. Her heart sank as she looked at the photo and read the caption, but then she remembered that they hadn’t even kissed each other at the point the photo had been taken. “It’s just two people enjoying the beach. We’re not doing anything shocking.”

Well, there was the flirtatious tilt of her head and the intent focus of Luis’s gaze. Their bodies seemed angled toward each other, too, but it was all subtle.

“It doesn’t matter what we were doing,” Luis said. “You and I were together. If it is published, Odette could see it and recognize you.”

“But I haven’t seen her for more than twenty-five years,” Eve protested.

“Yes, but she may have seen you,” Luis said. “About three years ago, Odette traveled to Iowa to see Grace.”

“That makes no sense. Grace didn’t know who her birth mother was until you told her!” Eve said, trying to absorb the information.

“Odette did not reveal her presence to Grace. She simply observed her. Which means she might have observed you too,” Luis said.

“Oh, crap!” Eve looked at the photo again. Although the picture had obviously been taken with a telephoto lens, her red hair stood out, and her face was probably clear enough to be recognizable. If Odette had seen Eve three years ago, she might be able to identify her.

“Bruno will be able to get La Voix to postpone publication of the photo, but now that we’ve been seen together like this, this paparazzo, or someone from the paper, will be trailing you for another opportunity. And they will track down your name.” Luis took the tablet from her and set it aside before he grasped her hands, his grip warm and strong, an anchor she craved. “We need to get ahead of this so that Odette is not provoked into releasing her version of the story before we can introduce Grace to Caleva on our terms.”

“Get ahead of it how?” Eve was still reeling from the idea that Odette had been near her daughter three years before.

“We need Grace’s decision,” Luis said. “I wished to give her more time, but events have overtaken us.”

No, not events, but her stupid attraction to him had triggered this mess. Her self-indulgence was going to rush Grace into making a decision before she was ready. Guilt wrung her chest, and Eve pulled her hands out of Luis’s grasp.

“We’ll go back to Iowa,” Eve said. “Then no one will take pictures of me or Grace here, and Odette will never know.”

“That would be a mistake,” Mikel said. “Here, we have some influence with the media, but in the U.S., we have almost none. It will be much more difficult to protect Grace there.”

“‘Protect Grace.’” Dread ripped through Eve. Cocooned in the protective net woven around Luis, she had almost forgotten to worry about Grace’s safety. Mikel’s words burst that bubble of innocence with a single pinprick.

Some of her panic must have shown on her face, because Luis leaned in to say in a soothing tone, “Eve, Grace will be fine, no matter where she is.” He swept his gaze between Mikel and Bruno. “If you would give us some privacy,” he said.

They turned and left the office, closing the door behind them.

“I am so sorry, Eve.” Luis wanted to touch her, but she looked ready to explode. “I didn’t wish to pressure Grace, but we cannot wait much longer to make an announcement.”

He wasn’t surprised that the timetable had been taken out of their hands. It was partially his fault. He had been so focused on getting to know his daughter and her getting to know him that he had pushed the limits of secrecy.

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