Page 69 of His Innocent for One Spanish Night

Alejandro wanted more for her than barely formed promises he didn’t believe in nor know how to keep. He wanted her to take her newly discovered self from his bedroom out into the world. For her to know she could stand up for herself and fight her corner. To know, as he had the day they met, that she was beautiful, talented and funny.

‘Emily, I have kept things quiet because of the reaction of my family and Mariana’s. Not because of you.’

She nodded, but he could still see the shadow of doubt in her eyes and knew he had to do more to convince her. So he turned back to the mirror and pulled his hair forward.

‘You know what? You’re right.’

‘About what?’

Emily was trying to keep her voice steady and hide her disappointment at his response, reminding herself that he’d said from the start he didn’t do long-term relationships.

‘About cutting your own hair. A professional salon is not just a waste of money,’ Alejandro said. ‘It’s a waste of time. Every two weeks I have to sit in that chair getting this trimmed. It’s due now.’

She tried to drag her mind from fidelity to hair, from his family’s wrath to the business lunch he was getting ready to attend...

‘You look fine,’ she said, when in reality he looked perfect, with his dark suit, his silver tie, and his hair that didn’t look as if it was due a cut. But then that thick, glossy hair was always superbly styled, his sideburns neatly trimmed. Of course there was some serious grooming going on.

And then she saw him pulling a few strands of hair down and delving in his toiletry bag. He took out some small nail scissors.

‘What are you doing, Alejandro?’

‘I told you—I’m due for a trim...’ He took a chunk of black silky hair, right at the front.

He was teasing...she was sure.

Oh, no!

‘Stop it!’

‘Why?’ He hacked into his fringe and she watched open-mouthed as several inches of black hair fell to the floor. ‘See?’ he said. ‘Nothing to it.’

‘Alejandro!’

‘What?’ He frowned. ‘Don’t you like it?’

‘It’s...’

It was dreadful. More than that, she couldn’t believe he would do that just to make a point. And as he stood there, still impossibly beautiful, to her utter surprise Emily found she’d started to laugh, and so had he.

‘You cannot go out like that.’

‘Why not?’ he demanded.

‘Let me fix it.’ She reached for the scissors but his hand closed over hers.

‘Oh, no,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen your handiwork. Anyway, if my hair is so awful that you don’t want to be seen with me tonight, then we can get room service.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous...’ Emily’s voice trailed off as she realised what she had just said—it wasridiculousto suggest that she wouldn’t want to be seen with him because of his hair.

‘Get it?’ he said, and lifted her chin so that she looked into those beautiful eyes.

Finally she nodded.

‘I think you’re beautiful,’ he said. ‘I just wish we were in agreement.’

‘I feel guilty,’ she admitted in truth. ‘I feel guilty spending money.’

‘Spend mine, then.’ He smiled and kissed her briefly, hard on the mouth. ‘I’ll see you after this lunch,’ Alejandro said. ‘Although it might go on for a while.’

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