Valaquez Bride

by Donna Vitek

  "I'm sure I will be," he said softly, stepping forward as if he meant to enter the room. But he stopped before her and amazingly lifted a silken strand of her hair, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger, as if testing its texture. But with her soft intake of breath, he released it again. "Good night, Juliet."

  There was a strange tenderness in his tone that made it impossible to lift her gaze above the smooth brown column of his neck. She put out one hand as if to touch his arm, then decided against it. "I'm sorry if I sounded ungrateful downstairs," she blurted out compulsively at last. "It's kind of you to stay here with me so Uncle Will won't worry."

  "Good night, Juliet," he merely repeated, then stepped into the room and pushed the door shut behind him.

  A minute later, in her own bedroom, Juliet undressed slowly, unable to forget for a second that Raul was just next door. After slipping into a cool white lawn nightgown, she haphazardly washed her face and brushed her teeth. As she pulled back the quilted coverlet on her bed, she was certain she wouldn't get much rest at all for thinking about him being in the next room but as she slid in between cool blue sheets, her head hardly had time to touch the pillow before she was asleep.

  She was dreaming about Raul and it was a happy dream. He was being incredibly nice to her and she felt a joyous sense of belonging. Yet it was a rather fragmented dream. First, they were walking hand in hand through the courtyard at the casa, then suddenly, they were standing together, looking through a nursery window, not at Holly's baby but at one that bore a striking resemblance to Raul, who was smiling down at her. It was as she smiled back at him that the dream faded and she was roused from sleep by a feather-light brushing back of hair from her face. As a result of the pleasant dream, a slight smile still hovered on her softly curved lips and lingered even when she opened her eyes and found Raul sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. It seemed right somehow for him to be there and she felt very little surprise even as his fingertips brushed across the sensitive nape of her neck.

  "I've brought you coffee, Juliet," he said softly, inclining his head toward the tray on the bedside table. "It's rather late. I thought you might want to get up."

  "Not really," she whispered. "But what time is it?"

  His fingers continued caressing her neck. "It's nearly ten."

  "I suppose I should get up then, shouldn't I?"

  He didn't answer. His narrowed gaze drifted over the fascinating contours of her body outlined against the sheet that covered her, then his eyes met hers again. "Why were you smiling in your sleep?"

  Perhaps it was lingering sleepiness that allowed her to tell the truth. "I was dreaming— about you."

  The fingers against her nape ceased moving. "A nice dream?"

  "Yes," she whispered, a sudden breathless-ness roughening her voice. "I—I think so."

  "What was your dream about? Will you tell me?"

  "I can't remember exactly," she lied, awake enough now to realize how dangerous it was for him to be sitting on her bed clad in only her uncle's terry bathrobe. "Y-you know how vague dreams are sometimes."

  "But you remember enough about this one to know it was about me," he persisted. "So why can't you remember why you were smiling?"

  She could only shake her head and become increasingly aware of an excitement that was mounting inside her, making her entire body grow heated though she was only covered by the thin sheet. "I should get up. Is Benny here?" she babbled self-consciously. "I—I didn't hear him come in. Did you?"

  "No, but unless you snore outrageously loud, he must be here," Raul said softly, mischievously. "Because when I went down to make the coffee, I heard someone snoring loudly enough to wake the dead."

  Juliet had to smile. "Holly's often said the same thing about his snoring. It's usually louder when he's tired. And he must be exhausted after last night." Her words trailed off into a silence so unbearably nerve-wracking she had to break it again herself. "I should get up. Th-thank you for bringing the coffee. I'll have a cup while I dress."

  "I thought we could have it together," he murmured, a suspiciously teasing gleam in his jade green eyes. "But if you'd like to get up and dress while you drink yours, I certainly won't object. I can't think of anything I'd rather do than watch you take off your nightgown."

  Juliet's cheeks flamed. "Raul, please, go," she murmured. "It's crazy for you to be in here."

  "Is it?" He shook his head. "I feel right at home and don't plan to leave… until you tell me what you were dreaming."

