Page 1 of Midnight Surrender to the Spaniard

CHAPTER ONE

‘MARRIED?’

At first Anna Douglas thought her friend was joking. After all, you couldn’t read facial expressions in a phone call, and Emily had only been in Spain for six weeks.

‘Anna, I know it’s fast, but I want one person at least to be happy for us...’

The smile on Anna’s face faded as she heard the slight desperation in her friend’s tone.

‘His whole family are against it. Sebastián thinks I’m some sort of gold-digger...’

‘What?’

‘Oh, yes. While Alejandro was in the States, Sebastián fired me and terminated my accommodation at the bodega in an attempt to break us up. He practically threw me out...’

‘Sebastián?’

Anna frowned, because he was one of the Romero brothers. She’d heard that name a few times in recent weeks. Emily had been working on the website of some luxurious sherry bodega, and from everything Anna had gleaned he didn’t sound in the least pleasant.

‘Hold on a moment. Just who are you marrying?’

‘Alejandro,’ Emily said, and Anna’s heart sank when she realised her shy friend was actually involved with one of the Romero brothers.

They were billionaire playboys with dreadful reputations. Anna only knew this because she’d read up on them when her friend had taken the role.

It got worse.

The wedding was to take place in two weeks’ time and, yes, her friend confided, she was pregnant...

‘We’re only telling his parents.’

Anna, a little bolder and rather more forthright than her friend, had been about to advise her to slow things down, but when she heard about the pregnancy she closed both her lips and her eyes.

‘Anna, I need your support on this.’

‘Youalwayshave my support.’

Unequivocally.

After all, Emily was the only one in the entire village who had stood by her during the darkest of times.

It was quite a long phone call, filled with a mixture of tears and excitement from Emily as Anna did her best to remain calm and sound upbeat about this sudden May wedding!

‘Please say you and Willow will be there.’

‘The thing is...’ Anna halted, not sure what to say to her dearest friend.

For once it wasn’t about money, because Emily had told her that Alejandro was insisting on paying for their flights and accommodation. The issue was that Willow had had a string of painful ear infections and was waiting for minor surgery.

‘Anna, please. You have to be there.’

It was a relief when the call ended. Anna sat on the sofa and, resting her elbows on her knees, scrunched her fists around handfuls of her long blonde hair and let out a tense breath.

Do something, Anna!

She was soon on the computer, on the very website her best friend had designed, reading about the groom, his brother, and their younger sister Carmen—who, Emily had told her, had also done her best to break up the couple.

Her eyes met those of Sebastián Romero—the eldest of the siblings and the one most opposed to the marriage. He was leaning against a wall, or a balcony, high up on a roof terrace, and smiling into the camera. Anna ignored his dark good looks and suave appearance. Instead she noticed that his smile didn’t reach his black eyes...

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