Page 124 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

“If you’re suggesting we go back in and make love again, I’m all for it.”

Her laugh trickled over him. “And ruin all of Aroldo’s hard work?”

They dined on the eggs and fruit. Julius nearly choked on the first oyster he tried.

“It’s slimy.”

Esmerelda dipped hers in the small container filled with cocktail sauce and popped it into her mouth, her eyes drifting shut as she moaned.

“They’re delicious.”

“Slimy,” Julius repeated.

“More for me, then.”

He watched, amused and grateful to see her like this. Relaxed, joyful. Even though so much of his identity remained wrapped up tightly in his mind, even though their future together remained up in the air, he felt happy for the first time in his limited memory.

They spent the rest of the morning on the terrace by the pool, alternatively lounging in the chairs and swimming in the warm waters. A shower after lunch led to him wrapping her water-slicked legs around his waist and driving himself into her, her back pressed against the tiles, her mouth fused to his. The afternoon included a ride in a Jeep and a hike to a waterfall, where Esmerelda terrified and aroused him by jumping off a cliff into one of the pools. When he chastised her, she splashed him, resulting in a battle that ended with them laying on a stretch of sand behind the falls, kissing and running their hands over each other until they worked themselves into a frantic frenzy. They’d barely made it back to the villa before he’d carried her to his room and made love to her again.

Dinner was salad and a Grenadian stew, discreetly left under a tray on the terrace table with a note from Aroldo stating that he would return in the morning. They lingered over the wine, talked, savored each other’s company and then savored one another’s bodies once more as the sky darkened. They fell asleep once again wrapped in each other’s arms.

It was around midnight when Julius awoke and remembered.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THEDIAMONDGLEAMEDbeneath the rosy light of dawn sweeping across the sea and up onto the terrace. Miss Smythe’s words came back to him as he stared at the ring.

“The longer you look, the more you see.”

It had always been for her. He remembered now, sitting in the elegant opulence of Smythe’s, dismissing twenty-carat diamonds and pure red rubies.

And then he’d seen it. The salt-and-pepper diamond. The inclusions scattered inside had reminded him of her freckles, of how he’d kissed her in Paris and made her laugh.

The longer he’d looked at Esmerelda, the more he’d seen. She’d gone from being a highly rated graduate and an effective bodyguard to a flesh-and-blood woman he couldn’t get out of his mind.

Her courage had humbled him. Her dedication had intrigued him. And the shy smile she’d shot him in the hospital after her accident when he’d given her something so simple—a book he’d somehow recalled her mentioning a week before the accident—had shot past years of defenses and grabbed hold of his cold heart.

He’d denied it at first. Chalked it up to an emotional reaction to her saving his life. But her actions had created an intimacy neither of them had expected. Instead of just issuing orders, they’d talked. He’d come to respect her opinions on Rodina, even if he didn’t always agree with them, found himself looking forward to seeing her each day.

Then they’d gone to Paris. They’d traveled together before. But Paris had been the first time they’d had hours of nothing: no meetings, no press conferences or fundraising events. He’d stepped out of the hotel, away from the bodyguard on shift just to have a minute to breathe. Then he’d seen her at the café, head tipped back, curls tumbling down her back and freedom in her eyes as she’d soaked up her surroundings. It was as if the thin veil he’d purposefully pulled down between them had been ripped away. The feelings he’d barely kept at arm’s length over the year had risen, overwhelming his resolve.

The longer I looked, the more I saw.

He reached out, laid a finger on one of the pearls circling the diamond. That night had been one of incredible pleasure. But it had also solidified the connection he’d felt growing between them. When she’d come to him the morning after on the balcony, her touch smoothing away some of his inner turmoil, he’d known that what he felt for Esmerelda had been much more than casual lust.

When his father had come to him on his return from Paris and brought up the need for an engagement, it had been a reprieve. He did well with orders, with facts and lists. But feelings, emotions...those hadn’t factored into his life for years. As he’d made the arrangements for Esmerelda’s reassignment, he’d kept himself numb, resolute against the occasional flicker of conscience or the annoying tug of his heart.

And then she’d left.

The ache came as swiftly as the sunlight spreading across the sea. It had taken him days to acknowledge he missed Esmerelda, and several more before he made his decision. He’d told himself that Esmerelda was a good choice. Her loyalty to the throne, her dedication to the country, her vast knowledge of politics and government, were not the traditional assets of wealth, land and power brought by previous brides and grooms. But Rodina’s economy was stable and strong. The entire island had been a part of Rodina for generations. And he and his father had both made significant headway in international forums.

All justifications he’d presented to his father a week after Esmerelda had left. Justifications his father had swept aside with one simple question.

“Do you want to marry her?”

Julius hesitated. He had never made a decision, let alone one so crucial, with emotions playing a pivotal role.

“Yes.”

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