‘At least now we all know the truth. But I think we can extend our forgiveness towards your mother, too, Pascual, don’t you? With my own mum living in the UK, Adán is going to need
both
of his grandmothers as he grows—
and
his grandfather. Can we not put the past behind us and start over again? We’re young and in love and we have the most beautiful son in the world! Our future can start right here and now, if you’re willing?’
‘
Mi amor,
I am
more
than willing to let that be the case.’
Moving towards her, Pascual covered Briana’s mouth in damp erotic kisses that made her weak with joy and desire, his hands moving over her slippery warm body with all the ardour of the most insatiable of eager lovers. And when they emerged from the bathroom, quite some time later, it was only to rekindle the flame they had stoked all over again in the bedroom…
All the dancing had made her hot. Seeking the cooler air that the early hours of the morning so blissfully provided, Briana went outside. The entrancing music of the ball faded a little the more she walked away from the house, but was still easily discernible just the same. She had left Pascual waltzing with Marisa—utterly ravishing in a glittering Venetianstyle ballgown and harlequin mask studded with pearls. He was in the costume of a nineteenth-century Venetian nobleman, complete with a black velvet half-mask that made him look almost too handsome and charismatic for words!
Traditionally in Argentina, because there was such a mix of cultures, a wedding was a chance for couples to remember and pay homage to their ancestry, and as Pascual’s family had originally come from Italy he had suggested the Venetian masked ball theme.
He had given her a wedding to remember,
she thought with gratitude and love, hugging herself against the suddenly cooler temperatures.
The voluminous skirts of her ivory silk ballgown wedding dress rustled a little like the wind in the trees as she walked. Wearing it, she had never felt more beautiful or feminine in her life…even though the heavily boned corset beneath the figure-hugging bodice had forced her to keep her enjoyment of the lavish banquet to a minimum, so that she could at least breathe!
Glancing behind her, she saw every window in the palatial mansion blazed with light, and the long gravelled path that led away from the house was lit with glowing lanterns on either side. It really was like the most incredible dream. A month ago she, Adán and Pascual had travelled back to the UK, so that Briana could put her affairs in order in preparation for moving to Argentina for good, and they had brought her mother Frances back with them—for an extended holiday and to be there at her daughter’s wedding.
Paloma Dominguez had been sweetness itself to Frances
and
Briana, and had even issued her daughter-in-law with a clearly genuine apology for what had gone on before. Adán had given her a new lease of life, she’d enthused, and both women had insisted on tucking him into bed tonight before coming down to the ball. Two more doting grand-mothers would be hard to find!
But the thing that had amazed and heartened Briana the most was that she had made friends here.
Genuine,
caring friends she could laugh and be herself with. Nobody looked down on her because of her background, and Pascual’s family had welcomed her with open arms. She saw that she had been mistaken before in imagining she wouldn’t fit in and that everyone would despise her because she’d had such a different upbringing from her wealthy husband. It made her realise that some of her fears had indeed prejudiced her into not recognising that there were good people everywhere—no matter
what
their background or history—she only had to have her eyes open to see!
She walked on to a stand of trees in the distance, silhouetted against the night sky like menacing dark sentinels. The air was full of luscious scents as well as the evocative sound of cicadas. The perfume of exotic flowers mingled with the more earthy notes of the land itself, and the legacy from the sunshine earlier in the day permeated the atmosphere with faint but subtle baked warmth.
Was that the rumble of thunder she had just heard?
She came to a standstill for a moment, suddenly realising that what her ears had picked up was the distant sound of a horses’ hooves not the thunderous precursor to a storm. Peering into the inky night ahead, she shivered.
A rider on a black stallion bedecked in nineteenthcentury livery was heading towards her at a steady canter. Briana’s heart missed a beat. She hardly knew what to make of the strange scene unfolding. But when the obscured full moon emerged from behind a bank of low-lying dark clouds above the trees, shining its ethereal light on the rider and his horse, she honestly thought she had never seen anything more spine-tingling and dramatic in her whole life!
Horse and rider pulled up beside her.
‘Buenas noches, mi señora,’
a richly sensual male voice greeted her.
Wishing she had brought a shawl with her, Briana shivered again. Even though the rider wore a mask, immediately she knew it was Pascual, and she stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder behind her own ivory halfmask—a disguise that she thought made the women who wore it resemble exotic and mysterious cats.