  She hesitated, then blurted out, "It was a very choppy dream. We were walking in the courtyard at Casa Valaquez and…"

  "And…"

  "We were looking at a baby through a hospital nursery window."

  "Benny and Holly's baby?"

  "P—probably," she evaded, the inquisition beginning to make her tremble. "I couldn't tell."

  "Really?" Raul's black eyebrows shot up. "Surely you remember if the baby looked like a gnome. Did it?"

  She giggled nervously and shook her head. "No, the baby wasn't crying and was very handsome, actually."

  "Handsome? Hmm, since you use that particular word, the baby must have been a boy. Right?"

  "I guess. Oh, I don't know! Why are you asking all these questions? Why do you care about my dream?"

  "Because it was about me. I'm merely curious."

  "Well, that's all I remember about it so…"

  "But why were you smiling?"

  "Because in it, you were smiling at me!" she exclaimed softly. "So why shouldn't I smile back?"

  "Why indeed." He laughed softly, then leaned down until his lips were brushing hers. "I think it's very interesting that you dreamed you and I were looking at a baby in a hospital nursery, then smiling at each other, don't you? I think maybe you were dreaming that was our baby."

  Shaking her head, she shrank down against the mattress. "Why should I d-dream something like that? I've never even thought about having a baby."

  "But you'd like to someday, wouldn't you?" he whispered. "Wouldn't you, Juliet?"

  "Well, sure, I guess so but…"A kiss silenced her, a kiss that began lightly, caressingly, then suddenly became a ravishing possession. The strength of the firm warm lips that parted hers forcefully became all that was real in the world until his hands trailed over her sheet-covered body and his touch became devastatingly real too. Her skin caught fire everywhere his hands made contact and suddenly, even the thin sheet seemed a barrier she no longer wanted between them. "Come to bed, Raul," she whispered urgently, unable to prevent herself and as he slipped beneath the sheet, her slender arms swiftly encircled his neck. He was so warm, so muscularly lean that she couldn't fight the weakness that invaded her body as his weight pressed her down into the soft mattress. Catching her small face between his hands, he lowered his head, his lips parting hers hungrily until her slender young body was arching against him.

  "Juliet, God, I want you; te quiero," he whispered hoarsely, his breath hot as he pressed a burning kiss into the hollow at the base of her throat. "And you're not afraid of me, not so afraid that you'll say no this time. Will you? Say yes, Juliet. Let me love you. Don't say no."

  "I don't want to say no," she confessed, her fingers tangling in his hair. "But…"

  "I can't let you go this time; forgive me," he groaned, even as he swiftly removed her gown and pushed it off the bed onto the floor. His robe followed. One strong arm slipped beneath her, pulling her over on top of him and as their legs tangled and her soft breasts yielded to the hard surface of his chest, he gripped the back of her head in one hand and brought her mouth down to meet his.

  The fire within Juliet blazed out of control as she gave him back kiss for kiss and she could only moan softly as he swiftly pressed her back down onto the bed again. A tremor of delight shook her body as his hands caressed and kneaded her breasts and her own fingers eagerly traced the contours of the broad muscular shoulders above her.

  "Your skin's like satin," he whispered between bruising kisse
s. "I want to touch every inch of it. But I don't want to take you, Juliet; I want you to give yourself to me. Can you?"

  "Raul, I…"

  "God, you have to now," he muttered roughly before his mouth took hers again.

  Drowning in sensual pleasure, aching for his lovemaking, Juliet was on the verge of total surrender when she heard the footsteps on the stairs. Then she remembered it was Wednesday and Rosita always came to tidy the house on Wednesdays. She tensed, instinctively pushing against Raul's chest. "Please! Raul, you have to let me go," she begged. "Rosita's coming up the stairs. She'll come in here!"

  Raul didn't seem to hear. His hands curved into her waist, holding her against him as he whispered her name into her ear and it was only as the bedroom door was opened, that he finally pulled away slightly.

