Page 69 of Surrender to the Ruthless Billionaire

Yours sincerely,

Luis

The words were swirling in front of her eyes. She knew that Luis loved her. He had told her so. But what she hadn’t realised until now was that she loved him too. Loved him so much that her heart felt as though it would burst.

‘Oh, Laura.’ She looked up, tears spilling over her cheeks. ‘What have I done? What have I done?’

*

Stopping at the edge of the cliff, Luis gazed out towards the horizon. The sun had already burned away the early-morning haze of cloud and was now shimmering like a huge golden orb in the sky. Past the dark grey rocks, white-topped waves were slicing through the smooth blue surface of the water. It was going to be a glorious day.

He glanced at the sea longingly. Maybe next time he would take the boat out—right now, though, he wanted to go swimming.

Stepping back, he made his way down the cliff path towards the tidal pool. The beach was his usual destination for an early-morning swim, but he was feeling lazy today. Today he simply wanted to enjoy the delicious and still novel feeling of playing truant in the sunshine. And what better way to do that than by lying on his back and gazing up at this cloudless sky, buoyed up by the warm Mediterranean water?

The last four weeks had been some of the busiest and most chaotic in his life. Having decided to move back to Spain permanently, he had finally sat down with his father and the lawyers yesterday and formally taken over as chairman of Banco Osorio. And last week he’d flown back to California to sort out his business affairs and arrange the sale of his properties.

Returning to Segovia, he’d known immediately that he’d made the right decision. Even without his parents’ joy it had felt as if he was coming home.

But, although he was happy to be back, he felt Cristina’s absence every minute of every hour. At times he thought he was losing his mind with the misery of losing her. Just like with Bas, he felt as if a part of him was missing—almost as though when she’d walked away she’d taken something with her.

His legs slowed to a halt and, closing his eyes, he let the pain wash over him.

That was why he’d returned to the island alone. To face the pain head-on in the place where he and Cristina had become lovers.

He might have met her in that club in Segovia, but that night had been about sex and oblivion.

This was where the miracle had happened—where the barriers he’d built between himself and the world had started to crumble. And this was where he needed to be to start the long process of rebuilding his life.

Without her.

Opening his eyes, he breathed out slowly. Cristina was gone from his life, and only by exorcising the memory of her and his hopes for what might have been could he hope to move on.

The ache inside his chest was suddenly so big that he thought it might break through his skin. He didn’t want to move on. He wanted to go back in time—go back to the moment when she’d needed him.

Except that wouldn’t work, for even if he could stop time it wouldn’t change the eventual outcome. Cristina didn’t love him, and however painful it was to accept that fact he needed to do it.

Bas’s death had taught him that.

Life was for living, not for grieving.

But he did just want one last moment before he reset the clock for ever…

From somewhere nearby he heard a splash, and the sound pulled him back to the present. Theoretically he could stay here for as long as he wanted, but he’d made a deal with himself. One last swim and then he would go home.

Turning towards the oval of clear blue water set into the rocks, he made his way across the warm limestone slabs—and abruptly stopped.

A woman was swimming smoothly beneath the water.

He couldn’t see her face, but then he didn’t need to. Even with the sun glaring off the water, dazzling his eyes, the curve of her back was unmistakable. Unforgettable.

Staring down at her, he felt his stomach seem to go into free fall, just as though he’d dived off the rock to join her. He watched, dry-mouthed, as she slow-crawled to the side and pulled herself up onto one of the flat plateaux that edged the pool, blinking water out of her eyes, leaving her hair—her brown hair—clinging to the contours of her skull.

Cristina.

He forced himself to say her name inside his head, and just as though she’d heard him she turned and their eyes met.

For the longest moment neither of them moved. They just gazed at one another. And then suddenly she was walking towards him.

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