‘Pascual! I left you dancing with Marisa…how did you get away so soon?’
‘This house has many secret passages and exits that you do not yet know about,
mi amor!
’ There was a pleased smile in his voice. ‘When I saw you leave and go outside, I also saw the perfect opportunity to spirit you away from the party and take you somewhere private, where I can be alone with my new wife!’
‘Where are we going?’
Gazing down at the vision in silk and satin before him, her beautiful face partially obscured by the very sexy mask she wore, her shoulders and the tops of her breasts bared by the revealing and ravishing neckline of her gown, he felt the most delicious tension coil deep inside him—as well as pride and love.
It was true what he had said. He could not wait to get her alone.
The wedding reception had started that evening and—as tradition dictated—would continue on until breakfast. Daybreak was too far away for him to wait for the privilege of making love with his gorgeous new wife, Pascual had decided earlier, and he was not going to wait a moment longer!
‘Give me your hand,’ he ordered.
‘You don’t mean—? Pascual, I can’t get up on that horse in this gown! It’s impossible!’
‘
Nothing
is impossible!’ He laughed, and hauled her up into the saddle in front of him.
After a little patient adjusting of her voluminous gown, and sliding his arms round Briana’s slender waist to reach the reins, Pascual clicked his teeth and his steed broke into another steady canter.
Directing the stallion away from the path, and crossing the wide open grassy area beside it towards the woodland that lay in darkness beyond, he murmured soft-voiced against the delicate pale lobe of Briana’s ear. ‘Hold on,
mi amor.
This will get us there quicker!’ and he schooled his horse into a near gallop.
Yelping in fright, Briana felt her body go almost rigid in the saddle in front of him, before pressing even more deeply against Pascual’s chest. ‘Please don’t let me fall!’ she begged.
‘Never!’ he answered. ‘I am an extremely accomplished horseman, and the last thing in the world I would do would be to let the woman I love fall or injure herself in any way when in my care.’
When they came to the spot deep within the forested area that he sought—a secluded semicircle of grass and bracken beneath the shade of some very tall trees—Pascual dismounted first, then reached up for Briana to help her down onto the soft grass. As she spilled into his arms in a warm, delectable bundle of satin and silk, the feel of her body was utterly divine to his hungry senses.
‘How did you enjoy your riding adventure?’ he teased, reluctantly releasing her.
‘It’s a wonder my legs can hold me up, they’re shaking so badly!’
‘Well, you will not have to stand for very much longer, my sweet…I can promise you that.’
Leading the stallion a little further away, he reached for the small bundle he had secured behind the saddle before tethering the reins to a tree branch and returning to join Briana. The bundle he had collected was a generous-sized soft wool blanket, and now he shook it out and laid it at the foot of the tree they were standing beneath.
‘You think of everything!’ Her expression delightfully shy, Briana walked into his arms.
It was like walking into heaven
…Briana thought. He kissed her gently at first, then, as hunger spilled over into unstoppable need for both of them, with loving hands urged her down onto the blanket. Mindless with desire and love for the wonderful man who was now her husband, she hardly knew how they accomplished the removal of her exquisite gown, with all its tiny hooks and eyes and layers of silk, but somehow they found a way.
When Briana lay beneath Pascual wearing only a cream-coloured suspender belt and matching sheer stockings he was still more or less fully clothed, except for the silk shirt that she had feverishly pulled open so that she could touch that wonderful hard-muscled chest of his. They eagerly sought the connection and release they had both been craving all day. Suspended above her, Pascual gazed down at Briana with the most emotional glance he had ever given her, and a tiny muscle flickered at the side of his perfectly sculpted cheekbone.
‘I never want to lose you again,’ he vowed, his tone not quite steady.
‘You won’t,’ Briana promised, touching his cheek and wanting to keep him right there inside her for the rest of this unbelievably magical night. ‘What can I do to convince you that I’m here to stay, my love?’
‘Give me another child,’ he answered huskily and, turning his head, pressed his warm lips against her palm.
Not even hesitating, she let a tremulous welcoming smile lift the edges of her mouth.
‘Gladly,’
she replied—and meant it with all her heart…
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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First published in Great Britain 2009
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Maggie Cox 2009
ISBN: 978 1 408 91294 2