  As he turned his head, Juliet opened her eyes, then, with a barely audible groan, hastily tugged the sheet closer up beneath her chin. She could have died of embarrassment. It was bad enough for Rosita to find her in bed with a man who didn't love her but Jimena Ruiz was standing in the doorway too, as usual, in the wrong place at the wrong time again. Yet, even Jimena's presence was insignificant compared to the fact that Alicia Valaquez was between the other two women! And her obsidian eyes were as hard and cold as chips of ice as she glared at Raul and Juliet.

  No one moved; no one spoke for what seemed an eternity of time until, at last, Jimena broke the silence by saying viciously, "Well, well, we seem to be intruding, do we not, Dona Alicia?"

  "Silencio!" the señora commanded. And as Jimena quickly obeyed and shut her mouth, the older woman ignored Rosita's tearful murmurings, eased the overwrought housekeeper to one side, and stepped farther into the room. "Since I had business in town, I offered to drive Rosita here to do her weekly maintenance cleaning. Jimena was at the casa looking for you so when I told her you were here, she followed in her car. We did not intend to intrude on this—this scene but I think perhaps it is good that we did."

  Juliet could believe neither her calm tone nor Raul's response to it. He simply inclined his head at the explanation, as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. Why didn't he tell his grandmother that nothing had actually happened? That had to be made clear and at last, Juliet felt compelled to say it herself.

  Her denial made no impression on Dona Alicia who merely gestured impatiently. "My eyes do not lie to me, niña. I see what I see." Then turning to Raul, she uttered a few words in sharp clipped Spanish.

  In Spanish also, his reply was equally brief and elicited confusing reactions.

  With a strangled imprecation, Jimena swung out of the doorway to stamp down the hall, her spike heels hammering the tile floor violently. Even more astounding, Rosita was grinning as Raul's grandmother regally preceded her into the hall and the housekeeper winked at Juliet, then drew the door closed again.

  "You have to convince her that nothing happened!" Juliet insisted urgently, gripping Raul's forearm in supplication. "You saw how upset she was to find us—like this. You have to ease her mind about it!"

  Raul propped himself more comfortably on one elbow, his dark gaze holding hers. "Telling her nothing happened would be useless. As she said, she sees what she sees and no one will convince her she didn't."

  Juliet pressed her fingers against throbbing temples. "What she must think of me!" she whispered bleakly. "What did she say to you in Spanish? And what did you answer that made Jimena so angry?"

  Raul's jaw tightened as he simply looked down at her for a long moment. "Abuela asked me what our plans were. And I told her that you will be a Valaquez bride after all. My bride, Juliet, as soon as a wedding can be arranged." And his expression was totally unfathomable as Juliet's amber eyes widened in stunned disbelief.

  Chapter Ten

  "You can't mean that!" she gasped softly, her face paling. "I mean, you can't just tell me we're going to get married simply because your grandmother misunderstands what she saw! That doesn't make any sense! It's…"

  Silencing her by pressing one finger against her lips, Raul gave her a slight mysterious smile and his expression was still beyond analysis. "Maybe it does make sense," he countered softly. "Maybe it's inevitable. I think perhaps it was always your destiny to become a Valaquez bride."

  "But you can't just accept the situation as inevitable! You haven't even tried to tell your grandmother that we didn't—that nothing happened between us despite what she saw."

  Raul lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. "I know Abuela. She can be a very obstinate woman. Nothing I say to her is going to change her mind about what she saw. You may as well accept that fact, Juliet. I do."

  Juliet shook her head, her expression incredulous, conflicting emotions causing her heart to hammer erratically. If only he loved her, she would have been eager to marry him, but he didn't and she had too much pride to enter into a marriage that a regrettable misunderstanding was forcing upon him. And actually she was astounded that he was taking this entire situation so calmly. Usually he was so strong-willed and in total command of his own life but that slight shrug he had just given seemed to have conveyed a near fatalistic attitude, as if he meant to accept this marriage without protest. Still clutching the edge of the sheet up beneath her small chin, she searched his face almost frantically. Could she have misread his personality completely? Perhaps the modern image he projected was merely a thin veneer. Perhaps he was more old-fashioned than she had ever imagined. Too confused to speak, she could only gaze at his dark finely carved features until he gently brushed a tousled strand of russet hair back from her cheek. Then she trembled and there was something of a beseeching luminosity in her eyes as they sought the dark green depths of his.

