Page 54 of Seduced by Her Billionaire Fake Fiancé

“I think so,” she whispered, staring straight ahead. “But let’s go before I change my mind.”

He moved one leg, made a sound and the horse moved obediently towards the others and Andie let out a small shriek of genuine fear because the memory of being thrown was one of her most vivid.

But there was Max’s arm around her waist, pulling her close, his fingers gently reassuring her, stroking her stomach rhythmically, making it impossible for fear to overwhelm her, because rather than letting the past dominate, she had a tangible connection to the present, to the physical here and now.

He rode towards Leandro and Emilia, pulled the horse to a stop, and by then Andie had had long enough to regain some composure, so she was able to smile and nod when Emilia asked if she was enjoying herself.

“I’m going to take Andie towards the ruins,” Max said. “We’ll meet you back at the house.”

Emilia laughed. “Okay, okay. We can take a hint. Off you go, lovebirds.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to refute that, but Andie didn’t have the chance. Max swiftly moved them off again, setting the horse going at a trot, not too fast, just quickly enough to cover ground without making Andie feel as though she were in any danger.

As with all things Max did, he was very skilled. He easily controlled the enormous stallion. The fields stretched for miles on either side of them, beautiful and green, and the morning sunshine was delightful, despite being the middle of winter. Andie was rugged up enough to be quite warm, though her face was cold courtesy of the wind whipping them as they rode.

After only fifteen minutes or so, they reached a dilapidated ruin of a building, large and made of stone, so curiosity had Andie forgetting to be afraid when Max helped her off the horse. Only she also forgot to carefully keep her distance, so as she stepped off and he caught her, their bodies bumped together and all the breath evacuated Andie’s lungs in one motion. Her lips parted and her eyes flew to his, shocked by how quickly her body responded andcravedhim again.

His own response was no less obvious, from the way one hand curled around her back, holding her where she was, to the way his eyes dropped from hers to Andie’s lips and hovered there as if desperate to kiss her, or desperately telling himself not to.

He was the stronger of the pair and he broke their connection by stepping back, rubbing his hands over his back pockets. “This used to be a monastery,” he said, voice thickly accented. “It was destroyed, ransacked, in the eighteenth century, and left as you see it today.”

Andie was grateful he’d given her an excuse to move away. She stepped towards the building, eyes tracing the stone walls. “It’s enormous.”

“Yes. It was one of the largest in the region. Over there, there was a church, though little remains of that beyond some footings.”

“Incredible,” she murmured. “When was it built?”

“Around the eleventh century.”

She turned to face him. “Is this on your land?”

He dipped his head once.

“What a privilege,” she said with a shake of her head, reaching out and touching the walls. “You are so lucky to be the custodian of this site.”

“We are,” he agreed. “And that is exactly how we think of it. Each summer, a select group of archaeology students from around the world is invited to come and study the ruins. It’s our prerogative to share it with the world.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, wondering at the rush of pride and warmth she felt for Max and his family.

“Though as a boy, I cared little for the sacredness of the site. Then, it was simply an exceptional hiding place, a fort, to be used as a barricade and to form the backdrop of all our wildest games. Here, Leandro, Emme and I would pretend we were soldiers in some long-ago war, staging epic battles that would last all day, and into the night.”

Andie smiled, her stomach swirling with butterflies. “Lucky kids.”

“Was it like this with you and your brother?”

She shook her head. “He’s a few years younger than me, and we’re quite different. We didn’t play together much growing up.”

“But you’re protective of him,” Max murmured.

“I guess so.” She hesitated, tracing the lines of grout in the wall. “Carlisle is dyslexic, but nobody realized until he’d almost finished elementary school, and in the meantime, he’d fallen a long way behind academically. He was teased by his peers and I think often felt useless and frustrated, and embarrassed, at home. In contrast, I have always loved to read and write and was early with both.”

“He compared himself to you,” Max murmured.

“Yes, I think he did. I sometimes wonder if…” Her voice trailed off rather than making the admission that would have been dredged from her soul.

But Max came to stand beside her, pressing a finger to her cheek, lightly touching her flesh. “What do you wonder,bella?”

She swallowed. “I can’t help but feel responsible, sometimes. Was that when it all started? Did I make him feel less than? Did I knock his confidence without even realizing it?”

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