Page 21 of Till Death Do Us Part

Tears prickled the back of my eyes. “You’re asking me even after what I said?”

He nodded. “The only answer that matters is yours, not your brother’s normi padre’s.”

My hands began to tremble. “I regretted my first marriage from the moment he put the ring on my finger.”

Aléjandro stayed poised on one knee.

“I’m not a virgin.”

He laughed. “Neither am I. And if you were, your first husband would have been more than a prick. He would have been insane.” He lifted the ring from the box. “Will you wear this?”

I was desperate to make him understand. “I don’t like sex.”

Aléjandro’s eyebrows went up. “Because you were with the wrong man.”

Arrogant asshole. “Do you have an answer for everything?”

He nodded. “Give me the rest of our lives to prove that to you.”

I wiped a rogue tear from my cheek. “Till death do us part?”

“I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”

Finally, I nodded. “I’ll wear the ring as long as you understand I don’t want this. I’m being forced to agree.”

Sliding the ring over my knuckle, Aléjandro smiled. “I’ve wanted you since the night of the wedding. That desire is enough for both of us.”

He stood, capturing my cheeks between his large palms and bringing his lips down on mine.

Unnerved by his advance, I should have backed away. I should have slapped him as I did months ago. This never would have happened with my first engagement. A woman raised in my world was supposed to have her first kiss during her wedding, not at the engagement. Those thoughts came and evaporated as I lingered in the fruity-sweet and earthy taste of Aléjandro.

His confidence caught me off guard. There was no hesitation, his approach was no doubt well practiced on many women, and yet my hands slid to the front of his shirt, feeling the beat of his heart, and my body leaned into him. Nerve endings that I was sure had dried up and died were resurrected. My flesh tingled as I pressed against his hard, muscular body, feeling his solid torso and even his weapon beneath his shirt. His hands didn’t move from my cheeks, and I found myself wishing they would.

My nipples grew hard as I imagined what it would feel like to have his strong hands on my body, to move lower, and wander over my skin.

I stifled a moan as his tongue slid past mine, bringing more sweet flavors. By the time our kiss ended, I was uncomfortably aware of the dampness between my legs.

Aléjandro grinned. “You won’t regret this.”

I was pretty sure I already did.

ChapterFive

Mia

Giorgia stood back and smiled. “You’re a beautiful bride…again.”

We were in the bedroom we’d been assigned in the Ruiz home. While the house wasn’t as large as Mom’s place, it was beautiful in its own right: Spanish architecture and as Dario had promised, beautifully situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

I turned to the full-length mirror. My cream-colored lace dress was formfitting with a hem that came to above my ankles. My hair was styled in an updo. I wore rhinestone-studded four-inch-heeled sandals and beneath my dress was a lace bra and panties. “At least Aléjandro won’t be cutting this off of me.” My attempt at levity wasn’t appreciated by my cousin.

“I’m sorry you have to do this.”

Bending my knees, I sank onto the side of the bed. “I think I’ve come to terms with it.” I had yet to admit the way Aléjandro’s kiss set my body ablaze. “Dario isn’t going to let me change my mind. If he wouldn’t let me change my mind last month, the day of the wedding is a definite no.”

Giorgia sat at my side and covered my hand with hers. “You told him you don’t like sex.”

I nodded.

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