  "Are you really trying to tell me you're going to let yourself be forced into a marriage?" she whispered tremulously. "Oh, Raul, I don't think I understand you at all."

  "You will," he whispered back, his gaze roaming over the delicate features of her face, then downward to take in the rounded contours of her slender body outlined against the thin sheet. "After we're married…"

  "But we can't get married! Not like this!" The edge of her teeth pressed down into the softness of her lower lip and her expression conveyed some anguish. "You don't want to sacrifice your freedom because of a misunderstanding. And I don't want…"

  "Basta. Enough, Juliet," he commanded roughly, catching her chin between one thumb and forefinger. "You must accept the inevitable."

  "But I…"

  "You seem to be forgetting something very important," he murmured, lowering his dark head until his warm minty breath was caressing her temple. "What Abuela believes happened would have happened if she hadn't walked into this room a moment ago. And since even you must know that it's inevitable that we will make love sooner or later, don't you think it would be wise for us to get married."

  "You couldn't marry me just for—just to—oh, you know what I mean."

  "I only know that I can't wait much longer to possess you. You are exquisite, Juliet, and I want you," he answered huskily, hot passion flaring in his eyes.

  As his warm mouth covered hers, she tried to fight the traitorous response of her body but the battle was futile. His hardening lips caught the tender lower curve of hers, tugging gently until her mouth opened slightly and the tip of his tongue sought the sweetness within. Her senses came alive and as he gently pried open the small fingers that clutched the sheet, she released it with a soft moan of submission. Fire danced over her skin as his hand slipped beneath the sheet to brush over her bare shoulders. His fingertips probed the delicate contours of her collarbone and the shadowed hollow at the base of her creamy throat. Then his lips followed the path of his fingers, his teeth nipping gently at her sensitized skin.

  She gasped softly as his hands took possession of her breasts, cupping the rounded cushioned flesh, stroking her satin textured skin with seeking fingers. His mouth sought hers again, parting her lips with swift demand, conveying a nearly insatiable hunger that took her breath away. He was v
ery expertly seducing her. She knew that, yet as he traced the throbbing peaks of her breasts, then rubbed his thumbs across them coaxingly until they hardened with desire beneath his questing touch, she couldn't suppress the quickening shaft of pleasure that made her dizzy with longing for him. A central throbbing emptiness deep within her became an intolerable aching and she arched against him, seeking fulfillment and finding delight in his hard smooth body as he pressed her down swiftly into the mattress. His bare skin, hot against hers, was an enticement she couldn't resist. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she feathered her hands over his strong broad back, tracing corded muscles with eager fingertips.

  "Te quiero," he breathed raggedly close to her ear, then captured the tender lobe between his teeth and nibbled gently until she could withstand the piercing sensations that rippled through her no longer and urged his mouth to hers again.

  Even then, the seduction continued. His lips played with hers teasingly until her fingers tangled in the thick hair on his nape, pressing him down, urging a rougher taking of her mouth. His kisses deepened, became slow rousing quests that demanded total surrender and when she was all warm and yielding beneath him, his lips sought the taut roseate peaks of her round breasts and the brushing touch of his tongue heightened the empty aching inside her.

  Her slender legs tangled with his but as she felt the hardening ridge of his body surge powerfully against her smooth thighs, one hand curved possessively over one slight hipbone, pressing her down into the mattress, denying her contact with his upsurging masculinity.

  She made a soft beseeching sound and her eyes fluttered open to see the slight triumphant smile that curved his firmly carved mouth before it descended on hers again. With gentle aggression, his lips plundered her own and when her hands began to move feverishly over his back, one muscular arm slipped beneath her gently curving hips and arched her soft warmth upward to brush against him. And she had never wanted anything in her life as much as she suddenly wanted to belong completely to him.