It was her face. Her voice. It was her.
Lola.
The only one he’d wanted. The one he’d dreamed about for the last year, in hot, unwilling dreams. Every morning, he’d woken up, still aching for her.
Now, at last, she was his. Forever.
And you’re mine, she’d said.
Her claim washed through his soul. He trembled. He gloried in his possession of her.
But he could not surrender in his turn. Could not give himself fully. Not to Lola, or any woman.
But his hands were shaking as he gripped her. When he saw her burst with pleasure, a rush went through his body, through his soul, with a pounding roar.
Cupping her face in his hands, he said urgently, “You’re mine forever. You’ll never betray me. Say it.”
“I’ll never betray you,” she said breathlessly, her beautiful face rosy with passion, her half-lidded eyes bright with ecstasy. And he believed her.
Lowering his lips against hers, he felt a searing joy—almost like pain—as his heart cracked inside him, like steel in sparks of flame. He wanted to trust her. He wanted to. She was his wife now. His—
And in that moment, for the first time in his life, Rodrigo lost control.
Gripping her hips, he gave in to the pleasure punching through him with violent force, knocking out his breath. A low growl built into a roar as he shattered, shuddering as he poured himself inside her.
And he collapsed.
When Rodrigo finally came back to awareness, it could have been minutes or hours later. He found himself tenderly holding her body against his own. Their bodies were intertwined, and he saw the warm, fading glow of twilight.
As he held Lola in his arms, joy went through him. It was as if the last miserable year had just been a bad dream.
Then he saw the motes of dust moving lazily in the light, like flickers of gold floating softly to the floor. And he remembered—everything.
Remembered why he could never trust any woman.
Especially now. They were married. They had a child. There was too much at stake.
He couldn’t let down his guard. Because every time he did...
Pain cut through him, even more overwhelming than the pleasure had been. Suddenly shaking, he withdrew his hands from where they’d rested so cozily, so tenderly, on her body.
Rodrigo had thought he could have sex with a cold heart. But the joke was on him. He’d thought he could take her like a conqueror. Instead, after a year of mutual hunger, she’d matched his fire, and they’d burned together like a phoenix rising to the sun. It hadn’t just been physical, but almost holy.
Far from conquering her, he’d wanted to give her—everything.
Slowly getting out of bed, he silently backed away. But as he picked up his trousers and boxers from the tile floor, he heard her lilting, husky voice.
“Where are you going now?”
His spine snapped straight. He turned to face her.
“Out. I’m going out.”
Frowning at his tone, she slowly sat up in bed. “Where?”
His gaze traced unwillingly on her soft skin, the smooth curves of her body now a soft pink in the fading sunlight. He kept his face expressionless, careful to give nothing away. He’d learned, while building his media empire, that any emotional weakness only invited destruction.
But he hadn’t just learned it in business. He’d learned it long before. From every single woman he’d known.
He said shortly, “Where I go is none of your concern.”
Her lips twisted. “Of course it is. I’m your wife.”
“I have business.”
“Where?”
He thought fast. “South America.”
“What?” Lola sat up straight, her expression incredulous. “You can’t be serious. You just dragged me to California!”
“My business cannot wait,” he said, but the truth was, he couldn’t wait. To be as far away from her as possible.
“We’ll come with you, then.” She lifted her chin. “You married me so we could be a family. So you could help raise our son. Our place is at your side.”
He had said that, Rodrigo realized. Did she see what had changed? Could she see the sudden weakness in his soul? Ice filled his heart.
“Your place is where I say it is,” he said harshly. “I won’t have you dragging Jett around the world for no reason.”
She drew her knees up against her chest. She looked suddenly young and forlorn. “Then why did you bring us here? Just to leave us?”
Rodrigo stared down at her, his heart pounding. But he couldn’t let himself bend. If he did, he might break. Making love to her had left him strangely vulnerable. The walls around his soul, normally impregnable, felt as brittle as untempered steel.
“I will return soon. In the meantime, Mrs. Lee can help with the baby. Tobias and Lester will guard the door and drive you anywhere you require.”
“Don’t go,” she whispered, her hazel eyes luminous.
“You’ll be fine.” Looking into her beautiful face, all shadows and rosy light, Rodrigo came closer. He lowered his head to briefly kiss her lips. She was soft and warm in his arms. He felt his body start to respond.
Ripping away, he choked out, “I’ll leave my credit cards. My checkbook. Buy anything you desire.”
And he left, without looking back.
* * *
Lola didn’t expect to miss him, but she did.
Over the next week, she tried to distract herself from his absence by busily settling in to the beach house and caring for their baby. She bought new clothes for both her and Jett, suitable for the warm California weather and sunny days on the beach or by the pool. She found a new pediatrician, and a wonderful baby boutique in Santa Monica. Rodrigo had told her to use his credit cards, so she’d done her best.
But her heart wasn’t in it. Shopping felt lonely. Strange, since she was never alone. Rodrigo’s bodyguards, Tobias and Lester, insisted on driving Lola wherever she needed to go, and accompanied her and the baby whenever they left the compound. Even back at the beach house, kindly, warm Mrs. Lee was there all day, keeping the house in order and puttering in the kitchen, always offering to help or chat.
But Lola wasn’t feeling chatty. The enormous, luxurious beach house had lost its shine. She felt Rodrigo’s absence every day.
And every night.
Lola wasn’t a romantic like her friend Tess. She had no dreams of hearts and flowers. But having her husband disappear after one day of marriage was beneath even her low expectations.
The big diamond ring weighed heavily on her left hand. Whenever she looked at it, it seemed to glitter back at her hollowly.
What kind of stupid marriage was this?
Lola tried to tell herself she didn’t care. After all, she wasn’t the one who’d demanded marriage. She and Jett had done fine without Rodrigo before. They could again.
She just wished if he’d changed his mind about their marriage that fast, he would tell her, so she and Jett could go back to New York, where they belonged. Where she had friends, people who would at least answer when she called!
Rodrigo only ignored her. Just that morning, Lola had gotten the thrilling news that she’d